Our mission at American Dance Academy is to bring the performing arts to children of all ages and provide opportunities to fulfill their dreams & goals through
“Performing, Inspiring and Educating”
Our Faculty
Melva Stelzer-Zavisa
For the past 46 years Melva has strived to bring her passion and knowledge of dance to establish a quality education for children to learn excellent technique and love of the performing arts. She began studying dance at a young age and continued through college traveling with the USO to entertain and professional companies throughout the country.
Ms. Zavisa began assisting Company Directors and discovered the joy of teaching as well as the creativity of designing, costuming, and producing shows. In 1978 American Dance Academy was opened with the concept of a team of teachers each with an expertise in dance styles to offer children outstanding dance training.
As a certified member of Dance Masters of Michigan & America for 25 years, Melva served on the Board of Directors, as Vice President and President of Dance Masters of Michigan. Also during that time she has served as the State Director of the Miss and Mr. Dance Competition and as the National Chairman of Ballet and the National Scholarship Chairman. Ms. Zavisa is a Certified dance instructor and member of Dance Educators of America.
Melva has choreographed for many local schools and directed numerous community performances. She is a Certified teacher in the Cecchetti Ballet syllabus. Her dance student won the very first prestigious title of Junior Miss Dance of America. In addition, her students held all three titles of Junior Miss, Teen Miss, and Miss Dance of Michigan in the same year.
A firm believer of both competitive and artistic dance development, American Dance Academy dancers have been awarded “too many to count” 1st place and Overall awards. The highest honor is receiving the “Dance Studio of Excellence” Award 15 times at competitions over the past years.
“What we teach each student goes far beyond a dance step. We are teaching life skills that help to develop children into leaders and successful young adults. Skills like discipline, commitment, motivation, and courage to reach their potential for success. There is no greater reward than helping a child be all they can be.”
Greg Zavisa
Greg has been teaching Acrobatic classes for 45+ years in many competitive dance studios throughout the tri-county area. Along with acrobatics, Greg’s dance education includes tap, jazz, and ballroom. He began dance training at age with Continental Dance Studio in Dearborn.
He performed in shows and in competitions for many years with Masters of Dance Arts.
Greg received the USGF Certification as well as Dance Masters of Michigan & America and Dance Educators of America. He also served as President of Dance Masters of Michigan. Greg has taught Acro classes at many dance studios in the metro area and his classes are always in great demand.
He has also brought his expertise teaching for many conventions & workshops and judged for regional competitions. His students have gone on to work professionally in Disney Orlando & Tokyo, Las Vegas, Busch Gardens and many cruise lines. Greg believes in training excellent acro technique while building strength for arial skills to enhance each dancer’s performance to the highest level. Combining his knowledge of dance and the dance industry for the past 17 years, Greg has worked for the Capezio dance company as a Regional Sales Manager.
Michelle Draper
Michael Draper has been with American Dance Academy both as a student and as an instructor since its opening. She is an established performer in jazz, ballet, modern, Hawaiian, and theater; although she specializes in tap instruction. Michelle’s professional training includes tap Master Instructors Bruce Bristol, Keith Schnarr, Debbie Dee, Aaron Tolson, Derick Grant, Gregg Russell, and Lane Alexander. She has won National awards such as Miss World Celebrity, North America’s Entertainer of the Year, the Dupree Dance Scholarship as well as the Vaughan Solokian Memorial Talent Award. She was a Dancer in the Auto Shows performing for Buick and Chevrolet.
While studying at California State University, she joined the High Flight Dance Company and worked with choreographers Jan Day, Shannon Levy-Heath, and Dante Henderson. This led to Disneyland where she performed in both parades and the amazing show Fantasmic! Upon her return to Michigan, she graduated from Madonna University with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Michelle’s tap students and dance pieces have achieved several National Overall Choreography and High Score Awards with Dance Masters of Michigan, StarPower, Kids Artistic Review, Star Systems, Dance America, CRU Ultimate Dance Challenge and Dance Educators of America. Her students are currently working in professional dance careers and performing for various cruise lines, Disney, DreamWorks and Broadway shows such as Billy Elliott, Kinky Boots, and Frozen. She is certified by Dance Masters of Michigan and Dance Masters of America.
Michael Hicks
Michael Hicks is known throughout the country for his award-winning, high energy choreography. He has been on the faculty of the Cecchetti Council of America and has taught workshops and summer intensives for many regional dance studios. Mr. Hicks has studied with Master jazz instructors Toni Lewis, Luigi, Joe Tremaine, Frank Hatchett and Gus Giordano. He is a former advisor for the Cecchetti Council of America. His talents put him in constant demand for Master classes in jazz, modern, lyrical and productions. Mr. Hicks is also an accomplished performer. In addition to his appearances on a popular TV show, he also performed and choreographed for the North American International Auto Show. His choreography is his true forte; he has won numerous National Overall Awards for organizations such as Dance America, Dance Masters, Kids Artistic Review, Starpower, Showstoppers,DEA and many more. Mr. Hick’s students have gone onto professional careers with companies such as the Cincinnati Ballet, Celebrity Cruise Lines, Broadway and Disney. He is certified with Dance Masters of Michigan and Dance Masters of America.
Autumn Koss Yontz
Autumn Koss Yontz graduated from Marygrove College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree majoring in dance and a minor in theater, art, and music. During her college years, she danced with the Dance Detroit Ballet Company under the direction of Iacob Lascu with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has been with the American Dance Academy since it opened in 1978.
Ms. Autumn teaches primary through advanced levels of ballet and holds her Advanced Teaching Certificate. She is an active member of the Cecchetti Council of America Eastern Michigan Committee and an elected member of the National Executive Board of Directors of the Cecchetti Council. Ms. Autumn also currently serves as the Michigan Registrar for the Cecchetti Council of America.
Danté Henderson
Singer, dancer, model, actor and choreographer from Hollywood, California. Danté began his professional career in entertainment at the age of 19, when he auditioned with 600+ other dancers and was handpicked by famed choreographer Debbie Allen, for one of only 26 dancer positions for the Academy Awards. For the 2 years that followed, Danté was asked to assist Miss Allen as part of her creative team for the star-studded production. Over the next two decades he worked in numerous films, television shows and live stage productions. His career accomplishments, in part, include working with Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, TLC, Jason Mraz, and Mary J. Blige. He can also be seen appearing in major motion pictures and TV shows with Robin Williams, Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Rob Schneider. As a model Danté has been featured in numerous runway shows around the world and has been filmed and photographed by world famous director/ photographer, Herb Ritts, for a national Levi’s campaign which was shot in Africa. As a musician, his talents were recognized by Sony Entertainment after writing, producing, and singing “Through the Darkness (Lift You Up)”– a song he and musician partner, Terry Lenley, wrote for the victims of the 2011 Japan earthquake/ tsunami. As “dT”, the duo performed the song live at Sony’s “Music for Japan”, a benefit concert to help raise money for those affected by the disaster.
Here in Michigan, Danté has been a teacher/ choreographer at Marygrove College and American Dance Academy. His choreography has won numerous awards at various dance competitions and he was also chosen by Cathy Roe as a choreographer for her 2014 Dance Spectacular Show. As a live stage performer, Danté toured the United Kingdom for 3 months as a featured singer/ dancer with “Here Come the Boys”, a production choreographed by good friend and famed choreographer Cris Judd. In 2016, Danté moved to Las Vegas where he was Creative Director and Co-Founder of Gifted Management Group, a new talent development and management company that focuses primarily on kids and teens. Currently, Danté spends 4 months out of the year in Miami, where he works for Royal Caribbean as a Choreographer/ Director.
Denise Schilling
started dancing and this is when her love for Hawaiian and Tahitian dance began. She has been with the American Dance Academy (ADA) since its inception. During her years with ADA, she competed with the Senior Hawaiian Line, was a paid performer in shows all over the Detroit Metro area. Currently, Ms. Denise continues her education in Hawaii and Tahiti bringing authentic Hawaiian culture and dance to her classes. Ms. Denise graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan. She has studied and performed Hawaiian and Tahitian dance for over 40 years and has experience teaching students of all skill levels. Ms. Denise is excited to share her passion for Hawaiian dance and the Hawaiian culture to her students in South Lyon and Commerce Township. Her dance groups have competed in dance competitions at Bravo, Star Systems, and Dance Educators of America winning 1st place and Overall Awards. Ms. Denise designs and creates the costumes and headpieces for performance. She has a true love for this beautiful form of dance and is very excited to share the Aloha spirit with her classes.
Jillian Richardson
Jillian Richardson was born in Detroit and has been involved in dance her entire life. In her early years, she began training in ballet, tap, jazz, figure skating and ice dancing. Her serious ballet training began with Carol Cotter and Livonia’s CAPA program under Mary Murphy. Jillian has danced with the City Ballet of San Diego, training under David Howard and Susan Jaffe. She was also accepted into the Atlanta Festival Ballet. Jillian has taught ballet since 2010 and enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students. In 2024, Jillian received the Judges Choice Award for Choreography from Star Systems National Talent Competition.
Jonathon Cash
Jonathon trained competitively for 11 years in all disciplines with American Dance Academy (A.D.A.) in Garden City, Commerce Township and South Lyon, MI. A graduate of Marygrove College, Detroit he attained a BFA in Dance Performance. Within the Dance Department at Marygrove, he was awarded the Outstanding Dance Student (2011), for overall excellence in academic and artistic pursuits. He has studied with Mia Michaels, Kevin Iega Jeff, Ray Mercer, Frank Hatchett, Roger Jeffrey, Ricardo Moyano, Monique Haley, Paul McRae, and Jordeen Ivanov-Ericson. Mr. Cash has performed professionally with Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Celebrity Cruise Lines and Hardrive Productions in Orlando, Florida. His awards have included the titles of Mr. Dance of Michigan (Dance Masters of Michigan) and Mr. KAR (Kids Artistic Review). Additionally, his choreography has won accolades regionally and national.
