our story

 ​​Justine first found her love of dance when her mom enrolled her in dance classes at the age of three. She continued to study tumbling, ballet, jazz, lyrical and tap as a young child. As Justine got older, she experimented with other activities such as competitive cheer, track, and gymnastics. At the age of 16, Justine taught her first Hip Hop class at a local gym she was training at. After that, she realized she was hooked and loved choreographing and teaching dance. Since then, Justine has instructed and choreographed for many dance classes at her studio where she has lead her company to many national and regional wins and received many choreography awards for herself. Justine taught while attending college full time at IUPUI where she studied exercise science, pre physical therapy, dance and psychology. While at the University, she was given the opportunity to perform for the Moving Company where she was able to take dance classes at a college level and perform professionally. She graduated IUPUI with a bachelors in Kinesiology, a minor in dance, a minor in psychology and a certificate in personal training. Justine is the coach and choreographer for the Martinsville High School Dance Team and has lead the team to several number one state titles. She has  choreographed for the Martinsville High School Musicals, Merry Mac Players & The Moving Company at IUPUI.  Justine was given the opportunity to choreograph and dance as a backup dancer at the Indy Pride Festival. Later on Justine made a connection with the Canadian song artist, Jasmine Whyte, where she was asked to choreograph and dance in a music video. Justine's goal is to continue spreading her love of dance to her hometown and surrounding communities. 

Julia started her dance journey later in life. She discovered her love for dance as a young girl and dreamed about taking dance classes as she would visit the dance studio with her neighbor. When Julia was 14 she was finally able to start her dance lesssons. After having her daughter Justine, she hoped she would love dance as much as her when she enrolled her in her first dance class at three. Julia was able to continue her love for dance by watching her daughter grow and then leading to opening the studio in 2009. Julia truly does it all from customer relations, staff management, recruiting, retail store management, financial aspects and so much more. 

 Destiny Mack started her dance training at the age of 3 on the south side of Indianapolis. She trained in several styles of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, musical theatre, hip hop, clogging, and contemporary. She was a member of the competitive team and won numerous awards at the regional and national level and was able to perform at a local dinner theatre, Beef and Boards, and in Disney World three different times. She later attended IUPUI where she studied business management and dance. At IUPUI, Destiny performed for the Moving Company, where she was able to take dance classes at the collegiate level and perform. After graduating in the spring of 2015, Destiny became apart of a professional dance company called Create Freedom Arts Projects where she trained in Horton technique, modern, contemporary, and African. For two years she was a professional cheerleader/dancer for the Indy Fuel hockey team and was named dance captain. Destiny has also performed for the Indy Pride Celebration as a back up dancer and was in a music video for Canadian recording artist Jasmine Whyte. Most recently, Destiny became a member of Meraki Dance Company, a professional dance company in Indianapolis where she will continue to train in modern, contemporary, jazz, and more. Destiny has been sharing her love and passion for dance by teaching and assisting dancers for several years now. She plans to keep dance in her life forever and hopes that she will be able to perform full time some day. Destiny is living life one audition at a time!

Ri Leigh began her dance career at the age of 5 in recreational
classes and started competing soon after at 7 years old. As she
moved to Martinsville she found an even greater love for dance as
she joined the Studio J2 Dance competition team at 12. Within this
studio she trained for 7 more years in many styles including jazz,
hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, and musical theater. Ri Leigh
was given an opportunity as she entered high school to begin
assisting under Justine for recreational classes and then younger
competitive teams. As a competitive team member and dancer on the
speciality elite team, she was able to compete in New York City for
the world dance championships. Dance opened up the door to
perform in many special occasions, community events, and even in a
music video for an artist based out of Canada. Returning from a
stint in the military after high school graduation, Ri Leigh returned
to the studio and the Martinsville Dance Team to pursue a love of
coaching. Her passion for dance grows each year as she continues
to work on her craft, train in different styles, and watch her
students throughout the season as they excel in their dancing. 

    Haley first started taking recreational dance classes at the age of 8 but did not discover her true passion for dance and choreography until she joined the competitive dance team at Studio J2 Dance at the age of 12. It is here she trained at a competitive level in styles including contemporary, lyrical, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. In high school Haley began assisting and training under Justine as a choreographer for the younger competitive dance teams. Her years as a competitive and elite member dancer at J2 gave her the opportunity to compete at the world dance championship in New York City along with many other dance opportunities including being asked to perform as guest artists for a professional Indy based dance company called Create Freedom Arts Project and being asked to perform at the annual Indy Pride Festival. She also gained the opportunity to be a back up dancer for Canadian music artist, Jasmine Whyte. Haley recently graduated from IUPUI’s Herron School of Art + Design where she studied Art History. She continued to pursue her dance career here at IUPUI where she was a member of the school dance organization, The Moving Company. Haley hopes to continue to dance and choreograph at a professional level and never wants to stop learning new things through her dance career!  

 Stacie was raised in Morgantown, IN. She started her dance journey at the age of just 3! Stacie graduated with a BFA in dance from the University of Saint Francis where she studied and performed with the Fort Wayne Ballet. She has had 10 years experience in the field as a dance Instructor, teaching various styles including: Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Musical Theatre, Hip-Hop, fitness & more! Stacie has worked previously as the Executive & Artistic Director in Columbus, IN. Stacie currently teaches locally for studios in Martinsville, Franklin and Beech Grove. She continues to be a substitute teacher in the area as well. Stacie is currently a company member dancing professionally with Relevations Dance Company performing all over Indiana. Stacie is extremely excited to be teaching for many new dance studios this Fall. She is most excited to train and equip dancers with the proper etiquette, technique, and self-confidence that will enable and empower them to transform into the powerful dancer that they dream of being! "My love for dance has touched hundreds of dancers' lives over the years. I look forward to being a positive role model and significant impact to each dancer along their journey!” 

Drew Mack started her dance training at the age of 2. She trained at Center Stage Dance Academy in several styles of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, musical theatre, hip hop, clogging, and contemporary. She was a member of the competitive team and won numerous awards at the regional and national level. With Center Stage, Drew was able to perform at a local dinner theatre, Beef and Boards, and in Disney World four different times. She graduated from Ball State University where she studied marketing and dance. While attending Ball State University she was also a part of Rhythms Dance Troupe where she choreographed and performed multiple pieces. Drew also danced professionally with Meraki Dance Company. Drew is eager to share her passion and love for dance at Studio J2 Dance.  

Elise began her dance career around 5 years old by taking recreational classes. After 2 years she joined J2’s competition team. She began to train in contemporary, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, musical theater, ballet, tap, pom, and acro. At a young age Elise was able to join the Elite Team and push her dance journey. She has gotten to attend the World Dance Championships in New York, community events, multiple dance conventions, multiple nationals, and even won at nationals with her team. When Elise got into High School she joined the Dance Team. Elise got to compete for 2 years with the dance team and got a State Championship and runner up with her team. Throughout High School Elise got to assist in recreational classes and summer camps which showed her a love for teaching dance. Elise is currently attending Butler University for Elementary education and can’t wait to come back to the studio to start teaching. She cant wait for love and knowledge of dance to continue growing. Her passion for dance never stops and she can’t wait to pass the love of dance to younger students. 

 Alayna began her dance career around 5 years old by taking recreational classes. In middle school, she joined J2’s competition team. She began to train in contemporary, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, musical theater, ballet, pom, and acro. She has gotten to attend the World Dance Championships in New York, community events, multiple dance conventions, multiple nationals, and even won at nationals with her team. Alayna was also apart of her high school’s varsity dance team. Her senior year the team competed in high school competitions really pushing them to the next level. The team ended up being second runner up for their first year competing! Alayna is a sophomore at Butler University studying elementary education and diverse learners. Alayna feels very passionate about teaching and she would love to share her passion with others. Alayna enjoys coming back to her studio any chance she gets and cannot wait to start teaching! She thinks this is an amazing opportunity to push her teaching and dancing career. She is super excited for this new and amazing experience. 

 Clayton started his dance journey when he was 6 years old. He started here at J2 in the boys hip hop program and quickly grew to the competition Team. He competed in a multitude of styles
including jazz, hop hop, ballet, musical theater, and contemporary. He values stage presence,
expression, and the creativity of dance above all else. Clayton now further hones his skills to pass down to the next generation of performers. Clayton is one of the head instructors of our Boys Compettion Team at J2!

Kaydence started dancing at the age of 11 and started off by dancing in
the boys hip hop program at Studio J2 Dance. This is where he found his
love for dance. He danced competitively for 7 years. He competed and
performed in various styles including tap, hip hop, contemporary, ballet,
jazz, and musical theater. He started assisting at Studio J2 Dance his junior
year of high school and would start subbing for classes as needed.
During Kaydences’ senior year he interned under Justine and Julia who
mentored him in teaching, choreography, and more! Kaydence also
danced on the Martinsville High Schools’ dance team. While on the team
they went to achieve 3 first place state titles in the IHSDTA. Also Kaydence
played football for multiple years until he eventually decided to dance
full time. Kaydence wants to help teach and inspire young dancers to try
their best and reach their goals.