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Marianne's journey with dance started in first grade in Springfield, IL, where she danced with the Springfield Ballet, a civic ballet company, throughout high school. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance, majoring in performance and pedagogy from Butler University, graduating Magna Cum Laude with high honors.

After college, Marianne pursued a professional ballet career and danced with several prestigious companies such as Ballet Iowa, where she was principal dancer, as well as Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Lexington Ballet, Virginia Ballet Theatre, and Ontario Ballet Theatre. She also had the privilege of training with the legendary Wilhelm Burmann and Diana Cartier in New York City.

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Kelly grew up dancing at Betty Jo’s Dance Center.  In high school, Kelly was a member of Eastview High School's Varsity Dance Team all four years, serving as the Captain her senior year. She graduated in 2006 from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a major in Communications and a minor in Dance and Coaching.  During college, Kelly was the head coach of the UMD Dance Team and the assistant coach for Duluth Central High School's Dance Team. She has been trained by the Judges' Association of Minnesota to judge all levels of competitions and categories. Kelly joined the staff of Betty Jo's Dance Center in 2006 and became Young Children's Director in 2018.

Shelley has been an integral part of Betty Jo's for many years. She began dancing at the young age of five and has remained a fixture in the studio ever since. Over the years, she has taken on various roles such as dancer, assistant teacher, and seasoned instructor. Currently, she is in her 25th year of teaching and specializes in teaching young children, jazz, tap, musical theater, and kick.  

One of Shelley's notable contributions to the studio is her creative force behind the Dads and Daughters dance, which many families are familiar with. Additionally, she leads the competition dancers and consistently wins awards wherever they perform. The production kick team that Shelley leads also performs at various venues around the metro, including Timberwolves games.

Outside of the studio, Shelley works as an interior designer and account representative for a women-owned business. She lives in Savage with her husband and three sons.

Lindsay's passion for dance started in her hometown in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 4,  where she honed her skills as a competitive studio dancer for 14 years. In San Diego, she attended Mesa College, where she immersed herself in the world of dance, teaching, performing, and choreographing while also designing costumes and lighting for performances. She has extensive training in injury prevention and nutrition for dancers. 

Lindsay has not only prepared for and attended professional auditions and casting sessions as a dancer but has also led and supervised these sessions. She has taught jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern, and tap classes to students of all ages, ranging from 3-year-olds to adults.

sportsmanship.  Lindsay became part of the talented staff at Betty Jo's Dance Center in 2011.  She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and twin sons.

Megan Halsey has been performing, teaching, and choreographing dance in Minnesota and California for the past twenty years. Her training began at Larkin Dance Studio and she went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. Megan was an active member of the Southern California dance community as a member of Bare Dance Company, and an instructor & choreographer for multiple studios and companies. After relocating back to Minneapolis, she joined Alternative Motion Dance Company and has been teaching and choreographing in the Twin Cities area ever since. She loves to share her passion for movement and music with her students and has been a part of the Betty Jo’s staff since 2016.

Helayna started dancing at Betty Jo's at age three, eventually making her way to the Platinum Program where she danced competitively for eight years. She attended the University of Minnesota where she trained in Tap and Contemporary and earned degrees in Spanish and Kinesiology. Following her undergraduate graduation, she received a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology. When she is not in the studio, she loves working in her research lab.  She is thrilled to be back at Betty Jo's as an instructor this season!

Brenna started dancing at Betty Jo’s when she was 3 years old and has had a second home at the studio ever since. Brenna is going into her third year of teaching at the studio and loves every minute of it! Brenna was involved in various dance productions at Rosemount High School, both dancing and choreographing. Brenna is a senior at The University of Minnesota where she studies marketing and sales, but she always finds ways to incorporate dance recreationally.  Brenna feels it is beyond heartwarming to teach at the amazing studio where she grew up.

Anna Jo started her dancing journey in 3rd grade at Betty Jo's. Eventually, she became part of the platinum program and participated in dance competitions throughout high school. In 2017, Anna Jo became a teaching assistant in the young children's division, where she worked with dancers ranging from preschool to high school. For five years, Anna Jo remained in the assistant teacher program until her current pursuit of dual degrees in Elementary and Special Education at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. These degrees are being pursued through the college of Education and Human Development.   Anna Jo joined the faculty in 2022 and loves her new role leading the classroom and running our fun summer camps