Our Teachers

OUR TEACHERS

KATHRYN SIMPSON

Owner/Director

Miss Kathy has over 30 years of teaching experience in the Indianapolis area. Kathryn Simpson was a dance major at Ball State University and studied under Madame Elena Imaz de Bourgeot, principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet Company. Kathy was a founding member of The Ball State Ballet Society. She studied with Helen Charisse (cousin of Cyd Charisse"Singing in the Rain"). She has taken class with Al Gilbert (from the movie "The Jolson Story") and Jack Copeland at Jordan College of Dance. Miss Kathy has studied voice, piano and modeled with Act I Modelling Agency of Indianapolis. In the 1980's she co-directed a local children's television show "The All StarKids" .But her most outstanding mark in the dance world was with her dance school, Tippy Toes School of Dance (one of largest in Indiana). She has been able to do what most dance teachers have found nearly impossible - to instill the love of ballet in nearly every single child that has passed through her school. Her students have won numerous awards in dance such as Prelude finalists, Miss Dance Indiana, Dancer of the Year, and various dance competition titles. Her daughters Ashley Manship and Scharmaine Lakstins (co - directors of IYBC and Tippy Toes) were both accepted in the gifted and talented programs in dance at college level while still in high school. Many of her students have gone on to study dance at college level and have become performers and dance teachers themselves! All love dance because of her encouragement and motivation!

ASHLEY MANSHIP

Instructor

Recital Coordinator

Head Choreographer

Co-Director of the Releve Dance Ensemble

IYBC Instructor

Miss Ashley has been teaching for 18 years. She has studied under Kathy Simpson, Rebecca VanBriggle, Yu Qin Hao (Royal Ballet of China), Roberta Wong (Butler University, Dance Kaleidoscope), Laura Byram (Jordan) and many more. She has college credits in Ballet, Jazz, and Body Placement from Butler University. At the age of 13 she performed with the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre in Sleeping Beauty at Clowes Memorial Hall. In 1996 Miss Ashley was a Prelude Scholarship finalist and performed at Penrod. She has attended many dance teachers conventions with Al Gilbert and Musicworks. As co-director of RDE (Tippy Toes' performing company) her students have won numerous awards at various competitions at the regional as well as national level. Her students have won many scholarships while attending conventions, such as scholarships to New York City Dance Alliance, Retter's Academy of Dance in LA, the Keith Clifton Project in California and many more. Her students have performed in Disney World and New York. Indiana State Dance Championship recently awarded Miss Ashley a Judges Choice Award for "Stylized Choreography". We are pleased to have Miss Ashley on our team!

KAREN SUDLER

Instructor

Costume Coordinator

Tippy Toes Training Program Instructor

Miss Karen has been teaching at Tippy Toes School of

Dance for over 22 years. Miss Karen has been working closely with Miss Kathy, the studio owner as well as her sister, since 1986. This is MIss Kathy's "right hand man". MIss Karen has attended classes at Jordan Dance Acedemy and has attended many Teacher workshops by Al Gilbert's Musicworks. Many have her students have continued their study of dance and have become teachers at Tippy Toes.

While Miss Karen is continuing to teach, she is taking on the new role of being a "Teachers' Teacher" heading up the Tippy Toes Training Program for our new instructors.

PAM KEOWN

Instructor

IYBC Instructor

Miss Pam has been teaching with Tippy Toes for seven years. She has studied under Rebecca VanBriggle, Therese Chatelaine and Clark Blakely (Indianapolis Ballet Theatre). She attendend University of Indianapolis as a Dance Minor and then Butler University's prestigious Dance Major Program. While at Butler University she studied Classical and Contemporary Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Character dance. Her teachers included: Rossanna Ruffo (student of the Vagonava School in Russia and former principle dancer for the National Ballet of Panama), Michelle Jarvis (current Artistic Director for Butler Ballet), Marek Cholewa (former principle dancer for t Naional Ballet of Panama), Stephan Laurent, Rochelle Zide-Booth (former member fo teh Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), and Cynthia Pratt (guest choroegrapher and teacher of Dance Kaleidoscope). Miss Pam is one of three instructors of our Indianapolis Youth Ballet Company. We are happy to have her on team of teachers!

LARA CZAP

Instructor

Weekend Manager

Miss Lara's dance training began at the age of three under Tippy Toes' owner Miss Kathy. She continued her tap, ballet, and pointe studies through the age of 19 at Tippy Toes as well as under the excellent instruction of Rebecca

VanBriggle. After moving to Delaware and while attending the University of Delaware where she eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Mathematics Education, Lara trained at Katherine Ciminello's School of Dance. She has attended dance conferences in New York and Indianapolis. After a nine year absence from Tippy Toes, Miss Lara has returned and hopes to carry on encouraging and motivating little kids to love the art of dance. She continues to teach Mathematics at New Palestine High School, where she was nominated for "Teacher of the Year". We agree! Miss Lara is a great teacher to have at Tippy Toes.

SCHARMAINE LAKSTINS

Instructor

Co-Director of Releve Dance Ensemble

IYBC Director

Miss Scharmaine has been teaching for over 15 years. She has studied under Kathy Simpson, Rebecca VanBriggle, Yu Qin Hao (Royal Ballet of China), Laura Byram (Jordan) as well as many teachers while studying at the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre. Miss Scharmaine has earned college credits in dance from University of Indianapolis. As Co-Director of Releve' Dance Ensemble she has trained many students who have been successful at regional and national competitions and conventions. Her students have won scholarships to attend Retter's Academy of Dance in LA, the Keith Clifton Project in California, New York City Dance Alliance, and many more. Her students have performed at Disney World and New York. Miss Scharmaine is truly an invaluable teacher at Tippy Toes.

ALEXA CONNELL

Instructor

Honorary IYBC Principal Dancer

Miss Alexa has been dancing with Tippy Toes for 13 years and teaching for the past three. She has studied under Kathy Simpson, Ashley Manship, Scharmaine Lakstins, Rebecca VanBriggle, and Yu Qin Hao (Royal Ballet of China). Alexa is a principle dancer in our very own ballet company, IYBC. Miss Alexa was chosen to be a member of PowerPak, a dance workshop through the dance competition Star Power held in Disney World. She has attended the Rocette Workshop, Al Gilbert Teacher's conventions, and has recently performed at a Pacer Game as part of the Releve's Dance Ensemble'. After graduating from Franklin Cenral High School as a member of the Naional Honors Society, she has started attending college to become a Register Nurse. She continues to study dance under MIss Ashley, Miss Scharmaine, and Miss Yu Qin at Tippy Toes. Her enthusiasm for dance and recital time is so contagious. We love having Alexa as a teacher here at Tippy Toes!

TAMMY GREGORY

Instructor

Info coming soon!

NECIA RUIZ

Instructor

Info coming soon!