Our Staff
Our instructors are all about putting focus on bringing your family our best in dance education.
With tons of experience and continuing education in all areas of dance and wellness we're proud of the team we offer. As you get to know us you'll quickly see that our dedication and creativity works to our advantage in bringing you the best dance experience in the area.
Meet our instructors
Melissa Hottenstein
Studio Director
Melissa Hottenstein graduated magna cum laude from Muhlenberg College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance and Psychology. She was accepted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society as well as Psi Chi psychology honor society. Melissa began her dance training at the age of 4 in Montoursville and Williamsport, PA before receiving her degree at Muhlenberg. She was awarded a dance scholarship for all four years at the college and performed in faculty and student choreographed concerts during her time at Muhlenberg. Melissa has also taught dance to many special needs children and mentally ill patients and these experiences hold a special place in Melissa's heart.
Rachel Finogle
Instructor
Rachel Finogle began to dance at Endless Mountains Dance Center at the age of 14. She has studied several styles of dance including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Pointe, Lyrical, Modern and Musical Theater. After graduating high school in 2009, she began teaching at the studio while attending Mansfield University to complete her BA in Elementary and Special Education. She is currently teaching at Towanda Area School District. Rachel has continued her dance education by attending dance conventions such as The Pulse and Dance Teacher Summit, as well as attending classes at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center in New York City.
Emily Soden
Instructor
Emily Soden started taking dance classes at the age of seven. Competitive dancing quickly became an important part of her life and she continued to dance until graduating high school. After attaining a degree from Mansfield University in Nutrition and Dietetics, she began working for Maternal and Family Health Services. In 2007 she started teaching dance classes with Melissa at EMDC. She continues her dance education by regularly attending dance conventions, taking classes, and studying various forms of dance.
Casmirra Ruhf
Office Manager and Instructor
Miss Cassie joined our team as an instructor in 2016. A Wyalusing graduate with 20 years of dance training through the Wendy Peckins School of Dance in Tunkhannock, she has extensive experience with competition performance as well as community shows and annual recitals. She's worked for over 12 years with dancers of all ages focusing mainly on the classics: tap, jazz and ballet. Cassie holds membership with the National Dance Education Organization and has studied under many greats including Sue Samuels, Donna Flagg, and Jessica Epting.
Ashlynn Beckwith
Instructor
Ashlynn Beckwith joined as an addition to our staff as of 2017. Ashlynn is a 2017 graduate from Northeast Bradford High School. She has been a dancer under Melissa since 1st grade. During the 2016-2017 dance year, Melissa had the pleasure of training Ashlynn to become a dance teacher and choreographer. Ashlynn began earning her Dance Teacher Certification in Buffalo, NY the summer of 2017. She also is a preschool aid while continuing her education and working toward her degree balancing her online schooling with an active work life.
Lillian Frisbie
Instructor
Lillian has been a dancer through endless mountains for 11 years, and has been part of the competition team for 4. While competing, Lillian received the encore extreme dance scholarship, as well as being a part of many award winning dances. Lillian graduated from high school in May of 2019, and joined the staff here at emdc the fall of that year. She is planning on continuing her dance education through NDEO.