Lauren Di Blasi
Owner & Artistic Director
After graduating in 2004 from Seton Keough High School, Lauren moved to NYC to pursue her career. In 2005, She landed her first professional job with Cirque Dreams “Christmas Dreams” in Branson Missouri. Shortly after she performed in “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” for the summer of 2006 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. Lauren then went on to perform in “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” 2006-2007 National Tour, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” 2007-2008 National Tour, “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” on Broadway in NYC the summer of 2007. Lauren accomplished her life-long dream of not only dancing on Broadway but also earned her Broadway credit and met the infamous Liza Minelli. As if dancing were not enough, Lauren decided to take on a new challenge and train to become an aerialist. She went on to perform in the following shows as both Dancer & Lyra Aerialist; “Cirque Dreams Illumination” at the MGM in Connecticut 2008. “Cirque Dreams Holidaze” in Atlantic City. 2009. “Cirque Dreams and Dinner” on the NCL Ship Epic 2010 Sailing to France, Holland, NYC, Eastern, and the Western Caribbean. Lauren was Assistant Choreographer and Stage Assistant with “Cirque Dreams Holidaze” in 2014 and 2015.
Lauren was a teacher and choreographer for Edge Dance Studios located in Orlando FL from 2011-2017. Her Solos and Groups winning numerous Special Judges Awards, High Score Awards, and Choreography awards. Some of her dancers went on to perform with Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, So You Think You Can Dance, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Tampa Bay Bolts, Miami Dolphins and Miami Heat.
Lauren moved back to Baltimore in 2017 at which point she took over Dance Explosion under the original direction of Colleen Parker who owned the studio for 26 years! Lauren was thrilled and honored to carry on the legacy of Dance Explosion which she considers her second home. Now in 2018, Lauren is the proud Owner & Artistic Director of Dance Explosion Infinity. She’s excited about her new role and the future of the studio. More importantly, sharing her years of experience and passion for dance with all of her students.
Lenaya Williams
A native of Baltimore, MD, Lenaya Williams is a graduate of Towson University and University of Maryland’s School of Medicine. Receiving Bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Medical Research/Microbiology.
Being skilled in ballet, jazz, lyrical, tap, modern, musical theatre, contemporary, and hip-hop, Lenaya has had the opportunity to study under world renowned instructors and choreographers.
Growing up as a competitive dancer, she won various scholarships from New York City Dance Alliance, Monsters of Hip Hop, West Coast Dance Explosion, L.A. Dance Force, and many others. Making television appearances on The Morning Show with Rudy Miller, Showtime at the Apollo and The Morning Show with Marty and Don. Also receiving and completing full scholarships to Alvin Ailey’s summer intensives and a plethora of others.
Although she is a full-time Scientist, Lenaya is still dancing and giving back every ounce of her talents to those just as passionate. From traveling to recent dance certifications in training techniques, she’s staying abreast of the latest and greatest advances in this world of dance that we all love.
Jordan Smith
Jordan started her training at Dance Explosion when she was 3 years old and has been dancing ever since. She was a part of the Dance Explosion competition team and has performed in the Nutcracker as a child. From 2011-2015 Jordan has taught many after-school dance programs with ages ranging from elementary school to high school. In her later years, she was a part of the Anne Arundel Community College’s Dance Company from 2013-2015. During this time she was in multiple performances and traveled with the company to attend the American College Dance Association where she was able to attend master classes and perform in an evening showcase. Recently she has taken an all-day intensive and is now licensed to teach Zumba. Jordan is a people person at heart. She loves to teach the dancers and interact with the parents. Her love for dance is the reason she is here and she is excited to see what this dance year will bring for all the incoming dancers.
Alyssa Whitney
Alyssa has been dancing since she was 3 years old. She grew up training at Dance Explosion and competed for the past 8 years. Alyssa spent time training in various styles including jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, musical theater, and modern. She attended Brooklyn Park Middle School Performing and Visual Arts program from 2012-2015. She continued on to be a member of the Northeast High School Dance Company since 2015, and was the co-captain during the 2017/2018 school year. Alyssa is also currently an all-county dancer for the current school year. She will graduate form Northeast in May 2019.
Madison Ruhling
Madison began her dance training at the age of 9. Madison is disciplined in the foundations of dance and the importance of technique in numerous styles. In Madison’s senior year of high school, she transferred to another studio to experience competitive dance. For the past 11 years, she has trained in various dance styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. She attended Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts and was a part of their dance magnet. Madison was also a member of their dance company where she became co-captain her junior year and co-director her senior year . In her junior and senior years of high school, she fulfilled one of the roles of Clara in their yearly production of The Nutcracker, worked with many guest choreographers, participated in master classes, and performed at numerous showcases. One of those showcases being an opportunity to perform a self-choreographed ensemble piece in front of a national conference. In her freshman year of college, she became a member of Stevenson University’s Dance Team, ranked 2nd in the nation in Division III Hip Hop. With the team, Madison traveled to Boston, MA to perform at NDA Camp where they received a bid to compete at NDA Nationals. Within that year, they performed at many Stevenson football and basketball games for their halftime shows. Madison loves teaching her students and enjoys sharing her passion for dance with everyone around her. Madison has won high score and choreography awards while teaching at DEI.
Isabella Ridgely
Isabella “Bella” Ridgely attends North County high school. Shes a current dancer and company member at DEI. She’s been dancing for 13 years and competing for 4 years. Her favorite style of dance is hip hop. She is super exited to teach for us this year because she enjoys working with kids especially sharing her love of dance. In the future, Bella would like to continue to teach dance but also attend college for photography.
Christina O'Connor
Christina began dancing at the age of 3 and since then has studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Hip Hop. She has had the privilege to learn from some of the best in the dance industry including Michael Minery, Michelle Wiles, and Mia Michaels. She began competing at the age of 5 at both regional and national competitions. During her time as a competitive dancer with Dance Explosion, she earned many prestigious awards as a soloist, duo/trio partner, and a group dancer. Now, as a teacher, her choreography has won high scores and special awards as well. Christina loves sharing her passion of dance with her students any chance she can. She wants to see them succeed, be proud of their accomplishments and enjoy all of the hard work they put into dance.
Regan Gardner
Regan Gardner began dancing with Dance Explosion at 3 years old and has maintained her love of dance ever since. As a senior at Old Mill High School, Regan is so excited to start her second year of teaching and her senior year dancing with DEI. Regan’s favorite style of dance is tap, and musical theatre. After graduation, Regan plans to continue her passion for working with kids by majoring in Education and continuing to teach dance.