Faculty & Staff

Laurie LeBlanc, an alumna of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, began her professional career with Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet). Later she danced, served as acting artistic director and was resident choreographer of Pacific Ballet Theatre, in Portland, OR, and was a founding company member of Oregon Ballet Theatre. Ms. LeBlanc danced with Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, AZ, before her transition into musical theatre, touring and performing on Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, touring with Nicholas Hytner’s Carousel, and working as dance captain while performing in Papermill Playhouse’s production of Brigadoon. For many of her 26 years in the Los Angeles area, she held the position of California Dance Academy’s Associate Director and primary ballet faculty and coached and choreographed for the California Dance Ensemble. Her students and choreography have placed in the finals of YAGP, California Dance Classics, and ADC/IBC and her students are dancing professionally or participating in reputable dance programs in professional schools and colleges across the US and overseas. In 2021, Miss LeBlanc received the Award for Outstanding Teacher at the Youth American Grand Prix semi-finals in Los Angeles. She has been a guest teacher at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, School of Berkshire Ballet, San Luis Obispo Movement Arts Center, Regional Dance America’s Pacific Region Festival, and Studio Roxander, among others, and joined the faculty of Studio Roxander Academy of Ballet after relocating to Southern Oregon in the summer of 2023.

Mary fell in love with ballet at age two, when she first saw 'The Nutcracker' on TV, and has been dancing since age three. She began dancing with Studio Roxander when they opened in 2009, with the exception of one year where she lived and trained in Southern California.  She began teaching at Studio Roxander in 2015 while continuing to take classes and perform with the advanced levels.

Mary loves connecting with each of her students and helping them believe in themselves and their dreams, as well as guiding them to become the best dancers and versions of themselves that they can be.

A Southern Oregon local, Hanna trained at Studio Roxander as a teen before going off to study dance performance and choreography in college. Hanna has performed internationally as a dancer and aerialist, with credits including Troyboi Music, Quixotic Fusion, Postcards from Hotel Cassiopeia Off-Broadway, Intention Dance Company, and graced huge stages like Coachella. As a teacher, she has taught classes in dance and yoga throughout Europe and the west coast of the US. Hanna currently teaches dance and aerial, performs with Levity Circus Collective, and produces her own shows here in the Rogue Valley. Hanna is thrilled to be back and teaching contemporary and pre-school classes at Studio Roxander!

Holly is a performer, choreographer and artist newly relocated to Southern Oregon from New York City. A native of New Jersey, she trained and graduated from the Rock School of Dance Education. She has danced professionally with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center, Ballet Austin, Terra Firma Dance Theater, Claudia Schreier and Co, New Chamber Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Chicago amongst others. Through her career she has had the opportunity to work with some of the most acclaimed coaches and choreographers, and hopes to bring the knowledge she has gained to a new generation of students. Simultaneous with her dancing career, Holly studied American History at Columbia University, where she graduated Cum Laude in 2018. Holly first began working with the students at Studio Roxander in 2020 and has been teaching here as either a staff member or a guest instructor since then.

Wes Veldink is a director and choreographer who has spent over two decades developing a distinctive movement style rooted in jazz, ballet, and modern dance. His work transforms human posture and gesture into expressive movement, bridging the worlds of concert and commercial dance while bringing music vividly to life.

After opening his first dance studio at age 16, Wes trained at the Orange County High School of the Arts and began his professional career in Los Angeles, where he taught at the EDGE Performing Arts Center and worked with artists including Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Ani DiFranco. He later moved to New York City, founding his professional company, The Wes Veldink Movement, which toured internationally.

Wes has been invited to teach and choreograph for leading dance institutions, festivals, universities, and conservatories throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, and Israel. His commercial and music credits include campaigns for Nikon, Revlon, and Joe Fresh, contributions to Alicia Keys’ Set the World on Fire Tour, and choreography for film projects including Country Strong. Through his production company, Calm & Sense Creations, Wes has also conceived, directed, and choreographed internationally filmed dance short films.

Ashreale Schmitz is a St. Louis, MO native who discovered her passion for dance at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and received a pre-professional scholarship to the Center of Creative Arts (COCA). She earned a BFA in Dance with an emphasis in Modern Dance from Webster University, where she deepened her technique and artistry. Ashreale has worked with artists including Alicia Graf, Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd (Alvin Ailey), and Leonard Cruz (Bill T. Jones). Her performance credits include The Muny, The Black Rep of St. Louis, and international study and performance in Italy. She danced with Beyond Measure Dance Theater and later became a company dancer, choreographer, and Assistant Artistic Director with Pack Dance. After relocating to the Rogue Valley in 2022, Ashreale returned to the stage as a company dancer with TANDEM Dance Collective. She is also the founder of Take Root Dance LLC, with a vision to develop a dance ministry that glorifies Jesus through movement.