Meet the Staff!
Lindsay Walsh Jong
Owner, Artistic Director
Ballet Instructor
Meet Ms. Lindsay, our Artistic Director and owner of Grace School of Dance! Her favorite color is blue, like the ocean, and her favorite animal is the humpback whale. She is married to her partner Dean Jong M.M. and they are expecting their first baby this year! When his schedule allows, Mr. Dean graciously accompanies ballet classes on the piano adding depth to our class experience.
Starting dance at the age of 3, Ms. Lindsay has had the opportunity to train under many wonderful teachers, including Lori Ladwig and Linnea Strauss, Grace’s founder. She is entering her 19th year of teaching, getting her start as an assistant teacher at the age of 11. Ms. Lindsay received numerous dance awards and scholarships at intensives, competitions, and at the college level. After graduating high school, she studied dance at Alma College under the direction of Samantha Shelton, former soloist with American Ballet Theatre. In 2012, she came to teach with Ms. Linnea at Grace School of Dance and continued to grow as a teacher under her guidance and direction. Since then, she has continued in her dance pedagogy training by taking courses under Michelle Boutros and attending mini intensives with Samantha Shelton. Ms. Lindsay was appointed Artistic Director by Ms. Linnea before she was called home and considers it a great honor and privilege to continue the vision started by Ms. Linnea.
Ms. Lindsay has a passion for teaching dance and is dedicated to instilling a love of dance to the next generation of dancers. She strives to create a relationship with each of her students to give them a “home away from home”. Ms. Lindsay teaches a vast array of classes at Grace, from Me & My Grown Up all the way up to our Advanced Ballet classes. She loves designing the creative vision for our performances and collaborating with the staff and parents to bring those visions to life. Say hi to Ms. Lindsay!
Ginger Holt
Assistant Director, Ballet Instructor
Kayla Chaney
Instructor- Ballet, Jazz, Pointe
Kayla is a lifelong lover of dance and passionate about helping others grow – both in the studio and beyond. She began dancing in 1999 and has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, jazz funk, pom, lyrical, tap, modern, and hip hop, with her heart always drawn most to ballet, pointe, and jazz. Kayla has danced with the Academy of the Arts and Jackson Ballet Company, Greater Lansing Ballet Company, Lansing Community College, and Monroe Street Theater, where she also taught. As a teen, she received a scholarship to attend a summer intensive at BalletMet in Columbus – it was an amazing experience filled with learning and growth. More recently, she has studied jazz, jazz funk, and pom with RELEASE, Juliana’s, and the Detroit Lions Cheerleaders. She continues to train with the dream of dancing professionally on the sidelines for the Lions someday. (She’s a big Detroit Lions fan)
By day, Kayla serves as the Leadership Development Partner at TRUE Community Credit Union, where she uses her bachelor’s degree in business administration (with a major in management) to develop leaders and create a positive impact in the community. She brings that same heart for growth into every dance class she teaches.
A wife and mom of two amazing kids, Azalea and Sawyer, Kayla also shares her home with her two dogs; A pit mix named Ella and a Bernese mountain dog named Nana. After undergoing two hip surgeries herself in 2023, Kayla is deeply passionate about strength, proper technique, and injury prevention for dancers. As an instructor, she values passion and effort over perfection. She encourages dancers to be brave enough to be seen trying, even when it’s not perfect, and finds joy in watching students grow through hard work and genuine love for dance.
Kayla looks forward to getting to know you all more at the studio!
Emma Klann
Ballet Instructor
Meet Ms. Emma! Her favorite color is yellow and she loves sunflowers, sunshine, and spending time outdoors- especially near water. Butterflies hold a special place in her heart, reminding her of her beloved great grandma. Emma has been married to her husband, Dean, for 3 years, he often joins us at recitals, sometimes even gracing the stage himself! Ms. Emma and her husband have a precious daughter, Liliana Joy, born in March of 2025. True to her name, she brings them both so much joy!
Spending time with family and friends also fills Ms. Emma’s heart. Ms. Emma’s ballet journey began at the age of 3, primarily under Miss Linnea, the studio’s founder, and continued under the guidance of Miss Lindsay, our current director. Their influence shaped her technique profoundly. Assisting both mentors during her student years led her to take on her first teaching role six years ago. Alongside ballet, she is a licensed physical therapist assistant, allowing her to blend insights on muscle function into our ballet practice. With the aim of enhancing dancers’ understanding and performance, Ms. Emma focuses on strengthening the muscles essential for ballet technique.
Ms. Emma teaches the Prep Level 2/Intermediate class, the Thursday Advanced Ballet class, as well as Ballet 1 and Pre-Ballet. She looks forward to sharing her passion for ballet and connecting with you, so say hi!
Sharon McGee
Tap Instructor
Meet Mrs. Sharon! Mrs. Sharon started dancing in 2013 at Next Step Dance Centre as a way to use up some of her crazy high energy. She started by taking jazz and added tap the following year. After losing her husband, supporter, and best friend in 2016, dance became a huge part of Mrs. Sharon’s life. She added ballet, contemporary, and hip hop to her weekly schedule, along with multiple tap classes.
In 2021, her home studio closed due to the pandemic, a bittersweet twist that opened doors for her to teach tap at Grace. With her 20 years of teaching experience at the Pioneers homeschool cooperative, she is so amazed and thankful that God has brought her two loves – teaching and dancing – together at Grace.
Mrs. Sharon has one adult daughter who also took tap and jazz with her. Mrs. Sharon currently lives on a comfy little two acre homestead that she shares with her niece Janae, two cats, two turtles, lots of fish, 6 chickens, and an amazing family of sandhill cranes who return year after year. When she’s not dancing Mrs. Sharon enjoys gardening, researching, biking, roller skating, hiking, camping, traveling, and playing FarmVille Country Estates.
Say hi to Mrs. Sharon!
Katrina Meyers
Ballet and Jazz/Tap Instructor
Ms. Katie (Katrina) discovered her love of dance at just two years old while training at Karen’s School of Dance. After moving to Jackson, she became one of the first students to study locally under Lori Ladwig, later continuing her training with both Lori and Linnea Strauss.
During her years of study, Ms. Katie performed with the Greater Lansing Ballet Company in The Nutcracker and attended several prestigious dance intensives, broadening her performance and technical experience. By the age of twelve, she was already assisting in ballet classes, and by fifteen she began teaching classes of her own—demonstrating both her talent and her passion for mentoring younger dancers.
When Lori relocated to Florida, Ms. Katie continued her journey under the guidance of Linnea Strauss at Grace School of Dance, where she has remained a dedicated part of the faculty. Over the years, she has taught and substituted in a variety of classes, sharing her artistry, experience, and love for dance with each new generation of students.
This year, Ms. Katie will be teaching a wide range of levels—from our youngest dancers taking their very first steps in the studio to adults continuing their love of movement. She brings an energy and enthusiasm to each class that motivates and inspires students of all ages to challenge themselves, grow in confidence, and bring their very best to the studio each day.
Olivia Schroeder
Ballet Instructor
Miss Olivia began dancing when she was 4 years old, and has not stopped since then, and considers Grace School of Dance her main outlet for letting go of stress. She loves writing, drawing, and practically anything involving language and communication, but has a special love for creative writing.
Miss Olivia joined the studio as a young student when it first opened and was trained under the founder, Ms. Linnea, and eventually the current director, Ms. Lindsay, as a tween. She experimented with several styles of dance including ballet, tap, and an incredibly brief trial with jazz, but always felt that ballet was her true favorite, even though it took far more work. Miss Olivia began teaching at at age 19 in 2023 after assisting with classes and occasionally taking over the class on her own when Ms. Lindsay was unavailable. Her focus while teaching is on a positive introduction to dance and on creating a mutually respectful atmosphere for her students.
