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Fusion Dance Center
Heather Koerkenmeier-Edwards
Founder and Artistic Director
Miss Heather began dancing at the age of 2 years old, under Pat Fields at Pat Fields School of Dance in Highland. Later, Heather continued her training at Encore Dance Academy and under Patti Woods-Harrington at Belleville School of Ballet. As a child and young teenager, she got to work with the Missouri State Ballet in the Nutcracker at the Fox Theater. Heather completed her undergraduate work at SIU Edwardsville studying under J. Calvin Jarrell, Paula Beals, Mikey Thomas and numerous other staff and guest artists. Her professional work includes The Muny and Atrek Dance Collective. Miss Heather began teaching dance at the age of 16 and has continued to learn and grow in her field. She opened Fusion Dance Center in Greenville in 2004. Later, Heather joined a world wide organization, More Than Just Great Dancing, to bring the best business and classroom practices to the communities of Greenville and Hillsboro. She also started Bond County Area Theater (BCat) with her friend, Elisabeth Ward, and is the coach for GHS Comets dance team. Heather resides in Greenville with her husband Bill and two children, Max and Norah.
Whitney Lesmeister
Office Manager
Whitney has been working for Fusion Dance Center since 2018. Whitney manages student enrollment, studio emails/messages, family accounts, monthly tuition, student attendance, and more! Miss Whitney is the first friendly face you will see when you come to our Greenville location and she is always happy to help. She loves working with families and kids! Whitney resides in Greenville with her husband Kyle and they have 3 children: Myles, Crace and Ellie.
Judy Koerkenmeier
Hillsboro Front Desk Hostess
Miss Judy, also known as Grandma Judy is the first friendly face you will see when you come to our Hillsboro location and she is always happy to help. She loves helping the little dancers in class and answering any questions parents might have. She is also our costume lady and handles all of the steaming of recital costumes! Judy resides in Greenville with her husband Dave.
Fun Fact: Miss Judy is Miss Heather's mom!
Alyssa Watson
Dance Instructor and Social Media Manager
Alyssa started dancing when she was 6 years old right here with Miss Heather at Fusion Dance Center! After graduating in 2018, she decided to keep dancing in college, receiving a BA in Dance from SIUE in 2022. Most recently she was a trainee with the Big Muddy Dance Company, a performer with Space Station Residency, and will be an apprentice with the Big Muddy Dance Company this season. Miss Alyssa loves helping the next generation of Fusion dancers reach their artistic potential through experiencing the magic of dance, and is so happy to be back for another year of teaching!
Shanna Connor
Dance Instructor
Miss Shanna has been with FDC since the start of the Hillsboro Studio—this will be the start of year 13 for her! She has danced since she was 3 and was on the dance team in both high school and college. She is an 8th grade ELA teacher getting ready to start year 21 of her teaching career, and she is also coach the Hillsboro High School Topperettes Dance Team. She and her husband Jeremy just celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary, and they have 3 children: Bryce, Brynn, and Brylee along with 3 dogs & a cat.
Kara Zbinden
Dance Instructor
Kara danced at Fusion for 11 years and participated in many styles of dance. This will be her 4th year teaching at FDC. Miss Kara loves kids and loves getting to share the joy of dance with them! She graduated high school in 2023 and is currently attending Greenville University.
Kaya Harnetiaux
Dance Instructor
Kaya danced at Fusion for 11 years and has participated in almost every style of dance offered at Fusion. She graduated high school in 2023 and is currently attending Kaskaskia College for a business management degree. She loves kiddos and she can’t wait to start her second year teaching at Fusion. Miss Kaya is so excited to share the love she has for dance with them!
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