Andrea Purrenhage is a Certified American Ballet Theater Instructor for pre-primary through level five. She is currently a faculty member at CMU in the department of Theater and Dance teaching ballet and choreographing for the University Theater Dance Company. Purrenhage began her training with the Metropolitan Ballet Center and then the Professional Ballet School under Svetlana Chrin of the Ukrainian National Ballet. She has studied with dance greats such as: Arthur Mitchell, Twyla Tharp, Laveen Nadue, and Fluer Isreal through the Dance Theater of Harlem, Dayton Ballet, and Eglevsky Ballet

Travis Hunt recently earned his degree in Dance Studies from Central Michigan University and has officially joined the MPSD family full-time as Studio Manager. During his time at CMU, he contributed choreography to two university musicals, performed with the University Theatre Dance Company for two seasons, and earned a first-place national title with the CMU Dance Team. At MPSD, Travis teaches Musical Theatre, Jazz, and Tricks & Technique. This season, he will also serve as Head Coach for the Mount Pleasant High School Dance Team.

Alayna Cook grew up dancing competitively in Grand Rapids for 16 years. She now attends Central Michigan University and is studying nursing. Alayna is a third year member of the CMU Dance Team, and holds two national titles from her time on the team.

Ms. Alexa began dancing at age four and trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, and jazz, studying the Cecchetti, Balanchine, and Vaganova methods at the School of the Grand Rapids Ballet Company and Michigan Ballet Academy. During her undergraduate program she studied English, Writing, and Dance Studies. She has been teaching full-time since 2018, specializing in ballet, pointe, pas de deux, and choreography for recitals, competitions, and full-length productions like The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Her students have earned top awards and have competed at the Youth America Grand Prix. Ms. Alexa is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique, Alixa Flexibility, Youth Protection Advocates in Dance, CPR/First Aid, and concussion safety, with additional teacher training through Dance Masters of America and the Cecchetti Council of America. She also has a Master’s in Elementary Education and teaches 5th grade at McGuire Elementary.

Carla Zawadzki recently graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Dance and Elementary Education, focusing in Integrated Science and Language Arts. During her time in college, Carla was a four year member of the CMU Dance Team as well as an assistant coach, where she received three national titles in the D1 category. She was also a member of the University Theatre Dance Company for two seasons. Carla will be returning as an assistant coach to the CMU Dance Team this season, and is excited to be back with her MPSD family.

Emma Trush has been dancing since the age of two, with 18 years of dance experience, and 14 in a competitive environment. Emma grew up doing multiple styles of dance, and was also a member of the Oxford High School Dance Team. She spent two years on the CMU Dance team, earning three national titles in her time on the team. Emma now attends Central Michigan University and is earning her degree in K-5 Special Education, along with Elementary Education.

Grace Cooper grew up dancing at a competitive studio at the age of three in her hometown. This year, Grace will be entering her fourth season with the CMU Dance Team as a team captain. Grace currently attends Central Michigan University, and hopes to soon attend graduate school to become a Physicians Assistant.

Izzy Walton has nine years of technical dance training and was a four year member of the Mount Pleasant High School Varsity Dance Team. She has performed in two MPSD productions of the Nutcracker Reimagined, performed at high school half time shows, and attended multiple training camps and workshops through NDA and CMU. She is currently attending Central Michigan University to earn a degree in neuroscience on a pre-medicine pathway.

Jonathan Hughes started his dance training in Georgia, and attended Interlochen Center for the Arts at fourteen. After performances in New York City, summers at Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Indiana University, Johnathan graduated high school with a classical ballet major. He is now currently pursuing a degree in Clinical Psychology and Neuroscience, with a minor in substance use disorders at Central Michigan University.

Sam has been dancing for 14 years and has been dancing competitively since age 8. She grew up training in many different styles, including tap, jazz, modern, ballet, lyrical, hip hop, pointe, and hula. She passed her Grade V Cecchetti exam in 2024. Additionally, Sam was a member of the Fraser Varsity dance team, and was captain her senior year. Sam will be heading into her second year at Central Michigan University, majoring in elementary education and will be a member of the Central Michigan Dance Team. Sam is very excited for her first season with MPSD!

Sarah Zmick began her dance career in Fraser, Michigan, dancing at Encore the Dance Center for 16 years and competitively for 7 years. Throughout high school, she was an assistant teacher for younger dancers. Sarah is now attending Central Michigan University, majoring in Elementary Education grades PK-6.

Dr. Popp is an Associate Professor of Child Development, in the Department of Human Family Studies at CMU. She is a consultant with MPSD providing instructors with evidence based knowledge on developmentally appropriate practices when working with young students.