AAD Instructors
Amanda Verthein
A Lifetime of Dance Experience
Miss Amanda has been immersed in the world of dance for most of her life. With over 30 years of experience as a dance instructor and choreographer, she has taught and inspired dancers at every level. Beyond her role at Amanda’s Academy of Dance, she is a co-owner of Trilogy Dance Competition, where she continues to contribute to the dance community on a larger scale.
A Fun and Inspiring Environment
While Miss Amanda brings a wealth of professional expertise to Amanda’s Academy of Dance, she is also dedicated to creating a warm and joyful environment for everyone at the studio. She believes that dance should be fun and accessible to all, and she works hard to make sure every student feels welcome and excited to be a part of the AAD family.
When she’s not at the studio, Miss Amanda enjoys spending time with her family. She is a married to “Mr. Jay” and a mother to two wonderful children: Austin and Clara. Miss Amanda leads an active lifestyle, enjoying activities like hiking, reading, traveling, watching movies, and organizing everything around her.
A True Passion for Dance
What drives Miss Amanda every day is her deep love for dance and her commitment to sharing that passion with her students. She takes pride in building a dance community at AAD where everyone supports one another, shares laughs, and grows together. Her goal is to pass on the joy of dance to every student, helping them to discover their own love for the art form while being part of a close-knit dance family that cherishes dance, laughter, and growth!
Chelsea Moten
13th Year Instructor
AAD/TDS Alumni
Operations Director
Miss Chelsea is elated to return home to her AAD family and celebrate her 15th year of teaching dance. Miss Chelsea’s forté is young dancers; however, while living in Madison WI, she found she truly enjoys helping dancers of all ages discover their passion for dance. Miss Chelsea started her dance training as a young student of Miss Amanda’s, moving on to assist her in class for several years; joining her teaching staff in 2007. After 5 years of teaching for AAD, Miss Chelsea and her husband moved to Madison in 2012, where she ran the City of Verona’s youth dance program and opened B Bright Dance Studio and taught several other dance programs throughout the Madison area. With AAD always in her heart, she is thrilled to finally come home. When Miss Chelsea isn’t obsessing over dance, she is likely thinking about iced coffee, her furry family (1 dog, 2 cats: Mazy, Mack, and Mo) or CAMPING!
Emilie Chritton
13th Year Instructor
Production Choreographer
Ballet Program Lead
PBT Certified
Miss Emilie began dancing at the age of 4 and has studied many different genres of dance including ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, tap, and many more! She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) and loves using these new techniques to build muscle memory in her ballet classes. When Miss Emilie isn’t at the studio, she is likely in her 2nd Grade classroom in La Crosse. When she is not dancing, she enjoys being outside, reading good books, and spending time with her friends, family, and dogs. She is very excited to see what this year will bring!
Brie York
10th Year Instructor
Production Choreographer
Acrobatic Arts Certified
Miss Brie is so excited for another amazing year at AAD! She has been teaching dance for over 22 years. This will be her 8th season with AAD, teaching various styles and choreographing competition routines. She is also certified with Acrobatic Arts and looks forward to continuing to help students grow in their flexibility and strength. In her free time she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband (Jace) and daughter (Jemma). Her favorite thing about teaching is watching her students grow each season and accomplish more than they ever thought was possible. Miss Brie can’t wait to see the growth that happens this season!
Annika Haskin
15th Year Instructor
Miss Annika is delighted to return for another season with AAD! She has been teaching dance since 2005 specializing in Modern, Ballet and Tap. Miss Annika loves to choreograph competition routines; her choreography has won several Judge’s Awards including Outstanding Choreography. Miss Annika loves to spend her free time with her children (Liara and Elliot), husband (Ben), and dog Gimlet. She also loves nerdy board games, ice cream, football, giraffes, and sparkles! Miss Annika is excited to continue sharing her passion for dance with the AAD family!
Jill Knudsen
4th Year Instructor
AAD Alumni
Miss Jill is so excited for another season teaching at AAD! This will be her 19th season at the studio and third year teaching. She grew up dancing at AAD and specializes in Jazz, Musical Theater, and Lyrical along with working directly with students for solos, duets, or trios. Outside of the studio you can find Miss Jill spending time with her family, friends, and dogs, watching movies, playing games, and choreographing dances. Miss Jill can’t wait for another great season and is so excited for what is ahead!
Norah Dickson
2nd Year Instructor
AAD Alumni
Miss Norah is thrilled to return to AAD! Miss Norah has been dancing at AAD for 9 years. She was part of the Competition Team for five of those years. Miss Norah is super excited for her first year as part of the AAD staff. She has been trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz and musical theater. She is currently attending The Salon Professional Academy where she is studying to become a Cosmetologist. Miss Norah can’t wait to show her love for dance to everyone, and is so excited for this dance season to begin!
Mckenzie Lantz
2nd Year Instructor
Miss Mckenzie has danced for 18 years, and has taught dance for 4 years in her hometown. She is originally from Hortonville, WI, but moved to La Crosse 4 years ago. Miss Mckenzie also teaches second grade at Summit Environmental School. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in nature, going to the gym, and cooking. Her favorite thing about teaching (dance and school) is to watch the lightbulb moments, and have fun with her students. Miss Mckenzie is so excited to take on her first year with AAD and can’t wait to share her love of dance!
Serenity Klauer
2nd Year Instructor
Miss Serenity cannot wait for her first year with the ADD family! Miss Serenity has been dancing since she was six years old. She trained at Madison Dance Academy from age six to eighteen. She began competitively dancing at age eleven. She even joined her highschool varsity dance team her junior year! Miss Serenity has been trained in jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, acro, hip-hop, musical theater, ballet, and pointe. She is currently a junior attending the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, where she is majoring in Elementary-Middle Education! She is also on a dance team on campus. Miss Serenity can’t wait to meet everyone, and can’t wait for an amazing dance season ahead!
Matthew Lucas
4th Year Instructor
Ballroom Instructor
Coming soon!
Nora Hirthe
1st Year Instructor
Coming soon!
Megan Wozniak
1st Year Instructor
Coming soon!
Kennedy Fox
1st Year Instructor
AAD Alumni
Coming soon!