Meet our amazing staff! We are so lucky to have them a part of the Excel family!
Katie Stull, Owner and Teacher
Katie began taking dance lessons at the age of 2 in Portage, Mi. She continued her training in Michigan for the next 16 years. Katie was involved in Dance Company for 6 years, quickly moving her way to Gold Company. Katie continued her dance training taking several workshops and master classes as well as studying at WMU where she also graduated with a degree in Psychology. Dance is such a passion for her and she loves the opportunity to touch so many lives through the art of dance! Ms. Katie loves every dancer as her own and has loved watching them all grow over the years!
Karly Fruehauf, Office Manager
Ms. Karly, our office manager, has been a part of the Excel family since 2008 when all 3 of her daughters began dancing here! She has loved being around the studio ever since and feels blessed to have such a fun and rewarding job. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from WMU with over 20 years of experience. She loves getting to know the families and dancers at Excel!
Susan, Studio Relations Director and Teacher
Ms. Susan started dancing at the age of 3 in her hometown, LaGrange, Illinois. She was a part of her high school pom team and dance company, Eurythmic Dance Company during her four years in high school. Ms. Susan attended Western Michigan University, graduating in 2015 with a major in Elementary Education. During her time at WMU, she was a member of the WMU Dance Team. She has experience teaching elementary (2nd and 5th grade) for two years. In 2019, Ms. Susan started working full time at Excel as the Studio Relations Director. She has since helped co-direct the XPression Preprofessional Company and will take over as full time director in 2024. She is also back at WMU working as the Head Coach of the WMU Dance Team. During her first season of coaching she helped the team earn 6th place at College Nationals. She loves getting the chance to work with dancers at the studio and collegiate level.
Amelia, Teacher
Amelia began dancing at the age of three at her hometown studio in Illinois. Throughout high school, she was a member of her high school’s dance team. She is currently attending Western Michigan University and is a member of the WMU Dance Team, which earned the 2025 Jazz National Championship title. Amelia shares her knowledge and passion for dance as an instructor for Universal Dance Association (UDA). Through UDA, she has the opportunity to teach and mentor dancers at summer camps, national competitions, and various parades and performance events. With several years of teaching experience, she is excited to share her passion with the dancers at Excel!
Skylar, Teacher
Ms. Skylar, a Michigan native started her prevalent dance training at age 4 in all areas of dance at a local dance studio in Portage, Michigan. As a dancer and choreographer, she specializes in Contemporary, Ballet, Jazz and Improv. With her love of teaching and unique choreography, Skylar has spent the last 6 years teaching dance in Michigan. Skylar is also an Early Childhood Montessori Teacher in Augusta, MI. She has a love for working with children and is so excited to continue to share her love and passion for dance with all of the kids at Excel Dance Centre!
Sara, Teacher
Ms. Sara took her first dance class at age 4 and has been performing ever since! A longtime member of the Excel family, she danced with us from when we opened in 2004 up until she graduated from high school. She has a Theatre Arts degree from the University of Michigan and loves teaching theatre classes in addition to dance. Ms. Sara is also the Director of our Explorers Early Childhood program here at the studio. She has been teaching preschool for several years and has a huge passion for working with little ones. Ms. Sara loves being part of the Excel family and seeks to create a safe, creative, and engaging environment in all classes she teaches!
Angel, Teacher
Angel Sutton graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Western Michigan in the spring of 2023. During her time at WMU, she had the opportunity to perform in works by Aszure Barton, George Balanchine, Mike Esperanza, and Jeremy Blair, as well as pieces of her peers’. While in pursuit of her degree, she was able to foster a love for both choreography and collaboration. Angel has also taught in various dance education spaces for several years. Primarily focusing in ballet and modern dance genres, she has also earned the title of Excel Dance Center’s Modern Dance Director. Most recently, she has taken on the role of Education/Outreach Coordinator for Wellspring Dance Academy! Angel looks forward to continuing her reach and education in the community!
Sydni, Teacher
My name is Sydni and I began my training in Oswego,Il at the age of six at Storm Dance Alliance. I was trained in many styles including jazz, hip hop, modern, ballet, contemporary, singing, and acting. Additionally, I participated in various shows including an annual Nutcracker piece and dances for film! Through my years of training I was able to learn and participate in pieces from various acclaimed choreographers and gain commercial dance experience through conventions and connections within that industry. Through these teachings I became educating others at the age of seventeen in styles like hip hop and jazz! Post-graduation I continued my dance training at western michigan university joining their dance team and broadening my horizons in my favorite styles at dance. Through this opportunity I was able to dip my toes into various teaching opportunities here in Michigan and spread my passion and love for dance elsewhere!
Hailey, Teacher
Ms. Hailey grew up dancing at Excel since she was 3 years old! She was on company for 8 years and had the opportunity to dance at many conventions, sports games, and showcases. She traveled to Nashville, Disney World, and even danced on a cruise while being on company. She was the captain of her team junior year and a part of NHSDA all throughout high school. Last year she was on the XLR8 leadership team and also got a chance to be part of the rising teachers program where she fell in love with teaching. Ms. Hailey is so grateful for all of the opportunities Excel has given her growing up to make her the teacher she is today!
Kendall, Teacher
Ms. Kendall has been dancing since the age of 4 in her hometown Lake Orion Michigan at Broadway Dance Company. During her time there she competed on the competition team winning many awards through the studio and many conventions/competitions. She has also won choreography awards at multiple competitions for her pieces on the BDC competition dance team members. Kendall has trained with many professional artists including Teddy Forance, Rachael Markarian, Charles Fournier, Mollee Gray, Ade Obayomi, Angel Armas, and more! Kendall is currently a Junior at Western Michigan University with a major in dance! She is also a certified Acrobatics Arts instructor and loves teaching gym classes! Ms. Kendall is so happy to be teaching at Excel and loves all of her amazing students!
Mikinley, Teacher
Mikinley Carpenter started dancing at the age of 2 years old in Belleville, MI. Growing up she danced at many different studios that exposed her to a big range of dance from competition dance to pre-professional ballet. At a young age, she competed in Contemporary, Lyrical, Jazz, and Tap until she was 10 years old. She then transferred over to a more ballet focused school and participated in bigger ballet productions. Later on she wanted to push herself more in ballet and pointe at a more serious level where she then trained at Ballet Detroit studying Vaganova style ballet. She is now a student at Western Michigan University majoring in dance while also a member of WMUs Dance Team. Becoming a dance teacher has always been her dream as a little kid and she is so grateful to be a part of the Excel Family to make her dreams come true!
Mia, Teacher
Mia Quesada is a freshman at Western Michigan University, majoring in Musical Theater. She is excited to join the teaching staff at Excel Dance Studio this year. A competitive dancer since the age of two, Mia has earned numerous state and national awards, including overall High Point placements and prestigious titles such as Petite Miss Michigan, Teen Miss ID, Miss On Point, and more. Some of her recent achievements were leading her small group performance, “Message in a Bottle”, to a first-place win at the Jam at Groove National Dance Competition, and earning first overall with her tap solo “Yesterday” at the Groove Regional Dance Competition. In addition to her dance background, Mia has been involved in several plays and musicals. She has worked on choreography in “Mama Mia”, “Kiss me, Kate”, and her most memorable role is playing Reno Sweeney in “Anything Goes”, where she also collaborated on choreography with her mom and sister. A proud member of her high school’s Thespian Society, Mia served on the board and continues to pursue her passion for performing arts. Mia loves dancing, singing, and acting, and is eager to share her passion with the students at Excel Dance Studio. She is looking forward to a fantastic year!
Kyla, Teacher and XPression Director
Kyla Cook was born and raised in Portage, Michigan where she began dancing at age 3. She received her training locally and nationally. She had the opportunity to train with Gelsey Kirkland, Mikhaïl Lavrovsky, and Audrey Mendel as a teenager igniting her lifelong love of ballet.
Kyla had the opportunity to performed in Hawaii at the Pro Bowl with artists Boyz 2 Men and the Doobie Brothers. She also participated in the All American Halftime Show during the Citrus Bowl.
Kyla has been teaching dance for over 25 years. She is an award winning dancer and choreographer. She is certified in PBT (progressing ballet technique)
Kyla is excited to share her love for the art of dance with the students at Excel.
Melissa, Teacher
Ms. Melissa started gymnastics at age 5 at the church down the street from her home in Detroit. She became a competitive gymnast for the local YMCA at the age of 8. After a move to Portage in 4th grade, she continued to compete for the YMCA team and added assistant coaching at age 13. In high school, she traded the gym for the diving board, but continued to teach at a local studio. Over the years, she taught for many local studios and community education programs. Ms. Melissa still views “munchkin flipping” as one of the highlights of her week and considers every student to be one of “her kids.”
Kenna, Teacher
Ms. Kenna grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and started dancing at the age of 3 at the Dance Connection in Grayslake, Illinois. She danced there during her childhood and through high school graduation. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University with a minor in American Sign Language. She is involved in many different dance organizations at WMU including Movement Exchange and Orchesis Dance Society. Ms. Kenna can’t wait to get to know you and dance with you!
Lauren, Teacher
Ms. Lauren began dancing at the age of three. She trained at Spotlight Dance Works, where she had the opportunity to work with master teachers like Lauren Adams, Maddi Burg, Ricky Maalouf, and Adam McGaw. Ms. Lauren is a student at Western Michigan University pursuing a degree in dance and marketing, as well as a certification in Dance Studio Management. She is excited to join the Excel team and to share her passion for dance with the students of Excel!
MaKenna, Teacher
Makenna Hightower started dancing at age of 2 in Walled Lake, Michigan. Growing up, she was exposed to many different dance styles ranging from competition to concert dance. She danced at Dance Dynamics Performing Arts Center for the duration of her childhood and consistently trained in many styles, including but not limited to, ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, musical theatre, contemporary, hip hop and pointe. During this time, she became a member of the Tremaine Performance Company, where she often travels with Tremaine Dance Conventions to assist their dance teachers, work competition and perform with the faculty. She is now at Western Michigan University pursuing a BFA in Dance. She is very involved in the dance department and is apart of multiple dance RSOs such as Ebony Vision Dance Ensemble, The Heels and Orchesis Dance Society. Ms. Makenna is extremely excited to work with the students at Excel and be apart of the Excel Dance Center family!
Tessa, Teacher
I grew up dancing in Minnesota at Yackel Dance Studio, after graduating I moved to Kalamazoo MI to pursue and BFA in Dance. I have had the opportunity to work with artists such as Monique Haley, Marisa Bianan, Jeremy Blair, and Kia Smith. I am also a 3rd year member and 2nd year Captain of the Western Michigan Dance Team!
Annabel, Teacher
Annabel Bernicky began dancing at the age of 3 in her hometown of Shorewood, IL. She was a part of her high school dance team and a competitive dancer in numerous styles. She is currently a student at Western Michigan University, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Physical and Health Education. She is also a 4th year member of WMU’s Dance Team.