Just For Kicks Dance Studio Instructors
Amity Dwars-Meyer– Owner/Director/Instructor/Choreographer
Amity grew up taking jazz and ballet through The Penny Imray Dancers in Baraboo, WI. After graduation, she continued teaching their for 2 years while attending the University of Wisconsin, Baraboo/Sauk County. She was never classically trained; she just danced her entire childhood and seemed to have the knack to share it with others. She moved to Missouri for school for 5 years and did not pursue dance in any way. She moved back to Madison in the summer of 1997 and began teaching one day a week for another local studio. After some persuasion from some parents that she knew, she decided to venture out on her own and began Just for Kicks Dance Studio in fall of 1999 with about 80 students. She has loved watching our growth and being in our 3rd and permanent location. She primarily teaches the younger kids now but loves kids of all ages.
She married her husband, Eric, in January of 2001.They have owned own the Baraboo Burger Company (formerly Monks) in downtown Baraboo since 1997. They feel very blessed that their businesses have been successful. They had their first baby in January of 2005, Isabelle Grace and had baby # 2, Elliott Reese, in July of 2006. They are both very busy, but love every minute of it!
Joelle Lang– Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Joelle began her dance training at the age of seven as a member of By Faith Dance Company under the direction of Ariel Lopez. She studied ballet, tap, and jazz at Ariel’s Dance in Oceanside, California, and developed a strong foundation in multiple dance disciplines.
In 2005, Joelle began an intensive study of ballet under the tutelage of Rachel Jimenez, formerly of the Pennsylvania Ballet. During this time, she expanded her training to include modern dance, participating in classes and workshops with respected artists and educators including San Diego Dance Theater and Dance Place San Diego.
Joelle currently resides in Baraboo, Wisconsin, with her husband, daughter, dog, and three cats. Since joining Just For Kicks in 2010, she has been passionate about sharing her love of dance with students of all ages. She is grateful for the opportunity to inspire confidence, creativity, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts through dance education.
Lauryn Fry – Instructor/Choreographer
Lauryn began taking dance classes at age 10, though her love for dance started long before then. She spent her entire dance career at Just For Kicks Dance Studio, where she trained under Amity Meyer, Abbie Kaufman, Alexa Fuchs, and Joelle Lang. While Hip Hop has always been her favorite style, she also took lyrical, contemporary, and modern dance classes throughout her years as a student.
Lauryn began her teaching career in the fall of 2021, co-teaching Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Contemporary classes alongside Alexa Fuchs and Cassie Schwarz. As a dancer, her favorite part of performing was bringing her own style and expression to the choreography and showcasing the hard work she put into each routine. As a teacher, she loves watching her choreography come to life and is incredibly grateful for the friendships she has built with fellow instructors and students throughout the years.
In September 2024, Lauryn married her husband, Tyson. Both lifelong Baraboo residents, they graduated from Baraboo High School in 2020 and are thankful for the opportunity to stay involved in the community they call home. In December 2025, they welcomed their first daughter, Emerson Lee. Lauryn and Tyson are enjoying every moment of parenthood and look forward to watching Emerson grow—perhaps even into a dancer herself!
Ellie Burkhalter – Instructor/Choreographer
Ellie began dancing at the age of three. She started out with ballet and tap. She quickly grew to love dance and added styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip-hop. She grew up dancing at “Gotta Dance” and “Paradigm Dance Project” in Winona, Minnesota. Joining her studio’s competition team at age 7, Ellie competed at regional and national competitions for the remainder of her years as a student.
In 2016, she auditioned for Tremaine Performance Company in LA, California. She later traveled with Tremaine Dance Convention from 2016–2019 as a member of their performance company, assisting alongside world renowned choreographers and dancers. After high school, she attended UW Eau Claire and was a member of the dance team, performing at football games and competing at UDA nationals. She graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. She’s excited to share her love for dance with the students here and inspire them to be the best they can be. Ellie lives in Baraboo and is getting married this summer.
Lauren Meyer – Instructor/Choreographer
Lauren has been a part of the Just For Kicks Dance Studio family for over 15 years. Before graduating from Baraboo High School in 2020, she trained in ballet, tap, hip hop, lyrical, modern, and pointe. During that time, she served as a dedicated student teacher under Joelle and Amity for six years and worked as an office assistant for two, gaining both technical experience and a deep understanding of the studio’s values and community. Lauren recently earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with an emphasis in Digital Marketing from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. She’s thrilled to return to JFK, this time as an instructor, and give back to the place that shaped her love for dance.
Lauren is especially passionate about working with the youngest dancers just beginning their journey. Her goal is to create a warm, encouraging, and playful environment where little ones can build confidence, explore movement, and fall in love with dance. She believes that early dance experiences should be joyful and full of imagination, helping to lay the foundation for a lifelong appreciation of the art form. Lauren brings patience, positivity, and a nurturing spirit to every class, and is committed to making each child feel seen, valued, and inspired. She is excited to be back at JFK and can’t wait to share her passion for dance with the next generation of movers!
Hannah Dobson – Instructor/Choreographer
Hannah has been dancing since age six. She has belonged to Just For Kicks Dance Studio her entire dance career. Hannah mainly focused on jazz, hip-hop and lyrical. Hannah started taking an interest in the teaching aspects of the studio when she was in eighth grade. She started as a classroom helper with Amity and continued until she graduated from high school. Hannah was officially on staff as an instructor in Fall 2015. She currently also is employed full time at a vet clinic in the area. She feels fortunate to be able to share her passion with her students and hopes to spark a flame inside them, just like Amity did for her when she was young.
Hannah spends her free time with her boyfriend, Payton, and senior dog Keeper. They both enjoy exploring the Baraboo area, and are looking forward to growing their family roots here.
Cassie Schwarz– Instructor/Choreographer
Cassie has been dancing since the age of 5. She started off her dance career with Canepa school of dance during the summers. She began dancing at Just for Kicks the year it opened until she graduated high school in 2010. She also danced with Kris Pikar in Sauk throughout high school, in addition to Just for Kicks. Her junior year of high school she took on a few classes of teaching, while continuing to take classes at the studio. Her senior year she participated in the co-op program at the high school, allowing her to take on more classes and assisting with costumes and various duties. Cassie also served as the captain for poms in high school her Junior and Senior year.
Cassie attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where she majored in elementary education and minored in dance. In addition to the many dance classes she took at the university, she also participated in the Dancescapes program where she choreographed dances for an end of the year program and was on the football dance team for 2 years. After graduating college, Cassie started her career in teaching. She taught one year in the Baraboo School District, subbing for 7th and 8th grade language arts. During this time, she also coached the high school poms squad. In 2015-2016, Cassie began teaching 1st grade in the school district of Wisconsin Dells, and also assisted in coaching the Dells high school dance team. She is currently teaching in the Baraboo School District as a 2nd grade teacher. Cassie has had a passion for dance and teaching her entire life and is happy to still be doing what she loves. Cassie is married to her husband Bryan and has three dancers of her own, David, Teddy, and Adelaide!