MEET THE TEAM

Chris is the drama and competition performance instructor at IDKC. She was born and raised in Webster, SD, and attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD, where she majored in Secondary Education with a minor in theater and drama. Chris has been recognized for her acting and coaching abilities, within the high school, collegiate, and community theater circuits. Previous to IDKC, she was also the drama teacher at Dance Progressions Performing Arts Center and has also been an assistant coach for the Smithville Speech and Debate team. She has worked with the various dance and high school competition teams in the Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas.  She focuses on stage presence and performance.

Chris has been married to Jason, for 26 years and has 2 children. Her son, Talon (25) and daughter, Hannah (23), is also a teacher/choreographer at IDKC.

Emily began dancing at the age of 3 and has over 15 years of dance teaching experience. She has taught many different ages, levels, and styles at studios in Kansas City and in Los Angeles. Emily has her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. From college, Emily went on to dance professionally at Walt Disney World, at sea with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and on tour with Sesame Street Live. While a dancer in Los Angeles, Emily danced with several different dance companies in various styles, including as a magician’s assistant. Some of Emily’s favorite performances were when she danced in the Chinese embassy in D.C. for Chinese New Year and when she was a semi-finalist at the 2017 World Latin Dance Cup. In 2019, Emily taught at a preschool in Madrid, Spain. Emily is a judge for KAR and Rainbow dance competitions. She is a certified Acrobatic Arts teacher and a 2022 UNITY Dance Scholarship recipient. Emily is married to a potter and has a wonderful little dog named Potter.

Meet Mallory Gooch, a passionate and experienced dance instructor with a lifelong love for dance. Mallory’s journey in the world of dance began at the age of three, and she started dancing competitively at age ten.

During her high school years, Mallory was a member of the Liberty Sapphires dance team. This experience fueled her passion for dance and set the stage for her future in the dance community. Continuing her pursuit of dance, Mallory attended Northwest Missouri State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Ed. While at NW, Mallory was a member of the NWMSU Bearcat Dance Team.

Mallory’s commitment to the dance community extends beyond her college years. She recently served as the assistant dance coach for the Liberty North Golden Girls, bringing her expertise and enthusiasm to the next generation of dancers.

In addition to her involvement in the dance world, Mallory is also an educator. She teaches 4th grade at Bell Prairie Elementary. Outside of her professional life, Mallory and her husband Jordan are proud parents of two sons, Beckham and Henry. Mallory and her family love to travel and spend time playing outside.

With Mallory Gooch as your dance instructor, you can expect a blend of skill, passion, and a commitment to fostering a positive and inspiring dance environment for students of all ages at IDKC.

Cece began dancing at the age of 3 and has been dancing since. She competed for many years and has trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, pointe, contemporary, and pom. She was a part of the Staley Emeralds dance team for four years and was captain for two years. She currently is a staffer for UDA, the United Dance Association, teaching dance camps for high school teams across the country. She has choreographed nationally ranked routines and worked at the national dance team competition (NDTC). During the school year, she is studying electrical engineering at the University of Kansas. Cece loves sharing her knowledge and passion for dance with all the kids!

Hannah began dancing at the age of three and started competitive dance at the age of four. She has been trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theater, Pointe, Contemporary, Modern, Lyrical, and Acro/Gymnastics. During her time as a competitive dancer, Hannah earned countless soloist Titles around the Kansas City, Iowa, and Nebraska areas. She was a part of the Smithville Dazzlers High School Dance Team all four years and was voted Captain by her teammates for her senior year. Hannah graduated from Mizzou in 2021 with a B.A. in Hospitality Management and a minor in Business. She was a Resident Advisor as well as a member of the Mizzou Club Dance team where she performed around campus, St.Louis, Kansas City, and Chicago. Her love for dance continues through her teaching and thrives in being able to communicate effective, relatable teaching methods for dancers of all ages.

Holly began dancing when she was two years old and started baton twirling when she was six. She danced competitively for thirteen years and has trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pointe, and Baton Twirling. She has won multiple state and national titles in baton twirling and is currently working to get her judge license through the National Baton Twirling Association  She is now a student at the University of Missouri – Columbia where she is the head dance chair for her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. Holly loves teaching dances of all ages and sharing her love of dance with the kids.

Melanie is a born and raised Kansas City resident. She started dancing when she was just 4 years old. The main emphasis in her dance training was ballet until she joined her high school dance team. Winnetonka High school where Ms. Rachel was her coach. She has been in several ballet productions over the years including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, & Sleeping Beauty.
In her spare time, Melanie loves to spend time with her husband Cole, her two daughters (Kinsley & Emberlyn), & 2 two dogs Oakley & Daisy. Fall is her favorite season, she loves coffee, baking & crafting.

From a young age, Stacie wanted to dance but her mother told her she was tall and should probably try something like basketball or volleyball instead (to all the tall girls – put on the dance shoes and dance!)  So, when her daughter, Harper, showed interest in dance at the age of 3 there was no hesitation in signing her up! They started with Miss Rachel at Infinity Dance 8 years ago and haven’t looked back.

When she gets free time, Stacie enjoys spending time with her husband (Eric) and their two kids (Teahen and Harper).  She also likes reading mystery novels, gaming with her son, taking Sunday drives, being a dance and twirl mom, and spending time with friends.

You can find Stacie working behind the front desk, costuming, or adding bling to anything and everything!