Our Team

 

LEADERSHIP

JULIE GRAYSON
Owner/Executive Director and Instructor

Originally from Waco, TX Julie Grayson began her dance training at the age of 3. Studying under Joy Burkhart, she developed a love for all forms of dance. In 1995 Julie was awarded a scholarship to attend Gus Giordano’s Jazz Dance Chicago in Evanston, IL. It was there that Julie was inspired to pursue a career in dance. In 1996 she began teaching jazz, tap and classical ballet at Joy’s School of Dance in Waco and discovered her love of teaching.

Julie received a Dance Management scholarship from Oklahoma City University where she continued her dance education under Jo Rowan, the renowned master ballet teacher and founder of what is now known as the Ann Lacy School of Dance and Entertainment. During her time at OCU Julie performed as a Pep Dancer for the Chiefs Basketball team, led chapel worship as a member of the Liturgical Dance Company, and was also a member of the critically acclaimed American Spirit Dance Company.

Although the direction of Julie’s life changed when she followed God’s calling into the field of nursing, her love of dance never faded. In 2015 she was involved in establishing a dance program at the School of the Arts at First Baptist Dallas, where she also instructed ballet and tap classes.

Julie is thrilled to now be leading the Danceworks Team and continuing its legacy of Faith, Family, Community, Personal Excellence, and Leadership into the future. She and her husband, Rusty, live in Midlothian, TX where they homeschool their three fantastic daughters, Kate, Mia and Allie.

JULIE GRAYSON
Owner/Executive Director and Instructor

HAYLEY RASCO
Business Manager, Director of Enrollment, and Instructor

Hayley Rasco began dancing at five years old at Danceworks and considers herself incredibly fortunate to have been taught by Ms. Jennifer Stevens for 13 years. Hayley is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary, but she has the greatest love for ballet.

After graduating high school, Hayley pursued her passion for creative problem-solving at the University of Texas at Arlington. She spent the next three and a half years earning her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, all the while dreaming about getting to dance again someday.

Eager to help in any way she could during Danceworks’ difficult first year without Jennifer, Hayley began working at the studio in 2018 and has been at Danceworks ever since. She quickly discovered that preschool-age dancers are her favorite ones to teach, and she has a blast teaching Creative Movement classes. She is thrilled to continue teaching and sharing her love for dance with the next generation of dancers.

Miss Hayley is very involved in her girls ministry at church, loves chocolate in all its forms, enjoys any kind of crafting, and most of all, loves making memories with her family. She lives in Waxahachie with her husband of 4 years, her two little boys, and her baby girl.

HAYLEY RASCO
Business Manager and Instructor

SUMMER STEVENS
Creative Engagement Director, and Instructor

Summer Stevens began dancing at the age of three at Danceworks with her mom and founder of Danceworks, Jennifer. She is trained in tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, flexibility, and contemporary. Summer became a member of Texas Association Teachers of Dancing in 2016 where she was certified in Jazz. She is now serving on the Board of Directors for TATD and is so honored to give back to the organization that has given her so much.

Summer is the choreographer for the Waxahachie Theatre Department where she has choreographed Chicago, Big Fish, Matilda, Something Rotten, and more!

Summer attended Texas A&M University where she graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology, a minor in Communication, and a Certificate in Event Management. While in college, she taught at On Our Toes Dance Studio.

Summer currently lives in Dallas, TX and works as an event planner during the day! She is so excited to teach at the studio she grew up in and follow in her mom’s footsteps at Danceworks.

SUMMER STEVENS
Creative Engagement Director and Instructor

 

BROOKE GRAYSON
Office Manager

This is Brooke’s second year at Danceworks as Office Manager. She has been married to Lane for 26 years, and together they have raised four fantastic children. As a team they serve the children and families of Ellis County as volunteers for CASA and The Heights: Ellis County Family Resources.

In her spare time Brooke enjoys reading books and collecting rocks.

BROOKE GRAYSON
Office Manager

CANDICE GOUSE
Ballet Program Director and Instructor

For 22 years, Candice Gouse has been teaching children and adults the art of dance.   Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Candice spent the beginning years of her dance career training with various schools in Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York City.   She has studied with world renown teachers and companies such as Dance Del Bello, Alvin Ailey, Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, Koresh Dance Company and University of the Arts.  Candice has professionally trained in ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz and pointe. In addition to traditional forms of dance, she has expanded her passion and knowledge to yoga, Pilates and Barre techniques. 

After a decade of performing on the stage and traveling with a regional production company, she found her real passion was in the classroom providing her students with an all-encompassing approach of performance knowledge; from core technique / terminology to stage etiquette and auditioning skills. Candice is proud to see her students blossom and perform on Broadway and other grand theater opportunities.   Their success drives Candice and continues her devotion to help all her students find and achieve their dreams. 

Off the stage, Candice spent time traveling the country with her husband, who served 22 years in the United States Air Force.   Candice and her husband, Fred, live in Ovilla, TX with their three daughters, Peyton, Simone and Amelia.  

CANDICE GOUSE
Ballet Program Director and Instructor

MEREDITH CANONICO
Administrative Specialist, Marketing Director, and Instructor

Meredith grew up doing gymnastics and competed in collegiate gymnastics. She also cheered her last two years at the University of Oklahoma. After college, she began choreographing floor routines for a local gym. Even though Meredith never took formal dance classes, dance was woven in to her life and she always enjoyed performing. She went on to have a career as an educator; teaching high school Business classes and moving into administration as an Assistant Principal and Principal.

She has been married to her husband Marcus for 12 years. They have a daughter, Makenna, that attends Danceworks and absolutely adores dancing in all genres. They also have a son, Mason who likes playing soccer and anything outdoors. In her spare time, Meredith enjoys reading and spending time with her family and two dogs, Dax and DeeDee.

MEREDITH CANONICO
Administrative Specialist, Marketing Director, and Instructor

 

FACULTY & STAFF

ANNA ROHRER
Instructor

Anna started dancing at the age of 3 and has continued dancing for the past 19 years!  She grew up in Waco, Texas where she danced  at Joy’s School of Dance. Her favorite styles of dance are Tap and Sassy Jazz! Anna was a part of the JSOD Dance Company, a TATD Merit scholarship recipient, and was a student assistant for 6 years. She’s attended various dance conventions including TATD and Dance Revolution and performed in the {254}DanceFest multiple times. 

She went to Dallas Baptist University, where she was on the DBU Patriettes dance team, and she had the opportunity to compete in Daytona Beach, FL at both NDA and Dance Team Union nationals where they won two national championships! 

Anna graduated from DBU in 2023 with her Bachelors in Psychology with a concentration in Child Life, and she is currently in grad school at Texas Woman’s University pursuing a M.S. in Child Life Specialty. After graduation from TWU, she hopes to work in a children’s hospital with oncology patients as a child life specialist! 

ANNA ROHRER

REBECCA HANS
Instructor

Rebecca Hans began dancing under the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum at the age of five in Portland, Oregon. At age thirteen, she began training in ballet, lyrical, and modern dance at Briarwood Ballet in Birmingham, AL, eventually joining Immanuel, one of the school’s student performing companies. Throughout her dance training, Rebecca worked as a teaching assistant and quickly came to love teaching even more than she loved performing. She is grateful for the opportunity to stand on her spot, put her feet in a “V,” and encourage the imaginations of little dancers at Danceworks.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Baylor University, and a Master of Letters in Theology, Imagination, and the Arts from the University of St Andrews. She is the Children’s Ministry Director at Soma Waxahachie, and in her spare time, Rebecca can be found with a large cup of tea, accompanied by a good book and her beloved dog, Samwise.

REBECCA HANS

CHLOE HAWPE
Instructor

Chloe started dancing at the age of 6 in Stafford County, Virginia. She began to dance competitively in middle school for Epic Dance Studio and Studio J's Dance Companies in Oklahoma City, where she was trained in contemporary, jazz, musical theater, ballet, hip-hop, and pom. She attended multiple conventions and competitions through her training, even winning a national championship title in 2017. She has also performed at festivals and participated in dance video shoots.

Chloe was a member of her high school's varsity pom team for all four years, winning two state championships, MVP, and being appointed captain her senior year. Chloe got the exciting opportunity to be Miss Waxahachie 2023 and got to compete at Miss Texas with the goal of inspiring individuals to be empowered by their individuality! She is now a junior at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, pursuing a degree in Digital Media Arts. Chloe is so excited to be able to still dance in her life now as a teacher and is passionate about sharing her love of dance with all she meets! You can find her reading a book, watching a movie, or working on a new project in her free time!

CHLOE HAWPE

ANDELYN WESTMORELAND
Instructor

Andelyn Westmoreland started dancing when she was 3, and it was love at first class. Now, 15 years later, she still loves every second of it! She has been a Danceworks assistant for 5 years, an intern for 1 year, and is EXTREMELY excited to get the opportunity to teach this year. She and her two sisters, Camilla and Evie, have been homeschooled by their mom for their entire lives and are very involved with the children at their church. Along with dance, Andelyn and her family raise longhorn cattle and have many other animals to keep them busy. Andelyn has a huge love for teaching kids of all ages and is looking forward to being challenged as a teacher. She hopes to show her students how to grow into graceful and confident people who show their love of dance through every step!

ANDELYN WESTMORELAND

SAMANTHA GROSS
Instructor

Beginning her dance training at the age of three, Samantha's passion for dance quickly grew. She is a former student and teacher of GO! Dance & Gymnastics Studios in Ennis, TX. Starting out as a recreational dancer like many, by the age of eight, she began dancing competitively with the GO! Dance junior and senior performing companies in jazz, hip hop, tap, musical theater, and lyrical dance. At age 10, she was assisting preschool and beginner level dance classes. By age 16, she was teaching and creating choreography for classes of her own, for herself, and for the younger competitive teams.

Midway through high school, she decided to pursue dance more seriously and joined Dallas Powerhouse of Dance in Dallas, TX. There, she was a part of the Senior Pre-Professional Performance Company where she had the pleasure to learn from Dallas-based dance artists such as Meredith Marks, Kevin Harris, Phil Gonzalez, Kristi Bittenbender, Lonnie Hightower, and DeeDee Munson. She also performed "Snow Queen" in the Nutcracker and variations of Swan Lake her senior year.

A 2022 alumnus of Texas State University, she holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance & Choreography with minors in Business Administration and Exercises & Sports science. At Texas State, she studied modern, contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop, improvisation, choreography, and dance pedagogy under Ana Baer, Michelle Nance, Nicole Wesley, Kaysie-Seitz Brown, Christa Oliver, Rocio Luna, Torens Johnson, Megan Moss, and several student dance artists. She participated in student dance organizations such as CIMTEYA and Merge Dance Company's Semilla Fest. She has presented and performed numerous original works, for both stage and video, in Texas State choreography productions. She worked as a dance instructor for Heather Stolle's School of Dance in both San Antonio and Boerne, TX. She attended numerous professional development conferences such as TATD, TDIF, and ACDA.

Most importantly, she developed her approach to dance performance and choreography. The cornerstones include encouraging fun, nurturing curiosity and creativity, prioritizing health and autonomy, and challenging both the mind and body.

Now, she's moved back to the Dallas, TX area where you can find her dancing en pointe in the nightly Illumination Sensation show at the State Fair of Texas. Samantha is thrilled to join the Danceworks team, and can't wait to meet you!

SAMANTHA GROSS

MCKENZIE HOLMES
Guest Instructor

McKenzie Holmes fell in love with dance as a young teenager at Dance Academy of Mansfield and was trained in classical ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and contemporary. After a year at Danceworks, McKenzie went off to college, dancing pre-professionally with the Galveston Ballet and having the honor of leading worship with Galveston House of Prayer. After discovering swing dance in Europe, McKenzie returned home with a passion for couple dancing and began dabbling in country-western.

During the day, McKenzie works for a DC-based think tank. On the side, she loves to read fiction and is a freelance editor, novelist, and songwriter. She lives in Waxahachie with her family and her sheepadoodle pup, Willoughby.

MCKENZIE HOLMES

MALLORY GARZA
Instructor

Mallory started dancing when she was six years old at Desoto Dance Academy under Judy Pelusi and Kara Flores. Dance became a big part of her life as she grew up learning ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. These wonderful teachers were also great mentors and would spread the joy of teaching on to her!

After her first year of college she began teaching ballet, tap, and jazz at Desoto Dance Academy. She continued to train under Judy and Kara along with attending dance conventions, all while studying biology at the University of Texas at Arlington.

In her final years of college she met her best friend and now husband, Jose! After getting married in July of 2013, she began to teach under Kara Flores at Metro Dance. She then graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology in 2014. In April of 2015 Mallory and Jose welcomed their first baby and now have three girls and one boy! She stepped away from dance after having her oldest daughter, but she is excited to get back into the classroom and share the joy that dance has always brought her!

MALLORY GARZA

OLIVIA GRAYSON
Social Media Assistant

Bio Coming Soon

OLIVIA GRAYSON

 

INTERNS

EVIE WESTMORELAND
Instructor Intern

Evie Westmoreland has grown up here in Waxahachie, Texas. She has taken dance with Danceworks since she was four years old, she has been a Danceworks Student Assistant since she was ten years old, and she is currently a Danceworks Intern at the age of fifteen. Evie has trained in several genres of dance including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical. She was also involved in competitive gymnastics pretty much ever since she could walk until she ended her national championship career when she was nine years old. Evie now considers gymnastics to be a fun and beloved hobby.

Some fun facts about Evie: she and her family are ranchers and they primarily raise Texas Longhorn Cattle. Their ranch name is Gang Of 5 Longhorns. Evie was homeschooled, graduated high school at the age of thirteen, and began her college education at the age of fourteen. Some of Evie’s favorite things to do are: anything with her parents and two sisters, doing Church activities, babysitting, playing the piano, playing the banjo, cooking/baking, creating digital designs, doing watercolor painting, and co-hosting her ranch’s podcast. Evie strives to make each Danceworks student feel special, loved, and to have them enjoy their time in dance class as much she does.

EVIE WESTMORELAND

EMILY DENNY
Instructor Intern

Emily Denny began dancing when she was three years old and has taken ballet, tap, lyrical, hip hop, and jazz. She is currently a varsity cheerleader at WHS and is involved at her church. In her spare time she loves to snuggle her cat, Willow, and spend time with her family!

EMILY DENNY

KYLA BURLESON
Instructor Intern

Bio coming soon!

KYLA BURLESON