Ann Parsley holds a BFA in Dance from Oakland University, graduating summa cum laude with honors in dance. She holds the highest accreditation of Diploma Fellow of the Cecchetti Council of America. She is a Permanent Examiner, Liaison Officer and Past President of the Council. She has presented numerous students for examination and has presented teachers through the Diploma examination. Ann teaches at workshops and seminars throughout the country. She also directed Ann Parsley School of Dance for over 30 years before selling the studio in 2009. Ann has taught many students who have danced professionally in ballet and modern companies, industrials and videos. She founded the Macomb Ballet Company in 1983. Ann received the first Outstanding Alumni Award in Dance from Oakland University, has visited Taiwan three times to teach and examine, and is listed in Who’s Who in America.
Amber Megna Michalik is the owner and director of Ann Parsley School of Dance. She first connected with the school as a dancer when she was just 7 years old. Her love for the art, coupled with an inexhaustible passion to learn, create, and share, sustained her journey from student to teacher. A former member of the Macomb Ballet Company, Amber served as the Assistant Director to Ann Parsley from 2001-2006. Ms. Michalik founded the Junior Macomb Ballet Company in 2006, the first non-profit ballet company for young children in Macomb County. In 2007, she became the Artistic Director of the Macomb Ballet Company. Trained by many of the area’s finest teachers including Ann Parsley, Iacob Lascu, Laurie Eisenhower and Gregory Patterson, Ms. Michalik is certified to teach both students and teachers in the Cecchetti Method. Additionally, Ms. Michalik is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level Three of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Amber attended Oakland University on an academic scholarship, where she pursued dance and business, and was a member of the Oakland Dance Theatre. She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performing Arts Management. She was awarded the Eastern Michigan Committee Board of Directors Scholarship in 2012 from the Cecchetti Council of America. Ms. Michalik currently sits on the Executive Board of the Cecchetti Council of America, and is the past Chair of the Cecchetti Council of America Eastern Michigan Committee. She has trained many successful dancers and teachers since 2000. Her students have received numerous awards and recognition in the dance community across the country and around the world; many have continued their study of dance at the college level, and have pursued professional careers in dance, choreography and teaching. Taking part in various conferences and workshops across the country fuels Ms. Michalik’s desire to continually learn and impart her love of dance and the methods and philosophies that she embraces.
Hannah (Budny) Carden has been a part of the Ann Parsley School of Dance family her entire life. Taking her first creative movement dance class at the age of two, this formed in her an infinite passion for dance. Hannah was a member of the Macomb Ballet Company since she was 7 years old. Through dance education, Hannah blossomed in her musical abilities through dance, music, and performing opportunities. Dance has given Hannah the confidence she needed to be the outgoing and driven woman she is today. Through the Ballet Company Hannah has been in shows such as Cinderella, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Wizard of Oz, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and she has taught as the Rehearsal Director since 2013. Hannah performed with The Enchanted Princess Ball for 4 years and DDC Dances as a trainee where she was then offered a company position. Hannah has furthered her dance education by completing the Cecchetti Student Certification Exams, Levels I-VII as well as Teachers Grade I through Diploma. Hannah has also received scholarships to attend The Cecchetti Council of America’s Summer Intensive Camp, CUSA Santa Barbara, both student and teacher scholarships to the Cecchetti Council of America’s summer school and in the summer of 2019, she received the Sylvia Hamer scholarship to be a guest at the Cecchetti Society of England teacher summer school in Birmingham, England. Hannah competed in the Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition in 2014. Hannah also enjoys guest teaching at numerous studios in the Metro Detroit area. She has been directing Ann Parsley’s homeschool dance program “The Art of Ballet,” since 2016. Hannah is also active in her community teaching adult special needs dance and leading small groups for the young professional program at her home church.
Carley Glugla has been dancing for 20 years and for the past 14 years, she has been working with special needs children in an adaptive dance class. She also has experience with providing child care to children with special needs, and has been a camp volunteer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. She’s familiar with respite care services and is an RN who specializes in working with the pediatric and female population.
Karen Glugla, OTR/L has been an Occupational Therapist for over 25 years. She works as a Clinical OT Specialist at Children's Hospital of Michigan/Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Stilson Specialty Center. She works with children from birth-20 with a very broad range of diagnoses. She works in the MDA clinic where she monitors children with Muscular Dystrophy diagnoses. Karen has 14 years of experience working with children in an adaptive dance class.
Sydney Henderson grew up at Ann Parsley School of Dance starting with her first creative movement class when she was three. Shortly after, she began dancing with the Macomb Ballet Company starting with her first performance in Un Encuentro. Sydney has supplemented her classes at Ann Parsley School of Dance with additional training with the American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Chicago and on scholarship with the Ruth S. Shur Carolina Ballet Company. She has also trained and performed at the Youth America Grand Prix in Pittsburgh 2014 and Chicago 2015. She studied at Arts Academy in the Woods and has attended master classes with Samantha Shelton, Meg Paul, Michael Vernon, Kristin Sudeikis and Ashley Bouder. Her training and her determination helped her achieve lead roles in Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. Sydney has completed her Cecchetti Council of America Student Certification exams Levels I-VI along with her teacher Grade I-II exams. In the fall of 2015, she attended Wayne State University as a BFA major in the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance as a talent scholarship recipient. She was also a member of their dance company, Company One. Sydney is honored to be a member of the APSD faculty.
Brandon Koepsell is a Detroit native and graduate of the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA. Brandon holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University, where he currently serves as a lecturer and choreographer in the Maggie Allesee Department of Theater and Dance. After graduation from the Walnut Hill School, Brandon spent time performing with Companie Coline in Istre, France, Rapture Dance Project, Ron DeJesus Dance in Chicago, Take Root, and the Macomb Ballet Company in addition to his guest artist work with the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, Alma College, Wayne State University, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Brandon has appeared with the Michigan Opera Theater in the productions of “Aida" and "The Merry Widow". He was the assistant choreographer on the set of Disney’s “Oz, the Great and Powerful”, a credited dancer in “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas” and a director and choreographer for Karen Newman’s Detroit Christmas Special in 2023. In collaboration with Jaclyn Walsh, Brandon has presented work at the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival in 2015 and 2018 and at Green Box Arts Festival in Green Mountain Falls, CO in 2019 as part of Larry Keigwin's “Dynamic Duets”. Brandon has served as a faculty member with the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, the Southern Association of Dance Masters, and the Montana Dance Arts Association. Brandon looks forward to serving as an Assistant Artistic Director for the Macomb Ballet Company for his second season.
Nia Lighter Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nia Lighter has a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from Winona State University, where she was the recipient of the Jacque Reidleberg Performing Arts Scholarship. She has training in ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, modern, choreography, theater, musical theater, directing, makeup design and voice. Ms. Lighter enhanced her dance education by studying at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in New York City as well as at The Edge Dance Studio in Los Angeles. She is beginning her ninth season as the makeup designer for the Macomb Ballet Company and her seventh year as a guest artist in the Nutcracker portraying Mother Ginger. Ms. Lighter is a member of Inspired Christian Dance Company; Grace Dance Ensemble, under the direction of a former member of the Joffrey ballet company, DeAnne Essian. This year marks Nia’s 20th year teaching! Her greatest joy over the past twenty years of teaching experience has been watching the love of dance take root in her students. Many of her former students still enjoy dance into adulthood. Several of her students have gone on to enjoy careers in dance including dancing with the NFL Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blues Dancers, the Auburn Tiger Paws Dance Team and teaching at or dancing in professional dance companies around the country. The smallest dancer might never become a professional dancer, but the discipline and self-worth that they learn in dance class will last him/her a life time.
Julie Merkle has been sharing her love of dance with students and teachers for the past 40 years. She is qualified to teach tap, ballet, Pointe, jazz and Hawaiian dancing. She has danced professionally, attended various master classes, workshops, seminars, and has been trained by highly regarded teachers in the field of dance. She holds the highest level of certification possible through the Cecchetti Council of America, the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. She has successfully presented many students and teachers for exams through the Diploma level of the CCA. Julie currently serves the Cecchetti Council of America as the Business Administrator. The National Executive Board positions that she has held in the past are President, Assistant National Registrar, Recording Secretary, 1st Vice President, and CCA Summer School Administrator. In January 2016 Julie attained Permanent Examiner status on the CCA Board of Examiners. In January of 2017 the National Executive Board appointed Julie to the position as Liaison Officer. Her current liaison assignment is the Southern Ontario Committee. Many of her students enjoy successful careers in the field of dance. They have danced professionally with major ballet companies, accepted college scholarships, teach students and teachers and operate their own studios.
Carly Sisoy began her dancing career at the age of 3 with Ann Parsley School of Dance, where as a student she completed her Cecchetti Council of America Student Certification Levels I-VII. She trained under Amber Michalik, Julie Merkle, Samantha Shelton, and several others. Carly furthered her training with numerous intensives and workshops including Kaatsbaan and CCA Summer School. In 2017, she was selected by the Cecchetti Council of America to represent the senior division at the Cecchetti International Classical Ballet Competition held in Florence, Italy, and has competed in Chicago, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, and Tampa for the Youth America Grand Prix. Carly was a member of the Macomb Ballet Company from 2007-2017, where she had the opportunity to perform various principle roles in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, and Snow White. Carly danced on scholarship at Grand Valley State University from 2017-2021, graduating in April 2021 with a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in dance and Allied Health Sciences, with a pre Physical Therapy emphasis. Prior to moving back to Metro Detroit, Carly taught at Michigan Ballet Academy in Grand Rapids. She obtained her Teacher Grade I certification through the Cecchetti Council of America. Carly plans to pursue a career in teaching the art of dance, as well as attend Physical Therapy school with the intent to focus on the physical needs of dancers. Carly is thrilled to be back at her home studio helping train the next generation of dancers.
Jenica Tremberth has been cultivating her love of dance for 37 years at ASPD. Her love for ballet began at 3 years old under the guidance of Ann Parsley. She was a member of the Macomb Ballet Company and performed lead roles in various ballets including; Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Cinderella. Jenica holds the Cecchetti Council of America student certifications for levels I-VII and Teacher certification for Grades I and II.
Kathy Megna and Renee Sun
