DANCE FACULTY
SHERRY BLAHA
Sherry Blaha is the owner and artistic director of Sherry's Academy of Dance. This is Mrs. Blaha's 36th year of operating and teaching at the Academy. In 36 years, Sherry has trained many professional dancers and is proud that many of her students have gone on to be excellent teachers themselves. She has an innovative approach to tap, jazz, modern, and lyrical choreography that has been recognized and awarded at national levels. As a teacher, the love of dance is shown by the training and education which Sherry gives to each student in the classroom.
Maria Idunate
Maria Idunate is from Westland, Michigan and began studying dance at Sherry’s Academy of Dance when she was only 4 years old. While dancing there she had the pleasure of studying under Sherry Blaha, Brandy Blaha, Megan Conway, Brian Strimple, and Felicia Rose in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and modern dance styles. Maria also had the opportunity to work with guest artists such as Mark Goodman, Ellen Werksman, Richard Smith, Barbara Duffy, Brooke Pierotti, Sonya Tayeh, Mia Michaels at intensives around the country. Maria graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2016. While there she studied under the direction of Jeffrey Rebudal, Meg Paul, Eva Powers, Liz Schmidt, Ariel Osterweis, Biba Bell, and Linda Simmons in Ballet, Modern, Contemp Ballet, Improvisation, Choreography, Pilates, Yoga, African, and Digital Media Arts. Maria spent two seasons with The Michigan Opera Theater in their productions of “The Merry Widow” and “The Passenger.”
Meghan Conway Everett
Meghan Conway Everett is an award winning choreographer/teacher with over 25 years of dance experience. At age 4, Meghan began dancing at Sherry's Academy of Dance where she studied ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap under Sherry Blaha. Fifteen years later, in 2003 she was accepted into Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Dance with a Talent Scholarship where she continued her studies. During her four years Meghan served as WSU Dance Company's president, received the first ever Harriet Burg Choreography Scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Dance in May of 2007. Upon graduation Meghan continued her dance training in NYC studying at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway and Dance New Amsterdam. From NYC Meghan moved across the country to Los Angeles, CA once again furthering her training and choreography skills. Throughout the LA area Meghan choreographed for multiple contemporary companies and studios and performed with the hip hop company Asylum Dance Co. She has also been featured in numerous music videos and has performed multiple times in the world renowned Carnival Choreographers Ball. After three years in LA, Meghan returned to Michigan where she taught for Sherry’s Academy of Dance and then to Alexandria, VA where she taught for Chris Collins Dance Studio. During her time at both studios, Meghan choreographed numerous national winning numbers, two of which have been finalist for the Industry Dance Awards. Meghan has once again made her way back to Michigan and is so excited to get back with her Sherry’s family. Even with her new move, Meghan is constantly traveling around the country with Applause Talent Competition, teaching master classes and choreographing for studios and companies spreading her love for dance.
Lindsay McGarry
Lindsay has her Bachelor of Arts degree, with a concentration in Jazz, from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. She has studied various genres of dance including: Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Modern, Lyrical, Contemporary, Pointe, Folk, Character, Dunham, etc... She has previously performed aboard numerous Holland America Line cruise ships since 2006 as Dance Captain or Company Manager. She is also an Equity Dancer who has performed in Walt Disney World's Beauty and the Beast and Dream Along with Mickey. Lindsay has worked/performed with various choreographers such as Margo Sappington, Harrison McEldowney, Jeannie Hill, Douglas Bentz, Judith Leifer-Bentz, Ron Tassone, and many more. She has performed in Neil Goldberg's Christmas Dreams, worked for Powerful Image Productions, has been a magician's assistant for Aaron Radatz and was "Clara" in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Detroit, Mi in 1997. Lindsay is a former student of Sherry's Academy of Dance and she is looking forward to coming back home to team up with Sherry once again.
Kasi Seguin
Kasi Seguin graduated from Wayne State University in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Dance and a Minor in Spanish. She has been very active in helping artistic director, Joori Jung, with the development of artLab J and the Detroit Dance City Festival since its beginning in August of 2012. During the summer of 2013 she danced in the French impressionist short Ballet Film "Gymnopedie: Unlock the Beauty" directed by David Benoit-Mohan. Originally from the state of Michigan, she made her way back and has been a Detroit resident for the last four years. She spent several years in Mexico and San Francisco dedicating most of her time to studying various forms of dance such as Ballet, Modern, Afro Brazilian, Afro Haitian and performing with local groups and companies. She spent two years teaching dance at Letha Fulton School of Dance in Ludington, Michigan, before moving to Detroit and entering the Wayne State University Department of Dance. In 2009, Kasi traveled to Salvador, Bahia, Brazil to perform in Carnaval with artistic director of San Francisco-based Afro-Brazilian dance company "Aguas da Bahia". Also in 2009, she finished the teacher training program at Power Pilates and is certified to teach Pilates mat classes.
Felicia Jones
Felicia started her dance and teaching training at Sherry's Academy of Dance at age 8. She went on to attend Wayne State University as a talent Scholar where she graduated with her BFA in Dance. While attending Wayne State Felicia was part of the WSU Dance Workshop which allowed her the opportunity to perform at the ACDFA national conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Felicia also was awarded a research grant to study Laban Notation in New York City where she used dance notation to learn the dance Journey (1958) choreographed by the late Joyce Trisler. She has worked with several choreographers such as Sonya Tayeh, Melissa Allen Bowman, Sean Curran, and Janis Brenner. Felicia is excited to be returning to her "home" studio of Sherry's Academy of Dance!