Courtney Lopez - Director

Courtney holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre and Dance from the University of Texas at Austin.
She has trained under Yacov Sharir, David Justin, Lyn Wiltshire, Andrea Beckham, Kent De Spain, Andee Scott, and Holly Williams and has attended and participated in master classes taught by Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Delfos Contemporary Dance Company, Jose Limon Dance Company and Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company, Brian Burks & Mia Michaels.
  • Awarded "Best Choreography" &"Best Technique" (2009-2011)
  • Instructor for Focus Summer Dance Intensive for Austin’s Dance Elite Company members which helps the students find discipline, focus, and proper dance technique (2006-2007).
  • Choreographer for professional and pre-professional dance companies some to include Austin’s Dance Elite, Verge Dance Company and Millennium Dancers.
  • On staff at Alisa's Dance Academy, High Pointe Children's Academy and Debbie's Studio of Creative Motion.

Amy Mersmann-Martinez - Owner

Amy founded Cedar Park Dance Company in July of 2001 with the hope to share her passion and love of dance with the Cedar Park community.  She brings with her  20 years of dance training and over 15 years of teaching experience.  Amy received a dance team scholarship and continued her dance education at Southwest Texas State University.
  • On staff at Unique` Dance from 1988-1994
  • On staff at Columbus Dance Studio from 1996-1997
  • Owner of Liberty Hill Dance 2004-2006
  • Member of TDEA, Texas Dance Educator's Association
  • Founder and Director of the award-winning Starline Dancers.
  • Co-Director of  Liberty Hill Middle School's Dance Team 2005-2007.

Lauren Caffey

Lauren is a 3rd year Instructor at Cedar Park Dance Company and is originally from Austin, where she grew up in the dance world with experience and training in the studio as well as being a drill team girl. She holds a BA in History and a Minor in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin. She also attended Kilgore College and was a Kilgore Rangerette where she had the opportunity to perform at the Cotton Bowl and the Chicago and Dallas Thanksgiving Day Parades. Lauren continues to work with local High School Drill Teams as an award winning choreographer. She is happy and enthusiastic to share her knowledge of dance.
  • Choreographer and Performer for "Friday Nights Lights"
  • Director for White Diamonds  (2006-2008)
  • Director of the Liberty Hill High School Drill Team (2004-2006)
  • Member of the UT Dance Team and awarded best choreography (2004)
  • Staff Member for the Marching Auxiliaries officer and line camps (2001)
  • Leander Blue Bell Lieutenant 2000, Leander Blue Belle Captain 2001.
Jenny Garcia

Jenny is a 11th year staff member at Cedar Park Dance Company.
  • Former member of the Trinity Valley Community College Drill Team.
  • Former member of the Blinn College Dance Team.
  • Former Leander High School Blue Belle.
  • Former dance instructor for the Round Rock Independent School District.
  • Member of the Texas Dance Educator's Association.
  • Owner of "Liberty Hill Dance" 2004-2006
  • Director of the Liberty Hill Middle School Dance Team 2005-2008
  • Co-Director of the Liberty Hill High School "Liberty Belles" Dance team

Heather Hardesty

Heather is a 7th year staff member at Cedar Park Dance Company. 
She began teaching at the age of 16 and has shared her love of dance to children for over 13 years.
Holds a BA degree in Public Relations and Dance from Texas Tech University.
  • On staff with Jeannie Strain @ Calico Kids in Garland, TX
  • On staff with Tracey Foster @ Struts &  Co. (now Studio 511) in McKinney, TX
  • Developed her own dance program for the YMCA of Greater Williamson Co.
  • Owner of Kinderdance of Round Rock.
  • Has trained under top dancers and choreographers in the industry:  Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, Laurie Johnson, George Smallwood, Diana Moore, Germaine Dupree, Rhapsody, Gino Johnson and David Kellog
  • Performance credits include:  Ballet Lubbock's "Boots and Ballerinas" and "Nutcracker"
  • TTU's "Coppellia" and Choreographer's Showcase.
Heather will be teaching Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap, Combos and is the co-director of the Starline Dance Teams.

Laura Laughlin - Office Assistant & Starline Choreographer

Laura has been on staff at Cedar Park Dance Company for 5 years.  She is currently working towards a Bachelors degree in Education.  Laura continues her training a workshops and conventions. 

  • 15 years of studio training.
  • Co-Director of LHS Liberty Belles Dance Team.
  • Former Leander High School Blue Belle.
  • Award-winning choreographer for the Starline Dance Team.
  • Award-winning choreographer for the Envision Dance Company

Leslie Garcia - 2 Hype Dance Company Artistic Director

With over 25 years of experience, Leslie has studied under many master instructors and choreographers in Jazz, Modern/Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop/Funk, Ballet, Tap, Breakdancing, and Cardio-Fitness. She also has 9 years experience in professional music editing for dance teams, industry performances, studios and competitions.
Working with youth to adults, Leslie is widely known her unique cutting-edge dance style and award-winning choreography with amateur and professional dance/drill teams and cheer squads across the U.S. and dance competitions nationwide. She has made a huge name for herself as an instructor and choreographer in Texas as well as her creative and entertaining music editing.  Nicknamed "The First Lady of Hip Hop and Street Jazz" by the Austin dance industry, Leslie is mostly known for her incredible musicality and creativity in Hip Hop, Street Jazz, and Jazz Funk. But she also continues to stand out of the crowd with her strong and emotional Contemporary Jazz style as well.
  • Sea World-Dancer, Choreographer
  • San Antonio Spurs Pre-Show and Halftime-Choreographer
  • Music Producer, Paul C.-Choreographer
  • Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend-Dancer, Choreographer Dennis Quaid Charity Weekend-Dancer, Choreographer
  • 96.7 KISS FM-Dancer
  • Austin Rocker's-Choreographer
  • KVUE/ABC News Austin-Dancer
  • KXAN/NBC News Austin-Dancer
  • KEYE/CBS News Austin-Dancer



Adele Jones

Adele Jones is a 3rd year Instructor at Cedar Park Dance Company and relocated to the Austin area after received her Bachelors in Dance from Texas Woman’s University. While there she created such works as ‘Fleeting Sirens’ and ‘Seasons Rusting’ and performed with DanceLab, TWU International Folk Dance Company, Danceworks and was selected for solo work in the National Dance Association Heritage Awards Ceremony choreographed by Anne Schley Duggan.   Adele has performed in the production of Sweet Charity and was a company member at Weatherford College Southern Premiere for 2 years.  Since arriving in Austin, Adele performed with Ballet East Dance Company for 4 seasons and is currently performing with Borealis Dance Company.  She taught dance at Austin Dance Company where her competition piece ‘My Heart’ won the ‘Creative Contemporary’ Choreography award.  She specializes in educating the dancer as a whole with her belief that anyone can dance including children with special needs and toddlers.  She is well versed in the styles of tap, jazz, African, modern, contemporary, gymnastics, lyrical, improvisation, and musical theatre.  Adele loves teaching and is ecstatic to be joining Cedar Park Dance Company and inspiring young students with her love of dance.
Faith Korpi

Faith is a 2nd Instructor at Cedar Park Dance Company. Faith has over 20 years of ballet training and 10 years of teaching experience. She has trained and passed all examinations for Levels A, B, I-IV for the Cecchetti method as well as trained in the Royal Academy of Dance and Vagovana.
She has coordinated ballet programs at 7 privates schools as well as a main location.

  • Original choreography in the style of Ballet/Lyrical/Creative Movement, for students ages 2 – 18.
  • On staff at Live Oak Classical School and Deborah Korpi's school of Classical Ballet.
Anna Warr

Anna is a second year instructor at Cedar Park Dance. Anna brings to us 3 years teaching experience and 7 years dance experience. Her extensive background includes hip hop, pom, kick, lyrical, jazz and combo classes for all ages. Anna has a creative "itch" for competitive dance and is thrilled to be working with Starline this year! Anna continues to further her dance education by attending teaching conventions and dance workshops. She is currently working towards finishing her degree in early childhood education.

  • Former officer of the Stony Point Tiger Dancers
  • Former member of Zachary Scott Creative Program
  • On staff with Kinderdance of Austin, Tx


Nancy Bain - Kids R Kids Program Instructor

Nancy Bain has been a dance instructor for Cedar Park Dance Co. for 4 years, developing programs at Kids-R-Kids and Primrose Pre-Schools. Ms. Bain holds a M.A. Degree in Dance Education from New York University and has taught children dance for over 35 years. She taught in N.Y. City as a licensed dance teacher in public schools (including LaGuardia High School for Performing Arts) and as a teaching artist for several arts organizations. Ms. Bain has taught pre-school through college age, including at Queensborough Community College for 9 years.
  • Dance Coordinator for the Twin Lakes YMCA, Cedar Park, since its opening.
  • Choreographer and shows her work through Austin Independent Choreographers, Leander High School drama department and Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin. In New York,.
  • Performed with various professional modern dance companies before running her own company, IdeaDance-Nancy & Co. Dancers, for 13 years.
  • Ms. Bain studied with legendary modern choreographer, Hanya Holm, as well as Hawkins, Graham, Limon and Horton techniques with manyfamous dancers, and spent a year studying at the Royal Ballet School in London.



Megan Floreani

Megan holds a BA from Columbia College Chicao in Arts, Entertainment and Media Management. She has received training as well as performed with Miami City Ballet, The Sarasota Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre and Ailey II. She has also recieve professional training from the Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago at the Lou Conte Dance Studio. She extensive training and experience teaching dancer of all ages and levels in ballet, pointe and modern.
Magdalena Jarkowiec

Magdalena is 2nd year instructor Cedar Park Dance Company and is a graduate of the Baltimore School for Arts where she studied ballet and modern. She has studied and worked with Lines Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Conservatory of Ballet.

  • Studied ballet, modern, composition and music at the Tisch School of the Arts
  • Studied under Augusta Moore, master teacher of Feldenkrais and Ballet
  • Workshop designer/leader at Opequon Quaker Camp
  • Completed all levels of  RAD training

Cortney Palomo

Cortney is a first year staff member at CPDC. He began his dance training at the age of 11. He attended Booker T. Washington Performing Arts schol where he was awarded a full scholarship to the internationally renowned Julliard School of New York City. There he also found his passion for tap "hoofing"  through confidante Savion Glover.  He has had the priviledge of training under such renowen dancer and instructors as David Howard, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Benjamin Harkarvy, Ben Stevenson, Finis Jung and the Nicholas Brothers.

  • Worked with Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Ballet Dallas, Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Houston Ballet and the Washington Ballet.
  • Original cast member of the EFX at the MGM Grand Las Vegas
  • Feature dancer in the movie "DanceCuba, Dreams of Flight"
Emily Smith

Emily is a first year staff member at CPDC and she is currently studiing at the University of Texas at Austin. She has over 10 years of dance training in various styles. She has trained and attending master classes under Kate Jablonski, Mia Michaels, Tessandra Chavez, Tyce Diorio and many more.
She was member of the Majestics Drill Team at McNeil High School,  was the social officer in 2008-2009 and a line officer 2009-2010.


Audrey Rasmussen

Audrey Rasmussen is a first year staff member at CPDC and holds a BS in nutrition at the University of Texas at Austin. She has over 12 year of ballet training. She has studied unter choreographys such as Alex Ossadnik, Wiley Shives of the Joffery Ballet and Galina Mezentseva of the Kirov Ballet.

  • Princial dancer in the Rio Grand Ballet
  • Lead roles in the Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake
  • 6 years of folklorica training
Carissa Topham

Carissa is first year staff member at CPDC and she hold a BFA in Dance from the University of North Texas and she has also studied dance a the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a member of the Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company. Her teaching experience includes Modern, Ballet & creative movment classes at the University of North Texas for the pedagogy class, Denton High School Dance Class, Dance Instructor fo Alisa's Dance Academy, Masters classes at the Majestic Ballet Academy.

  • Performed in various pieces at the ACDFA as well as the new choreographers concert.
  • Participated in the Tonzummer festival in Austria with UT Dance Repertory Theatre.