Y-Dance
Teachers
Fall 2014
Deedra (Director) Y-Dance teacher and director, began her formal dance training at age four. During
that time Deedra studied ballet, jazz, tap, and pointe. Upon entering junior high and high school, drill
team became her passion. In 1995 Deedra founded the McCutcheon High School dance team and after
eight years, four state championships, and two state titles she began Y-Dance in 2003. (Y-Dance began
with 3 classes and 15 dancers.) Deedra came back to McCutcheon in 2010, helping the Varsity team
secure four state titles. MDT is the 2013 IHSDTA State Champion in Advanced Varsity Jazz AND
Advanced Varsity Hip Hop. Deedra truly loves all her dancers and looks forward yearly to not only
competitions but to the Y-Dance spring recital which has become to be known in the community as “a
show”.
Abbie is a senior at McCutcheon High School. She has been taking Y-Dance since the eighth grade and
this will be her second year teaching. Abbie is a four year member of the McCutcheon Dance Team, she
is currently a member of the Varsity Team. She is also involved with Student Council, National Honor
Society, and has been on the Academic Wall of Fame for the past three years at McCutcheon High
School. Abbie enjoys reading, camping, and spending time with her family and friends. She is very
excited to be teaching again this year.
Alayna is a sophomore at Harrison High School. She has been involved in Y-Dance since she was 4 years
old. This will be Alayna's second year assisting in the Y-Dance program. She is looking forward to
assisting again this year!
Alyna is a senior at McCutcheon High School. She began dancing when she was four years old. She
moved to Lafayette in 2005 and was the youngest member of Lafayette Ballet Company. She has
performed in five Nutcracker performances and yearly spring recitals with various dance studios and with
Y-Dance. Alyna is currently on the McCutcheon Varsity Dance Team as she has been since her freshman
year. Since then she has received three State Championships with her team under the direction of Deedra
Newby and was in the top 10 Sr. Soloists this past year. Her favorite form of dance is ballet. She has six
siblings and loves spending time with them and her parents. When she graduates she plans to continue
dancing.
Amberly is a Purdue student studying Psychology and Creative Writing with a minor in Dance. Born
and raised in Los Angeles, California, she grew up training for musical theatre and figure skating, both of
which had a peripheral focus on dance. When she was in middle school, she made the formal switch to
studying dance and has since focused her energy into jazz, hip hop, ballet, pole, nontraditional partnering,
and modern dance techniques. She currently dances for the Purdue Contemporary Dance Company
where she choreographs original modern works, several of which center on social activism, and organizes
the annual event for the women’s empowerment organization One Billion Rising. This is her first
summer teaching in the Y-Dance program and she is very excited to be able to share her love of modern
dance and unique approaches to movement with dancers at the YWCA. When she is finished with her
undergraduate degrees, Amberly intends to keep dancing and hopefully create her own repertory dance
company. We are very pleased to have Amberly as a new staff member to Y-Dance! We look forward to
her helping our dancers increase their movement repertoire and artistic abilities.
Brittany is a Purdue graduate with a degree in Social Studies Education. She has been involved
in dance for over 15 years in both the studio competition circuit and with the Indiana High
School Dance Team Association, winning titles at both the state and national level. This is her
fourth year teaching in the Y-Dance program and she loves interacting with the community and
watching her dancers grow and improve with each passing semester. She recently became
Deedra Newby’s Y-Dance Assistant Director and is looking forward to getting to know each and
every Y-Dance student as she embarks on this new facet of the Y-Dance program. She is also in
her third year as Assistant Director of the McCutcheon Dance Team and enjoys watching her
team improve with each passing day and competition and knowing that she is making a profound
impact on her dancers’ lives both on and off the dance floor. In her free time, she enjoys
dancing, choreographing, and spending time with her family and friends.
Cassidy is a senior at McCutcheon High School. She has danced for 7 years and has been on the
McCutcheon Dance Team for all four years. During her sophomore year, she and her team won
state in Advanced Jazz and Hip Hop. She has been captain of the team for three of her four years.
She enjoys drawing, cooking, dancing, running, and spending time with her family. This will be
Cassidy's third year teaching Y-Dance and she is looking forward to it!
Corrin is currently a junior at McCutcheon High School. This is her third year on the McCutcheon
Varsity Dance Team where she competed in Elite Hip Hop, duet, and ensemble divisions in IHSDTA
competitions throughout her years on the team. She has been dancing for several years and participated
gymnastics for seven years prior. Corrin is also on the Academic Wall of Fame for McCutcheon High
School and was a Valedictorian in middle school. This will be her second year teaching for the YWCA
and very much enjoys it.
Haley is a sophomore at Purdue and is majoring in Elementary Education. She has been dancing with the
Y-Dance program for 12 years. She was a four-year member of the McCutcheon Varsity Dance Team
and is the most highly decorated medal winner in the history of MDT. Haley was a member of the
McCutcheon Soccer team for four years and graduated with academic honors and National Honor
Society. After completing her first year at Purdue, she achieved Academic Semester Honors and was
named to the Dean's List. Haley also works at Kiddie Kollege Preschool and Childcare. She coaches both
the Southwestern and Wea Ridge Middle School dance teams along with teaching dance at the YWCA.
This will be Haley's 5th year teaching Y-Dance and she is excited to stay involved with this dance
program that she loves.
Jessica is a senior at McCutcheon High School. This is her fourth year being a part of the
McCutcheon Dance Team and she enjoys every second of it. She began her gymnastics career
at the age of four at Dance Moves and Gymnastics. She later transferred to Lafayette Area
Gymnastics Club where she was a part of their level 8 team. She loves dancing and competing.
Competing is one of her passions, as she has been doing it her entire life. She also enjoys
painting, drawing, and being with friends and family in her spare time. This is her third year
involved with Y-Dance. She is excited and looking forward to teaching this semester!
Kate began her formal dance training at the age of five at the YWCA. In addition to the Y, Katie has
studied Jazz and Modern dance at Purdue University and at the Morton Center. During college, Katie
taught modern dance at the Morton Center where she was also a choreographer. In addition, she served as
Co-Captain and Captain on the Harrison High School Raiderettes Dance Team. She teaches Barre and
Cycle in her free time. Currently, Katie is a Ph.D. student at Purdue University where she also teaches
communication studies. Her background is in communication and broadcast journalism. We are very
honored and proud to have Kate as a part of the Y-Dance family!
McKaylee is a senior at McCutcheon High School. She has been involved in the Y-Dance program for
ten years. This is her fourth year on the McCutcheon Dance Team and her second year on
varsity. McKaylee is on the Academic Wall of Fame at McCutcheon High School and is actively
involved in National Honor Society Student Council, and International Club. McKaylee enjoys dancing,
working with young children, volunteering, as well as spending time with family and friends. She is so
excited to be teaching again this semester!
Megan is a junior at McCutcheon High School. She has been dancing at the YWCA since 4th grade. She
too, is on the McCutcheon Varsity Dance Team with two gold medals/State Championships.
For the past two years, Megan has been named as one of the captains of the team. Megan enjoys reading
and spending time with family and friends. She is looking forward to teaching and being involved in Ydance!
Molly is a junior at McCutcheon High School and has been dancing with the Y since she was seven years
old. She has competed for McCutcheon Varsity Jazz and Hip Hop since her freshman year, and was also
in the Lyrical and Large Ensemble her sophomore year. Her favorite dance memory is winning state her
freshman year in Varsity Jazz and Hip Hop. Molly is very excited to keep improving in dance and can't
wait to start teaching for the YWCA!
Staci has recently relocated to Indiana from Utah with her husband and two children. She graduated with
her bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications from Utah State University and is a licensed Registered
Nurse through Weber State University. Staci’s love for dance and formal training started over 20 years
ago, specializing in jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, military, and modern styles. She trained in studio, won first
place state and national titles two years in a row as the captain of her drill team in Ogden, Utah, along
with many personal dance awards, and continued her training as she worked toward her degrees in
college. Staci is looking forward to continuing her love for dance at Y-Dance and helping others express
their emotions and talents.
Sydney is a junior at McCutcheon High School. She started dancing when she was three at Dance Magic
and three years later joined the Y-Dance program where she danced for several years. She is a member of
the McCutcheon Varsity Dance Team with Two State Championships, and also is a captain this year. In
her spare time she enjoys playing with her dog, bike rides, and spending time with her family and friends.
She is ecstatic to be joining the Y-Dance program this year!