Ariane Dolan  has been on the faculty of Lou Conte Dance Studio since  1996. She is a favorite teacher of APA dancers who visit LCDS! She began  her training at the Academy of Movement & Music in Oak Park and began  classes at LCDS in 1981. In 1983 she joined Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance  Theatre, with whom she performed until 1994, afterward joining the  faculty, teaching ballet & Graham technique. Currently, she is a music  theatre performer and has appeared in several musicals throughout the  country and has worked in the Chicago area at the Mariott Lincolnshire  Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, and the  Candlelight Dinner Playhouse. She has a BA in theatre from Roosevelt  University. Ariane has choreographed for multiple shows at Drury Lane Theatre  and  Don’t Dress for Dinner   at the Royal George Theatre. Ariane received  the Ari Zoni Award for best performance in a musical in 1997. Her film/TV  credits include 
​Save the Last Dance   (Julia Stile’s ballet double) and PBS’s  Love in Four Acts.

Originally from the state of Washington, Scotty Leach has spent the last four years in West Virginia, studying old-time music with the Davis & Elkins College Appalachian Ensemble in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.  Possessing an astonishing ability to rapidly pick up tunes and seamlessly slip into many genres of fiddle music, Scotty’s skillset has expanded through his time with the Ensemble.  “He brings a special sort of energy to every room he enters,” recalls E. Miller, director of the Appalachian Ensemble String Band.  “He really focuses and pays attention to the little details within the dance, fusing it with his music.”  Scotty recently graduated from Davis & Elkins College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy & Religion and Computer Science.

A native of Indianapolis, Simone is an alum of Alma College where she  earned her B.A. in English and Dance.  She currently dances professionally with  Surfscape Contemporary Dance Theatre  and also teaches and choreographs throughout central Florida. As a member of the Alma College Dance Company, she was  featured in such pieces as Vespri Siciliana, Waiting for the Sun, Les Sylphides, and Paquita.  Prior to  attending Alma College, Simone trained with Evansville Dance Theater, Ballet Internationale, Nutmeg Ballet,  North Carolina Dance Theatre, Virginia School of the Arts, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Jordan College Academy  of Dance, and Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. She was a participant in the Youth America Grand Prix  Nationals and Gala performance in 2005, and has toured nationally and internationally including to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, as part of the cultural exchange performance  Rendezvous  with Tainan University of Technology in Taiwan, and to London for performances at Sadler’s Wells with SCDT. Simone has appeared in such professional  productions as  The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Superhero, The Scarlet Letter, Romeo and Juliet  at the Disco, American Classics, A Midautumn Night’s Dream, London Calling, Decade and Another Brick in the Wall,  and has had the opportunity to work with a number of professional  companies including Ballet Internationale, Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre, and Island Moving Company. In addition to teaching  dance, Simone runs an  independent portrait/wedding photography   business and is a certified Barre3 instructor.

Kris Batzner runs Kula Yoga Outreach in both Mount Pleasant and Alma, Michigan.  Kris began her yoga practice in 1998. She is certified  through  Yogafit  to teach general yoga as well as yoga for seniors, children, and pre/post-natal.  She started teaching yoga, pilates, and other fitness classes for adults and children while living in Orlando, Florida in 2008. After moving to central Michigan, Kris has taught in fitness center and yoga studio settings. 

Before starting down the yoga path, Kris worked as a music therapist for 10 years in a variety of settings. Kris' philosophy is simple- everybody can do yoga, regardless of shape, size, or experience. And everyone should have the chance to experience yoga in their own bodies. In her personal practice Kris likes to spend much of her time upside down.