Meet our Faculty

Owner/Director

Jerri opened Dance Elements in 2007 and is owner and artistic director.  
She has been dancing since the age of two.  She trained in Southeast Texas and began her teaching career at Sandy Calamia’s Danceworks in Groves, Texas in 1997.  

She has been active in the competition and convention aspect of the dance world since the age of eight and won several awards as a competitive dancer including Dance Olympus Miss Dance Finalist Kids Artistic Revue Miss Dance of Houston, and 2000 Healiner Dancer.  She continues her training annually by attending dance conventions. 

Jerri moved to Austin in 2000 and began teaching at multiple Austin area studios including Alisa' s Dance Academy, Georgetown Performing Arts Studio, Let's Dance, and Allstars Dance & Gym Co. 

She graduated from McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in 2004 with an accounting degree and worked for Ballet Austin before opening Dance Elements in 2007.

Jerri enjoys teaching multiple styles of dance but loves teaching tap and acrobatics.  She is a certified Acrobatic Arts instructor.  Jerri is the Director of Spotlight Performance Company and has won multiple choreography awards. 

 She enjoys judging auditions for high school and private studio teams.  She is passionate about teaching dance and continues to pass on her love for dance to students of all ages. 

Instructor

Antonette began her dance training at the age of five at June Claire Dance Center on Long Island, where she built a strong foundation in classical techniques. She continued her education in upstate New York, expanding her studies beyond ballet, tap, and jazz to include ballroom, developing a well-rounded and versatile approach to dance.

Antonette further refined her training through workshops in New York City with a focus on ballet, tap, and musical theatre, deepening her technical expertise and artistic range. She brings this breadth of experience into her teaching, emphasizing both strong foundational technique and expressive performance.

Her teaching career began serving as the primary Pre-Primary through Level 1 ballet instructor at Lake Placid School of Ballet and Dance. She later partnered with a studio in Plattsburgh, NY, where she spent a decade developing and growing a comprehensive ballet program.

In addition to her studio work, Antonette has an extensive background in choreography, creating work for high school programs, community theatres, and collegiate productions. Her teaching and choreography are rooted in a passion for fostering confidence, discipline, and a lifelong love of dance in her students.

Instructor

Chloe, originally from Port Arthur, Texas, has dedicated over 20 years to her passion for dance. She received comprehensive training at Taylor's Dance Studio in Nederland, Texas, mastering a variety of styles, including jazz, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, and RAD ballet. She was a devoted member of the Southeast Texas Ballet Company for 13 years, earning numerous awards during her studio experience. 

Chloe pursued higher education with a major in dance science with a focus on ballet and modern dance, particularly Graham-based modern style, at Texas A&M University. During her college years, Chloe performed in student and faculty choreographed pieces, including "Where There's Hope, There's Life," which reached the finals of the ACDA Collegiate Dance Conference in 2019 and was featured in the Austin Dance Festival in 2020.

After graduating in May 2020, Chloe began her teaching career in Round Rock ISD, where she has been instructing middle school students for three years. She also serves as a judge for Crowd Pleaser Dance during contest seasons, working with high school dance teams in the Round Rock area.

Instructor

Diane began dancing at the age of four and started pointe at nine. She assisted classes in high school and, during college, took ownership of the studio where she trained. After graduation, Diane founded and taught the dance line team at her high school.

She has performed in productions of The Nutcracker, at county and state pageants, and for various group events, and has trained with professional tap and ballet companies and at multiple dance conventions. Diane was also a member of the Skykickers Danceline Team in Minnesota. Diahe loves working with students of all levels and watching them grow.

Instructor

Erika is a recent graduate of Sam Houston State University where she received her BFA in dance. She is proficient in ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz.  Erika grew up in Austin Texas where she began her professional training with Chamacos Dance Company.

She has had the opportunity to work with Aletha Alexander, Adele Nickel, Aurelio Planes, Andrew Noble and numerous other talented choreographers and dancers while doing some commercial work where she was a featured dancer. Erika is passionate about inspiring young dancers and movers to feel confident and free to express themselves. 

Instructor

Originally from Seattle, WA, Grace received her early training at Dance Fremont under the direction of Vivian Little and Mary Reardon. In 2010, she continued her dance education in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s pre-professional division and joined Ballet Austin TWO in 2012.

After joining the company in 2013, Grace has danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Serenade, and Concerto Barocco, and has appeared in works by Jessica Lang, Pontus Lidberg, Lar Lubovitch, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Pam Tanowitz, Septime Webre, Christopher Wheeldon, and many others. She has performed in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and Marzipan), Hamlet (Ophelia), Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project, BELLE / A Tale of Beauty & the Beast (Belle), The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca), POE / A Tale of Madness (Sissy), and Carmina Burana. In the summer of 2019, she performed at the Jacob’s Pillow Opening Gala in Symbiotic Twin, choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Grace has been teaching throughout the Austin area for the past 13 years. She is currently studying in the LEAP program at Saint Mary’s College in California and has a daughter who keeps her creativity flowing in all areas of her life.

Instructor

Jenna Drummond is currently an Assistant Drill Team Director and Dance Teacher at Westwood High School. Jenna Drummond brings experience from previous roles at A & M Consolidated High School, Navasota High School where she was also Assistant Drill Team Director. Jenna Drummond holds a Communications in Minor in Dance Education @ Texas A&M University.  While attending college, Jenna was a dance instructor at Artistic Illusions Dance Academy in College Station. She has danced professionally in Early Era Dance Collective “Say That!”  and New Genesis: Adult Exhibition Company.

Assistant Company Director/Instructor

Kaitlyn is from Abilene Texas where she trained at
Dance Discovery Studios and began her teaching
career in 2007.  Kaitlyn was captain of two of her
three high school dance companies.  She enjoys
teaching a wide range of ages and styles of dance.
Kaitlyn has also been a guest instructor for the East
View High Sparklers and Starlettes.  She continues
her dance training by attending conventions and master
classes.

She currently teaches at Dance Elements
and for Spotlight Performance Company where she
has received choreography awards and multiple
top 10 overall placements between her group
choreography and soloists. Her future plans include
continuing to grow as a dance instructor and
choreographer, spending time with her husband and
three girls, as well as growing her business as a hair stylist.

Operations Manager/Instructor

Kaitlyn began her ballet training at the Houston Ballet Academy before moving to North Carolina where she went on to study and graduate from the ballet high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Upon graduation, she joined Ballet Austin for one year in their Trainee Program. In 2011 Kaitlyn graduated from St. Edward’s University with a degree in Communications. Upon graduating, Kaitlyn pursued a musical theater career throughout the Austin area and began teaching at Ballet Austin.

In 2013, Kaitlyn made the leap to New York to pursue a career in musical theater. While in New York, Kaitlyn performed in several Off-Broadway shows including the world-premiere of Crashlight, which she also choreographed and co-produced alongside Celeste Makoff. While dancing in New York she studied with Josh Bergasse, Al Blackstone, Billy Griffin, Charlie Sutton among others.

In 2018, Kaitlyn decided to take her next leap into the arts administrative world where she began working with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey School where she went on to become the Production Manager for the school. In 2025, Kaitlyn moved back to the Austin area with her husband and two kids and is thrilled to be teaching and sharing her love of dance with her students.

Instructor

Kinsey is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and certified educator originally from Kingwood, Texas. Her foundational training culminated in leadership roles with the elite Kingwood Fillies dance team, where she served as Captain and pioneered the program's freshman and sophomore officer tracks. In this role, she choreographed, taught, and performed highly competitive routines, while also instructing dancers aged 5 to 14 at regional dance clinics.  Kinsey advanced her training at the renowned EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles and studied under acclaimed choreographer Wade Robson. 

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and International Relations from Baylor University, where she also completed coursework in dance history and technique.

Currently based in the Austin area, Kinsey  is an accredited Acrobatic Arts certified instructor. She specializes in freelance choreography, costume design, and community event production, and contributes seasonal talent to the operational team at Bat City Scaregrounds.

Instructor

Michelle Dynes grew up in Phoenix, AZ where she trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theater, hip hop, and contemporary dance.  She has been active in the competition and convention aspect of the dance world since the age of 10 and won several awards as a competitive dancer including Miss Dance Kids Artistic Revue Phoenix, multiple top 10 places as a soloist, and several small and large group titles.

Throughout high school, Michelle also competed with her school’s dance team in UDA competitions.  She continued her dance career at the collegiate level, competing in UDA Nationals, and joining her university’s Cheer and Dance Program. During her time on the team, she performed at football, basketball, and volleyball games, as well as numerous university and community events.

In 2025, Michelle began teaching private technique lessons, helping dancers build confidence, strengthen fundamentals, and refine performance skills. She remains an active member of the dance community by continuing her own training. 

Michelle is looking forward to creating an environment where dancers can grow both technically and creatively while developing a lifelong love for dance.