Meet Ellie.
Ellie Hæstad began her journey in dance at just four years old, training intensively for 14 years with the Lebanon Ballet School in Indiana, where she explored ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop. By eighteen, Ellie had already brought over ten of her original choreographic works to the stage. Her teaching career spans a wide range and includes experience in ballet, tap, musical theatre, and jazz across multiple respected organizations. She has taught and choreographed for the Lebanon Ballet School, Wisdom Builders Community Theatre, Reflex Dance Arts, Sarasota Stretch-N-Grow, ILT Dance Studio, Athletic Ambitions, Contempo Dance Studio, Renovate Dance Zionsville, Bourne 2 Dance, and Dance Bochette. In the summer of 2022, Ellie traveled to Europe where she got to perform and teach in France, England, and Belgium with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Ellie graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Entrepreneurship and Dance in hopes of furthering Elizabeth Mission of Dance as a dance studio concentrated on outreach ministries, community projects, and mentoring programs.
Meet Mackenzie.
Mackenzie Casey began her dance journey at the age of four and went on to train competitively with Edge Dance Company in South Jersey for six years. Skilled in multiple styles—including ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary/lyrical, pointe, and tap—she developed a well-rounded foundation in both performance and technique. Her passion for teaching emerged early as she spent five years as an assistant instructor, sharing her love for dance with younger students. After graduating high school, Mackenzie moved to Florida to pursue a degree in marketing at the University of Central Florida while staying actively involved in dance. Now part of the Elizabeth Mission of Dance family, Mackenzie is excited to inspire the next generation of dancers, helping them grow in skill, confidence, and creativity.
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Meet Mady.
From a very young age, Mady discovered a deep passion for dance, beginning her training at just three years old. Throughout her childhood, she competed in a variety of dance styles, including jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop, building a strong foundation and love for the art form. In high school in Illinois, Mady was a dedicated member of the varsity dance team, and after her family moved to Florida, she continued her dance journey by joining a local dance team in Sarasota. Though life has taken her in different directions since then, her love for dance has never faded. She feels incredibly blessed to be able to share her passion and talent as a teacher, guiding students and inspiring a new generation of dancers through God’s grace.
Reviews
“My 3 year old daughter takes a class with Miss Ellie and loves it! Ellie is so kind and encouraging to the girls and does such an amazing job!”
— Autumn Dráb, Dance Mom
“The instructors are very knowledgeable and great with the kids, and it is very obvious they are passionate about what they do. I love that they also do community outreach efforts, and is overall a very positive environment for kids to learn and grow through dance.
— Clarissa Miller, Dance Mom
My daughter has only been going here for about a month and she already LOVES ballet. She asks to play ballet at home. Miss Ellie is amazing with the kids. So grateful for this studio!
— Alyssa Adamson, Dance Mom
3 of my daughters dance here and love it! The atmosphere is awesome! Their dance teacher is great. The owner is kind and helpful. The music and dancing are also appropriate (cant say that for other places weve tried). All around, a wonderful dance studio. Highly recommend!
— Anonymous, Dance Mom
“Ellie is an amazing teacher! She has been working with my two granddaughters for the past two summers! My granddaughters keep asking when they get to see Miss Ellie and start dance lessons. Ellie is so patient and kind to all of her students. She has taught my granddaughters more than just dance. She has taught them to be kind to others, be a good listener and most importantly be proud of who you are.
As my granddaughters say “We love our Miss Ellie!’”
— Mary Gracyalny, Dance Mom
“We love Miss Ellie!
Our daughter has attended several summer princess camps throughout the years and has always had the best time. Ellie is kind, patient, and amazing with the littles. We are looking forward to attending more of her wonderful dance classes in the winter and hopefully for years to come!”
— Shanna Lynn, Dance Mom
“As a preschool that partners with Elizabeth Mission of Dance, I cannot recommend Ms. Ellie highly enough. She is very engaging, patient and encouraging to even the littlest dancers. All of my students, even the boys, look forward to their dance lessons each week. As a teacher, I also love that she encourages good manners and etiquette.”