meet the company

FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Kelsey Lee (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist who expands the language of dance by embracing speech, visual art, and digital media to create strange yet familiar worlds. Her choreography has been presented all over the country and abroad, including Midwest RAD Fest (MI), Milwaukee Fringe Festival (WI), Cleveland Dance Festival (OH), the McGuffey Art Center (VA), and Ponderosa (Germany), to name a few. In 2024 they founded Dance PlayHouse to make more space for dance along the West Michigan lakeshore. She has taught a variety of dance styles to all ages for the past decade, and is a registered yoga teacher (RYT-200). Passionate about the therapeutic benefits of dance, Lee volunteers at the Moving with Parkinson’s class taught by Mimi Dunne at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging and teaches Creative Movement at The Momentum Center in Grand Haven. Most recently, they completed Dance for PD Teacher Training through Mark Morris Dance Center in New York City.

She began dancing at 8 years old at the Dance Factory in Delavan, Wisconsin where she studied ballet in the Cecchetti Method, modern, and jazz. They have a BFA in Contemporary Dance & Choreography with a double major in Psychology from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. There, she received two undergraduate research fellowships for somatic research under the mentorship of Maria Gillespie, and was the recipient of several dance scholarships, including the Ed Burgess Legacy Scholarship. After graduation, they completed a Meisner technique training program at The Acting Studio in New York City. She has worked as a professional actor in both theatre and film productions, with roles including Cecile from the musical, “Annie”, and Amber from the feature-length film, “The Color Yellow”. They have danced professionally with Hixon Dance, Currents Dance Theatre, Hyperlocal MKE, Columbus Modern Dance Company, Quasimondo Milwaukee Physical Theatre, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and Peter Stathas Dance.

COMPANY MEMBER

Gina (she/her) is beyond excited to work with Dance PlayHouse this season! As a little girl, her dream was to be a trapeze artist. Her mom enrolled her in tumble tots and figure skating, which she loved. In middle school, after moving to a new town that didn’t have an ice rink, she decided to try a dance class. Eventually, she majored in dance and elementary education at Hope College. While at Hope, she performed with StrikeTime Dance Company under the leadership of Maxine DeBruyn and Aerial Dance Theatre, led by Linda Graham and Steven Iannacone. After college, Gina lived in the Twin Cities and had the opportunity to dance in the scholarship program with Zenon Dance Company. She especially enjoyed dancing with Morgan Thorson. After becoming a mama, she found her way back to Michigan, where she was fortunate to work and perform with Dance in the Annex (Amy Wilson), Megan Flynn, and Jessica Bonanfant. She also became a dance teacher, and this is her 15th year of teaching dance to children at Avalon School of the Arts! Most recently, Gina has enjoyed participating and performing in daCi (dance and the child international) conferences around the world, and working with Nicki Flinn to help mentor young dance teaching artists. Gina also had the honor of being a guest performer with Currents Dance Company (Kendra DeFazio) in June. Gina’s life goal is to always keep dancing!

COMPANY MEMBER

Caitlin Miller (she/her) was born and raised in Fenwick, Michigan. She started her training at Flat River Dance Company at age 4. In Spring 2024, she completed her B.A. in Dance and minor in Leadership for Social Change at Western Michigan University. During her time at WMU, Caitlin performed in works choreographed by Seyong Kim and Monique Haley. She also attended summer intensives such as American Ballet Theatre’s Intensive and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Pre-Professional Intensive. Last year, for their second season, Caitlin was a company member at Currents Dance Theater in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Currently she dances with Dance PlayHouse in Grand Haven, Michigan.  In the future, she plans on participating in nonprofit work supporting advocacy.

COMPANY MEMBER & CHOREOGRAPHER

Lauren (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and lifelong mover who brings nearly two decades of teaching experience to the studio. She holds a BFA in Dance from Wayne State University and is a certified yoga teacher, Pilates instructor, and Reiki practitioner. Her work is grounded in technique, curiosity, and a deep respect for the body as a source of wisdom. Lauren’s dance background is rich and diverse—she began in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern, and later expanded her training to include contemporary, hip hop, West African, and improvisation. Alongside performance, she has a strong foundation in anatomy, kinesiology, and pedagogical methods that inform her teaching across all ages and levels. Throughout her career, Lauren has had the honor of training with artists and educators from companies like Paul Taylor, Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo, Complexions, The Joffrey Ballet, The Lion King and Movin' Out. She continues to evolve as both student and teacher, always encouraging her dancers to explore, ask questions, and move with intention.

After planting roots in West Michigan with her family, Lauren is thrilled to return to the professional stage—to dance and perform again—after spending so many fulfilling years behind the scenes with her students.

COMPANY MEMBER

Erin Siebert (she/her) trained at Releve Dance Studio growing up, and has a dance minor from Central Michigan University (CMU). At CMU, Siebert performed with the University Theatre Dance Company, and performed and choreographed for the Dance Minor Showcase. She is currently finishing her Doctorate in Audiology.

APPRENTICE

Bio coming soon!

GUEST PERFORMER

Kaleigh Estby (she/her) is an aspiring dancer, choreographer, and artist from Chicago, currently pursuing a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography with a Professional Writing Minor at Hope College in Holland, MI (graduating in 2026). She began her training in the suburbs of Illinois at a young age. She was a member of Moonwater Youth Company in its inaugural year and was previously a company member with Nicki Flinn-Culver’s StrikeTime Dance Theatre and Kelsey Lee’s Dance Playhouse. She is currently a dedicated member of H2 Dance Company, directed by Matthew Farmer and Jasmine Meija, and an apprentice with Kendra DeFazio’s Currents Dance Theatre. In Summer 2024, Kaleigh served as Associate Choreographer alongside Lindsey Hanson for the creation of a site-specific dance film. She has participated in various intensives and conferences, including ODF, Water Street Dance Festival, DACI, NDEO, and ACDA, all of which have enhanced her dance education. At Hope, she has contributed to the dance community through various performances, including Dance X, site-specific works, and student-choreographed pieces.

GUEST PERFORMER

Elliott Vargas is a professional dancer currently based in the metro Detroit area. Born and raised in New Jersey, Elliott has had the privilege of working with various amazing choreographers such as Kevin Iega-Jeff, Lauren Edson, and Rebecca McLindon during their time at Oakland University. They gained their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2019 and since then have been performing with many professional dance companies around the state such as Detroit Dance Collective, ConteXture Dance Detroit, Diversiform Dance Project, and many more. Elliott has also had multiple fulfilling opportunities like studying and performing dance abroad in Berlin, Germany with artist Henrik Kaalund and being involved in collaborative works with the Music Department at Oakland University. Their plans for the near future include obtaining a Master’s degree in Dance Movement/Therapy out of state and to continue performing across the country. 

GUEST PERFORMER

Katerina Willis (they/she) is a Chicago-based Interdisciplinary Artist originally from Hartland, Michigan. They graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Video Art Minor from Western Michigan University in 2024. At WMU they performed in faculty and student works, and created choreography and projection design. After graduating, Katerina joined Movement Reservoir Dance Company under the direction of Lachan Niedbala as a company member and choreographer for their 3rd Season. While living in Kalamazoo, Katerina connected with youth and adult dancers alike as a Wellspring Dance Academy instructor and as a team member for Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival 2025. Upon relocating to Chicago, Katerina became a recipient of the Claire Bataille Legacy Scholarship, allowing them to continue training through Chicago Movement Collective. They also were invited to train with The Trüp, heels collective directed by Gabby Truong, for their third season. Katerina’s work has been featured throughout the Midwest and beyond: Movement Reservoir Dance Company, Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, OutFront Kalamazoo, WMU Graduating Presentations, Orchesis Dance Society, Kalamazoo Art Hop, DanceWorks Chicago, Short Stack Film Festival (Chicago), and IMARP Film Festival (Brazil). 

In addition to their artistic work, Katerina is a passionate NASM Certified Personal Trainer, with experience training clients individually and in group settings, throughout various gyms as well as through Kalamazoo College. They are currently working as a Personal Trainer at Sport Express Fitness, an independent gym in Portage Park, Chicago. Their ongoing research in various movement and artistic disciplines enhances all areas of their practice.