Our inspirational Competition staff is shown below. To read any faculty member’s bio, click on his or her photo.
Cindy is a 50 year member of Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and is certified by testing to teach ballet, jazz, and tap. She is a former student of her mother Betty Dybdahl, and Rose Lorenz. She attended Interlochen, Michigan and Jacob's Pillow in Massachusetts during summers of high school and college. After graduating from Drake University, she taught school in West Des Moines and Urbandale for 10 years. She has managed one of the most successful dance schools in Iowa for over 30 years. She continues to expand her training at various conventions all over the country with some of the most famous teachers in the United States. She also is a mother to four children and has three grandchildren. Her passion for family and dance can be seen throughout her life.
Kristi has been dancing for 20 years. She studied dance with Cindy at Westside Dance until the age of 18. She has performed and competed at both the regional and national levels. She has received many high point awards for her performances as well as her own choreography. Kristi has attended yearly conventions with Dance Masters, LA Dance Force and Tremaine to further her dance training.
Abby began her dance training here at Westside Dance Academy at the age of three. She has trained in ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, lyrical, hip hop, modern and contemporary. Abby was a part of the WDA competition team where she competed at regional and national levels. She also attended conventions and took master classes to further her dance training. During high school, Abby was on the Waukee Varsity Dance Team all four years, on the Waukee Varsity Show Choir for three years, and taught dance classes at WDA for two years. After high school, Abby attended the University of Iowa where she majored in Elementary Education and got minors in Dance and Communication Studies. She was also on the University of Iowa Dance Team for four years. Abby is now a first grade teacher at Walnut Hills Elementary and is thrilled to be back at Westside Dance Academy sharing her love for dance.
Cj has been dancing since she was three years old. Growing up in a small town, she was able to enjoy all genres of dance and become a member of the competition team at the young age of seven. She competed solos, small groups, large groups and production pieces, winning several top honor awards over those years. After high school Cj moved to Des Moines and continued to pursue her passion for dance. She danced for the Iowa Stars Hockey Dance Team a year and then danced for the Iowa Barnstormers for four years. She then moved to Northern Iowa and taught for three years at Dancin’ with Roxie. During that time she was a part of several top earning awards, choreography awards, judge's choice, and winning the Top Production award with her choreography. Cj now lives in Urbandale with her beautiful little girl, Adlei. She is so excited to share and inspire all of the dancers at Westside Dance Academy.
Jeffrey began his dance training at the age of nine under the direction of Stacey and Connie Jo Wilson School of Dance. From there Jeffrey continued on with more training with Robert Thomas Dancenter, Iowa Dance Theater, Central Iowa Dance, and the Iowa Youth Ballet. He trained extensively in New York City at Steps, Broadway Dance Center, and the Luigi Jazz Centre. Jeffrey also went on to dance with the Rock School Ballet in Philadelphia, where he received some of the world's best ballet training. He has also had the opportunity to study with a wide range of talented dance masters, which included Savion Glover, Desmond Richardson, and Sascha Radetssky, to name a few. Jeffrey teaches a wide variety of classes at Westside and is one of our head competition instructors. He has been recognized for his unique choreography at several dance competitions. Jeffrey has a passion for dance and stays involved with various activities throughout the area. He is a fun-loving, energetic instructor who loves to share his wide range of dance styles and experiences with his students.
Growing up, Kyle always had a passion for dance. This passion grew after a friend introduced him to hip-hop classes at a local Des Moines dance studio during high school. After graduating from Johnston High School, he went on to attend Iowa State University, where he would major in the Performing Arts with an emphasis in acting and directing. He joined Iowa State University's hip-hop dance club (Dub-H) and spent most of his time dancing with and choreographing for this group, which ended up being one of the largest clubs on campus. After graduating with his Bachelor's Degree, Kyle continued his passion and love for dance through teaching for multiple dance studios and being an active member of Midwest Vision. His role as a co-leader of the Midwest Vision, non-profit, hip-hop dance organization has inspired him to continue his growth as a dancer and choreographer.