Judges

Catherine Donadee was the Recreational Director at Studio 32 Dance Company, in Canfield, Ohio, where she also taught for 13 years. Before that, she began her teaching career at Center Stage Dance Studio. Catie began her dance training at an early age and has over 25 years of experience in the industry.  Trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical, Catie was a part of award-winning competition groups on the Regional, State, and National levels.  Catie has attended Dance Masters of America Teacher’s Training School where she had the privilege of studying under some of the industry’s greatest.  Ambitious to maintain a strong foundation, Catie continues to educate herself any chance she can. For over 15 years she choreographed routines on the competitive level and received numerous special judges’ awards along with being awarded for her choreography.  Her routines have been awarded on the Overall level both Regionally and Nationally, also qualifying and attending the World Dance Championship.  Sharing her love for dance and technique with her students is her passion, but watching them develop, explore, and express their own love for the art is an added bonus! Catie has recently branched out her love for dance and is in her second season as the head coach of the Austintown Fitch High School Danceline. She has choreographed multiple routines that the team performs during halftime of the Varsity home basketball games. When she is not coaching, Catie can be found at home with her family in Ohio.  Catie is very excited to be back judging for her eleventh season and wishes all the performers the best of luck this weekend. 

Originally from Illinois, Christy began her dance training at the age of three, training and competing with Excel Dance Productions. She later attended the University of Iowa, where she studied dance and earned a degree in Dance and Athletic Training, along with a certificate in Business.

While at Iowa, Christy launched her teaching career—now in her 16th year—and spent two years coaching and choreographing for the nationally ranked Iowa City West Dance Team. During this time, she also competed in Miss America pageants and choreographed for the Distinguished Young Woman program. She was a longtime guest choreographer at River City All Stars, where her routines earned numerous choreography and first-place awards.

Christy later moved to Tampa, Florida, where she danced and cheered for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She is currently in her 8th year of teaching and choreographing in the Tampa Bay area at BSDA. She loves teaching dance while enjoying Florida with her husband and two daughters.

Katie is a native of Columbus Ohio and began training in ballet, jazz and contemporary at a young age. She attended Akron University as a dance and education major, later transferring to Ohio State University where she graduated with a degree in early childhood development and a dance minor. Katie has trained under Missy Lay Zimmer, Andrew Hubbard and Jennifer Rutherford since 2008. Katie has served as a tribe member, rehearsal director and now resident choreographer for Exhale Dance Tribe in Cincinnati, a contemporary jazz company. Katie has performed alongside Bootsy Collins, Over The Rhine and assisted Zimmer and Hubbard in Cincinnati Ballet’s 2013 performance with Frampton Live! Katie is currently a Master Teacher Trainer and Choreographer for Xponential Fitness and manages a Club Pilates studio. When Katie is not teaching barre or pilates, she choreographs groups, solos and local musicals around the Tri-State area.