Meet our amazing staff! We are so lucky to have them a part of the Excel family!
Katie Stull, Owner and Teacher
Ms. Katie Stull 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 Fruehauf has been a part of the Excel family since 2008 when all 3 of her daughters began dancing here! She has been the Office Manager since 2014 and feels blessed to have such a fun and rewarding job. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from WMU with over 25 years of office experience, on top of tons of dance world knowledge from working at the studio as well as having her daughters move on in the dance world. She loves getting to know the families and dancers at Excel!
Susan Blount, Xpression Director and Teacher
Ms. Susan Blount 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 is now the full time director of XPressions. She is also back at WMU working as the Head Coach of the WMU Dance Team. In just her second year coaching she helped the team become 2025 and 2026 D1 Jazz National Champions! She loves getting the chance to work with dancers at the studio and collegiate level.
Skylar Hubbard, Solo Team Director, New Families and Student Activities Director (New Family Organizer, NHSDA, Explorers, Emerging Stars, Mini-Mesters, Pop-Ups, Birthday Parties, and Summer Camps), Teacher
Ms. Skylar Hubbard, a Michigan native, started her dance training at age 4 in all areas of dance. As a choreographer, she specializes in Contemporary/Improv, Dance Worship, and Ballet/Pointe. With her love and passion for dance, Skylar has spent the last 7 years teaching dance at Excel. She is currently the New Families and Student Activities Director and the Solo Team Director. Skylar is also a Montessori Preschool Director in Augusta, MI. She has a love for working with children and is so excited to continue to share her passion for dance with all of the kids at Excel Dance Centre!
Hailey Kleinert, XPression Prep Director, Company Co-Director, Social Media Coordinator, Teacher
Ms. Hailey Kleinert grew up dancing at Excel since she was 3 years old! She was on the Performing 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. Senior 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!
Kyla Cook, Progressing Ballet Technique Teacher
Ms. 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 perform 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.
Makenna Hightower, Studio Relations Director, Company Director, XPression Co-Director, Teacher
Ms. Makenna Hightower started dancing at age 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 continues to travel with Tremaine Dance Conventions to assist their dance teachers, work competition and perform alongside faculty. She also travels with Tiger Friday Dance Wear to work with dancers around the country. She continues to share her passion for dance through creating, teaching and performing.
Emily Krapohl, Teacher
Ms. Emily Krapohl started dancing at age 2 and grew up training in a variety of styles including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, acro, hip hop and pointe. She competed at Studio H Dance Company through her senior year of high school traveling across the country for competitions. She is now a junior at Western Michigan University, where she is a 2x National Champion on the WMU Dance Team. Ms Emily is so excited for her second season with Excel Dance Centre!
Bella Drury, Teacher
Ms. Bella Drury’s dance journey began at age three in White Lake, Michigan, at Modern Messages Dance Company. There, she trained in many styles such as Pointe, Pom, Modern, and Hip Hop, and she spent four years competing in Lyrical and Contemporary dance. Now a Junior on the Western Michigan University dance team, Bella proudly represents the university at both community and national levels. With a lifelong passion for dance and teaching, she is excited and grateful for the opportunity to share her love of dance with her students!
Nina Kundrat, Teacher
Ms. Nina Kundrat is from Lockport, Illinois. She has been dancing since she was three, therefore going onto her 18th year of dancing. She started my dance career off by dancing at Turning Point Dance Company, ages 3-5, then switched into the competition side of that studio which is Ignite Dance Company, ages 6-18. While she continued studio dance, she had also joined her high school dance team, Lockport Township High School Dance Team, for three years. She is now a junior in college continuing her dancing career with the Western Michigan Dance Team and her studies in Pre-Physical & Health Education Teacher K-12 at Western as well.
Kendalyn Fruehauf, Teacher
Ms. Kendalyn Fruehauf graduated from Purdue University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Applied Statistics and a minor in Dance. During her time at Purdue, she was actively involved in the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company, serving as President and choreographing works for three semesters. She was cast in works by faculty, guest artists, and fellow student choreographers throughout her four years. Kendalyn had the opportunity to present her own choreography and perform at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) conference. She also took part in a featured work at the Detroit Dance City Festival, representing Purdue alongside fellow company members. She is currently a company member in Movement Reservoir Dance Company. Kendalyn brings a strong foundation in modern and contemporary dance, along with a passion for collaboration and creative exploration, to her role as Modern Dance Director at Excel Dance Centre.
Jozie Rafferty, Teacher
Ms. Jozie Rafferty first began her dance training at Excel Dance Centre when she was 8 years old. She was on Company for 9 years and XLR8 Leadership Team for 2 years. She trained in every style Excel had to offer, but two of her favorites are contemporary and jazz. During her time at Excel, she participated in NHSDA and was an assistant teacher for 6 years. During her senior year, she was a Rising Teacher and choreographed along with certified staff. In addition to all of this, she was a member of the contemporary company Young Dancers Initiative for 1 year, led by Kaitlyn Pollock. She has attended intensives, including programs run by Young Dancers Initiative and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Now, Jozie is a sophomore at WMU majoring in psychology.
Kaylie Moon, Teacher
Ms. Kaylie Moon began dancing at the age of six and trained in a variety of styles, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre. She was a member of her studio’s competitive dance company for 9 years.
A graduate of Western Michigan University, Kaylie has always had a heart for working with children. Her teaching experience includes assisting dance classes, working with young company dancers, and teaching Mini/Mester dance classes. With years of experience in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, she strives to create positive, supportive environments where dancers feel encouraged to learn, grow, and be themselves.
Kaylie is so excited to be part of the Excel Dance Centre family and is thrilled to share her passion for dance and her love of working with children with the dancers.
Melissa Wickland, Teacher
Ms. Melissa Wickland is a performer and teaching artist from Schaumburg, IL. She started dancing, singing, and acting at a young age and now holds a BFA in Music Theatre with a Minor in Dance from Viterbo University. Melissa discovered her love for mentoring young dancers while teaching at All About Dance Chicago for three years. She recently spent a few years in Minneapolis, exploring a new city and teaching at various studios. Melissa is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and musical theatre. If she had to pick a favorite to teach, it would be ballet or tap!
During the day, Melissa works remotely for a photography studio and likes to spend her free time painting, puzzling, and cuddling with her cats.
Melissa is so excited to share her passion for dance with the students at Excel!
Corrina Clark, Teacher
Ms. Corrina Clark began her dance journey when she was 3 years old at Karen’s School of Dance in Highland, MI. There she trained and competed in many styles, including jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, musical theater, ballet, and pointe. In high school, she was also a member of KSD’s Assistant Teacher Training Program where she gained valuable teaching skills and experience, as well as a member of her school’s Varsity Pom Team, where she had the opportunity to perform half-time routines at home football and basketball games. Corrina is now a junior at Western Michigan University. As a third-year member of the award-winning dance team and a BFA dance major, she dedicates most of her time to building her athleticism and artistry in preparation for her career as a professional dancer. She has a passion for teaching and spreading the love of dance to the upcoming generation and is so excited for this year!
Colleen Burrill, Teacher
Ms. Colleen Burrill’s passion for dance began at the age of four and has grown into a lifelong love of performing and teaching. She trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, acro, and hip hop at prestigious studios including Roger’s School of Dance in Pittsburg, Paula Terenzi’s Dance Complex, and Phunk Phenomenon in Boston. A graduate of Salem State University, she studied ballet, modern dance, and dance history, and served as a head choreographer and treasurer for the university’s Repertory Dance Theatre. As a professional dancer with Boston’s Phunk Phenomenon, Ms. Colleen performed in numerous shows and charity events, including opening twice for Jam’n 94.5’s Monster Jam. She also taught multiple styles and led choreography and work as the director for their competitive team. After moving to Michigan in 2019, Ms. Colleen began teaching ballet at a local studio before joining Excel, where she rediscovering her joy for teaching. She feels it is an honor to share her love of dance, build students’ confidence, and create positive, memorable experiences for every dancer she teaches.