Artistic Exchange Dance Studio
Artistic Exchange Dance Studio
Dance enables you to find yourself & lose yourself at the same time
Dance enables you to find yourself & lose yourself at the same time
Meet Our Staff!
Megan VanSon:
Megan is the owner of Artistic Exchange Dance Studio and is humbled and blessed to be able to work with so many dancers! This will be the studio's 6th year in operation, and she never thought that the studio would boom to what it is today!
Megan started dancing at the age of 4 under the direction of Michele (Privratsky)Schulthies at School of Dance and Performing Arts here in Dickinson. This is where her love for dance started and grew! Once Michele moved out of the state, Megan had the privilege of learning from MANY different instructors. Dance studios came and went in Dickinson and at the time it seemed devastating every time. Looking back, it was somewhat of a blessing because Megan was able to learn different styles from different teachers. Megan studied ballet, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, tap, jazz, drill, African, geometrics, liquid, breakdancing and competed for many years.
Upon graduating high school, Megan went to NDSU in Fargo and started her degree in Child Development. She coached for Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo for 2 years before moving back to Dickinson and taking over the Midgettes high school dance team. Here she started the junior high dance team and the high school JV team. Megan coached the high school for 6 years.
In 2014 she opened Artistic Exchange Dance Studio with 75 dancers the first year. Today our doors welcome over 265 dancers. Megan could not do this without her amazing support system! Her husband, children, parents and friends and family! The staff of the dance studio is an amazing blessing to every student and to Megan. There is no way this studio could run without them!
Megan truly believes that it takes a village to teach and develop a dancer! Megan travels to learn from many professionals still to this day and will continue to do so. This brings exciting and new ideas to our studio. Megan knows that every staff member brings something special to this community and Artistic Exchange Dance Studio is better for it!
Here's to an amazing year and we welcome you all to our studio!
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Skyler Foss:
Miss Skyler is 21 years old, and a junior at Dickinson State University majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. She works at ABLE as a DSP working with individuals who have intellectual disabilities. Skyler also teaches hip hop for 6 to 7 year olds and 8 to 9 year olds as well as ballet class for 8 to 9 year olds! She LOVES teaching these classes! Miss Skyler have been dancing since before she could walk! She danced at three studios throughout her dance career and was on the varsity DHS dance team all four years in high school. She was also on the junior high dance team. Skyler always knew she wanted to continue her dance passion and teaching dance was the perfect way to do that! When she's not doing school work or dance, she loves spending time with her dogs! We are so thrilled to have Skyler back on our team! You can see the love for her students and the love they have for her!
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Timothy Dobbins:
Timothy Dobbins is currently the ballet teacher at Artistic Exchange. He started his ballet training in Fargo and trained at Gaspers School of dance and Camria Ballet Academy. He then wanted further his ballet education and at the age of 14 decided to train at The Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts in Torrington, CT. There he would stay in a dorm and dance classical ballet for 40 hours a week as well perform various ballets including Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Les Sylphides, Don Quixote, and Sleeping Beauty. During his off-season Tim would continue his ballet training at Ballet Arizona, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Next Generation Ballet where he would find his new home. At the age of 17 Tim became a trainee at Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, Fl. In Florida, Tim would continue to dance for 40 hours a week and perform regularly in ballets put on at the Straz Center. These included Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Balanchine’s Donizetti, and Cinderella. However, after an injury Tim decided to be closer to his family after they moved to Dickinson, ND and has found a new way to express his love for ballet through teaching. He is eternally grateful for every moment he has for sharing the knowledge that he has learned over his many years of dancing onto the next generation of children.
Tiffany Stewart:
Tiffany Stewart is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who recently graduated from The University of Minnesota with a BFA in Dance. She began dancing at age 7 with the local Just for Kix program, slowly transitioned to being a founding member of the local junior high dance team, continued with the varsity dance team throughout her 4 years of high school and also became a founding member of the competitive team at the Artistic Exchange Dance Studio. She has experience in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, modern, open, high kick, and pom. She has been teaching and choreographing for local studios and dance teams for 6 years. Tiffany also has experience in solo, duet, trio, and group choreography and has taught students who range in age from 3-18 years old. Tiffany is so excited to be back at the Artistic Exchange Dance Studio and can't wait to see all the dancers grow!
Madison Twardoski:
Madison is 19 years old, from Dickinson, ND, going through BSC for Nursing and is a Stay-at-Home Mom. If she’s not at home with her dogs and family, she’s at the gym! She has danced for 14 years. Madison started out with recreational than after a couple years she was competing. Having competed in lyrical, contemporary, jazz, open, modern, musical theater, tap, and hip hop. She was a hip hop teacher for 2 years during that time! Dance has always been a passion of hers and Madison is glad that she gets to share that with everyone!
