Judges

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.

With a lifelong passion for movement and a deep dedication to the art of dance—particularly ballet—Lynette has been inspiring and educating students for over 37 years. As an accomplished dance instructor and choreographer, she has worked with dancers of all levels, from beginners to advanced performers, across multiple genres while emphasizing personal expression, discipline, and strong technical foundations.

Throughout her career, Lynette has earned numerous regional and national awards recognizing her excellence in choreography, entertainment, and costuming, along with multiple national championships and Victory Cup honors.

For the past 20 years, Lynette has served as a judge with Nexstar National Dance Competition, including roles as a head judge at both regional and national events. She has also judged pageants and talent competitions throughout the Midwest.

Lynette holds a dance minor degree and is certified through the Cecchetti Council of America as well as Acrobatic Arts. She is also a certified pointe shoe fitter and currently serves as a manager at Standing Ovation Performance Apparel in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

An active and dedicated member of the dance community, Lynette regularly participates in workshops and conferences and continues to further her own training through ongoing study, including classes at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Illinois.

Tonya Ferrucci began her dance training at the age of three and has studied under the late Bette-Ann Monti Rossi for the past 30 years. Her dance training is both extensive and impressive and she was well known in the competition world winning many prestigious regional and national awards. She has trained in Boston, New York, and spent a brief time in California pursuing her dancing career. She was the owner and director of APAC Dance, Inc., one of the most successful studios in the New England area. Her students have won many prestigious regional and national awards including Petite Miss Dance of New England; Petite Miss American Dance Awards, Junior Miss Candance North America, dance-off champions and many national dance scholarships. Her students were gold medal World Dance Champions for the United States in Reisa, Germany. Her unique choreography has been the recipient of many regional and national awards as well. Tonya loves sharing her passion of the artform dance to the next generation of artists.