Faculty


SYDNEY REBECK

TROUPE | DIRECTOR

Sydney Rebeck started dancing and competitive gymnastics when she was three years old. She spent most of her dance career at Le Dance studio in Overland Park, and continued on to dance in college at the University of Kansas. She was a Rock Chalk Dancer for four years and captain for two. During her time at KU she competed Pom and Hip Hop at UDA Nationals in Orlando Florida, attended Pro Action Dance Convention in Las Vegas and Choreography Pros Dance Convention in Phoenix, AZ, and danced at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio. She choreographed many game-day routines for RCD, while also choreographing multiple award winning Rock Chalk Revue performances. Sydney started her own choreography business with her college best friend and has been traveling the U.S. for the past 4 years choreographing for high school dance teams, studios, and college dance teams. She also had the pleasure of coaching Free State High School’s dance team for two years and frequently goes back to help with cleaning and choreography.

Sydney hopes to continue coaching and teaching, as she is very passionate about building the next generation of dancers and women. She is now attending the University of Missouri – Kansas City pursuing her Master’s degree in non-profit administration and hopes to use her degree to serve her community! Sydney’s philosophy has always been built upon hard work, drive, and becoming a better version of yourself. She loves building relationships with others and does her best to be a role model to each young dancer she meets. Her mantra is “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard”!


OLIVIA RYAN

TROUPE | RECREATIONAL

Olivia Ryan started her dance career at the age of 4 right here at Dance Gallery. She has danced competitively for 14 years and taught for 5. Now at 20 years old, she is a sophomore in college at Kansas State University studying Public Relations and Advertising. Throughout her years of dancing, Olivia became a 5x national solo champion and was a part of winning six group dance championships. She also attended several ballet and dance intensives starting at the young age of 9 such as the Joffrey Ballet Intensive in New York and San Francisco, the American Ballet Theater Intensive in New York, Transform, The Sessions, and many more. Olivia has worked closely with choreographers such as Shannon Mather, and Teri Day, and hopes to continue to learn and grow from those around her. For the past two years in college, Olivia has been a member of the Kansas State dance team the Classy Cats. She was able to dance on the field at the BIG12 Championship in AT&T Stadium, and the Sugar Bowl in the Superdome. 

Olivia now primarily focuses on teaching, choreographing, and continuing her dance career. Olivia’s variety of choreography ranges from solos to productions of 60-plus dancers. She specializes in musical theater, lyrical, ballroom, and teaching technique, while also teaching jazz, tap, acro, and tiny tots classes. Students would describe Olivia as determined, passionate, and thoughtful. Olivia’s goals are to help dancers build self-confidence and grow their love for dance. She wants to push dancers to be the best they can be while building relationships with them and being a role model to look up to.

ALLY BRITTIAN-WALLER

TROUPE

Ally Brittian-Waller began dancing at age 3, started competitive dance at age 5, and continued competing through age 18, spending most of her competitive dance career at Dance Gallery. After high school, she attended the University of Kansas and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She earned a scholarship her senior year and became the President of KU’s Pre-Professional Dance Company. While in college, Ally attended several summer and winter workshops with dance companies in various cities, including Los Angeles and New York. During her junior year of college, Ally began working intensely with Dance Gallery’s competitive teams, helping them to earn seven National Championships in four years. Ally specializes in contemporary and jazz training, with a love for commercial dance and choreography, as well.

In the Fall of 2021, Ally moved to Los Angeles, CA to pursue a career in commercial dance and is signed with MSA Agency, one of the top commercial dance agencies in Los Angeles. Since she can’t seem to stay away from DG, she comes back to Lawrence monthly to help clean routines, set choreography, and assist at competitions and events. Students describe Ally as detail-oriented, honest, funny, and encouraging. Ally helps students reach their full potential as dancers and people, helping them find their passion in whatever area it may lie!


ALYSSA BEVITT

BALLET

Alyssa Bevitt began her dance training at age 3 in Winona, Minnesota at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. She was a member of the Dance Repertoire Company and trained in Ballet, Pas de Deux, Modern, Jazz, & Contemporary. As a dancer she spent her summers training with the American Ballet Theater, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Fort Wayne Ballet and The Milwaukee Ballet. While still in high school Alyssa attended Perpich Center for Arts Education and later St. Mary’s University to further her dance education. She has performed principal roles in numerous Ballet’s including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella & La Bayadere.

Alyssa went on to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and Dance where she studied a dual emphasis in both ballet and modern performance. In her time at UMKC, she performed for the opening Gala at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts in West Side Story, as well as Carmina Burana and Dark Elegies by Antony Tudor. Alyssa holds a bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and went on to dance professionally with Ballet Emmanuel & Thorn Productions before moving back to the Kansas City Area. Alyssa strives to instill in her students that dance is not about being perfect, but it is about the joy of creating movement.  


ANNA MEISSBACH

TROUPE

Anna Meissbach is a Kansas Horizon Award-winning educator who shares her time between Dance Gallery & her 7th-grade classroom in the De Soto Public School District. She is a homegrown dancer who started right here at DG at the age of 3 and competed until graduating from Lawrence High School. Anna went on to attend K-State and started her career as a dance educator at Bates Dance Studio in Manhattan, KS. Beyond teaching classes, Anna was also a member & choreographer for the K-State Singers for 2 years as well as performer & choreographer for Wildcat Revue Live all four years of college. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors from K-State in 2018 with Bachelor’s Degrees in both History & French. 

The students at DG would describe Anna’s teaching style as equal parts a challenge and a place of security, intense yet joyful, and always focused on individual growth as both a dancer and a person. She believes that dance is about more than dance. It’s about learning skills that will benefit students for life such as perseverance, teamwork, determination, focus, and time management. Her true passion is education and she is grateful to combine her love for teaching & dance right here at DG!


JORDAN MAYFIELD

TROUPE | RECREATIONAL

Jordan Mayfield has been an instructor and choreographer for Dance Gallery since 2018. She teaches both recreation classes and troupe classes for various ages, styles and levels. 

Jordan has been dancing since the age of three and began her training at Encore! Dance Company in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She danced in their competitive company as well as her high school dance team. She has taught and choreographed for the last 19 years from ages 2 through the collegiate level. 

Some notable experiences include teaching dance to military families at Fort Sill Military Installation, teaching and choreographing for Oklahoma State University and winning national recognition for choreography. While Jordan loves and has been trained in most dance styles, she specializes in jazz, hip-hop and tap. 

When she is not hitting the dance floor, she works as a clinically licensed psychotherapist in the Lawrence community serving adolescents, adults and families. She has been voted as a Best of Lawrence finalist for mental health counselor for the last three years. She graduated with her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kansas and is also a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor. 

Jordan believes that dance is for everyone! Dance should be a skill open to all regardless of age, ability, gender, or financial situation. Dance is an excellent way to explore emotions and creativity while learning discipline, body and self-awareness and team building. Her teaching style is focused on meeting dancers where they are at, encouraging and fostering strengths while also challenging them to grow both as a dancer and ultimately as a person. She is her dancers’ biggest advocate and cheerleader. Jordan is highly trained in Love and Logic parenting and utilizes these methods to help in behavior redirection, problem solving and building resilience. 


KATIE LOMSHEK

TROUPE | RECREATIONAL

Katie began her dance training at the age of 3 right here in Lawrence, Kansas. She has been trained in a variety of styles including jazz, musical theatre, hip hop, and lyrical. Throughout Katie’s time as a competitive dancer, Katie received numerous overall awards and judges choice awards recognizing her performance qualities and technical skills. Katie also received two duet/trio National Championships alongside DG Staff member Anna Meissbach. Katie was an NDA All-American for all four years of her time on the Lawrence High Pom Squad. Upon graduating from high school, Katie attended KU where she continued dancing all four years as a Rock Chalk Dancer. She graduated from KU in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and a minor in business. Katie continued her dream of being a professional cheerleader and is currently in her fourth year as a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader. 


LARISA CONKLIN

BARRE | CONDITIONING

Larisa Conklin is a Barre Intensity certified instructor and has been teaching Barre for several years. During COVID, she moved to online teaching for a few years and is ready to get back to in person teaching again. In her previous life, she worked in corporate Human Resources and attended Barre class at least five days a week. She teaches a variety of Barre classes from traditional Barre to Barre Hiit and is excited to share her passion with you!

CATHY PATTERSON

TROUPE | BALLET

Cathy grew up dancing at The Institute of Performing Arts/Dance Factory in Topeka, KS. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Human Biology with a concentration in dance. Cathy trained extensively in ballet, contemporary/lyrical, modern, jazz, and tap – training under professors Janet Hamburg and Scott Morro. She also spent time living in LA and studying under industry professionals such as Doug Caldwell and Sally Whalen. Cathy has performed with the Scott Morrow Dance Theatre, the LA based tap/hip hop company – Rhytmatix and worked commercially for The Fine Living Channel and HGTV.

Cathy previously owned a 700-plus student dance studio that performed in regional and national competitions. Cathy is the owner and artistic director of Point B Dance (18+ dance studio). She has choreographed and produced over 45 professional stage shows and spends time as a guest choreographer, teacher, and adjudicator for studios across the country. She is proud to be the technique coach the the Baker University Dance Team and utilizing her Yoga certification to teach yoga and group training classes. Cathy has had the pleasure of judging at the Prestige National Talent Competition, West Coast Dance Explosion, Dance Masters of America, Starquest, O.N.E. Love Movement, and other competitions across the U.S. Cathy enjoys teaching dancers of all ages and is certified with the Youth Protection Advocates in Dance which promotes healthy and safe dance environments for children. Cathy is inspired by strong technique coupled with artistic choreography blending the athletic and artistic parts of dance.


ANNA HASTINGS

TROUPE | BALLET

Anna Hastings began dancing when she was two years old at Miller Marley School of Dance in Overland Park. She studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and hip hop at Miller Marley before going on to pursue a BA in Dance at the University of Kansas. She has performed in several University Dance Company Concerts and Senior Showcases, and she co-founded Jayhawk Tap Company, the first tap dance group at the university. Anna is also a Rock Chalk Dancer at KU and serves as a team leader this year. Anna loves sharing the art and love of dance with students of all ages, and she is happy to be a part of the DG faculty!


LORALEA HUBERT

TROUPE

More Coming Soon


PAIGE COMPARTO

TROUPE | BALLET

Paige Comparato started ballet training at nine in Topeka, KS, at Barbara’s Conservatory of Dance and danced with Ballet Midwest for many years, performing several principal roles. Paige received ballet training at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX, before returning to The University of Kansas to pursue a degree in History of Art. She has taught many dance forms, but primarily teaches ballet to all ages and skill levels, and she especially enjoys teaching dancers to begin dancing en pointe. She also choreographs, directs and costumes full-scale dance productions, including most recently, The Sleeping Beauty,  Cinderella and La Fille mal gardeé. Paige teaches ballet for the Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence Dance Gallery and Point B Adult dance. She is certified to teach Progressing Ballet Technique.


JOSIE EUSTON

TROUPE

More Coming Soon