Meet the Staff
Our staff consists of qualified and experienced teachers who love what they do!
Melissa Strong: Owner, Director, & Head Instructor
Melissa Strong has been a dancer, choreographer, and teacher for 30 plus years. She founded the
5678! Dance Studio in North Sioux City, South Dakota in the summer of 2000 with 40 students.
Melissa’s studio has now expanded to over 230 students. This is also her 12th year as the head
coach for the Dakota Valley High School Dance Team. Melissa was the head dance coach at
Morningside College from 2008-2010. Melissa has received several awards during her
time as a dance instructor. She was recognized by Dance Spirit Magazine as being a Who’s Who of
U.S. Dance Directors in 2004. She was also awarded Coach of the Year - Top Five in the Nation
by UPA Americup in 2006 and 2011. Melissa graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in
December of 2000. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communications with an
emphasis in Broadcast News and a Minor in English.
Melissa has helped the Dakota Valley Dance Team win State Championship Honors this past year.
This was their first year competing in the sanction dance season for the state of South Dakota.
In 2009, they also were Varsity 3 National Hip-Hop Champions at the UPA Americup Nationals
in Minneapolis. The 5678! Junior All Stars and Senior All Stars have both taken home
1st place honors at the UPA Americup Competition in Minneapolis, the Ameridance National
Championships in Chicago, and at the Xtreme Spirit Nationals in the Wisconsin Dells. All three teams
have also taken home 1st place honors at several regional competitions in Nebraska, Iowa, and
South Dakota.
Melissa trained at Siouxland Movement Arts Center in Sioux City, Iowa. There she studied Ballet,
Pointe, Jazz, and Tap. She also danced with Jazzin’ Co., a local jazz company, and Siouxland Civic
Dance Association Ballet Company. Melissa taught for Siouxland Movement Arts Center as a substitute
and full time teacher for two years. At the University of Minnesota- Mankato she studied Dance as a
Minor and danced with the University’s Modern Company. Melissa was also a United Indoor Football
League dancer. She now attends workshops and classes across the nation to keep current with the
new dance styles and techniques. She recently attended the Dance Teacher Workshop in New York
City where she studied several styles of dance with teachers like Frank Hatchett and Cathy Roe.
Melissa is married and has two children, Gracie age 6 and Bode age 1.
Tricia Cropley, Head Dance Instructor
Tricia received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a Dance Minor from Morningside College. She has had 15 years of studio training in Earlham, Iowa and Moville, Iowa. In Earlham she attended Deborah's School of Dance, receiving training in ballet, tumbling, tap, and jazz. After moving to Lawton, she attended Dianne's Dance in Moville. There she received training in tap, jazz, and clogging. Along with studio training, Tricia was involved in the dance team at Lawton-Bronson during her four years in high school. As a dance team member and two-year captain, she competed in pom, jazz, kick and hip-hop. She also took part in the All-Iowa Honor Drill Team for four years, earned division I ratings all four years in the Iowa State Solo Competition and took 4th place during her junior year. Tricia was also a four-year member of the Morningside College Dance Team where they received numerous first place awards. She is now the Head Coach for the Lawton-Bronson High School Dance Team, as well as choreographer to both Lawton-Bronson and other local high schools. This is Tricia's sixth year teaching at the 5678! Dance Studio. Tricia currently teaches classes in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pom, hip-hop and Competition Team.
Carey Baczwaski, Dance Instructor
Carey Baczwaski graduated from Morningside College in 2011 and is an RN at St. Lukes Medical Center. She has taken 14 years of dance at Siouxland Movement and Arts, in Sioux City. There she took classes in ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz. She also participated in Ballet Sioux, Tap Inc., and Jazzin' Co. While attending conventions and dance camps, Carey has taken classes from Frank Hatchett, the late Gus Giordano, and Mandy Moore, among others. Throughout high school she competed as a member and captain of North High's Blue Squad, competing in military, pom, and kick. Carey was also an assistant for Mrs. Netley's Rising Stars Dance Team for three years, helping with pom and hoopla. She will be a substitute teacher this year. This is her fourth season with the 5678! Dance Studio.
Nancy Seeman, Dance Instructor
Nancy Seeman is a student at Morningside College. She has taken 15 years of danceat Dance Etc. of Norfolk, Nebraska. There, she took classes in ballet, jazz, lyrical,hip hop, tap, and contemporary. She was a member of their competition team for 11 years. When attending conventions she has taken classes from Nick Drago, Jesus Solorio, Grant Chenok, Kourtni Lind, Gev Manoukian, as well as many others. Throughouthigh school, she was captain of Stanton High School’s Dance Team. Nancy also was an instructor at Dance Etc. of Norfolk for 3 years teaching jazz and tap. She is currently abusiness administration major with a minor in dance at Morningside and is also a member of the Dance Team there. This is her second year teaching at the 5678! Dance Studio and teaches classes in tap, ballet, pom, and Competition Team.
Rebecca Hebda, Dance Instructor
Rebecca Hebda is a sophomore at the University of South Dakota. She has been dancing for 15 years with the Academy of Dance in Yankton,SD. There she took classes in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, character, dance team, hip hop, modern, and advanced technique. She has danced in the ballets of Coppelia and the Nutcracker with Dakota Dance Association. She has participated in many workshops across the Midwest with the Omaha Theater Ballet and Universal Dance Association. Rebecca was a participant of the Yankton Dance Team for 3 years, and for one year was the Assistant coach for the high school dance team. She assisted and taught ballet, jazz, character, and dance team at the Academy of Dance for 3 years. She is a Music Education and Spanish major at USD. This is her first year teaching at 5678! and she will be teaching classes in pom, ballet, jazz, and Competition Team.
Dusty Krager, Dance Instructor
Dusty Krager is a student at Morningside College. She has taken 13 years of dance Francie Key's School of dance as well as 5 Star Dance and Tumbling in Ida Grove, IA. There, she took classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical and tumbling. Along with studio training Dusty was involved in the Battle Creek-Ida Grove dance team for four years. As a dance team member and a one year team captain she competed in pom, jazz, and hip hop. Dusty was also a member of the Morningside Dance Team for three years. She is currently a Special Education and Elementary Education major at Morningside College. This is Dusty’s first year teaching at 5678! and she will be teaching classes in jazz and hip hop.
Tiffany Mead, Dance Instructor
Tiffany Mead graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with an Early Childhood degree, and is currently teaching at Nodland Elementary. Tiffany has taken 5 years of studio training in ballet, pointe and jazz at 5, 6, 7, 8 Dance Studio with Melissa Strong. During high school, she danced for the Dakota Valley Dance Team for 3 years from 2002 – 2004. After moving to Sergeant Bluff, Tiffany became captain of the Sergeant Bluff Luton Dance Team her senior year. After High School Tiffany attended Siouxland Movement Arts Center and performed in the Nutcracker in 2006. Also, she taught ballet and hip – hop at 5, 6, 7, 8 Dance Studio for one year. Moving to Springfield MO, for school, Tiffany began teaching afterschool dance classes for M Gym at various elementary locations. Tiffany and other dancers started a hip hop crew called X Sight at Evangel University. X Sight is still a running crew today. A ballet group was also formed and Tiffany danced and performed at the Out of Eden Fashion Show on campus. Tiffany finished college at UNI where she participated in Young People’s Dance Theatre, a before and afterschool dance program, where kids learned folk dances in a multicultural dimension. Tiffany was co–assigned with another peer to lead and teach classes at an elementary school. She was also in charge of preparing her dance students for an annual Fall Dance Festival. While at UNI Tiffany trained in Ball Room Dancing for one semester and taught jazz and hip hop classes at Wartburg College Sports and Wellness Center for one year. Tiffany was an instructor with us in the past and is rejoining our staff! This is her second year teaching here and she will be teaching classes in pom and hip hop.
Aspen Farber-Brown, Head Tumbling Instructor
Aspen is a freshman at Morningside College and will be studying to get her degree in psychology and later become an autism behavior analyst. She has been doing competitive cheer for five years at Elite Cheer in Omaha Nebraska. Aspen has competed at several nationally known competitions such as Jamfest, UPA, NCA, Cheer Sport along with the Cheerleading Worlds. She has participated on the advanced level five team at Elite Cheer for the past three years and has had the opportunity to compete at the Cheerleading Worlds each year while being on the level five team. Aspen is specialized in teaching all levels of tumbling and has coached at Elite for 4 years with teams from levels 1-4. She has also had the opportunity to coach high school cheer camps and is a member of the Morningside College cheerleading squad as well. This is Aspen’s first year teaching at the 5678! Dance Studio.
Kacie Wilmoth, Tumbling Instructor
Kacie is a student at Morningside College and is from Omaha, Nebraska. She has had a total of 15 years experience with tumbling. She attended Nebraska Gold Gymnastics Academy for 9 years and became competitive with gymnastics at the age of 6. After gymnastics, she started competitive all-star cheerleading at Nebraska All-Star Tigers for 2 years and had the opportunity to compete in the USASF Cheerleading World Competition for one of those years. When she reached high school, she became a member of the cheerleading squad for Millard North High School of Omaha. Her high school cheerleading squad attended camps during the summers where she received an All-American Award for cheerleading all four years. Her squad also received the opportunity to compete at the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida for 2 years. She has taught tumbling classes at Nebraska Gold Gymnastics for 4 years and is currently a Nursing Major at Morningside and a member of the cheerleading squad there. This is Kacie’s first year teaching at the 5678! Dance Studio.
