Diane Lobdell

Diane Lobdell was born and raised in Buffalo New York. She started her dance training when she was 3 years old at Hoffman School of Dance. There she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical and Acro. She also started her training as an assistant teacher there. Diane then moved onto dancing and teaching at Center Stage Dance Studio under the direction of Annette Iannello Osinski in 1982. She is certified to teach through Dance Educators of America. Aside from teaching at studios, she also taught dance at The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart and the Tonawanda Senior Center. As a former dance competitor, Diane enjoys the thrill and excitement of it all! She has had countless students entered in many competitions. Her students have thrived in competition winning Top awards including technique, precision, entertainment and many Titles. Diane has also received several choreography awards from various competitions. In addition to her training, she has attended classes in NYC-Steps on Broadway, and participated in several teacher conventions which broadened her teaching skills. Diane enjoys watching the beginner dancer evolve to the professional dancer. She has watched her students go onto Miami City Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Appearances on Dance Moms, Ballet Academy East, Manhattan Youth Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Chautauqua Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Broadway shows, Las Vegas shows, High School Dance Directors, and opening up their own studios. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff! 

Liza Smith

 Liza Smith grew up dancing and cheerleading in Buffalo since the age of four. She cheered professionally with the Buffalo Jills and the Buffalo Bombshells for nine years. Liza has also studied with Dance Educators of America and coached Little Loop Cheerleading for over ten years. She is the proud mother of four children, including triplet teenage boys. Liza and her aspiring ballerina daughter Chloe' were featured on the hit Lifetime TV show "Dance Moms" for three seasons. Liza Loves to teach and is proud of all her students. She has won several awards for her choreography and work with her competitive students both regionally and nationally. Miss Liza is a certified member of Dance Educators of America. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Ashley Scott

Ashley was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She has been an instructor with Center Stage Dance Studio for over 20 years. It was at Center Stage that she received her training and is well versed in several dance styles, including Hip Hop, Tap, Jazz, Ballet and Acro. Ashely is currently head of the Hip Hop department at CSDS as their competitive team dance instructor and choreographer. She also oversees the recreational Hip Hop program at the studio. In addition, she has taught Hip Hop for many other local studios in the Buffalo area. Ashley brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her profession. She and her students have accumulated numerous awards and accolades in dance competitions all over the country. Ashley's passion for the arts has allowed her to spark creativity and imagination in children as they discover new movement in class. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Amanda Senker

Amanda grew up dancing at Center Stage Dance Studio starting at the age of 3 in 1996 and has dance training in Tap, Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary and Acro. Miss Amanda began assisting at the age of 12, mostly focusing on Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. In high school, she was on the Williamsville North’s Rapsody Dance Team and Drill (Step) Team, performing at basketball games and other school events. Training under Annette Osinski, Diane Lobdell, and Liza Smith at CSDS, she traveled to Regional and National Competitions receiving overall high score winning awards. After graduating from high school, she went on to study dance at Niagara County Community College with the Tanzen Dance Company under Kim Vincent, where she was mostly trained in Athletic Modern. As a student and an alumni at NCCC, Amanda choreographed over 20 pieces that have traveled to dance conferences such as the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Further traveling with Tanzen, she had the opportunity to perform at The Albright Knox Art Gallery, local fairs and music/arts festivals, and nursing homes. Amanda returned back to Center Stage in 2018 and began teaching her own recreational and award-winning competitive classes such as Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary and Lyrical ranging from ages 3 to adults. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff! 

Teresa Crean

Teresa's journey with Center Stage Dance Studio started in 1981 when she was 5 years old. She studied Jazz, Tap, Ballet. As Teresa started her family, she was blessed with 3 daughters. Although they all shared her love of dance, Teresa's youngest inherited her passion that began dance mom life! Watching her babies learn and growing all aspects of dance, solidified Teresa's decision to teach our tiniest of dancers. Instilling confidence, creativity, coordination, patience and the fundamentals of dance is her goal with each and every child. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Janay McMillan

Janay McMillan was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She found her love for dance at Clark Academy taking Ballet and Tap for 3 years in her toddler era. Center Stage Dance Studio is where she continued her journey and explored more styles including Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary and Acro. Janay attended Frederick Law Olmsted High School where she was on the cheerleading team. During her senior year, she was a co-captain and choreographed the team’s half-time shows. Janay was a member of Center Stage's Hip Hop Crew, led by Ashley Scott, before graduating and attending Shenandoah University in Virginia. In addition to a Business Administration major, Janay took up a minor in dance and further trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Ballroom styles during her time at Shenandoah University. The university's first step team, Hornets on Deck, welcomed Janay as a member, where they performed at school and local events, with Janay even helping choreograph several strolls for the team. Bringing her passion and faith together, Janay has been the choreographer for the Humboldt Parkway Praise Dancers for over 7 years and more recently became the advisor of the group. During the summertime in her college years, Janay was the Dance Specialist for the Delaware YMCA theater camp. She focused on exposing the kids to a variety of styles including, Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, Bollywood, African and Salsa. She also choreographed for the program's musical productions Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree, she returned to Buffalo where she assisted her former Hip Hop instructor, Ashley, with Center Stage’s hip hop department for a few years. Janay was then invited to teach her own classes and is going into her third year as an instructor with Center Stage Dance Studio.  We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Sabrina Schlicht

Sabrina has been a part of the Center Stage dance family since she was 8 years old, and she now teaches a wide range of her own classes of different ages and styles. Sabrina has been a part of many high scoring routines from the CSDS over the years; she specializes in Acrobatics and Contemporary and has even won choreography awards. Sabrina is very excited to be teaching for her third year now and is ready to continue to share her passion for dance. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Cheryl Schafer

Cheryl began dancing at the age of 3. Miss Cheryl trained in Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical at the Michael Valentic School of Performing Arts. Cheryl began teaching at the age of 16. She went on to graduate from Hiram College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and a minor in Theatre.  Cheryl judged for Summer Dance Festival for a number of years. She found Center Stage through a recommendation from a friend in the year 2000 and she has never left.  In 2002, Cheryl began teaching at Center Stage.  Her specialty is working with our recreational classes to insure they have the most fun possible while learning to dance! The thing she loves the most is to see beginners finish the dance year with an entertaining and organized performance and to see how proud they are of their accomplishments! We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Sara Sade

Sara A. Sade started dancing at two and a half at The Moyer Institute of Dance in Central Pennsylvania. Sara focused mainly on Ballet technique and performance along with other genres of dance. Following high school, she attended Elmira College where she majored in Psychology and minored in dance.  Sara performed as a member of Orchesis focusing on modern dance and choreography. She also has a Masters Degree in Counseling Education and Childhood Education from Eastern Illinois University. Following her move to Buffalo, she began teaching Ballet Technique and Performance at other local studios for many years before happily moving to Center Stage Dance Studio in 2009.  We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!

Kayley Ruda

Kayley started dancing at Center Stage Dance Studio when she was 2 years old. Passionate about movement and expression, Kayley is a versatile dancer and dedicated dance instructor trained in a diverse range of styles, including tap, jazz, ballet and hip hop. With a profound love for the art of dance, Kayley is committed to sharing her knowledge and skills with students, fostering their growth and instilling a deep appreciation for the rhythm and grace that dance brings to our lives.

Janeen Sullivan

Janeen is very passionate about dance and teaching. She began her journey at the age of 4 at Mullen Sisters School of Dance; trained in Ballet, Tap and Jazz. Miss Janeen has had a privilege of dancing at Center Stage Dance Studio for over 10 years and is excited to start her 4th year teaching our studio. Not only does she encourage a positive environment for our young dancers at CSDS, Janeen is also a certified Zumba Fitness Instructor with over 10 years of experience. In addition, she has also choreographed several local elementary and high school musical productions. We are proud to have her as a part of our staff!