Teaching Staff

Amy Noirot-Vance

Amy is the Owner/Artistic Director of Center Stage. She opened the studio in 2004 with a vision to provide quality dance instruction, discipline, a sense of accomplishment, and to introduce a new repertoire of progressive new concepts of entertainment, dancing, and staging that will inspire students to reach for the stars. From her earliest memory it has been her dream to be a dance teacher, to pass on the magic and her passion for dance to her students. It is her belief that all children need positive experiences in their lives, and wants her students to leave class feeling good about the work accomplished.

Amy started dancing at the age of 3, at D & D Productions where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and Tumbling for 14 years. She became a student teacher at age 11 and at age 15 joined the TazWood Dance Company. During her 14 year stay with TazWood she served in several different rolls on the Board of Directors, did student choreography, taught and choreographed for the children's outreach program, performed many leading roles, and was the assistant to the Artistic Director.

Amy has attended numerous dance conventions and workshops, performed with the Peoria Orchestra, was a member of her high school dance team, she has done choreography for several different plays, attended and performed at a number of National College Dance Festivals, and has performed for different charitable events. Before opening the studio she also worked full time at Morgan Stanley where she was the Branch Managers Assistant and the head coordinator for Online Trading. When she is not at the studio she spends her time with her husband and her daughter Francheska, who is also a dancer!

Olivia Gabbert

Olivia has been teaching at CSAD since 2008. She has danced competitively and non-competitively for a total of 30 years, and has had amazing performance opportunities at the Orange Bowl halftime, Citrus Bowl halftime, Atlanta, GA Olympics, Chicago Bulls, Bozo Show, Disney World, UDA nationals, Six Flags, St. Louis Blues, the talent competition show Live at the Apollo in the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York, as well as pretty much any stage, fair, festival, or sports game in the tri-state area! She has done numerous dance pieces for the dance department at the University of Iowa, where she received her degree in Elementary Education. She has a Master's degree in reading and is pursuing a Master's degree in curriculum and instruction. Her love has always been for jazz, until she joined a hip hop competitive team in College, and has loved both equally ever since. She has been coaching and choreographing for years and has won choreography awards at various competitions. She was also a Chicago finalist in season 1 of SYTYCD, and made it through eight rounds of auditions. Her claim to fame is the girl in the neon green shirt in the background of one of the episodes! LOL Olivia is the Literacy coach at Lincoln School in Morton, when she's not busting a move at Center Stage, she can be found spending time with her husband, Joe, and their boy/girl twins, Kane and Ogden.

Kelsey Meeker

Kelsey has been teaching at CSAD since 2013. She loves teaching Modern and Contemporary, but she also teaches Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. She has been dancing both non-competitively and competitively since the age of 3. After high school she attended Millikin University where she received her minor in dance, and was a member of the dance team. She had the amazing opportunity to work in Walt Disney World as a Character Performer, as well as, dance there with the team she belonged to through Jr. High and College! When she's not at the studio she loves spending time with her husband, step-son, and their three dogs Luna, Calla Lily, and Arya!

Amie Pearce

Amie has been teaching at CSAD since 2013. She teaches tap, jazz and ballet, but is partial to tap. She has been dancing since she was 3 years old and before teaching for CSAD taught at other studios. While in High School, she was on the dance team and took dance classes while in college. She has had the privilege to take part in a dance abroad program which took her to Australia! If she's not at the studio you can find her on the family farm with her 4 amazing children Phoebe, Cord, Sophie and Emery, and Grandson Kane.

Tori Morgan

Tori started dancing at age 3 all the way to 19, competitively and non competitively. She was on the dance team throughout middle and high school and has gone back to choreograph for the high school teams after her. After high school she had her son Josiah which resulted in a 2 year break from dance. She has been teaching, at CSAD since 2016. If she had to choose she would pick contemporary as a favorite, but loves all styles equally. When she's not dancing she can be found spending time with her son Josiah

Faith Kruzick

I have been teaching dance at Center Stage since 2018. My love and passion for dance was developed at this studio. I danced at Center Stage for 9 years and continued my dance career on Illinois State University's competitive dance team. With this team I got to dance at NDA College Nationals in Daytona, FL. This was a highlight of my dancing career and I am so thankful I got the opportunity. I love being back at Center Stage and sharing what I've learned with various students. I love all styles of dance, but if I had to choose a favorite it would be jazz or lyrical. When not teaching dance, I can be found teaching sixth grade!