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Meet Our Instructors & Staff

Alex Hess

Owner, Director & Instructor

Ovation Dance Academy has been a dream of Miss Alex’s all of her life, and she loves sharing her talent and passion with all of her students.

Alex began her dance training as most dancers do, in a pink tutu at four years old. She quickly became passionate about all styles of dance and was no stranger to the stage. Alex loved any opportunity to perform whether it was in dance competition, community event, or a musical!

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Instructors

Lisa Caldwell

Instructor

Sophie Lawrence

Instructor

Michaela Middleton

Instructor

Savannah Rudy

Instructor

Andrea Stainback

Instructor

Kate Darst

Instructor and Head Tumbling Team Coach

Jill Hagemeier

Instructor

Piper Noblit

Instructor

Candace Starr

Instructor

Lauren Thompson

Instructor

Caleb Hayden

Instructor

Debbie Maher

Instructor

Kati Oddo

Instructor

Alora Spencer

Instructor

Kristi Swob

Instructor

Staff Members

Leigh Allison

Office Staff

Katie Schwenk

Office Staff

Joyce Hess

Chief Financial Officer

Lavender

Happiness Officer in Training

Tilly

Chief Happiness Officer

Meghan Gawlick

Office Staff

Amanda Connell

Office Staff

A-Hess-ODA

Alex Hess

Owner, Director & Instructor

Ovation Dance Academy has been a dream of Miss Alex’s all of her life, and she loves sharing her talent and passion with all of her students.

Alex began her dance training as most dancers do, in a pink tutu at four years old. She quickly became passionate about all styles of dance and was no stranger to the stage. Alex loved any opportunity to perform whether it was in dance competition, community event, or a musical! She has performed in musicals at Shawnee Mission South, Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park and Music Theatre Kansas City.

As she grew up, Alex began to realize her talents could extend beyond the stage. Alex took on the role of dance teacher and choreographer while she was still a high school student! As a captain of the Shawnee Mission South Varsity and Junior Varsity dance teams, she was able to begin honing her leadership skills that continued to develop as a captain and choreographer for the Baker University dance team. As captain of the Baker Dance Team, Alex led her team to their first NAIA national dance championship. After receiving her degree in Exercise Science from Baker University, Alex began teaching, choreographing, and coaching in the Kansas City area. She has been the head coach of both the Shawnee Mission South Pacesetters and the Blue Valley Southwest Glitter Girls. As a coach, she led the BVSW Glitter Girls to multiple top ten finishes at NDA High School Nationals.

Her choreography has also been seen on stage at local and national dance competitions. The ODA Company continues to grow and find success at regional and national competitions. Most important to Alex is helping her students find their passion and self worth. She is proud of ODA’s reputation as an inclusive and welcoming place for all!