Who We Are

Here at Wevodau Dance Center we believe that everyone can benefit from dance. That’s why at our Mechanicsburg studio we run dance classes for 3-year-old toddlers to adults, giving whole families a chance to perform. With over 40 years on the Central PA dance scene, we make sure our lessons always focus on technique and style. But we never forget what’s really important – the joy of dance.

Our classes are designed to fit students’ ability and experience and not just their age.  This means your child can focus on mastering each step without being bored or overwhelmed. Our yearly recital puts our students in the spotlight empowering them to show off everything they’ve learned while practicing vital performance and theatrical skills. Together with courses held during the school year, we offer summer classes and specialized workshops to maintain your child’s strength and flexibility and give them the chance to learn from visiting teachers.

The one thing we don’t do is take part in competitions. We prefer to build our students’ confidence, creativity, and compassion to help them become stars both on and off the stage. Because for us dancing without joy, isn’t really dancing at all.

 

Our Roots

In 1963, Joanne Wevodau opened Joanne’s School of Dance in St. Catherine’s Catholic School on Derry St. in Harrisburg. Students took classes in the school’s hallways, gym, and basement – dancing in any space they could. Eventually Joanne shifted her focus to coaching swimming and became the director of the West Shore YMCA. So in 1981, she offered the school to Carol Wevodau saying, “if you want to keep the dance center alive – it’s yours”. 

From there, Carol changed the name to the Wevodau School of Dance and later to Wevodau Dance Center, reflecting Joanne’s, Carol’s, and later her daughter April’s contributions to the studio.  Soon Carol opened a second location on the West Shore in the Upper Allen township building. As the school grew, Carol decided to focus on the West Shore location, eventually moving into our former studio building on Linda Lane in Camp Hill.

The building was a much-loved home for the dance school for many years until 2018 when April, along with her hand-picked executive board, decided to move to our current location in the Hampden Centre on the Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg. It was a hard decision leaving behind the building that Carol had turned into a dance home before her retirement, but we know through the community, joy, and laughter we experience in its walls every day that Carol’s legacy continues.

Meet the Team

  • April Wevodau

    Artistic Director, Teacher

  • Andrea Longenecker

    Andrea is a teacher who has been inspiring students since 2003. A long-time member of the studio, she started with us in 1991.

  • Aubrey Fetrow

    Teacher

  • Crissy Yeatts

    Office Staff

  • Danielle Garvin

    Teacher

  • Deb Bender

    CFO

  • Emily Nixon

    Emily started dancing at Wevodau’s in 1979. A lover of tap and ballet (especially pointe), she’s been teaching here since 2021.

  • Jenna Faranov

    Teacher

  • Jenna Sadowski

    Teacher

  • Johanna Lucas

    A dancer with Wevodau’s since 1991, Johanna started teaching in 2004. She loves tap, lyrical, and jazz – just to name a few.

  • Joy Dawson

    Teacher

  • Julianne Vonderheide

    A dancer with us since 2019, Julie joined the Marketing team in 2021 and teaches Level 2. She loves lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop.

  • Julie Dawson

    An avid tapper, Julie started dancing at Wevodau’s in 2011. 5 years later she also became a member of our office staff.

  • Karlee Yeatts

    Teacher

  • Kate Bender

    A member of the executive board, marketing team, and office staff, Kate began dancing with us in 1993. She’s been teaching since 2011.

  • Kathryn Yarnot

    A member of the Marketing team, Kat started dancing at the studio over 30 years ago. She now focuses on Persian and Oriental dance.

  • Kim Ford

    President of the executive board, Kim found her dance home here in 1991 and started teaching 3 years later.

  • Kim Kenawell

    CEO

  • Kim Panasuck

    Particularly fond of ballet, Kim started breaking in her dance shoes in 2001. She became a teacher 5 years later.

  • Kirsten Youse Hyatt

    Kirsten joined the studio in 2003. She started sharing her passion for jazz and lyrical dance as an assistant teacher in 2021.

  • Kristen Bates

    Office Staff

  • Kristie Starrett

    Kristie started at Wevodau’s as a student in 2020 and quickly became a teacher a year later. Her all-time favorite style is ballet.

  • Madison Davis

    Teacher

  • Megan McGee Yinger

    A musical theater aficionado, Megan joined the studio in 1995. She’s been teaching here regularly since 2014.

  • Melissa H Maze

    A student at Wevodau’s since 2013, Melissa joined our teaching team 5 years later. Her favorite styles are ballet and contemporary.

  • Meredith Kelly

    Teacher

  • Natalya Gaffney

    Natalya joined in 2010, and within 9 years became a teacher. Her favorite styles are contemporary, jazz, and acro.

  • Sherry Winters

    A fixture of the studio, Sherry has been a dance mom, chaperone, caterer for our shows, and since 2016 a member of our office staff.

  • Stephanie Zeigler

    Stephanie, who joined the marketing team in 2021, has been dancing for 30 years in tap, jazz and lyrical, but always prefers tap.