Lauren Haza
Artistic Director

Lauren Haza earned her B.S. in Contemporary Dance, with a minor in Excercise Science from Indiana University in 2012. While at IU, she performed works by Martha Graham and David Parsons. Lauren also attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre and Martha Graham School. She recently moved back to Indiana from Philadelphia where she was teaching full time at The Conservatory of Music and Dance. Lauren also holds a Sports Performance coaching certification from USA Weightlifting. She coaches and competes in Olympic weightlifting. Lauren is excited to be back at Dancers Studio where her love of dance first began.

Andrea Davis 
Executive Director 

Andrea calls Columbus home although she’s lived in and out of Columbus many times in her life.  She started ballet at age 5 while living in Mexico City and continued dancing after moving back to Columbus until her interests turned to sports and especially golf.   Andrea attended CNHS, played on the golf team and also participated in several CNHS and Mill Race theatre productions while in Jr High and High School, mostly in dance roles.  She graduated from Furman University in Greenville, SC with a BS in Biology and also played golf all 4 years while at Furman.  

​

Andrea recently retired from a 40 year career in the Insurance industry, most recently as a Director for Liberty Mutual Insurance, and joined Dancers Studio as the Executive Director in November of 2021.  Her role will include taking over the administrative and day-to-day operational work at the studio as well as focusing on fundraising and community outreach. 

Andrea looks forward to meeting all of the Dancers Studio dancers and families in 2022! 

Susannah Lipinski
Costume Designer

Susannah Lipinski serves as the costume mistress and “alpha dog” in the Dancers Studio Smiling Dog Costume Shop. She has sewn for our dancers for 16 years as a volunteer and dance mom.  Her creations have been featured in Nutcracker and countless storybook ballets, as well as in community dance outreach performances.  

She began sewing at the age of 11 with a family friend. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Susannah earned a BS in Textiles and Apparel. After moving to Columbus and starting her family, she began sewing in the workshop to keep her out of trouble while her daughters Mila and Szczesny were in ballet class. Susannah “inherited” the Smiling Dogs and loves working with her fellow friends and volunteers. Her job is to make the dancers look good so they do not have to worry about their clothes…just their feet!

She has created all manner of animals including elephants, rabbits, deer, squirrels, skunks, giraffes, camels, dogs, birds and more.  She has been challenged to make tutus for our dancers who will not stop growing.  Summer Dance Camp is a fun way for Susannah to meet the younger dancers through craft time and costumes for the summer performance.

Kaylin Hogan 
Creative Movement/Primary Instructor

Kaylin Hogan began dancing at age 5 and settled into ballet at Dancers Studio at age 7, when her family moved to Columbus. She studied ballet and modern dance through high school, during which she had the opportunity to spend summers studying at Interlochen Arts Camp, the Louisville Ballet Intensive, and the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program. She chose to continue her training in college by earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Ball State University, where she majored in Dance Performance and minored in Technical Theatre-Lighting Design. There, she had the opportunity to study under a wonderful faculty, including Lou Ann Young, Audra Sokol, Christie Zimmerman, Vladimir Stadnik, and Michael Worcel, as well as several guest artists over the years. Kaylin performed for 4 years with Ball State Dance Theatre, which included several world premieres and touring productions. She also performed, choreographed, and designed lights for approximately 14 student productions and showcases during her college career. Since graduation in 2014, Kaylin has been living in Columbus with husband, Nick, and daughter, Lily, and teaching and choreographing for Dancers Studio and several other community organizations. In June of 2018, Kaylin was hired as Artistic Director of Dancers Studio, Inc.

Renee Hodge
Ballet/Pointe
Instructor

Renee grew up in Metamora, Illinois. She began her dance training at age five from her mother and dance teacher, Betty Smith. At the age of fifteen she became a member of The Peoria Ballet Company in Peoria, Illinois. She performed many soloist and principal roles in both classical and contemporary ballets. She performed with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, The Peoria Civic Opera and The performing Arts Department at Bradley University in Peoria. She performed in original works choreographed by Alfonso Figueroa with The Peoria Ballet Company at the Edinburg Arts Festival in Edinburg Scotland. She danced in the world premiere of "Nosferatu, the Vampire" and in a role created for her in the second movement of "Rodin...A Tribute" by Alfonso Figueroa. In a made for local public television production, Renee performed with The Peoria Ballet Company in "Ballet Like You've Never Seen It." Renee has studied under Alfonso Figueroa, Janet Moran, Mary Price Boday, Jay Kirk, Alexander Bennet, Jo Rowan, and David Howard. Renee earned her Social Services Degree from Bradley University. She lives in Seymour with her husband Dan and her, children, Katie and Michael. Renee has been teaching at Dancers Studio since 2014.

Nicholas Owens
Modern/Jazz Instructor

Nicholas is known throughout the Indianapolis area as a dancer, choreographer, photographer, and co-founder and former Artistic Director of Kenyatta Dance Company. He directs his own modern dance company, NODC (Nicholas Owens Dance Company). He began dancing at Kenyatta Dance Studio under the direction of his older sister Vanessa Owens and later joined Iibada Dance Company under the Founding Artistic Direction of Sabra Logan. His training includes modern, classical ballet, jazz, African Dance forms, tap and hip-hop dance. He has attended the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and the African American Dance Company workshop. He has performed both nationally and internationally. He currently teaches modern, jazz and private tap dance lessons at the Indiana Ballet Conservancy, Dancers Studio, Inc. in Columbus and Iibada Dance Company. He also taught jazz as an adjunct professor at Butler University. Nicholas has directed and choreographed for Kenyatta Dance Company, Indiana Civic Theatre, Indiana Ballet Company, Pike High School, Iibada Dance Company, Indianapolis Children's Choir, Sycamore School and Dance Kaleidoscope. Currently he serves as Assistant Artistic Director of Iibada Dance Company. Nicholas has been teaching at Dancers Studio since 2013.

Olivia Payton
Ballet/Pointe/Jazz
Instructor

Olivia Payton is an Indianapolis native and is thrilled to be on staff at Dancers Studio Inc. Olivia started training at Iibada Dance Company in Indianapolis under the direction of Sabra Logan. Payton also trained at  Jordan Academy of Dance at Butler University until their closing in the spring of 2011. After Jordan’s closing Olivia started training at The Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre where she received unmatched training from a variety of faculty members including Gregory Hancock, Laura Byram, and Angela Agresti. In 2018 Olivia was awarded a full scholarship to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s summer intensive. At The Ailey School Olivia trained under their world renowned faculty. Throughout high school Olivia interned with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre on multiple occasions, for multiple performances. In 2020 Olivia joined the company as a professional dancer and is so thrilled to be performing with GHDT.

Josie Moody
Ballet/Pointe
Instructor

Josie Moody is thrilled to be joining the Dancers Studio Inc. Faculty this year. She has been training at the Academy of Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre since it’s opening in 2009 and was a member of their pre-professional company G2 for six seasons. She attended summers at both Alonzo King Lines Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. Josie is now a professional dancer for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and cannot wait to share her love of dance with these amazing students.