Meet our Faculty
Angie Hahn
At five years old, Miss Angie began her dancing career at Bunny Sanford’s School of Dance where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. During that time she realized that her dream was to teach others to dance and she became a teacher at the age of 15. Miss Angie’s goal is to continue inspiring her students to have a love for dance and the arts. She strives to teach expression through movement and wants her dancers to have an understanding of why we dance. She is especially passionate about training dancers who want to perfect the art of ballet. Miss Angie has successfully trained many dancers who have gone on to pursue professional careers performing on Broadway, in various ballet companies, and other venues throughout the U.S.
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Miss Angie has had extensive training with numerous dance companies and workshops including, the National Ballet School of Canada, Joffrey Chicago, Jazz Dance World Congress, Dance Master’s, and the Cecchetti Council of America Summer Intensives. In addition, Miss Angie has danced professionally for Dance Detroit, the Aretha Franklin tour, the Windsor Casino, and the Detroit Institute of Art film festival. She has also performed with the DSO and LSO in notable ballets such as the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and Coppélia.
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Upon Bunny Sanford’s retirement in June 2011, Miss Angie acquired the studio and is now the proud owner and director of Angie Hahn’s Academy of Dance.
Marie Rabey
Marie began her ballet studies with Connie Reppa in Dearborn, Michigan, and continued her dance training at Bunny Sanford’s School of Dance. Also studying under Sandra Severo, and at the Interlochen Arts Camp, she went on to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance at Marygrove College, where she studied with Iacob Lascu. Performing as a principal dancer in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's annual Nutcracker for 17 years, Marie also acted as the production's Ballet Mistress.
Marie has also danced solo and principal roles in the Michigan Theater productions of Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo and Juliet, and in several operas, including choreographing the dance sequences for La Traviata. Marie enjoyed the opportunity to dance in a national touring production of The Phantom of the Opera and danced on tour with the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin. Other companies she has performed with include Harbinger Dance Company, The Ohio Ballet, and More and More Dances.
Her teaching credits include four decades of teaching at Bunny Sanford’s School of Dance/Angie Hahn’s Academy of Dance, as well as teaching for other local schools and at Oakland University and Eastern Michigan University.
In addition to teaching, Marie enjoys taking ballet classes, practicing yoga, walking her dog, and cheering on her son Kyle, who is currently pursuing his dance degree and career in dance as well.
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Christa Smutek
Christa studied at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and received her B.S. in Movement Science from the School of Kinesiology graduating with distinction and University Honors. Christa has performed professionally with companies including ArtLab J Dance, SueMo Dance Company, and Danceworks Performance Company. Additional performances include the Wisconsin ESPY Awards on ESPN, the Purple Veins Prince Tribute Tour, Urbanite, and World of Dance Chicago.
In addition to dancing, Christa has been teaching and choreographing for 10 years. Her contemporary choreography has been showcased at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival, Detroit Dance City Festival, Detroit Dance Film Festival, Motor City Choreographer Collective, Brighton Dance Festival, Dance Canvas, RADfest Midwest, Milwaukee Fringe Festival, Columbus Arts Festival, Indiana Dance Festival, Spring to Dance in St. Louis. Her choreography was a finalist in the American Choreographic Festival 2018. She set choreography for US International Ballet in Wilmington, NC. She has received numerous choreography awards and IDA nominations for her competitive choreography.
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In 2016 she established herself as Christa Smutek LLC. She is currently the Artistic Director of Artistic Edge Dance Centre, Director of the Collective Movement dance intensive, and continuing her freelance work throughout the country. Most recently, she is the proud mother of Eli Antony, born January 27, 2018.
Heather Wulff
Heather grew up in Mid-Michigan where she started dancing at 2 ½ and quickly found her passion for dance. At age 11, she became an assistant instructor. Soon after, she joined The Dance Company; dancing 6 to 7 days a week, year-round. Heather also had extensive tap training; including the opportunity to learn directly from Gregory Heinz, one of the most celebrated tappers. In college, Heather minored in Theater and Dance at Lake Forest College, IL. She also enjoyed being on their dance team. After graduation, Heather continued taking classes and started coaching the local high school dance team.
In 2006, she moved to Plymouth to pursue her career in Medical Sales and soon after met her husband, Mark. Together they have 3 children. After her twins were born, she trained to become a certified Barre instructor. She teaches group classes, as well as private lessons to aspiring dancers. These sessions focus on building strength, endurance, flexibility, and better balance by focusing on small muscle group training.
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Heather is the AHAD Company Director and works closely with our competition dancers and parents.
Devon Campbell
Mr. Devon is known professionally as “Uri Mercury” and has been an active Michigan dancer/choreographer/instructor for many years. Devon has been trained by his mentors and Choreographers: Brandyn Thomas, Jennifer Webb Peeples, Khalil Lamar, and Logan Bledsoe in more intricate styles of hip hop, breaking, street jazz, gymnastics, and a touch of modern dance. Devon's most notable work includes being a featured dancer on “Screamtour 2012” with Mindless Behavior, OMG Girls, and Diggy Simmons, opening for Lil Wayne, backup dancer for The Shop Boyz, R&B singer Princeton, R&B Songstress Loreal, Female MC B. Focus, R&B/Pop singer Rodney Howard, R&B Singer Ryan Allen, impersonators Ric Key, Kourtney Breeze, Melanie VonKruz, and singer Rocko.
He has also had the opportunity to choreograph over 11 sets for "Motor City Movement: A Collaboration of Choreographers", as well as a set for the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade. His signature style is a unique blend of Contemporary hip-hop and jazz-funk he likes to call “PerFUNKtory” which stands for “Perfect Funk Factory”.
Shannon White
Based in Detroit, Shannon White is a performance/multimedia artist passionate about collaboration, vulnerability, shared experience and expanding accessibility of “the arts” in the city. Since graduating with a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University in 2019, she has explored concert and commercial realms through performing/collaborating with: BAIRA / Mvmnt Phlsophy, Biba Bell, BALLSHOUSE + Projects, Nick Cave, Imbue Detroit, Sam Austins, Sara Marie Barron, and more.
Furthering her research in pedagogy and personal/collective growth via. movement, she teaches classes to metro-Detroit movers of all levels at local studios such as the Andy Arts Center, WSU, Big City Dance Center, Juliart and more.
In response to the effects of COVID-19 on the performance industry, along with a new-found interest in filmmaking, she is currently exploring the worlds of creative directing, filming and editing along with choreography.
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Shannon is currently a choreographer and rehearsal director for AHAD company students
Evelyn Shymanski
Evelyn Shymanski began her dance studies at Angie Hahn's Academy of Dance at the age of 3. Since then, she has pursued training in contemporary, ballet, pointe, hip hop, jazz, modern and tap for 14 years. She has been a member of the AHAD company for 7 years and enjoys performing immensely.
Evelyn began as an assistant teacher at age 12, and became a permanent staff member in 2021. She is our youth contemporary and jazz instructor and has loved sharing her knowledge with the next generation of dancers at AHAD.
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Martha Bryan
Isabella Borruso
Isabella Borruso is a dancer, dance educator and choreographer based out of the Metro Detroit area. Isabella previously resided in the greater Lansing area where she worked with The Hive Dance Studio recreational and competitive program, Happendance, Dance Lansing, and the Wharton Dance Project. Isabella specializes in all things tap dance. Isabella has traveled across the country to attend tap dance festivals/trainings with masters of the craft. She has attended tap dance events from Washington DC to Little Rock, Arkansas, and even all the way to Los Angeles, California. She has worked with masters such as Heather Cornell, Anthony Morigeratto, Dianne Walker, Sam Weber, Bril Barrett, members of the Syncopated Ladies, and more! This year, Isabella is a member of Detroit Tap Reparatory and an intern with Wing It Tap Intensive and Challenge. She currently brings tap dance education to 3 metro detroit studios and prides herself on creating an individualized approach to meet the goals of every dancer and focuses on exposing students to any and all growth/training opportunities in and out of the classroom. Her goal is to nurture the confidence and individuality of the next generation of artists with a strong understanding of the history and techniques of generations before them.
Alex Turner
BIO coming soon!
L.A. Gee
Brooke Stempien
Brooke Stempien started dancing at Angie Hahn’s Academy of Dance (then Bunny Stanford’s) at the age of 3 in 2005 until her high school graduation in 2020. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, pointe, contemporary and kick line. Brooke was also a member of the AHAD company for 6 years.
Brooke became an assistant teacher at the age of 11 and then at the age of 14 became a full faculty member. She has taught ballet, tap, jazz, and hip-hop to ages 3 through 12.
For her undergraduate degree Brooke went to Michigan State University. During college, she coached competitive gymnastics for three years in the Lansing area. After graduating from Michigan State University in May 2023 Brooke moved home and became pursuing her legal education. She is currently enrolled at Detroit Mercy Law school. While she has returned home and is in school, she has rejoined the AHAD faculty. She is so excited to be back at her home dance studio helping teach the amazing next generation of AHAD.
Nina Pollzzie
BIO coming soon!
Sarah Lanier
BIO coming soon!
Brandon Talebott
BIO coming soon!
BIO coming soon!
BIO coming soon!
Kate Nagle
BIO coming soon!