Our Creative Team

Miss Tracey is the artistic director and owner of Spotlight Dance Academy of Grand Haven, MI and the choreographer for the SDA regional and national award winning competition troupe. She began her dance career at age 9 and has not stopped since. She began teaching in 1985 and is a certified member of the Cecchetti Ballet Council and the Michigan Dance Council. Tracey is also the West Michigan Regional Director for National Dance Week. Tracey and Spotlight Dance are members of I.D.E.A- International Entrepreneurs of America.

She instructs all forms and levels of dance. Her choreography and talented young dancers have won numerous awards at regional and national dance competitions, West Michigan Student Showcase, and she has choreographed for Miss Muskegon and Miss Michigan contestants. Tracey’s dancers have performed in several renditions of the Nutcracker, and professionally all over the tri-counties. Tracey is a seasonal staff member of Muskegon Civic Theaters children’s program and has choreographed numerous children’s musicals. Tracey has performed in West Side Story and Best Little Whore House in Texas for Muskegon Civic Theater.

Miss Tracey’s philosophy: Be happy, enjoy each day God has given you and JUST DANCE!

Miss Kristi Cook has had a passion for dance since she was a young girl. She found her passion the moment she took her first dance class at the age of 11. She knew she wanted to be a dancer, a teacher and a choreographer. Throughout the years, Miss Kristi has been blessed with the opportunity to teach and share the love of dance with others. Miss Kristi has been dancing for over 20 years, and teaching for 17 years. This will be Miss Kristi’s 16th year as a Creative Team member at SDA, and she is proud to call Spotlight Dance Academy her home. Miss Kristi works with our Competitive Troupe dancers as an instructor and choreographer. She is an instructor for our Recreational Program as well as our Children’s program. She is the instructor and choreographer for SDA’s Hip Hop Crew “Fresh Coast Funks”, which began its inaugural season in 2015. Miss Kristi is trained in all dance disciplines and levels. She loves and appreciates all dance forms and believes every dancer is special. There is nothing in the world Miss Kristi would rather do. Just dance!

Miss Sam has been dancing since she was five years old. She has trained in the disciplines of ballet, jazz, and most significantly, tap. For many years, she competed on the national stage in England (her home country), in both modern (jazz) and tap, taking 3rd place in the All England Senior Tap Championships when she was 16. Miss Sam has since performed, taught, and choreographed for Durham University’s Instep Dance Company for four years. She is also a qualified Dance Teacher through the Northern Counties Dance Teachers’ Association in England. Miss Sam now lives in Grand Haven with her husband, and loves dancing with the lovely people of Michigan!

Miss Natalie has been pursuing her passion for dance since she was three years old and began her training at Dance Dynamics Performing Arts Center in Walled Lake, MI. She has studied Ballet in the styles of Balanchine, Vaganova, and Cecchetti, as well as, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Modern, and Pointe. She appeared in performances of “The Nutcracker” with the Joffrey Ballet and the Moscow Ballet in high school and grew up attending many regional and national dance conventions. After graduating high school, Miss Natalie attended Grand Valley State University where she minored in Dance and trained under Stephen Sanford, Samantha Shelton, Hannah Siedel, and Carrie Brueck Morris, amongst others. She traveled to Cape Coast, Ghana over the summer of 2013, where she studied and performed with the Korye Dance Theater and learned both modern and traditional forms of African Dance from local Ghanaians. Miss Nat is thrilled to be a part of the SDA Family since 2016 where she can express her love for dance as an art form and share her passion with her students.

Miss Blair

Miss Blair has a passion for theater and dance that flows into her teaching methods, helps inspire children and adults on the stage & in life. With over thirty years of experience training and performing on stages all over the midwest, Miss Blair brings her background studies from MSU summer training, and NorthWestern Michigan College as a Dance major with a minor in Early Childhood Education to the Grand Haven area to share with students of all ages. Miss Blair has been a guest artist teaching dance and theater at WMAAA & Walden Green Montessori. She ran a small private business, Blair’s Dance&Drama where she helped dozens of students gain confidence in their stage presence and in life. Miss Blair taught at the Frauenthal for Muskegon Civic Theaters children’s classes and summer camps for years, teaching dance and theater, and choreographing summer shows. Miss Blair assisted in the development of the Central Park Players Education Growth Committee along with performing in several shows most recently as “Miss Hannigan” in the well-loved musical Annie. Miss Blair has collaborated with The Traverse City Ballet, NMC Miliken Auditorium, Diane’s School of Dance, Sol and Sage Movement Studio, The Frauenthal, Let’s Dance Grand Haven, and most recently is proud to have been welcomed into the Spotlight Dance Academy family. Eager and excited to be back in the classroom she hopes to bring her exceptional background and talents to you creating truly positive and inspirational experiences.

Ashley began her dance training at the age of 4. She joined the SDA Professional Program at the age of 9. She feels that the intensive training she received at Spotlight allowed her to grow into the dancer that she is today. While she was a part of the Pre-professional program, Ashley traveled the country training and attending workshops, and was a member of many award-winning group numbers.  Through all of this, her favorite memories of the Ensemble team come from the moments when she and her teammates accomplished great things together, and formed friendships to last a lifetime.

After graduating high school, Ashley’s next goal in dance was to become a dance teacher. She had spent her senior year student teaching at Spotlight Dance Academy under the tutelage of Miss Tracey  and since then, her passion for teaching has continued to grow. Ashley especially enjoys seeing her students’ pride and self-confidence grow as they continue their journey with dance.

Ashley continues to train at Grand Rapids Ballet, and with master teachers both at Spotlight and through dance workshops. Outside of the studio, Ashley is a a middle school small group youth leader at Harvest Church.

Miss Shylah began her dance training at the age of 4 at Spotlight Dance Academy.  She has trained in all genres of dance for the past 17 years and is an alumnus of our pre-professional division. Shylah joined Miss Tracey 6 years ago working with our youngest students in children’s program. She has an extensive experience working with young children, and believes that dance allows them to express their creativity through movement and musicality.

Shylah’s goal as a teacher is to create an environment where her students feel comfortable and confident to go beyond their own boundaries and to reach for more then they thought was possible, leaving class with a feeling of accomplishment in their own personal talents. With discipline and structure in her classroom, she aspires to gives her students the tools they need to have a successful future.

Emily began dancing at the age of 3 at Spotlight Dance Academy. The past 14 years, she has studied various styles of dance and then became a member of the pre-professional program at Spotlight. Six years ago, Emily joined the SDA faculty as an assistant staff member working with our youngest students in the Children’s Dance program. Emily loves working with young children and always keeps a positive, upbeat attitude in and out of the classroom. Her goal is to build each student’s individual confidence through the art of dance.

Emily is finishing her associates at Muskegon Community College and then transferring to Aquinas College to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Sustainable business, and a minor in environmental studies.

Miss Sasha