Drew Lachey (Co-Artistic Director)
A native of Cincinnati, Drew Lachey is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor. Drew first rose to prominence as a member of the Motown pop group 98 Degrees. The group recorded four successful albums and sold more than nine million records worldwide. Drew made his Broadway debut playing the role of Mark Cohen in Rent. His latest Broadway credits include the role of Patsy in Monty Python’s Spamalot and Corny Collins in Hairspray with the PCLO. Drew became a household name when he took home the infamous mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars (season-two champion, season-five co-host) and later took his dancing talents on the road with 3 North American tours of Dancing with the Stars and was asked to come back and be apart of the All-Star season. Drew also hosted the primetime ABC show Dance War with Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, The Miss USA Pageant, HGTV's $250,000 Challenge and America Sings for GMC. After a decade break 98 Degrees is back together and recently toured with NKOTB and Boyz II Men on the "Package Tour", "My2K Tour" and the "98 Degrees at Christmas" tours in the fall of 2017 and 2018. Drew also starred in UPTV's "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" and A&E's "Lachey's Bar". Drew also consults with the Cincinnati Film Commission on films being produced around Cincinnati.
Lea Lachey (Co-Artistic Director)
Lea Lachey was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and began working professionally at age 11 on the "King and I" National Tour. After being awarded a full dance scholarship to Marymount Manhattan College in NYC she went on to work with the world renowned Radio City Music Hall Rockettes as a dancer and assistant choreographer. Whether it is doing “Singing in the Rain” with the Santa Barbara CLO, the Disney NYC World Premiere of Hercules or the Missy Elliott video for “I Can’t Stand the Rain” Lea has always taken pride in being a versatile dancer and expects the same from her students. Lea's choreography credits include 98 Degrees (Today Show, Good Morning America, Mtv, VH1, Miss Teen USA, NFL ProBowl and NBA All-star game). Her live stage credits include the Nickelodeon ‘All That” Tour, 98 Degrees “Heat It Up” Tour, 98 Degrees “Revelation” World Tour and Creative Director for Jessica Simpson’s “Reality” Tour. Lea is currently Co-Director of the School for Creative and Performing Arts Musical Theater program and co artistic director of Lachey Productions which is bridging the gap between student and professional performer. Her work was showcased in the Exhale Dance Tribe shows "Love Letters" and "Rapture" at the Aronoff which included Lachey Arts performers. Lea's choreography was on display this past summer on the US national My2K tour as well as in 2013 with 98 Degrees as part of the NKOTB, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men "Package Tour". Over the last several years, Lea has had the honor of working as choreographer and dance consultant on multiple films. "Carol" staring Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett and Kyle Chandler, "Miles Ahead" starring Golden Globe winning actor Don Cheadle and Emayatzy Corinealdi and A Christmas Melody directed by and starring Grammy winner Mariah Carey and Lacey Chabert. You can also catch her as a guest DJ on Q102.
Desi Oakley
Desi Oakley is an actress, singer/songwriter and voiceover artist based in NYC. Desi is most well-known from her recent star turn as “Jenna” in Waitress, (leading the First National Tour and West End productions) and her fresh take on the role of “Roxie” in the Broadway production of Chicago. Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, Desi was exposed to professional theatre at Music Theatre of Wichita and began performing at the young age of 8 years old and becoming a professional at 14. Her learning continued at the University of Michigan where she proudly earned a BFA in Musical Theatre. Upon graduation, she began establishing her career making her Broadway debut in Wicked. From there Desi was found in playbills like the Original Broadway Cast Revival of Annie, the Broadway Revival of Les Misérables, and the First National Tour of Evita as the Eva Péron Alternate. Alongside stage performance, Desi can be seen on an episode of Warner Brothers’ Gotham and an upcoming episode of HBO’s The Gilded Age. Desi’s extensive classical piano training inspired her songwriting, and her original music can be found on Spotify and iTunes. Over the years, Desi has found a great passion for virtually teaching aspiring young artists all over the world. To stay up to date with Desi, follow her on Instagram: @desioakley
Merle Dandridge
Merle Dandridge is best kown for her starring roles on Broadway: Tony Award winning "Once on This Island" (Papa Ge), "Spamalot" (Lady of the Lake), "Tarzan" (Kala), "Aida" (Aida), "Rent" (Joanne), "Jesus Christ Superstar". US/ European Tours: Spamalot, Aida, Rent, Aint Misbehavin, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Hugh Jackman in Performance. Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Geffin Playhouse (Meet Vera Stark/ Atlanta), La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse and several Chicago Theatres. On television Merle can currently be seen on HBO’s Emmy nominated “Flight Attendant” as well as the OWN series "Greenleaf". She has also recurred on Night Shift, Star-Crossed, The Newsroom, Sons of Anarchy and the CBS drama Stalker. Other television: The Mentalist, Drop Dead Diva, Perception, Nikita, Criminal Minds, Ringer, Lie to Me, Love Bites, CSI: Miami, The Deep End, 24, Third Watch, NCIS, All My Children, Angel, Guiding Light and 7 Network Pilots. She is also known for her award-winning performance as Alyx Vance in the Half Life 2 video game series, as Marlene in the Last of Us and Legion Commander/ Winter Wyvern in DOTA 2. www.merledandridge.com
Traci Swain
A native of the South Bronx and graduate of the world renowned NYC High School for Performing Arts, Traci turned her love for dance into a career. She has done countless videos and has performed live for such artists as Salt-n-Pepa, Missy Elliott and Pop icon Britney Spears. She was a dancer and assistant choreographer on the 98 Degrees "Revelation" World Tour. Traci has been seen performing in several Saturday Night Live sketches as well as many commercials such as the U2 iPod commercial. She also spent 3 years dancing for the prestigious New York City Knicks and choreographed the 2000 NBA All Star Game. Traci currently travels all over the world choreographing and directing live corporate shows for major Fortune 500 companies such as Nu Skin, Sanyo and Target. Once again, Traci teamed up with Lea Lachey and assisted with the choreography for 98 Degrees' 'Package Tour' featuring NKOTB and Boyz II Men.
Laurie Wyant holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education grades K-12 from the Crane School of Music in New York. Her postgraduate studies include a Masters Degree and Doctoral Studies in Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from the College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. Laurie has performed as a principal soloist with many prestigious ensembles including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Artpark Opera, White Water Opera, Boca Raton Philharmonic and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. She has also performed with the Cincinnati Opera and Cincinnati Philharmonic Orchestra. Laurie has performed principal roles in the following Major Musical Works: The Rake’s Progress, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, The Chalk Circle (during its American Premier), Street Scene, The Student Prince, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Mozart Requiem and Haydn’s Creation. As a highly sought after educator and vocal director, Laurie has assembled choral groups to accompany many incredible artists and performers. These include Quincy Jones, Mel Torme, Patti Page, Doc Severinsen, Kenny Rogers, BareNaked Ladies, Josh Groban, Betty White, Joe Nuxhall, Former President George Bush and former Vice-President Dick Cheney. She has also prepared ensembles to perform with Cincinnati Opera, The Cincinnati May Festival Choir, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Broadway Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Laurie’s work with the Cincinnati pops includes preparing multiple ensembles for their PBS specials and Telarc Recordings. In her 30 year career at The School For Creative and Performing Arts Laurie had the great fortune of working with incredibly talented students. During her tenure at SCPA, Laurie's ensembles performed nationally and internationally, winning top accolades in The World Choir Games, Verona, Italy Choral Invitational and the Beijing Forbidden City Choral Festival to name a few. Laurie now teaches private voice lessons at Lachey Arts and works as a choral consultant for Lachey Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Becca Strand
Becca relocated to Cincinnati from NYC in August of 2014. She has worked both nationally and internationally with award winning directors and choreographers. Most recently, she performed in the Broadway Blockbuster Musical, Wicked. Other credits include Curtains at Paper Mill Playhouse and Houston TUTS, choreographed by JoAnn Hunter, and the Asian International Tour of 42nd Street, directed and choreographed by Randy Skinner. In Cincinnati, Becca works extensively in both the commercial industry and as a teaching artist. For more information, please visit BeccaKlohaStrand.com.
Brian has performed in six Broadway shows, "The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm", "Saturday Night Fever", the TONY award winning revival of "42nd Street", "The Boy From Oz" (Gypsy Robe recipient), "The Drowsy Chaperone" and Monty Python's "Spamalot". He has toured nationally with "State Fair" and "Annie Get Your Gun" and internationally with "The Who's Tommy" as well as regional theaters all across the country. He directed and choreographed "She Loves Me" and "A Grand Night For Singing", as well as conceived, directed and starred in "5,6,7,8, Broadway's Style and Rhythm" at Alpine Theater Project in Whitefish,MT. Brian was the associate choreographer of "Elf, The Musical" on Broadway and has choreographed "Shrek The Musical" and "Little Shop of Horrors" and many others for theatre companies around the country. He recently directed and choreographed "Pirates of Penzance" and "A Chorus Line" for Summer Reperatory Theatre, as well as choreographed "The Little Mermaid" for North Carolina Theatre and Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. He has also choreographed for the Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company, The Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Mac-Haydn Theatre, Momentum Dance Company at Vanderbilt University, The School of Nashville Ballet and the American Spirit Dance Company. Brian is currently the Artistic Director of Music Theater Wichita and has also been on faculty at Syracuse University, Oklahoma City University, Vanderbilt University, Belmont University and the School of Nashville Ballet.
Jennifer Marcum
Jennifer Marcum has been seen on stage in numerous productions including the Broadway company of Beauty and the Beast, the national tours of Annie Get Your Gun and State Fair, and regionally in Hair (Crissy), A Grand Night for Singing, Grease (Frenchy),and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum(Vibrata). She has performed at Carnegie Hall in My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies and as a soloist at Radio City Music Hall. Jennifer has shared the stage with a host of celebrities including Dolly Parton, Nick Jonas, Phyllis Diller, Dom DeLuise, Donny and Marie Osmond, Marilu Henner, Rex Smith, Tom Wopat, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Andrea McArdle, and Toni Braxton. Her voice can be heard on “A Christmas Carol – The Concert”, and Broadways Carols for a Cure, Vols. with Nick Jonas. Jennifer is not only a triple threat, but she is a songwriter. She recorded her music at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound recording studio with Drew Lachey, Grammy award winning producer Gary Baker, and Walt Aldridge. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Vocal Performance from John Brown University and also earned her 200 RYT Yoga certification with Tiffany Cruikshank. It's a dream of Jennifer's that yoga be accessible to all ages and sizes, but most especially to artists. That they might connect more deeply with their creative selves and utilize the tools of breath and alignment to bring calm and stability to every situation. Jennifer is currently teaching voice at Wichita State University.
Rommy Sandhu
Rommy Sandhu has been directing, choreographing, and performing across the country for 20+ years, including serving as Dance Captain to Tony Award winning director/choreographers Susan Stroman, Kathleen Marshall,and Matthew Bourne.
In New York City, Rommy has directed and/or choreographed MakeMine Manhattan (Connelly Theater), How Now Dow Jones (Minetta Lane), Platinum (Lucille Lortel), The Adventures of Jack Price (The Corrican Theater), Christmas Eve w/ Christmas Eve (starring Ann Harada), and opening numbers for the Gypsy of The Year and Easter Bonnet benefits. Selected as a Dancebreak “Choreographer to Watch”, Rommy’s regional directing and/or choreography credits include the US regional premiers of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Tuacahn), Mary Poppins and Sister Act. Additionally, he was Associate Choreographer for Broadway’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (starring Kristin Bell), and City Center’s productions of Bells are Ringing, Applause, and Little Shop of Horrors (starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ellen Greene), Denver Center’s Unsinkable Molly Brown (Associate Director/Choreographer to Kathleen Marshall), Delaware Theater Company’s DINER the Musical (Associate Director/Choreographer to Kathleen Marshall). As a performer, his Broadway credits include Mary Poppins, Bombay Dreams, Oklahoma!, On The Town, The Life, Sweet Charity in Concert, A Christmas Carol, Sondheim 75, Annie Get Your Gun (w/Bernadette Peters and Reba McEntyre), and national tours of Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, Evita, and Dreamgirls (w/Jennifer Holliday). On television he has appeared on SMASH, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, The View, and numerous Tony Awards shows. He is currently on the Musical Theatre faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and Broadway Dance Center (NY) as well as ONSTAGE New York.Rommy’s knowledge and passion for the American Musical art form, combined with his extensive training and experience, gives him a unique perspective on how the worlds of dance and theatre combine. His choreography combines Style, Rhythm, and Technique to form an exciting fusion of classic theater and contemporary sensibility.
Jay is the Associate Artistic Director for The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati. He attended the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati for 9 years, studied at the School of American Ballet for several seasons, then joined The Cincinnati Ballet Company where he was a Senior Soloist. Mr. Goodlett has performed in many Cincinnati Ballet productions including The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Carmina Burana, Giselle, Blue until June, The Four Temperaments, and Fingerprints, among others. As a choreographer, Mr. Goodlett made his professional debut collaborating with Victoria Morgan on Graceland. His work Sing It Franklin had its world premiere at Beyond Ballet. Mr. Goodlett was invited by Opera Theatre of St. Louis to choreograph two operas in their season, Romeo and Juliet and Rigoletto. Jay has also choreographed for the Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Opera, Children's Theatre of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University where he is an adjunct Professor.
The mother of a beautiful baby girl, was born and raised in Hartford Connecticut. She moved to New York City where she was immediately accepted into the Alvin Ailey American Dance program. Her career started as a Knicks City Dancer for the New York Knicks. Jessica has toured the world and danced for such artist as Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Pharell, The Black Eyed Peas, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Kelly Rowland, Will Smith and Mary J Blige. She has also been featured on such shows as American Idol, SNL, Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, Ellen, Good Morning America, Americas Got Talent, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, and more. Jessica has had the pleasure of performing on two Super Bowl halftime shows with Janet Jackson and Beyonce, and at The opening ceremony of The World Cup In Africa. You can see her most recently on the NBC special "The Wiz Live" we're she was able to fulfill a childhood dream come true. Jessica has also performed in countless movies such as "Honey" where she was a principle dancer as well as Jessica Alba's dance double and in "Idlewild" where she played Bobbie the Showgirl. Jessica has been featured in several commercials, industrials and award shows. Currently, you can see her in the smash hit "Fuerzabruta" in New York City. Live fearlessly and have no regrets!
Jessica Harris
Jessica Harris hails from Neptune, New Jersey where she has trained in all styles of dance for 20 years. She has won numerous scholarships and awards from conventions and competitions such as "West Coast Dance Explosion", "Access Broadway", and "Urban Jamm". Jessica also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in Journalism and Media Studies. Here she was a 4 year member and captain of the nationally ranked Rutgers University Dance Team. During her time at Rutgers, Jessica was a 3-time "All American" collegiate dancer for the "National Dance Association", and 2-time "Dance Star" winner for the "Universal Spirit Association". Harris has performed on several television shows including ABC's hit show "The Apprentice", "Good Morning America", CBS Sports, and ESPN. Jessica now shares her love of dance with her students through teaching and choreographing. She has received national recognition and multiple awards for her work with several studios, high school dance teams, and college dance teams in the New Jersey area. Jessica is thrilled to be a part of Exhale Dance Tribe, and thanks her family and husband Clark for all their love and support.
Aliane Baquerot-Wilson
Aliane Baquerot-Wilson is an Olympic rhythmic gymnast. After the Olympics she decided to follow her passion and pursue a career in dance and the arts. She appeared on Broadway in the original company of Saturday Night Fever, and Movin Out and was also on the 1st National Tour of Contact. Following that she moved to Los Angeles to try her hand at film and television. Aliane can be seen in films such as: Southland Tales, Spider-Man 3, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and A Christmas Carol. She also worked on tv shows like Cold Case and was a featured trainer on NBC's Celebrity Circus. Aliane has danced with multiple recording artists including: Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Elton John and Tony Bennett. Aliane now resides in Columbus and is passionate about teaching and passing along what she has learned about the business end of the business as well as the art of dance.
Steve Goers
Steve is a Chicago native who relocated to Cincinnati in 2004. He is a member of the CCM musical theatre faculty where he both teaches in the classroom and serves as musical director for department productions. Steve is an in-demand regional music director, and has provided music direction for over 100 productions at companies such as Cincinnati Playhouse-in-the-Park, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, and the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati. Steve is a composer and orchestrator for film and stage, his works include seven feature films, including the award-winning “Over-the-Rhine,” and thirteen internationally distributed musicals for young audiences. Steve’s session work includes the Grammy-nominated “Ella Jenkins and a Union Friends Pulling Together.” When not working on a show, Steve plays keyboards and sings in several local bands, including the Clyde Brown Band, Aja: a Tribute to Steely Dan, the Ultrasonics, and Just Strange Brothers. MM CCM/UC, BM DePaul University.
A native of Cincinnati, Jenny attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music on a dance scholarship. Where she received her BFA in dance. While still attending CCM, Jenny was asked to be a student apprentice with the Cincinnati Ballet Company. Upon graduation from CCM, Cincinnati Ballet hired her as a member of the Corps de Ballet. Jenny performed with the CBC in the Corps de Ballet and in many soloist roles for five seasons. Jenny has and continues to teach ballet, pointe and music theater all over the city of Cincinnati. In addition Jenny earned her certification in Pilates. She enjoys doing private and group Pilates reformer and mat lessons. Jenny looks forward to sharing her passion for all of the performing arts.
Michael Lavine
Michael has worked as a musical director, pianist, vocal coach and singer all over the world. He gives master classes on auditioning in New York, Los Angeles, Australia, Singapore, Manila, Martha's Vineyard and other locations. Michael musically directed productions of RENT, SWEENEY TODD, and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He has accompanied Broadway and television star Bryan Batt in New Orleans, San Francisco, Australia, Hollywood and at 54 Below, Feinstein's, and the Metropolitan Room in New York. Michael conducted THE LITTLE MERMAID starring Emily Skinner at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. He also regularly plays for the Outer Critic's Circle Awards in New York and musically directed the Broadway Cares Teddy Bear Auction for its entire 15-year run. Michael has conducted orchestras in a number of cities around the country, He musically directed the Comden and Green musical BILLION DOLLAR BABY at the York Theatre in New York City starring Kristin Chenoweth, Marc Kudisch and Debbie Gravitte and the Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner musical CARMELINA, also at the York, for which he worked directly with Burton Lane. He shared the stage with Mimi Hines and Peter Howard (his mentor) at the Kennedy Center in a Rodgers and Hart revue, THIS FUNNY WORLD. For the past several years, Michael has been producing a series of CD's called LOST BROADWAY AND MORE, recording songs from Broadway shows that have never been recorded before. The latest volume, with songs by Jule Styne and Comden & Green, is available at www.cdbaby.com , as is an earlier one, Michael Lavine and Friends. A graduate of Columbia University, Michael owns one of the largest privately held sheet music collections in the world. More details can be found at Michael's website, www.michaellavine.net. He can be reached at Broadwaymhl@aol.com
Andrea Tutt
Andrea Tutt, graduate of one of Canada’s leading Theatre Conservatory’s, has been performing professionally and teaching theatre for over 15 years. As an international artist, her approach utilizes a wide variety of disciplines. Physical theatre became Andrea’s passion early in her career, which led to critically acclaimed performances in musical theatre, clown and animation. She has taught acting, dance and movement studies in many established training facilities including Ontario Ballet School in Toronto Canada, Toi Whakaari – New Zealand’s National Drama School, New Zealand School of Dance, University of Minnesota’s BFA/Guthrie Theatre Acting program and most recently in the theatre/music theatre departments at Xavier, NKU, Miami and CCM. Andrea is also an certifiedadvanced yoga and Pilates teacher, and is currently in the process of becoming a Registered Feldenkrais and Bones for Life Practioner.