St. Louis' Own Dance Icon Celebrates 50 Years!

Gerri Stretz Meyer has been entertaining St. Louisans for over 50 years with her dance troupe’s precision choreography and eye-high kicks. Gerri founded the Professional Dance Center now located in South County, over 50 years ago, dedicating her life to sharing her love of dance and gift of talent with the youth of St. Louis.
Gerri and her daughter Yvonne Meyer Hare now share in the directorship of the studio and are no strangers themselves, to the big stage. The dynamic duo each have a long line of professional credits in dance & choreography. Gerri has performed with such legends as Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Liberace, Gregory Hines, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor, & Savion Glover. She has served as resident choreographer for the Fox Theatre over the years and still donates of her time, producing elaborate dance extravaganzas throughout St. Louis for a variety charity appearances.

Yvonne followed in her mother’s footsteps almost before she could walk. Her youth was spent with touring Ballet Companies. She has appeared on Broadway, at Madison Square Gardens, and in countless local productions for the Muny Opera. Her choreography credits include productions for the Hilton Head Summer Playhouse, Walt Disney World, the Variety Club, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a recent invitation for the next year’s Orange Bowl halftime show.

The staff at the dance center is unique in St. Louis, in that it consists of actual professional dancers and choreographers. The duo is excited to announce that they have just signed Yulia Miller from the Moscow Ballet as the studio’s new Ballet Mistress.

Yulia has a Master’s degree in Ballet from the Novosibirsk State Ballet School (Russian Federation) and has performed with the Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker”, the Novosibirsk State Theater of Opera and Ballet, and the Russian Academy of Dramatic Arts in Moscow. Yulia will be a true asset to the studio’s outstanding staff, not only for her ballet expertise, but the dance center will now be the only place in St. Louis offering traditional Russian character dance as part of their extensive curriculum this fall.

Thousands of students have passed through Gerri’s doors over the year’s. Some as recreational dancers and some in pursuit of a dream. Many have gone on to appear on the stages of Broadway openings, touring companies, motion pictures, and other professional venues.

For the students who just can’t get enough, the studio is home to the “Fox Kids” performance based dance troupe and a nationally accredited competitive dance company. These young dancers have appeared on the stages of the Fabulous Fox Theatre, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and this year as dancers in the Orange Bowl’s halftime show.
St. Louis has enjoyed this duo’s great talents and dedication to the area’s youth and is proud to call this “Dance Icon”, one of their own.

“The house that Gerri built” certainly has everything from a nurturing environment for the young recreational dancer to the expertise and commitment needed to mold the professional dancers of today!