About Centre Stage

We have an experienced and dedicated group of teachers at Centre Stage. Each teacher strives to create a supportive and challenging classroom atmosphere to encourage students to participate.

WENDY RUE is the director and primary instructor at Centre Stage Studios. Miss Wendy has been classically trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, and acrobats. She is also a student of tap and modern techniques.

Born in California and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Miss Wendy studied dance under Vitina Sansone, Sansone's School of Dance. She was also a member of the Copper Coin Ballet Company (now known as the Springfield Ballet Company). A few of the ballets to her credit include Sleeping Beauty, the Nutcracker, and Swan Lake.

She has been a dance instructor for over ten years and furthers her own dance education through workshops and conferences annually. Miss Wendy has a bachelor of arts degree from William Woods College, Fulton, MO.

LAUREN RUE is the daughter of Miss Wendy and has learned at her mother's tutu respect for the art. Miss Lauren was born and raised in Mt Vernon. She studied dance with Sonya's Gotta Dance Studio, formerly of Mt Vernon, with Dance Station of O'Fallon, with MVTHS Rockin' Rams, with Northern Illinois University of Dekalb, and, of course, with Centre Stage Studios. Her studies have included ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance techniques.

Lauren's primary responsibilities at Centre Stage include tap, jazz, and contemporary instruction for the more advanced students. She is known for her kooky off-beat sense of humor, her creativity, and her extreme warm-up exercises.

SHANNON OWENS is originally from Springfield, Illinois where, for thirteen years, she studied dance at Jan's Dance Studio. Miss Shannon earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Science Education from Illinois State University at Normal. At University she furthered her studies of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap techniques and was a member of the ISU dance company. Mrs. Shannon is taking a leave of absence at this time. We wish her, Mark, Sophia and baby Avery well!!!

MICHELLE RUE is the younger daughter of Miss Wendy and lends a hand at the studio during school breaks. Miss Michelle has been taking dance non-stop since the age of seven! It must be said that tap is her love above all other forms of dance but she is also well-versed in ballet, pointe, and modern techniques. Miss Michelle has taken instruction from Sonya's Gotta Dance Studio, formerly of Mt. Vernon; Dance Station of O'Fallon; Centre Stage Studios; and Southeast Missouri State University. Michelle is currently climbing the Red Rocks of Nevada. From there she will travel to Utah to canyoneer. She follows that with two weeks of snow/winter wilderness training in Wyoming. We should be hearing her tapping feet within our studios sometime in December!

All our instructors are encouraged to continuously advance their knowledge by participating in dance seminars, master classes, and conventions.