Our Faculty
Kristen Gerding-Heffner
Her ultimate goal in life was to establish a performing arts center and increase performance opportunities for all ages in Northwest Ohio whether through dance, musical theatre, instrumental or vocal. This dream became a reality in 2011 when she established The Performing Arts Center of Putnam County. Kristen began dancing when she was three, and danced for the next 15 years at the local studio level. She then continued her dance career at Ohio University, where she received her B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography. At Ohio University, she focused on modern, ballet and African dance techniques, but also attended jazz, tap, and hip hop classes. Throughout the years, she has danced at the Radio City Rockette Intensives and toured the Midwest performing various works. After college, she moved to Los Angeles and continued to dance there. Throughout the years she has also worked with well-known choreographers, such as Sean Curran and Stefanie Batton Bland. She has also taken master classes with some of the country's highest regarded dance companies such as Hubbard Street, Pilobolus and Mark Morris Dance Company. Outside of her dance career, Kristen Gerding-Heffner continues to perform vocal work in many arenas, including weddings. She also enjoys playing piano, saxophone and guitar. She has acted in two independent films, portraying the lead role in both. She also has performed in many musical theatre works, and continues to choreograph for local musical productions today.
Chelsea Escamilla
Chelsea started studying dance in 1997 at the studio level. During the eleven years that followed, she fell in love with the art of performing. This passion continued throughout her years at The Ohio State University where she pursued a minor in dance, in addition to her B.S. in Mathematics. As a buckeye, she focused on ballet technique but also attended jazz, choreography, and improvisational classes.
Erin Miller
Erin has been with us since the day we opened our doors! Erin is an exceptional instructor with 15 years of experience teaching dance. She specializes in working with the younger classes as her patience and attention to detail make her the most incredible fit to get any aspiring dancer started with the proper technique. She is married to Jason and has one handsome son and two beautiful daughters (who also happen to be incredible dancers!).
Kellie Hermiller
Kellie started at The PAC with Kristen as an assistant teacher and also student while in college. She has been dancing for 20 years and has been teaching her own classes for the past four years, teaching ballet, tap, and jazz of our Level 1-4 students. She has a degree in education which enhances her ability to provide the BEST dance technique to all of her students. Kellie is an exceptionally hard worker, much like her mother Lori (who is an integral part of our backstage during Spring Shows).
Brooke Unterbrink
Dance and Tumbling Instructor
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