Our Staff

 Tracy has been dancing since the age of three. She began competing and performing during high school, both with studio dancers and as a captain of the Benilde St. Margaret’s Dance Team. Her studies include training with members of Keane Sense of Rhythm and Flying Foot Forum, as well as local and national conventions. Tracy has been teaching dance for over 30 years. Many of her tiny preschool dancers have grown up to be members of top-ranking high school teams, college dance teams, and some to even be dance teachers!  The dream of opening her own studio was realized in August of 2004. Tracy takes great pride in being a positive role model for the children she teaches and hopes to bring a love of dance to every child she encounters.  Building a community of support, kindness and overall inclusiveness is Tracy's goal at The Dance Warehouse. Every dancer matters here, from our baby ballerinas to our most competitive, driven high school dancers. 

Trey brings his own signature style to The Dance Warehouse. Trey has worked with Jesse McCartney, Jamie Lynn Sigler and Radio Disney artist LMNT. Trey’s choreography has been featured on HBO Family, ABC’s The View, NBC, ESPN, and the Oxygen Network. He has performed and choreographed numerous routines for the NBA, NCAA, professional dance companies, industrials, and various television projects. His passion and talent are truly inspiring and every class offers a challenge for his students.

Teri is a welcome addition to The Dance Warehouse staff! Her amazing sense of humor and love of kids is unstoppable in the classroom. She grew up dancing all styles, tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, musical theater and hip hop. She began teaching 8 years ago and has led many dancers to win numerous awards both locally and nationally! Teri’s love of dance led her to create a performance dance company “Imagine” in the fall of 2005. She has studied at local conventions, and continues to learn through various Master class offerings throughout the Twin Cities. Her passion for dance and teaching is contagious, we’re excited to have her as part of our studio.

Claire began her dance training at the age of three.  She trained in a variety of styles and fell in love with ballet.  She continued training locally and at ballet intensives with professional companies around the country.  Claire attended the University of Utah where she received a BFA in Ballet.  Her university training provided her with numerous performance opportunities and leading roles, enhancing her training as a dancer, but also as a teacher through ballet methodology, pedagogy, music, and kinesiology classes.  Claire has been teaching since 2015 and enjoys passing her love of ballet to her students.  

Tara began dancing when she was 3 years old and has been in love with the art of dance her whole life.  Over the years, she immersed herself in dance and is compelled to share this fascination with others.  Tara has over 25 years of experience as a dance instructor and choreographer.  Her dance education includes ballet, pointe, lyrical, tap, jazz and hip hop.  Tara loves sharing her passion of dance and enjoys watching her students grow and advance to the next level.  She takes pride in bringing out the best in each dancer she has the opportunity to work with.  Her students and choreography have won many top honors, and many of her students have gone on to dance professionally.  After being involved in the competitive dance world for almost 3 decades as a dancer and teacher, she feels she has great knowledge and experience to pass along to dancers.  Whatever the goal of the dancer may be, to the tiniest most novice dancer to the most advanced teenage aspiring professional dancer, Tara trains everyone the same, with a keen eye and a loving heart.  You can also find her behind the judges table at many of the top dance competitions in the country, and is currently on the roster of dance competition judges with Impact Dance Adjudicators.  

 Kirby has been teaching dance for over 15 years, specializing in the area of Hip Hop. Her classes consist of a variety of activities to help build each dancers strength, basic foundations of hip hop, precision, character, stage presence and overall confidence and self-esteem. She is passionate about her classes being an experience that each student can take with them outside of the studio. 

Tara has been dancing and competing since she was 4 years old. She started dancing at Metropolitan Dance Alliance, where she studied ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical. In 2003, Tara came to The Dance Warehouse as a student. She finished out her last 4 competitive dance years here. While she attended the University of Minnesota completing a BS in Kinesiology and a BA in Child Psychology, Miss Tara continued her career at the Dance Warehouse assisting and teaching. She loves children and teaching dance and can’t think of anywhere else she would rather be than at the Dance Warehouse!

Heather is a dedicated dance instructor with a passion that started at the age of 5. With over 30 years of experience in choreography and teaching, she specializes in the styles of jazz and musical theater but is well versed in lyrical, tap, hip hop and ballet. Working with children aged 3 to 18, Heather's nurturing approach and engaging teaching style have left a lasting impact on her students. Heather's dance education has been enriched by training from renowned institutions and individuals, including JazzDance company, The Flying Foot Form, Keane Sense of Rhythm, Broadway Dance Center, Trollwood Performing Arts Camp, and the Red River Dance Company. Her dedication to her craft and learning from the best has contributed to her being a well rounded dance instructor. Not only does Heather excel in the studio, but she also extends her talents as a guest teacher and choreographer for college dance teams. Her guidance has been instrumental in shaping the careers of her students, many of whom have gone on to achieve success in college dance programs and teams as well as the professional dance arena. Heather's many years of experience, combined with her genuine passion for dance and working with children, makes her a standout instructor who continues to inspire and nurture the dancers of tomorrow.

 Emmy has been dancing since the age of three. In combination with her studio training, she would participate and captain Minnetonka Dance Team for four years. She has worked with numerous studios and high school dance teams in the Twin Cities area resulting in special recognition of her choreography on regional and national levels. Her studies include training with Zenon Dance, Crash Dance Productions, and Hot House Minneapolis. Emmy’s work is grounded in storytelling, utilizing attention to detail and spatial visual elements. She continues to grow her signature contemporary style while also fusing it with the jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop styles she grew up with. Emmy loves encouraging her students to enjoy moving and to stay present in every count of music. 

Aja Schon started her dance career at 2 years old at the Marin County Ballet Company in Marin County, CA. After moving to Minnesota and continuing to take classes locally, she decided to take the next step and danced competitively at The Dance Warehouse in Chanhassen, MN for 10 years. She made the top team at her studio at age 14, and became captain of that same team her senior year. Aja’s love for contemporary sparked when she begun working with Donald Aversa (So You Think You Can Dance, World of Dance choreographer) and won Travis Wall’s standout dancer award at NUVO in 2016. This led her to become a part of Crash Dance Productions Pre-Professional team as soon as she was old enough in 2018. Aja has trained under some of the best names in the Midwest, some including Stephanie Fellner (ballet of the dolls), Kelly Clement and Casey Hall (University of Minnesota dance team alumni, Vikings alumni, UDA staff), Trey Barber (St. Thomas and Michigan hip hop choreographer), and many more, all under supervision of the owner of her home studio, Tracy Standal. Aja has trained at Joffrey Ballet School and was offered a full scholarship for their year round program in 2018. She was also a contender for both seasons 2 and 3 of World Of Dance, alongside her little sister as a duet. Aja’s journey with dance took a shift during the 2020-2021 dance season, as she was no longer a student, but a choreographer. She has loved this transition and has been honored to be the name behind her students winning several choreography/judges choice awards. In the first few seasons of being a choreographer, Aja has already choreographed close to 100 competition dances. She has travelled to Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and has done work in both Minnesota and Nebraska, all for her choreography. She has been recognized by dance competitions such as Bravo, Legacy, Kids Artistic Review, Triple S, Precision Arts Challenge, and many more for her innovation and creativity. She has recently accepted a position as a traveling judge with Kids Artistic Revue, and she has loved exploring the world of judging. Aja plans to continue the expansion of her network and is excited to see what is to come.