ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Originally from NJ, Miss Dawn moved to Bluffton in 2002 after graduating from Clemson University, and has owned the Bluffton School of Dance since March 2003. Miss Dawn grew up as a “competition kid” at In the Spotlight in Waldwick, NJ. She was also a member of the nationally ranked Don Bosco Pom Squad and the Clemson Rally Cats.

Locally, she choreographs and performs for the May River Theatre and has won numerous awards for her choreography with the Bluffton School of Dance Performance Program. She recently was named “Tremaine Teacher of the Year.” Dawn is also the very proud mom of two independent and beautiful little girls and stepmom to two amazing boys.

She considers her position as the President and Artistic Director of the Bluffton School of Dance her most rewarding accomplishment in her dance career and looks forward to many more years of sharing her passion for dance with her students!

RECREATIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR Kimmi comes to BSOD from Northern NJ/NYC and began dancing at the age of 7. She trained in Jazz, Tap and Ballet with several studios in the NY/NJ area including Broadway Bound Dance Center, Fred Kelly Studio and Debrah Lee Studio as well as Broadway Dance Center and Steps in NYC. At 20 Kimmi began to assist and teach in her home studio Broadway Bound Dance Center and remained there for 12 years. When she moved to PA , she continued teaching at Whipple Dance Studio and also trained in Ballroom at Let’s Dance Studios and Dance With Me in NJ, where she was chosen to dance on the “Dancing With The Stars” Tour stage in Wilkes-Barre, PA. for a local competition.

Miss Kimmi holds a degree in both Education and Psychology with a focus on Child Development. She has worked with families and children with special needs as both an educational director as well as an Early Interventionist. Miss Kimmi is so excited on her new adventure as the Recreational Program Director and has made it her life’s passion to continue to grow as an educator, dancer and mentor for all.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR Katie Parks is from Jacksonville, NC, where she first began taking gymnastics classes and later began taking jazz classes at a local studio. At 10 years old, Katie’s love for dance grew and she decided to pursue it full-time, adding contemporary, ballet, hip hop, and acrobatic classes to her week. She participated in dance competitions across the east coast in group numbers, duets, and as a soloist with Step Ahead Dance Company. In Katie’s senior year of high school she earned several high awards and titles, including Showstoppers Myrtle Beach Nationals first place senior solo, highest score of the day with a perfect score for her contemporary solo at Encore in Winston-Salem, Senior Miss Onstage NY in Raleigh, and has made three separate appearances in Dance Spirit Magazine as a spotlight performer. After high school, Katie taught dance in a number of styles before attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she obtained her BFA in Contemporary Dance in the spring of 2019. In her time at UNCSA, Katie performed work by famous choreographers such as Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Larry Keigwin, and Trisha Brown. Katie was also cast in original works by UNCSA staff Brenda Daniels and Trish Casey, as well as the esteemed UNCSA alumni Juel D. Lane. As a UNCSA student, Katie also had several opportunities to choreograph on her classmates and work with lighting designers and stage managers to produce shows on and off campus. Katie has always found her joy while sharing her love of dance, both on stage and in the studio, and is so excited to share her passion with young, upcoming performers!

DANCE INSTRUCTOR Denise LaJoie has spent 40+ years inspiring young dancers in her energetic and passionate classes. From Ballet to Tap, Ms. Denise is a seasoned and accomplished educator and choreographer with an eye for detail and a heart of gold. Originally from Long Island, NY, Ms. Denise relocated to Bluffton a few years ago with her husband and quickly became a cherished part of the BSOD family. Her proudest accomplishments include her charity work with the Catholic Church and the beautiful connections she still maintains with many of her former dancers all over the country.

DANCE INSTRUCTOR Julie was born and raised in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and lived there for 15 years. It was there that she started taking dance classes around the age of 3 and went on to compete and perform all over with her dance school. When she moved to the States, Julie continued dancing and started teaching and choreographing. Her experience is in a variety of dance styles: Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Lyrical & High Kick.

By college she was in a Modern dance company and had more ballet training at European School of Performing Arts in Florida. She also continued to choreograph competition pieces (some award-winning) for local studios in central Florida. Alongside dance, she is also currently a fitness instructors at many local studios and communities. Julie says, "Movement is my life and I love what I do. Translating emotions into unique expression, helping dancers open up their hearts, overcome physical limitations, awaken the body and soul... this is my passion."

ADJUNCT FACULTY Holly received the majority of her early training at Roswell City Dance in Roswell, GA where she was exposed to many different styles and choreographers. Holly credits the formation of her technique and movement to Cherrise Wakeham and Shannon Childers. She also spent two summers training at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, with a focus on ballet and modern. After graduating from high school, Holly continued her training as a dance major at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. It was there that she became recognized for her unique style of movement and started focusing more on choreography. During her time at Uarts, she was a dancer and choreographer for the Xhale Dance Company under director, Michael Susten. She also choreographed and performed a work that was chosen to represent the school at the College Dance Showcase in New York City. After school, she returned to the Atlanta area and danced in the contemporary company, Project 7, under director Cherrise Wakeham. She signed with Bloc South Talent Agency and appeared in multiple industrials with choreographers, such as Chuck Maldonado and Codie Wiggins.

Holly currently lives in FL and travels with Intrigue Dance Convention. BSOD is thrilled to welcome her to our family as a monthly visitor for our Performance Program dancers!

ADJUNCT FACULTY Sammee Schirmer began her creative journey right here at Bluffton School of Dance almost 20 years ago! Her devotion to movement started in 2001 as a Tiny Tot under the direction of Ashlee Bozard. With Dawn Rosa Miller becoming her teacher at just 4 years old, her spark became a flame and she has been invested ever since. Joining the Performance Program in 2009, to becoming a student teacher in 2015, Sammee has grown alongside BSOD in every aspect. Hungry for a professional career while still wanting to continue her studies, she headed off to New York City to attend Marymount Manhattan College in 2017 under the direction of Katie Langan. She will complete her BFA in Dance with a concentration in Ballet as well as a minor in Business Management at the end 2020. While attending Marymount, she had the opportunity to work alongside top choreographers of Broadway, film and television, concert as well as professional ballet and modern dance companies. She hopes to continue her performing career by touring internationally to see the world while sharing what she loves. She also has grown a strong passion for arts education and public policy and hopes to get her graduate degree in one of these focuses.  She enjoys teaching improvisation and contemporary dance but occasionally will go back to her roots for some old school jazz moves. Sharing the art of movement is her most rewarding sensation and she looks forward to many more years of it with BSOD!

ADMIN STAFF Marisa was born and raised in Florida but recently moved here to Beaufort County from Iowa. She has two dogs, Jackson and Nala, who she absolutely adores - they are her babies! While Marisa doesn’t have any children yet, she has taken great joy in watching her 3 nieces and 3 nephews for over 10 years. Marisa comes to us with beautiful experience in administration and customer service - she is a perfect fit for our growing area’s needs! She is so happy to have joined the BSOD family and is excited to be a part of this community of #limegreenlove!