Mission
Northeast Dance Center exists to provide a unique dance education in a nurturing environment. We seek to provide excellence in technical dance training while providing a place for students to perform and learn to utilize their God-given gifts and abilities to impact the community through a variety of dance mediums.
We are a performance based, non-competition dance studio serving the Northeast Minneapolis and surrounding communities of the Twin Cities since 2015.
Core Principles
1. Excellence in Education – Our staff is experienced and loves to see dancers grow and learn. Our teachers have a passion for all students to have a deep appreciation and understanding of the art and skill of dance. Dance is an art, a discipline, and a physical activity and we desire for our students to be challenged artistically, mentally, and physically. Each student is unique and has a different interest and commitment level so we have three training tracks for our students to choose from that will meet the needs of each student. Our staff will provide quality education in each of our training tracks and will challenge each student to meet his or her own personal potential.
2. Respect for Students – We seek to honor our Creator God who gave us our dance abilities and we therefore hold the highest respect for our students as image-bearers of God. We encourage our students to build one another up and work as a cohesive unit. We ask our teachers to make tasteful and age-appropriate costume and music choices and to be good stewards of their position as dance educators and mentors.
3. Community Involvement – We believe dance is best enjoyed when it brings joy to others and so we seek to train our dancers to use their gifts and abilities to impact others in the community. We provide multiple performing opportunities for our performance track students, as well as opportunities for all our students to serve others in community performances.
Our Staff
Abbie Montermini
Owner and Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap & Musical Theatre Dance Instructor
Abbie has been teaching dance in the Twin Cities since 2002, specializing in classical ballet and pointe instruction. Over the years she has taught in a variety of settings to a wide variety of students from age 3 to adult. She received her training in St. Paul and Minneapolis through Midwest Youth Dance Theatre, Ballet Arts Minnesota/MDT, and has continued her education through classes, seminars, and workshops in both the Twin CIties and around the country. She has performed locally with Out on a Limb Dance Company, Metropolitan Ballet, and St. Paul City Ballet/St. Paul Ballet. Abbie has taught ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, jazz, musical theatre, and tap in churches, community education programs, community theaters, and of course dance schools and studios. One of her most memorable teaching experiences came in 2007 when she was able to teach and translate for the summer ballet intensive at Emmanuel Children's Home in Juarez, Mexico. It is her passion to educate students in proper technique in order to develop each student's individual gifts and abilities to the utmost for the glory of God. She also believes that dance is best enjoyed when it is performed to bring joy to others so it is her mission to train students and enable them to perform as often as possible around the Twin Cities. Abbie grew up in NE Minneapolis and currently lives in Mounds View MN with her husband and 4 children where life is a constant (and slightly crazy) dance party.
Christine Lee
Ballet, Tap and Modern Instructor
Christine has been dancing since age 5, studying ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz. She attended St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Artists where she studied modern, ballet, musical theater, and various other forms of dance from professional artists in the Twin Cities. After graduating high school Christine was accepted to train with Cor Ignis Contemporary Dance Company located in Juarez, Mexico. She toured internationally with the company performing in original pieces. In this season she also taught ballet and gymnastics to disadvantaged children at Emmanuel Children’s Home (also located in Juarez) and grew immensely from the experience. Upon returning home, Christine has studied dance throughout the Twin Cities, including the University of Minnesota, Shapiro and Smith, Zenon, and more. She has found a passion for modern dance and for promoting dancing with excellence for God. As a teacher she hopes to share an excitement and enthusiasm for dance while being focused on bringing all glory to God.
Mari Anderson
Tap, Jazz, and Contemporary/Lyrical Instructor
Mari is a dancer, actor, and dance instructor who has performed with many local theaters and also serves as our Bits of Broadway Summer Musical Theatre Camp Artistic Director. She has taught and performed locally including South Pacific and A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie theater and Legally Blonde at Artistry. She also spent a summer in Southern California through The Young American’s College for the Performing Arts. During her time is SoCal Mari realized how much she loved to teach and encourage the next generation of performers to grow in their craft! She came back from that program and performed in South Pacific and A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie theater, Legally Blonde at Artistry, and has been teaching dance for the last 4 years.
Gabby Plaep
Dance Fitness, Ballet, Jazz, and Tap Instructor
Gabby began dancing at age 3, and trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern. She attended Hope College and continued training there in addition to performing and choreographing in productions of The Nutcracker, Hope's Sacred Dance Ministry's worship services, and student showcases. Hip surgery halfway through college led her to pivot her focus to fitness and strength training. She became passionate about helping dancers become well-rounded athletes. Gabby earned her B.A. in Exercise Science and Youth Ministry in 2015 and subsequently earned certifications in many styles from Zumba to HIIT to Pilates. In 2022, she became a certified Holy Yoga Instructor, rediscovering her love for using movement to glorify God. Gabby has taught ballet, tap, jazz, and modern around the Twin Cities and has also danced with Mosaics Dance Co for the past two seasons. She loves building self-efficacy in students and encouraging health and strength in heart, mind, and body.
Mandy Meuer
Ballet Instructor
Mandy has been dancing since age 7, training throughout the Twin Cities in classical ballet and modern dance. After graduating from high school, she apprenticed with Saint Paul Ballet for their 2016-17 season, and then moved to Madison, WI to apprentice with Magnum Opus Ballet company for their inaugural season, and dance as a company artist for their second season. She started teaching ballet in 2017. Mandy’s passion is to build up healthy, confident artists who are empowered to be their personal best and know their worth. She is thrilled to be back sharing her love of dance and using her gifts for God’s glory.
Caris Li
Ballet and Pre-School Dance Instructor
Caris hails from New Brighton and grew up loving to perform. She enjoyed learning piano and performing in musicals from a young age including leading roles in Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and Hello Dolly, and directing/choreographing/accompanying a series of One-Act musical numbers. She studied ballet, tap, and jazz for 7 years and pointe for 2 years. Caris’s teaching experience includes assistant dance teaching for 2 years, teaching English for a summer in Hong Kong, teaching a preschool class in Ecuador, but she’s learned the most from being a homeschool Mom of 4 (3 of whom have loved dancing at NE Dance Center!) Caris loves how each child brings their own unique spark to dance and she praises God for giving us such a beautiful way to express joy through the art of dance!
Jessica Muehring
Jessica is new to the area as she is attending the University of Northwestern and studying Kinesiology with an emphasis in Physical Therapy. Jessica has been dancing since the age of three with a special emphasis in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, waltzing, and liturgical. She has also been a dance instructor for four years and the creative director of a studio for one. Throughout Jessica’s career she has performed numerous shows some of the highlights being Alice and Wonderland, Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Coppelia with Cannon Falls School of Dance, Anastasia with the University of Northwestern, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with Twin Cities Homeschoolers for the Arts. Jessica is passionate about aiding the next generation in their journey to advance their God given talents by making class fun, fair, and formational. Her goal is that class shapes the dancers to be better equipped for all situations in life and they learn more about themselves as artists.
Rebekah Dobbs
Rebekah is originally from St. Cloud, MN, but is currently studying Kinesiology as well as Theatre with a Dance Concentration at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. She has been dancing since the age of three, and has training in the styles of ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, high kick, and modern. Over the years Rebekah has competed and performed with Company North Crest Dance in St. Cloud and competed in the styles of jazz and high kick with the St. Cloud Cathedral Dance Team. At North Crest she also had the privilege of teaching multiple recreational dance and gymnastics classes. Rebekah continues to perform and grow as a dancer through the theatre program at UNW. Rebekah believes dance is a powerful tool of self-expression and creativity that God has granted us. She is excited to begin teaching at Northeast Dance Center and can't wait to help dancers improve technically and express themselves artistically.
Kaila Fremling
Kaila has been dancing for 17 years, and is currently at the University of Northwestern in Saint Paul. Kaila has training in Musical Theatre, Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Ballroom from artists all over America, but loves Tap and Musical theater the most out of all of these. Growing up Kaila was a competitive dancer for Music General Dance studio in Brainerd MN and also Dreams Come True Dance in Grand Rapids MN. Kaila is originally from Aitkin MN, and is currently studying Theatre with a Dance Concentration along with studies in Children and Family Ministries at the University of Northwestern. Kaila is thrilled to be at Northeast Dance Center and looks forward to using her dance ability to teach others while showing God's love.
Teaching Opportunities
We are always looking for experienced teachers to substitute classical ballet, pointe, creative movement, and musical theatre jazz and tap. If you are passionate about our mission and core principles and would like to teach or choreograph as an independent contractor, please send your resume to abbie@nedancecenter.com.
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