Mandi has over 25 years of dancing and teaching experience. She started her training at the Minnesota School of Ballet at the age of 3. Under the direction of Gernot Petzold and Nancy Gibson, she studied classical ballet specializing in the Cecchetti and Balanchine methods. She became a junior company member at the age of 11 and performed in several major ballets, including Swan Lake and her favorite as Clara in the Nutcracker. Mandi also trained summers under Marcia Dale Weary at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. After high school, she received a full ride scholarship to dance and choreograph at the University of Memphis where she toured, performed and competed all over the United States. While at Memphis, she furthered her training and choreography development in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and stepping dance styles. After transferring to the University of Iowa to complete her BS in Nursing, Mandi fell in love with modern in the Iowa Dance Department under Charlotte Adams. After college, she went on to teach and choreograph for many students in Maine, on Martha's Vineyard, as well as in the Atlanta area.

Other experiences include: teaching Pilates, yoga, cycling, kick boxing, Latin and hip hop dance fitness classes. Her incredible family includes Dan, husband of 17 years, four amazing children, Ruby, Owen, Olive, and Finn, and one devoted dog, Theo. She moved to the Adirondacks three years ago, and has fallen in love with the way of life and all the amazing people that live here.

Vanessa Pillen fell in love with dance from the moment she was born. She received her training at Impulse Dance Center in Natick, Massachusetts where she was privileged to study under the direction of LuAnn Pagella. She was a member of the Connecting Pointe Dance Company at Impulse Dance Center where she studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop. Vanessa was on staff with Star Power Dance Studio in Rio Grande City, Texas while working as a special education teacher.

Vanessa holds a Masters in Educational Administration. She is committed to combining her love of education with the art form of dance. She and her husband John are residents of Saranac Lake with their five children Nelliana, John, Elena, Dorothea and Rosalia. She can't wait to see the community grow in it's love for movement and music through the art of dance!