Meet the

Instructors

Meet the
Instructors

OWNER AND INSTRUCTOR 

TRICIA WOOD

  • Woodbury’s 2011 Business of the Year

Tricia Wood grew up in Bloomington, MN and first learned Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hawaiian, and Clogging, then followed her Dance Instructor mother teaching Line Dancing, Country, and Swing through the 1990’s.  Then in her teen years, she learned the additional styles of Ballroom and Latin dances, topping off the wide variety with a bit of Belly Dancing and Hip Hop in college (Mankato, MN).

Tricia moved to Woodbury, MN at age 21, and managed On Your Toes School of Dance/Retro Ballroom (now called Duende) in St. Louis Park.  Tricia worked with her Professional Dance Partner, and then brought him to Woodbury with her to explore the east side of the Twin Cities that had no ballroom dancing!  She married him at age 22 and they opened a ballroom together in Woodbury, both which lasted 7 years.  Tricia rebranded and opened a new Ballroom Dance studio, Dance and Entertainment Studios, where she continues teaching over 20 styles of Ballroom, Latin, Swing, and Country dances!  Tricia teaches Group Classes and Private Lessons, and Choreographs and Coaches our Performance Teams in the studio, and also competes Pro/Am with her students.  Outside of the studio, she provides Event Entertainment- dance lessons, performances, and music DJ services, for galas, country clubs, schools, churches, health and wellness programs, corporate team-building, and more.  Outside of the Twin Cities, Tricia teaches for two different Dance Cruise companies: Dancers at Sea and Kismet Dance Journeys, which have taken her to Europe, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bahamas, and many of the Caribbean islands. After much success, she now runs her own studio Dance Vacations, taking her staff and clients dancing at all-inclusive resorts.  Tricia is an active member of the University Club of St. Paul, the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce, is a Diamond Sponsor to the Woodbury Royal Ambassadors program, and has won several awards and recognitions in the community, including Woodbury’s 2011 Business of the Year.

Outside of the studio and travel, Tricia keeps busy with her kids: Lucas age 11, Olivia age 9, and their dog The Dude, age 4.  Tricia is taking up golfing, and is working towards her Travel Agent certificate and license.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR 

TROY LERUM

Troy Lerum grew up in Pepin, WI then moved to St. Paul, MN.  He has a background in Ballet and African Caribbean dance, as well as close knowledge of body movement from his training and degree in Exercise Science from Concordia University.

Troy became a Ballroom Dance Instructor in 1999 at Dancers Studio, and after 20 years, joined our Team here at Dance and Entertainment Studios in January 2019.  In addition to Ballroom dancing, Troy is in his fourth season performing with Borealis Dance Theater.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

EMILY WEINLICK

Emily Weinlick grew up in Minneapolis, MN.  She was homeschooled for middle school and high school, which gave her lots of opportunities to find something that she was passionate about.  She started attending Ballet classes in 2010, but quickly realized ballet didn’t provide enough individuality for her.  Emily continued to dance at home, and in 2014 started taking a Ballroom dance class at Planet Homeschool in St. Anthony, MN.

Her very first class sold her on the idea of Ballroom dance, and she made many friends that she still dances with now, including one of our Dance Instructors, Austen Nepp! Emily attended that class until May 2015, when her Instructor told her that she was amazed at the amount she learned in such a short time that she should try taking private lessons.  Emily began taking private lessons at Cinema Ballroom in St. Paul, MN, performed in various showcases, and continued her dance education there until September 2019.  Emily discovered her passion for teaching when helping beginners at dance parties and group classes, and decided she wanted to take the next step and become an Instructor.  She began training and teaching here at Dance and Entertainment Studios in October 2019.

When Emily isn’t dancing, she volunteers at the Minnesota Zoo during the summer, and takes a trip every two years to Arusha, Tanzania to volunteer at Living Water Children’s Center.  She also works in sales for her family business, La Vie Boutique in Woodbury.  Emily enjoys the outdoors, live theater, snuggling with her dog Kiko, and a good iced latte.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

AUSTIN NEPP

Austen took both Group Classes and Private Lessons from Tricia, and even performed Tango with her in a dance showcase!  A couple years of fun dancing passed, and Tricia noticed his talent on the dance floor and asked if he wanted to train to become a Dance Instructor!  Austen happily accepted and has been part of our Team since January 2019!  Austen teaches at our Woodbury, Maplewood, and Stillwater locations!

Austen Nepp grew up in Stillwater, MN.  He was first introduced to Ballroom dancing through a homeschool program.  At age 18, he found Tricia’s dance classes at our Woodbury Central Park location (where Emily first met and took classes from Tricia too!).

FITNESS INSTRUCTOR 

LEAH WAITE

Leah has a background in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Fitness.  She met Tricia as a college student at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls when Tricia was teaching Swing dancing for their Dance and Theater department.

Leah taught kids dance classes and adult fitness classes through college, and re-connected with Tricia when she moved to Woodbury. Leah teaches our Yoga, Pilates, Butts & Guts, and other fitness classes in our studio.