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Meet the Team

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Ashley Burling

Owner/ Director/ Instructor

Ashley Burling has been teaching for 8 years and opened Mind & Sole in June of 2016. It has been a dream of hers to own her own studio since she was 16 and she knew she wanted to work with children, but continue her love for choreography and technique. She was a competitive dancer through her high school years and wanted to continue her love for performance. Ashley studied and graduated from Western Illinois University with a B.F.A in Musical Theatre. She performed in numerous shows while being at Western and loved being on stage, but knew she belonged behind the scenes being a choreographer. 


Ashley loves sharing her passion of dance with her students, but being an instructor is so much more than just teaching dance. She loves working with kids to build their confidence, set goals for them, and show them team work. When she opened a dance studio she wanted it to be more than just dancing, she wanted to offer dancers a place to truly express themselves and allow them to grow in so many ways. She hopes to bring more to her students in the future and continue building her company through the years to continue spreading her passion.

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Paige Olin

Instructor

Meet Miss Paige Olin has been now teaching for 3 years, and we are very lucky to have her on our staff. Paige was a competitive dancer for 13 years and started dancing when she was 3. Through competing and doing conventions Paige was offered many scholarships and was able to work with great choreographers. Her passion is shown indefinitely through her choreography and is very unique. Her favorite genres of choreography are contemporary and hip hop. Paige LOVES working with children and dancers of all ages and is pursuing a degree in Education. This year at Mind & Sole Paige is choreographing for Company and loves doing unique contemporary movement to tell her stories through dance. Paige says that her favorite part of teaching dance is watching each dancer grow in their own way and finding their art. Paige plans on auditioning for a University level dance team in the Spring to continue doing what she loves to do! Paige is a great role model and inspiration to our dancers at Mind & Sole and she can't wait to show you her choreography this year.

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Kirsten Todd

Instructor

Born and raised in Carthage, Illinois, Kirsten’s passion for dance flourished at the age of 2. She has studied all styles of dance, but tap has always been her favorite. â€‹At the age of 11, she found her home with the Dazzler Dance Competition Team of Macomb, Illinois, who significantly contributed to her love for dance and tumbling today. In 2014, Kirsten began her choreography career at Project Dance Company. She has found a love for teaching others and working with students of all ages. 

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Kirsten’s unique spirit, creativity, and passion for helping others is apparent in the styles of choreography she develops– as she works tirelessly to bring the talents of her students to life. She is thrilled to spread her love and knowledge of dance at Mind and Sole Dance Company. Kirsten hopes to inspire others to reach their most extraordinary potentials through their love of dance.

 

Kirsten graduated this past May from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communication with a minor in Studio Arts and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business. Kirsten is the owner of Kirsten Todd Photography and is the Marketing and Communications Graduate Assistant for WIU Housing and Dining Services. 

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