Miss Debby

Studio Owner & Director

Established in 1979 under the direction of Miss Debby Earsing Kunttu, the Lancaster Dance Center has been a pillar of the community for nearly 45 years. Miss Debby’s mission to foster a love of dance goes beyond technical instruction. She believes confidence-building, friendship, teamwork, and FUN are core components of dance alongside growing a young dancer’s skills.

An accomplished choreographer for theatre, Miss Debby knows that many challenges we face on-stage are parallel to how we move through life. Self-expression through dance and music offers a creative way to work through challenges while building self-esteem with the support of our dance peers. “Just keep dancing!” is Miss Debby’s version of “Just keep swimming!”.

With a lifetime of experience at the helm, Miss Debby is equally passionate about collaborating closely with LDC’s accomplished staff to infuse fresh perspectives into weekly class instruction. Our studio has been privileged to see generations of dancers walk through our doors, and we’re dedicated to continuing providing the best instruction, atmosphere, and customer service in Lancaster. The LDC team’s commitment to the Lancaster community and passion for dance shine through each and every class taught at our Broadway studio!

Miss Sue

Studio Manager & Class Assistant

Miss Sue Schlegel began dancing at LDC at age 3 and continued dancing throughout high school. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Elmira College as she continued growing her dance education in Corning, NY, studying jazz, lyrical, and modern dance. Although Miss Sue loves all styles of dance, tap is her absolute favorite!

Along with managing the “business” side of LDC’s “show business”, she also teaches tap and jazz combo classes. Miss Sue loves spending time with her husband and four children and works in child and family services.

Miss Melissa

Dance Instructor

Miss Melissa Payne Smith began dancing at LDC at age 3 and continued dancing throughout high school and college. During college, she continued her dance education while earning her bachelor and Master of Science in Education from Canisius College and the University at Buffalo. Miss Melissa is a science teacher and choreographer for school musicals at Pembroke Schools.

Miss Melissa received her Dance Teaching Certification through Dance Masters of America and is also a Certified Barre Fitness Instructor and owner of Broadway Barre by Melissa.

Miss Melissa loves tap, jazz, and hip hop and her happy place is with her husband and two children.

Miss Aimee

Dance Instructor

Miss Aimeé Walker began dancing at age 4 at LDC and continued her dance education, earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University at Buffalo and her Dance Teaching Certification from Dance Masters of America. Miss Aimeé was thrilled to return to LDC as a staff member in 2016 and loves teaching jazz and musical theatre.

Outside of the studio, Miss Aimeé loves spending time with her husband and son, camping, enjoying nature and each other.

Miss Aimeé also spends much of her time performing professionally with Buffalo theatre companies as performing is truly her passion! Some of her recent credits include Chicago (Velma Kelly), The Rink (Angel), Damn Yankees (Lola; Artie Award Winner!), A Chorus Line (Cassie) with O’Connell and Company and Nine (Luis) with Second Generation Theatre.

Miss Aimeé also choreographs for the Lancaster High School Show Choir and is the Director for the LHS Spring Musical where in 2022, they won the Kenny Award for Outstanding Orchestral Performance and Outstanding Musical Production. Stay tuned to see award winning Miss Aimeé in four new upcoming shows this season in Buffalo!

Miss Monica

Dance Instructor

Miss Monica Karwan has been dancing for over 40 years and joined the LDC family in 2007. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance from the University at Buffalo and then spent a year abroad studying modern and contemporary dance in London, England and Kingston, Jamaica. Miss Monica went on to complete a master’s degree in Dance and Expressive Arts Therapies at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Miss Monica loves all dance but ballet and modern speak to her most.

For the past decade, Miss Monica has been studying Contact Improvisation and has worked with guest artists around the world. When she’s not dancing, she’s most happy spending time with her husband and three children and creating music experiences and joy with the children at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

Miss MO

Dance Instructor

Miss Melissa Olejniczak (MO) has been dancing since age 5 and joined the LDC staff in 2016. Miss MO continued her dance education while earning her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Buffalo State University in 2018 and her Dance Teaching Certification from Dance Masters of America in 2017. Miss MO currently teaches ballet, lyrical, and jazz but also loves musical theatre.

Miss Mo’s favorite project each year is creating, directing, and choreographing the ballet, showcasing all of our ballet classes, telling a story through the emotions of dance. Miss MO is also an elementary school teacher in Buffalo and loves her little second grade nuggets! When she is not teaching, Miss MO enjoys spending time with her family, traveling (to Vegas!!) and shopping.

Miss Emily

Dance Instructor

Miss Emily Weber has been dancing since age 5 and is thrilled to be back at her home studio on staff since 2021. Miss Emily earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from St. Bonaventure University in 2020. While in college, Miss Emily choreographed for the St. Bonaventure Dance Team.

Miss Emily is currently completing her Dance Teaching Certification through Dance Masters of America and teaches tap, jazz, and hip hop at LDC. Although she loves performing jazz and musical theatre, tap will always be her favorite! Miss Emily also performs with several Buffalo Theatre Companies. You may have seen her in The Little Mermaid (Palace Theatre) and The Producers (Lancaster Opera House). When not on stage, Miss Emily enjoys the outdoors, live music, and spending time with her family.

Miss Andrea

Dance Instructor

Miss Andrea has been dancing for 21 years and joined the LDC staff in 2023. Miss Andrea is from Buffalo, NY and earned her BFA in Dance from SUNY Fredonia. While at Fredonia, she studied jazz, contemporary, modern, ballet, tap, street styles, and improvisation. She has spent several summers with Dance Masters of America, studying with the Student Honors Intensive Program (SHIP), taking classes at Broadway Dance Center, and Steps on Broadway in New York City.

Outside of the studio, Miss Andrea works as a banquet server at Asbury Hall. She enjoys traveling, going to concerts, and choreographing in her spare time. Miss Andrea’s favorite genres of dance are tap and hip hop!

Miss Adrienne

Class Assistant

Miss Adrienne Trzcinski has been dancing at LDC since age 3 and joined our staff in 2021. She attended Niagara University for Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Photography while continuing her dance education. Miss Adrienne loves all styles of dance but her passion for tap is number one!

When not dancing, Miss Adrienne loves spending time at live concerts, live theatre, and rescuing wildlife. She also loves spending time with her family, friends, and snuggling her senior cats.

Miss Ava

Class Assistant, Social Media

Miss Ava Schlegel starting dancing at age 3 at LDC and became a class helper at age 11. Her love of dance and her ability to work with children was evident at a young age. Miss Ava continued to dance and be a class helper throughout high school and graduated from Lancaster High School in 2023. Miss Ava is currently pursuing a joint Bachelors/master’s degree in occupational therapy with a minor in Dance at the University at Buffalo. At UB, she is a member of Impulse Dance Force and Dancers Workshop. When not studying or dancing, Miss Ava loves to go to the beach, go shopping, or hang out with friends and family. Miss Ava joined the LDC staff in 2023 as an Assistant Teacher and Social Media Manager.

Miss Miranda 

Social Media/Web Design, Dance Instructor

Miss Miranda Bosse started her dance career at LDC at age 4 and joined the staff in 2016. Miss Miranda earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance, Psychology, and Social Sciences in 2018 and her Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work in 2021 from the University at Buffalo. Miss Miranda also obtained her Dance Teaching Certification from Dance Masters of America. She currently works in public health policy and education, is an Adjunct Professor in Health Sciences at UB, and serves on the Board of the American Cancer Society’s Buffalo Chapter. When not working, studying, or dancing, Miss Miranda enjoys doing photography, traveling, and cuddling with her cat, Lulu! Miss Miranda loves teaching technique, ballet, jazz, and hip hop and is LDC’s web developer.