98 Oak Ridge Court
Prestonsburg, KY 41653
606-886-3111

STAFF

Jody Shepherd - Owner/Instructor
Mrs. Jody began dancing at the age of five with the Bristol Ballet then studied for the next twelve years with the Academy of Performing Arts in Coeburn, Virginia and the Wise School of Dance in Wise, Virginia.  Jody graduated from Radford University with a Bachelors Degree in Dance in 1993.  While at Radford, she was a four year member of the Radford Ballet Theatre, three year member of Radford's Collegiate Dance Team and a varsity cheerleader for one year. Mrs. Jody opened Dance Etc. Studio in Prestonsburg in 1994.

 Jody's experiences include traveling & teaching dance camps across the Eastern United States as an instructor for Eastern Dance Association. She was also a member of their training staff, which included training other EDA Instructors as well as the EDA Curriculum Staff   choreographing dance routines to be taught at their summer dance camps. 

 Jody was the former seven year coach of the Prestonsburg Dance Cats and led them to many awards and honors including several national championships.  She keeps her dance training current by attending numerous dance conventions and teacher workshops where she has studied with master teachers such as Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Brian Freidman, Art Stone, Joe Tremaine, Jo Rowan and many others.

Mrs. Jody currently instructs weekly classes at the studio as well as coaching the studio's five Elite All-Star Dance Teams who have won numerous national titles.  She also teaches and choreographs for other dance teams throughout the area. 

Jody feels so blessed to be completing year number 27 with DE and to have been able to love and nurture thousands of dancers along the way. She hopes she has taught them not only dance but many life lessons during their time at DE and that they have made memories and friendships to last a lifetime. Jody her husband, Greg, and their two children, Gregory Chase and Makenna Kate, reside in Prestonsburg.

Lauren Bowman - Instructor 
Miss Lauren, an Inez, Kentucky native, found her love of dance at the age of three. As a young child, she attended several dance programs including The Dance Studio in Logan, WV, and Miss Jan’s Eastern Kentucky Dance Program. She found her home in 1994 when Dance Etc. Studio of Dance was founded in Prestonsburg.

Lauren has experience in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, pom, and lyrical. While a student at Dance Etc. she served as an assistant instructor, traveled to numerous dance conventions, and performed in local events, including The Nutcracker. She competed as a member of the Elite dance team for 7 years earning multiple national titles along the way. Lauren is a 2009 graduate of Georgetown College where she was a member of the Georgetown Tiger Dance Team.

Lauren is now a full-time instructor at Dance Etc, owns The Dance Shoppe, and serves as office manager to the studio. In addition to teaching dance classes, she enjoys coaching the Elite Dance Teams, teaching summer camps, attending dance teacher workshops/conventions, working one-on-one with her students, and choreographing for local talent. She feels truly blessed to be teaching at her home studio and sharing the love of dance with her students. Her goal is to spark joy and confidence within her students, just as Dance Etc. did for her.

Megan Towles - Instructor
Megan found her love of dance early on when she was only two years old and has never looked back. She has trained in many styles including lyrical, jazz, hiphop, ballet, tap, and pom. She was on the Dance Etc Elite Team for 11 years and was a PHS Dance Cats for four years.

Along with her studio training she also had the opportunity to attend many different intensives, dance camps, caravans, and most recently, the Dance Teacher Summit. She has been teaching her own dance classes for seven years now and enjoys every second of it! She also enjoys choreographing for her classes, the Elite Teams, and other dance teams in the surrounding areas.

The only thing she loves more than dancing is being able to share the love she has for this sport with her class kids. Megan hopes to give her kids the same amazing experience that she had experienced growing up in the dance studio.

Ashton Sizemore - Instructor
Ashton Sizemore began taking classes at Dance Etc. in 1999. From her very first class she was hooked. During her years as a student she was trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop and tap. She attended many dance conventions and intensives while also assisting with classes.

Ashton was a ten year member of the Dance Etc. Elite teams. Some of her favorite dance memories were competing on stage with her very best friends. She was also a part of the first Senior Elite Team to compete at the prestigious Dance Worlds. While in high school, she was also a member of the Prestonsburg Dance Cats. Ashton was honored to have received the Destiny Renee Brewer Dynamic Dancer Award in 2012. She was also a graduate of Alice Lloyd College in 2016 with a degree in History.

Currently, Ashton teaches classes full-time at Dance Etc. as well as working at Wildfire Designs in Prestonsburg. She also enjoys coaching the studio’s Elite Teams as well as doing choreography in the area. Ashton is thrilled to be a part of the Dance Etc. staff. Watching her students thrive and succeed something she hopes they will carry over to every aspect of their lives.

Molly Francis - Instructor
Molly Francis first became a part of the Dance Etc. family in 2007, taking classes in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and tap and became a member of Dance Etc. Elite in 2009. As a member of elite, she won many national titles, trained with many renown teachers and choreographers, and was part of the first Senior Elite team to advance to finals at the prestigious Dance Worlds and placed 8th among many of the world’s best dance teams.

After graduating high school, Molly studied as a B.F.A. Dance Performance major at Northern Kentucky University. During her time there she was cast in several pieces choreographed by top choreographers in the show “Dance ‘18.”Studying at NKU expanded her dance knowledge to include specific styles such as Fosse jazz and African under the tutelage of Mercedes Ellington, Tracey Bonner, Missy and Andrew Hubbard of Exhale Dance Tribe, Jay Goodlett of the Cincinnati Ballet, and more.

She has since returned to her home at Dance Etc. as an instructor and coach. She has been blessed to be able to work with and choreograph for many local dance teams. Molly is also a student at the University of Pikeville where she is majoring in Business and studying pre-physical therapy. She currently dances on the Dance Etc. Elite Open team and was recently awarded bronze with her team at the Dance Worlds.

Jennifer Smith - Instructor
Mrs. Jennifer began her dance training at a young age before coming to Dance Etc. in 1995 where she is now a part-time dance instructor. Jennifer has extensive training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip Hop and other styles of dance. She also has received numerous national titles as a former member of the Prestonsburg Dance Cats and University of Kentucky Wildcat Danzers.

 Jennifer is an assistant coach for the studio's four Elite Competition Teams. She also teaches summer dance camps to dance teams throughout the area and choreographs for many area teams. Jennifer continually updates her training through dance conventions and teacher workshops with master teachers from across the country. Jennifer and her husband Matt reside in Paintsville where Jennifer is a teacher in the Johnson County School System at Johnson County Middle School. They have two children, Matthew Ryan and Delainey Grace.