Formerly Creative Playground Dance Studio
BEHIND THE MOVEMENT
Established in 2018, Creative Productions Dance Studio, formally known as Creative Playground is an award-winning group of dancers ranging in ages 2 through 17. In 2021, the studio transferred ownership to Creative Director, Ally Arnett, whose passion and vision is to bring the movement of dance to new heights in the community and the competition world.
Creative Productions is known in Cudahy and the neighboring communities for its exceptional dance training and was voted The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Top Dance Studio of the Year!
Focusing on teaching exceptional techniques and creating unforgettable experiences, we are committed to our dancers’ satisfaction and success. Whether you are interested in recreational classes or dancing competitively we are happy to have you join our dance family!
MEET THE TEAM
ALLY ARNETT
Owner, Creative Director & Coach
Miss Ally is entering her first season as studio owner and fourth season as Creative Director and coach at Creative Productions Dance Studio.
She began her dancing career at just 3 years old when she began taking ballet through the YMCA. At the age of 7 she started dancing at the Young Dance Academy in Oak Creek, where she trained in tap, jazz, and modern dance. She was a member of her high school Varsity pom team all four years, and even won a 1st place state title her sophomore year! After high school Ally started coaching at Raymond School and started their dance competition program for 6th-8th graders. From here, Ally went on to coach dance and cheer at Greenfield Middle School for two years. Shortly after, Ally became the coach for Martin Luther High School, where she served as Head Coach for thirteen seasons! She won many state titles, including over 10 National Championship Titles in Pom and Jazz. Ally also started the Spartan Dance Academy- a non-profit youth dance program for local grade schools and middle schools.
On top of her successes as a coach, Ally is extremely active as a certified judge for WACPC sanctioned events for the state of Wisconsin, including the annual Wisconsin State Cheer and Dance Championships.
She enjoys spending time with her 3 children and dog, and loves designing clothes, interior design, crafting, gardening and her collection of fabulous shoes!
AMANDA MACIK
Coach
Miss Amanda is entering her fourth season as coach at Creative Productions. She began her dance career at Young Dance Academy in Oak Creek, where she studied jazz, tap, and ballet intensively for 9 years. She was a member of the Oak Creek HS Varsity Pom Squad for four years and earned the role of captain in her senior year. During her time in poms, she was twice named Badgerette All Star and Badgerette Dance Star. These honors allowed her to study under top choreographers at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City.
After graduation Amanda continued to choreograph for area teams, including Oak Creek HS, Pius HS, and the University of WI-Whitewater. She has been a judge for numerous dance competitions and auditions over the years and is an active member of the United States All Star Federation. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2009, and went on to get her Masters degree in publishing from Kingston University of London in 2014.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, writing, traveling, going to the movies, and helping animals. Miss Amanda love Harry Potter, superheroes, and all things Disney! Her favorite food is watermelon, and she has two pets - a tuxedo cat named Chloe and a bulldog/pitbull mix named Aries.
AMY PLENNES
Coach
Miss Amy has been with Creative Productions Dance Studio since it opened in 2018. She is the coach for our Lollies Troupe and also teaches our Little Movers rec class. She began her interest in dance through her years of theater production and has enjoyed bringing that genre of dance into her classes.
Outside of dance, Miss Amy has a degree in marketing with over 20 years of business experience. She is currently the proud co-owner of The National Cafe in Walker's Point and The Lafayette Place on Milwaukee's Eastside. In Addition, she also specializes in vacation planning through her travel agency Dream Vacations with A3 Travel Group. She enjoys spending time with her children and animals, and if you want to make small talk with her all you have to do is bring up the TV Show Friends!
JESSICA GARDNER
Coach
Miss Jess is entering her second year as a coach at Creative Productions. She was on Senior Competition team at CP the last two years, where she earned the 2021 Nationals First Place Title, along with the Third Place Nationals Showdown of the Legends Title. Miss Jess also had the pleasure of performing at the 2019 annual Citrus Bowl in Florida.
She began her dance career at Young Dance Academy in Oak Creek, where she studied, tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, jumps and turns, poms, and hip hop. She was a competitive poms dancer with the Franklin rec for three years and on the St Thomas More HS dance team for two years.
Miss Jess is attending Concordia University-Wisconsin studying Early Childhood and Elementary Education, alongside Photography. To show her school spirit, she is also part of the Falcons Dance Team!
Some fun facts about Miss Jess are she loves everything Disney and Squishmallows. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her friends and family, playing board games, coloring, getting manicures, and traveling up north. Her favorite food is pasta and Potbelly's Sandwiches, and you will always catch her with a Dunkin Donuts coffee in her hand!
AMANDA LEWIS
Coach
Amanda Lewis is a native of Akron, Ohio where she started her training at Natalya's Turning Pointe and remained there until the age of 15. In her junior year of high school she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and trained with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre under the direction of Marjorie Grundvig, Dennis Marshal and Janet Popeleski. She's also attended several summer intensives such as American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Milwaukee Ballet. She did two years in Milwaukee Ballet II in their second company and just accepted an offer to join the main company with Milwaukee Ballet as an apprentice.
KATIE TRACY
Coach
Miss Katie is entering her first year as an instructor in ballet at Creative Productions.
Her love for dance began at just 3 years old when she attended BDA Dance, and later moved to Innovation Dance Company by 14. She is a 2022 graduate of Hope College where she received a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography with an emphasis on dance education. She was a member of the affiliated H2 Dance Company from 2018-2021, performing in venues such as Oakland Dance Festival, dance films including Matthew Farmer’s Firebird as a featured soloist, and various other pieces by nationally recognized choreographers and dance educators.
Miss Katie recently returned from a semester at the University of Cape Town in the Western Cape of South Africa, where she completed her degree and focused her studies on audience psychology and sociopolitical dance history. She is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization and continues to research both dance theory and ethics to make the art more accessible to all who wish to experience it.
At home, Miss Katie is known for her many short-lived hobbies– she loves crocheting, guitar, hiking, cooking, making playlists, and The Sims.
TAYLOR MAURCHIE-BANKS
Coach
This will be Mr. Taylor's third year with Creative Productions as an Instructor in Ballet, and specialty classes such as Technique, Improv and Turns.
Mr. Taylor is from Rockford, Illinois and began his ballet training right after high school. He attended Northern Illinois University majoring in dance. He has trained with Rockford Dance Company, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet, HybridMotion and recently graduated from the Lines Ballet Training Program.
He is currently in his second season as a movement artist with Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee.
Some of his performance credits include Nutcracker Prince/Sugar Plum Cavalier with the Beth Fowler School of Dance, ACDA Nationals 2018 at the Kennedy Center, and he recently took part in the San Francisco Trolley Dances this past November.
LAURYN EISBRENNER
Coach
This will be Miss Lauryn's second year coaching at CP! She will be coaching our Majesty Hip Hop Troupe, as well as our recreational Hip Hop class.
Miss Lauryn started dancing at the age of three in the St. Francis Recreational Program. When she was seven years old, she entered the world of competitive dance. Miss Lauryn was on the competition team at CP the first year the studio opened and traveled to Orlando, FL to compete in the Dance Summit Competition.
Currently Miss Lauryn attends St. Francis High School and is a dancer on the St. Francis High School Dance Team, where her team has won three State Championships in Hip Hop.
In her free time, Miss Lauryn enjoys spending time with friends, family and her pets!
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Teresa Noonan
Coach
Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Miss Teresa began teaching Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, Acrobatics, Flexibility/Tricks, Conditioning and Improvisation in 2013. In 2015 she became the Assistant Artistic Director, Resident Choreographer, and Rehearsal Director of North Georgia Dance and Music Factory and Kaleidoscope Dance Company while receiving her A.A.S in business Management.
In 2021 Miss Teresa received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in Contemporary Dance from the University of North Carolina School of The Arts where she was fortunate to perform featured roles in works such as Kingdom and Waiting in The Wings by Larry Keigwin, Pulcinella by Douglass Dunn, Battlefield by Robert Battle, Intentions by Juel D. Lane and A Work In Progress by Yin Yue.
Since graduating Miss Teresa has become a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a registered yoga instructor while performing and teaching with Komanse Dance Theatre in Atlanta. Currently Miss Teresa is on her third season with Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee and is thrilled to continue teaching and choreographing in her new city.
Freddy Aguirre
Coach
Freddy, born and raised in Wisconsin is currently dancing and performing with Waterstreet Dance Milwaukee.
Freddy has taught at several studios between Illinois and Wisconsin specializing in Hip Hop techniques, contemporary fusion and Jazz Funk.
Freddy prides himself in helping his students develop unique movement qualities and assisting them to find natural grooves.