Our Faculty

Our instructors are qualified and committed to providing our students outstanding technical dance training combined with innovative and current choreography.

Andrea VanSickle

Founder/Owner of iYooWee

Andi has been dancing since she was 9 years old. As a senior in high school, Andi was a part of a state/National winning team and was awarded the first Miss Showstopper of the year award. She began running and teaching camps as well as judging and choreographing for college bowl games. Andi graduated from Otterbein university with a major in Dance and Public Relations. After college she continued to teach camps and judge as well as coaching The Worthington Dance Team. Through her 16 years with Worthington her teams won many State and National titles. Andi was also the Events manager for The Columbus Chamber of Commerce where she ran 16 Columbus Jazz and Rib Fests as well as numerous other events.

In 2003 Andi, along side her husband, Chuck, and their 2 daughters, Briggs and Reyka, they opened iYooWee. They began to make a place where everyone is welcome. iYooWee began with a few dance classes and has grown to hold 3 parts of the business, The Dance Space, iYooWee tumble and Westerville Jazzercise. Learn more about how The Dance Space got started.

“I love to walk into the studio and know that kids and adults alike are enjoying the love for dance.”

Leslie phillips

Dance and Tumble Instructor

Leslie started dancing in 6th grade and began working as a dance instructor at The Dance Space in 2011. She loves helping students feel confident, prepared, and encouraged so they can continue to flourish both inside and outside of the studio.

In 2012, Leslie also began working at iYooWee, where she has handled communications, organizational processes, administrative tasks, and event coordination to help support daily business operations. One of her favorite parts of her role is getting to know families and helping create the best possible experience for everyone who walks through the doors.

Throughout her years of teaching, Leslie has received choreography and entertainment awards. Outside of work, Leslie enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, crafting, and playing board games. She is also a proud animal lover and appreciates the strong sense of community that dance creates.

Reyka VanSickle

Dance and Tumble Instructor

Reyka has been dancing since kindergarten and grew up training at The Dance Space. She continued dancing in college as a member of the College of Wooster Dance Company and earned a major in Communication Studies and a minor in Theatre and Dance.

After graduating from college, Reyka spent five years traveling to more than 50 countries with her fiancé while running their YouTube channel. Those experiences inspired her creativity and passion for social media and broadened her perspective both in and out of the studio. She loves bringing that positive energy into her classes and enjoys helping students grow in confidence, technique, and self-expression while creating a fun and supportive environment.

As the daughter of The Dance Space founders, Reyka grew up surrounded by dance and has had the unique opportunity to watch the studio grow and evolve throughout her life. Having experienced the studio as both a dancer and now a teacher, she feels incredibly grateful to be part of such a special community and is excited to continue sharing her lifelong love of dance with the next generation.

Ticia Dillon

Dance Instructor

Ticia has been dancing since the age of 3 and has developed a lifelong passion for movement and teaching. She was a member of the Ohio State Dance Team and served on the COA Cheer and Dance staff. Throughout her career, Ticia has earned numerous awards, including the 2025 Regional Choreography Award at Imagine, Star Power, and Nextstar; the 2025 Artistic Excellence Award at Nextstar; 2024 and 2025 Level 1 Regional Champion; 2024 Level 2 Regional Champion; and the 2024 Nextstar Nationals Excellence in Entertainment Award.

Outside of teaching, Ticia works in the administrative office of a private school, enjoys traveling when time allows, and spends her time with her husband, Mike, their children, Enrico and Kima, and their cavapoo, Lucy. Her favorite part of teaching is watching dancers reach their full potential – shaping both their bodies and minds – and bringing a vision to life through music and movement.

Lori VanDyke

Dance Instructor

Lori has been dancing since she was 2 ½ years old. She began
coaching and teaching dance at The Dance Space her senior year of high school
and continued taking dance classes and training while at college at The
University of Akron. As a student, Lori won Little Miss Dance Ohio and Junior
Miss Dance Ohio. As a teacher she has received multiple choreography and
entertainment awards, as well as a top teacher award! Outside of the studio
Lori stays busy with her husband, two young children, and sweet dog, Piper. She
enjoys staying home and spending time with friends and family during bonfires, cookouts,
and dance parties. She also enjoys crafting and going to garage sales. Lori is
an Intervention Specialist at the New Albany Primary School. As an Intervention
Specialist she works with 1^st – 3^rd grade students with
special needs, specifically in the areas of behavior, emotional regulation, and
social skills.

Lori’s favorite part of being a dance teacher is being a
part of the moments when a dancer succeeds at a skill they have been working on
for a long time. Her favorite quote is “It’s a good day to have a good day”.

Alyssa Fickert

Dance and Tumble Instructor

Alyssa has been dancing since the age of 3 and has been teaching since 2006, sharing her passion and knowledge with dancers of all ages and levels. From 2014–2021, she danced professionally with New Vision Dance Company, continuing to grow as both an artist and performer. As a choreographer, she has received two choreography awards for contemporary routines and one for a jazz routine, and she has also judged throughout the eastern United States for several competition circuits, enjoying the opportunity to observe and evaluate performers from a wide range of backgrounds. Her favorite part of teaching is watching her students gain confidence as they achieve their goals. Before heading to the studio in the evening, she works during the day as a high school intervention specialist. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, baking, crafting, and spending time with her family—her husband Joey, their two children Atlas and Olympia, and their dogs Eleanor and Juniper.

Ashley Dabe

Dance Instructor

Ashley Dabe grew up dancing in Gahanna, Ohio at Pinnell Dance Centre. Starting her dance journey at age 2, she has won numerous awards through competitions including a grand national champion soloist title her senior year of high school. Training in ballet, tap, lyrical, hip hop, jazz and pointe, Ashley’s love of dance carried her to New York City after high school to intern at Broadway Dance Center. Concentrating in tap and contemporary, Ashley landed a job with Radio City Music Hall and the Rockette Experience Intensives. Her connections also landed her the lead role of Queen of Hearts in Kermidas Dance Company touring throughout Upstate New York. Since returning to Ohio, Ashley has danced with New Vision Dance company and has been teaching and choreographing since 2011. Many of her competitive routines have placed in the top 5 and have received national choreography awards. Ashley loves to spread the joy of dance to her students and hopes they take the skills learned in her classroom with them throughout their lives.

Maria Winn

Dance Instructor

Maria Winn started dancing at the age of 3 and began her teaching journey as an intern while still in high school. She has been part of The Dance Space faculty since 2019. She attended Otterbein University for Zoo and Conservation Science, and Biology, with a minor in dance, graduating in 2022. Maria has been teaching specialty competitive routines since 2023, but had her first competitive group routine in 2025 that received an excellence in choreography award. She has a passion for education in both dance and wildlife coexistence, as well as training a variety of species including but not limited to dogs, coyotes, foxes, hawks, and vultures. She is extremely grateful for the love and support The Dance Space family exudes and strives to help her students grow with the same care and compassion.

Briggs VanSickle

Dance Instructor

Briggs Smith has been teaching dance for over 10 years and has extensive experience working with outreach programs through Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Akron Public Schools, and Columbus City Schools. Over the past six years, she has worked with a variety of arts nonprofits and organizations throughout Ohio, using dance as a tool for education, expression, and community engagement.

This summer, Briggs will complete her master’s degree in Child and Family Therapy, along with a certification in Movement Therapy. Her passion for connecting dance and emotional wellness deeply informs her teaching and artistic practice.

At The Dance Space, Briggs teaches technique classes and works closely with the company’s recreational groups. As an alumna of the studio, she is especially inspired by the legacy of her parents, who opened The Dance Space when she was seven years old. Dance has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember, and she is passionate about sharing that lifelong love of movement with the next generation of dancers.

Anna Scott

Dance & Tumble Instructor

Anna has been teaching with us since 2021. She has taken gymnastics since she was 2, danced competitively throughout middle school and high school and cheered all four years of high school. Anna qualified to train at the Olympic Training Center for Gymnastics in Texas. She trained with Olympic coaches and staff alongside the best of the best gymnasts in the country. When she’s not teaching tumble, she is attending school and is a fitness specialist at the OSU Wexner Medical Health & Fitness Center where she is a personal trainer and teaches group fitness. In school she is working on her B.S. in Exercise Science & Health Promotion and is a certified group exercise instructor. Anna’s hobby is being physically active by working out, walking, hiking, lifting weights and tumbling. In her down time Anna enjoys doing arts & crafts, walking in the sun, going shopping, and going on Starbucks runs. She also loves relaxing and spending time with her family.

Ray Pinkins

Tumble Instructor

Ray has been cheering and tumbling since the age of 4 and began cheering competitively at the age of 10. Her passion for the sport makes private lessons a favorite part of coaching. Along with teaching tumble at The Dance Space, Ray coaches at St. Francis Desales High School and has helped them win the state championship for the past two years! Ray favorite thing about teaching is seeing the light bulb go off in her students’ heads, and their smiles, when they learn a new skill. Outside of teaching and coaching she is currently attending school for exercise science-athletic performance. She is the second oldest of five siblings and has a wild puppy named Blaze who she loves dearly.

Raemi Paxton

Dance Instructor

Raemi has been dancing since the age of 3 and has been teaching off and on for over 12 years. While she did not pursue dance professionally or in college, her passion for movement and teaching has remained a constant throughout her life. In addition to teaching dance, Raemi works in cosmetology and as a fitness instructor, combining her love for beauty, health, and wellness.

Outside of the studio, she enjoys dancing, exercising, and most importantly, spending quality time with her husband and their two children. Raemi’s favorite part of teaching is watching students accomplish something they once thought was impossible and helping them discover dance as a positive and empowering outlet.

Molly Grossman

Dance Instructor

Molly started her dance career at Judy Dollenmayer Studio of Dance at the age of 3 where she competed until age 12. She then trained at BalletMet. During those years, she also did summer training at multiple prestigious dance schools including; American Dance Festival (ADF) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In 2014, she received her BFA in Teaching, Choreography, and Performance at Ohio University.

Since college, she has taught at multiple studios in Columbus, but The Dance Space (2026-2027 is her 4th season) is the only place that feels like home. Her favorite style to teach is ballet, but she loves a good technique and jazz class too! She looks forward to guiding your child in their dance journey!

Evie Cansler

Dance and Tumble Instructor

Evie danced from the age of 4 to 16, developing a strong foundation and lifelong appreciation for movement and expression. As an instructor, she places a strong emphasis on creative movement and artistic expression, believing they are essential to a dancer’s growth both in and out of the studio. She strives to encourage her dancers to remain curious, embrace their creativity, and celebrate who they are as individuals.