The GSPDC Faculty

  Gerri Stretz Meyer - Founder

Ms. Gerri has owned and operated her own studio for 50 years and is the glue that holds it all together. She still produces dancing extravaganzas throughout St. Louis for a variety of charity groups, including the Variety Club, Chuck Norman, Parkinson’s Disease and the American Cancer Society, as well as corporations and other organizations. In Fall 2002, she will be staging the 25th Anniversary Show celebrating the renovation of the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Thousands of students have passed through her doors, and many have gone on to appear in Broadway openings for Chorus Line, 42nd Street, Me & My Girl, Applause Applause and A Christmas Carol. Others have performed at the MUNY, STAGES, with LES GRANDE CANADIAN BALLET, national touring companies and as part of other professional venues. Gerri herself has performed with such stars as Bob Hope, Sammy Davis, Jr., Liberace, Gregory Hines, Shirley Jones, Mitzi Gaynor and Savion Glover to name a few. In her early career, she danced and choreographed at The Roaring 20’s Supper Club on Gaslight Square, the St. Louis Civic Ballet Co., and the Ballet Company of St. Louis. She has appeared as a guest teacher for Dance Masters of America and Dance Technique Association of New York. She has also been recognized as a Women-Owned Business Leader in the Metropolitan Area. In spite of all of these accolades, she considers being able to teach the children her greatest opportunity, particularly side-by-side with her daughter, Yvonne.

Yvonne Meyer Hare - Studio Director

Ms. Yvonne followed her mom’s footsteps into the world of dance almost sooner than she could walk. At the age of 10, she was performing with the Gateway Ballet, playing Clara in The Nutcracker. She spent four years with the St. Louis Youth Ballet and by 13 was studying with the Pennsylvania Ballet Co. She has performed on Broadway and at Madison Square Garden in A Christmas Carol by Tony Award winning choreographer Susan Stroman. She was featured as Sheila in A Chorus Line at STAGES; danced on the TODAY Show, and has performed in, as well as choreographed for, countless MUNY productions. Her choreography also includes productions for the Hilton Head Summer Playhouse Theatre, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World, the Variety Club Telethon and numerous local charity events. She was an original member of the studio’s competition group and has been directing it with her mom for over 12 years, choreographing hundreds of solos, duets, trios, small and large group numbers. Most recently Yvonne co-choreographed the opening number for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Macy's Parade the number, Give Me a Drum, included over 550 children and was directed by Tony Parise. She will be returning to New York this fall to choreograph the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade opening number.

  Yulia Miller

Yulia Miller 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.

Jeana Haege

Ms. Jeana was four years old when she started dancing and five years later began training with Miss Yvonne. She was cast in the Broadway Show Gypsy a year later and worked in New York for the next three years. By the age of 12, she returned to St. Louis, studying at the studio for six more years, performing at the MUNY and as part of the competition group. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in dance. She recently returned from New York again where she studied on scholarship and taught Masters Classes. She is pleased to be back at the studio and be a part of educating young dancers and taking on a teaching/choreographing role with the competition group.

  Jessica Holzem

Miss Jessica has been dancing since she was four years old and in the past five years has added teaching to her credentials in the areas of tap, jazz, lyrical and acro. As a performer, she has appeared at the MUNY, with the BRAVO Theatre Group and at Walt Disney World. This summer she can be seen on stage in Peter Pan and Camelot at the MUNY. She performs at a variety of local charity events and spends many hours choreographing solos, duets and trios for the studio’s competition group. She participates in Masters Dance Classes and has studied under Ray Leeper, Cris Judd, Gus Giordano and Manhattan Dance Project where she was awarded a dance scholarship.

Linda Aubuchon

Ms. Linda has been studying, teaching, choreographing and enjoying dance for over 30 years with Gerri Stretz. She has also taught at The Ballet Center of St. Louis and for Concordia Turners Association, as well choreographed Hello Dolly! at Christian Brothers College. She also coordinates performances and community services for the dancers with the Variety Club Telethon each year. Her early career performances included the Oak Hill Days, Carondelet Days, annual recitals on The Admiral and other community events. After the renovation of The Fabulous Fox Theatre, Linda shared the stage with stars such as Bob Hope, George Burns, Liberace and Miss Gerri as one of The Fox Tellerettes. She enjoys the opportunity to give back her love of dance to so many students, including her daughters Patty and Leslie. She has been teaching at the studio since 1986.

  Cheri Blase

Ms. Cheri started dancing and doing acrobatics before she could walk. Growing up in her grandmothers dance studio was where her love for dance and acrobatics began. Cheri has been involved with dance, gymnastic and acrobatic competitions for over 21 years as a competitor as well as a teacher and judge. Cheri specializes in the teaching of acrobatics and the use of props. She has trained under such teachers as Gus Giordano, Joe Tramaine, and attended many other Masters classes. Cheri has competed all around the United States in acrobatics and dance and won many titles and scholarships. She has also competed in all levels of pageantry and won several titles. In her early years Cheri preformed at many local charity events and gatherings, she preformed on the Admiral, and at the annual VP Fair. Cheri participated in the Affton High School Theatre program in which she preformed a lead roll all four years. Cheri also currently participates in local Community Theatre where she has choreographed and been cast in several lead roles. She was nominated for an Arts for Life award in "2003" for best supporting actress in Bye Bye Birdie. Miss Cheri has an eight year background as a St. Louis Special School District, Teacher’s Aide. She has taught children of all educational levels and abilities. Miss Cheri is proud to be running our new Development Dance Preschool Program where she will be concentrating on developing and mastering many of the skills needed to help any preschool child succeed in several area’s of there elementary school education. 

  Jennifer Koehne

Miss Jen started studying dance in 1984 and became one of the 13 charter members of the studio’s competition group in 1989. She has performed at Disney World on three different occasions. For the past 10 years, she has appeared on the Variety Club Telethon and at the Chuck Norman Variety Show. She appears in the Bravo Theatre Group’s annual productions which have included George M, Music Man and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She recently played the role of Maggie and was dance captain in Over Here with the Kirkwood Theatre Guild. Miss Jen has also been featured in industrial films focusing on youth achievement and has been teaching dance at the studio since 1998.

  Melissa Comer

Ms. Melissa has been dancing since she was three years old and began teaching tap, jazz and ballet to preschoolers and teens in 1994. She was an original member of the studio’s competition group and a member of MUNY Teens for three years where she graced the MUNY stage in several productions. She has choreographed for musicals at Chaminade Prep, Christian Brothers College and Kirkwood Crestwood Community Theatre. When not teaching dance at the studio, she’s in a traditional classroom teaching elementary school.

The GSPDC Guest Faculty and Choreographers

  Gregory Fuller

Gregory Fuller is all about high energy tap. This comes as no surprise from one of the original touring Tap Dogs. Greg is known for his choreography throughout the country and serves as faculty for some of the biggest Dance Conventions in the country. He is currently choreographing in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  Jeff Hancok

Jeff Hancock is originally from Michigan. He has lived and worded all over the world. He is currently Co-Director of Same Planet Different World Dance Theater. He was a founding member and principal dancer for River North Chicago Dance Co. from 1991-2001. He also danced for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dance Kaleidoscope, Jan Erkert & Dancers, WatsOn Dance and others. He has had the pleasure of performing the works of Paul Taylor, Daniel Ezralow, Twyla Tharp, William Soleau and others. Jeff is currently on faculty at Columbia College, the Lou Conte Dance Studio and several other studios. He has taught master classes nationally and internationally at Ballet Nurnberg, University of Arizona Tucson, Ohio Northern University, and most recently at COCA in St. Louis and Chicago National Association of Dance Masters. His choreography has been set on River North Chicago Dance Co., Hubbard Street II, Same Planet Different World, Ohio Northern University, Chicago‘s Next Dance Festival, the Edinburgh Festival and numerous regional companies. He was nominated for Ruth Page Awards for his dancing and his choreography.

  Kyle Coffman

Kyle Coffman is the fourth generation of a show business family. He was a featured performer at the Jim Stafford show in Branson, MO at age 9 and continued with that production nightly for 8 years. He had full scholarships to American Ballet Theatre's 2004 Summer Intensive and the Jofrey's Ballet 2002, 2003. He has joined the Joffrey Ensemble in New York performing many principal roles in New York and on tour. He has toured Italy with Igal Perry's Ensemble and has filmed 10 episodes for Japanese TV as "the leader of a street hip-hop gang".