Introducing
"The Dance Collaborative"...
"Over the past 30 years, I have played the role of choreographer, judge, coach, studio owner, wife and mother. Dance and gymnastics have been a part of my life since childhood, though my passion picked up significantly in 1993, when I fell in love with coaching a small community dance/drill team. In the blink of an eye, I went from a team of 20 littles to overseeing three community teams comprised of 150 dancers (Scotettes, Center Stage Juniors and Center Stage Seniors), all while owning and directing Starmaker Dance Studio with 200 students.
In 2004 my heart was filled and broken at the same time, with the birth of my first child and death of my right-hand mom, Kathy Vandergriff. A few years and another child later, I made the tough decision to close the studio door and focus on being a mother – The most important role of my life. Over the past 18 years, I have worked as a choreographer, judge and teacher both locally and throughout the mid-west. I have had the pleasure of working with amazing people. I wish every program, I have been a part of, the absolute best and thank them for the opportunities provided. With that said, I have recently decided it’s time to lead again.
I am thrilled to introduce “The Dance Collaborative”, a new dance studio and performance team located on the west side of Cincinnati.
At The Dance Collaborative, we are focused 100% on meeting the goals of the individual dancer. With a “quality” over “quantity” philosophy, our staff will invest time and energy into the training of students with careful consideration of family schedules and budget.
At The Dance Collaborative, your dancer will receive professional training, choreography and costuming from a highly skilled and accomplished staff. Our mission is very simple – To provide the highest quality training for your child, with careful consideration of the whole student. "
Studio Owner - Amy Vandergriff Veldhaus
Meet the Team
At The Dance Collaborative, our team is the heart of everything we do. Passionate, experienced, and deeply dedicated to their craft, our instructors bring energy, creativity, and care into every class. Get to know the faces behind the movement—each one committed to inspiring and empowering every dancer who walks through our doors.
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As a dancer Ms. Amy Vandergriff-Veldhaus has been recognized for her talents on both a
regional and national level. She has been awarded top honors in many of the countries
leading dance circuits and has performed in professional productions and televised talent
events.
Amy is the former owner of Starmaker Dance Studio and Director of the National
Champion community teams “Center Stage” and “Scotettes” As a teacher and choreographer, Amy has been awarded for her work in many areas, including lyrical/jazz technique, lyrical/jazz choreography, acrobatic/gymnastics and overall entertainment value.
Through her efforts Amy has given hundreds of young performers the opportunity to succeed
in dance as a performing art. Many of her students have been awarded scholarships, are
dancing in college or have moved on to professional careers in the dance industry. She has also choreographed routines which were nominated for the ‘Industry Dance Awards’ Routine of the Year. Amy has choreographed musicals on a local level, such as Chicago, Hairspray, and Guys and Dolls, to name a few.
Ms. Vandergriff Veldhaus has also been recognized, in several dance circuits, as Director and Teacher of the Year. She also enjoys adjudicating for national dance competitions, and serves on the Board of Directors for a National Competition Circuit. Amy currently lives in Cincinnati with her husband Todd, and sons Joe and Tuck.
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Jess Elaine Stricker began dancing at the age of 3, first studying ballet, then moving into other
areas such as jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical,
acro and modern.
After a few years competing in various studio
competition circuits, she focused her energy
on classical ballet training, studying with the
Dayton Ballet School under the instruction
of many accomplished professionals' year
round and throughout many different summer intensive programs. While with the
Dayton Ballet, Jess flourished in her technical training while continuing to compete with her high school dance team in the Showcase America Unlimited Dance circuits.
Jess attended Wright State University and was a member of the Emerald Jazz dance team. As an instructor, Jess has taught many different levels and ages and has mentored countless students in the areas of Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theatre, Individual Technical Improvement and Contemporary, but finds a passion in creating that spark of excitement and technical foundation in the newest of dancers with courses ranging in pre-ballet and ballet to bridge Competition Style dance with applicable Classical Ballet.
She has coached community primary, elementary, and junior high level dance teams as well as choreographed many award-winning
primary through senior level solos, duets,
trios and ensembles. One of her greatest
accomplishments were co-creating an inclusive dance program for students with special needs.
Since returning to studio choreography in 2012, her jazz/contemporary/open group and solo
pieces have been highly regarded as innovative choreography winners in large scale dance circuits such as Applause, Nexstar, Showstopper, Believe, Revolution, Imagine, Stage One, KAR and Starpower. Jess currently resides in Cincinnati with her husband Rob and six children.