About Our Studio
Westside Dance Company opened in 2017 in Overland Park, Kansas and has been home to many dancers since. We quickly opened in a short few months on 127th and Metcalf where we grew our student base rapidly. By 2025, we are now located off of 69 Highway and 159th at a bigger space with more studio rooms.
Westside has lots of windows to bring in the natural light as well as a viewing window to each room for parents to watch their dancers. We have a comfortable waiting room and a dancer’s lounge with individual cubbies and a table for eating or doing homework on breaks.
Westside’s studio space is large, filled with mirrors and windows along with built-in ballet barres and a sprung floor. A sprung floor absorbs shock and is considered the best kind of floor for dancers. The floor enhances performance and greatly reduces injury to the hips, knees, and ankles.
Westside Dance Company is known to be a studio that treats every dancer, parent, and instructor with the utmost respect. We have kind and patient instructors for our little ones but also instructors who push our more advanced dancers to become the dancer they want to be. Westside has formed a reputable competition team as well as enjoyable once a week classes.
Westside continues every year to represent well at local and national competitions. We go into every competition as it being another chance to perform and have always walked away with a good attitude and often, many awards. Within the last couple of years we have won choreography awards, costume awards, won “best of show” placed in the top five, won the 2020 excellence in artistry award, and lastly, became the Star Dance Alliance Regional Champions, to name a few.
Here at Westside, we take pride in being a smaller studio in the area. This makes all of our dancers feel like family and we don’t treat our dancers as just another number. There is time in class for individual coaching and plenty of space to always dance full out. Instructors build genuine relationships with our dancers and parents and also help each dancer achieve their goals.
Meet the Faculty
Shelby West
Studio Owner & Competition Director
Shelby West has been a dancer for over 20 years, training in multiple different styles. She was a competition dancer herself, winning many prestigious titles, awards and scholarships from notable competitions, conventions, and teachers like Stacey Tookey, Caroline Lewis-Jones, Chris Jacobson, and Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo. She was a company member and is the social media director of professional dance company, Kansas City Contemporary Dance where she has performed as a chorus member and soloist while also choreographing. She is also the owner and competition director of Westside Dance Company which opened in 2017. Lastly, she was the Assistant Coach of the Indian Trail Dance Team and was the Head Dance Coach at Ottawa University where she won KCAC Coach of the Year in 2024. Shelby has worked professionally with Melissa Thodos and Laura Gates of Thodos Dance Chicago and has danced in their touring show, performed in Modern Night at the Folly, danced alongside Kansas City Aerial Arts, and was in a music video with local artist “Of Tree.” Shelby has choreographed for multiple studios in the Kansas City area and has been recognized for her work prior to opening Westside where she has continued to win choreography, technique, and entertainment awards. She has also choreographed for local high school dance teams and their soloists. Shelby graduated from the University of Kansas with a Bachelors in Dance, where she was a part of Unity Hip Hop Crew, Rock Chalk Revue, and the University Dance Company. She has worked under many choreographers, including but not limited to, Sonya Tayeh, Fred Odgaard, Brooke Pierotti, and Ryan Warren. Shelby has also judged for local dance competitions. Shelby has a great passion for dance and loves being at the studio every night with her students!
Kristin Stallbaumer
Instructor

Kristin began her dance training at the age of three with The Royal Academy of Dance curriculum. She later studied and performed with the youth company of The Mill Ballet School under the direction of Mark and Melissa Roxey, and it was there Krsitin danced with special needs populations through the Wheels and Bodies in Motion program. Upon moving to Kansas City, Kristin danced with local youth companies before attending the University of Kansas where she graduated with degrees in Dance and Psychology. While at Ku, Kristin performed with The University Dance Company and The Bowery Dancers. She has performed pieces by local artists at the Salina River Festival and Lawrence Arts Center Choreographer’s Showcase. Kristin has completed a MA degree in School Counseling and Ed. S. degree in Mental Health Counseling. Both at UMKC. She has counseling experience in elementary, middle, high school, and alternative school settings and currently works as a high school counselor in the Blue Valley School District.
Alycen Ellwanger
Instructor and Choreographer

Alycen Ellwanger has been a dancer for over 10 years. She started out at a ballet based studio where she honed in on her technique then she moved on as a founding member of the Westside Dance Company competition team. She joined Westside when they opened in 2017. Some of her favorite memories while dancing at Westside were competitions at the Music Hall, Adrenaline Conventions and Nationals in Orlando! While in high school she won many prestigious awards and scholarships like Honored Dancer at Adrenaline. Alycen was also a part of routines that received choreography and entertainment awards. Alycen has worked with many working teachers and mentors who are working in the industry like Nick Bass, Tanner Frisbey, Matt Luck, and Andie Stitt to name a few. While she was a competitive dancer she also was a member of the Saint Thomas Aquinas swim team and the dance team for three years where she served as Captain her senior year. Alycen has taught and helped kids in both swim and dance. She is currently a senior at The University of Kajnsas studying accounting. At KU she is Rock Chalk Revue director and a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Alycen is so excited to be back at Westside teaching and choreographing. She hopes her students make lasting memories at dance just like she did!
Victoria Flagg
Instructor and Choreographer

Victoria began dancing at the age of five at Western Arkansas Ballet, under Melissa Schoenfeld, Jared Mesa, and Brianna Mesa. While there, she was a member of their pre-professional dance company and participated in the Regional Dance America Southwest Festival annually. During the summers, she attended the Burklyn Ballet Theatre summer intensive and was given the opportunity to travel to Scotland to perform in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019. Victoria recently earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During her studies, she performed pieces by Tom Gold, Christopher Huggins, Ronald Tice, Gary Abbott, Tobin James, Tempe Ostergren, DeeAnna Hiett, and Caroline Dahm. Currently Victoria is a freelance dancer in the KC area and also a dance teacher at Encore at the J and Westside Dance Company.
A'laina Corbin
Instructor

A’laina Corbin has been dancing for about 12 years. She has danced all over Johnson County, but Apex Dance Academy is her dance home. She started her competitive dance journey at Frontier Trail Middle School and continued at Olathe North High School as an Eaglette, where she developed her skills and passion for dance. Now, she is thrilled to be dancing at UMKC as a KC Roo, where she continues to grow and learn but also performs at games and collegiate competitions . Dance has been a huge part of her life, and she is excited to share her experiences and passion with all of you at Westside.
Nicole Ouyang
Instructor

Nicole Ouyang is a sophomore at The University of Kansas, pursuing a degree in Human Biology. Nicole danced when she was younger but rekindled her love for dance in her junior year of high school right here at Westside. She continued her passion for hip-hop at KU by joining KU's Unity Hip-Hop Dance Crew. In the second semester of her freshman year, she became the team's choreographer. She is also on Karisma's performance team, where they have traveled to various places to perform such as Wichita University. She is excited to share her vibrant energy with the students at Westside.
Allie Demps
Instructor

Alexandria Demps (Allie) is a dancer/choreographer from Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently pursuing her BFA in dance at The University of Kansas, where she is also a member of the University of Kansas Dance Company. Alexandria performs in the genres of ballet, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and musical theatre. In addition to her dance major, Alexandria also student teaches and choreographs for dance department classes and events. l No stranger to the competition world, Alexandria wowed judges and audiences alike throughout her years of competing on both regional and national stages. She has been recognized for her powerful artistic expression, passion, and fluidity in dance and earned countless awards, titles, special judges awards, and scholarships for her contemporary & jazz solos, as well as holding multiple national improv champion titles. Alexandria is also a member of several dance companies, which she holds dear to her heart, such as KinFigure Kollective, iPush, and Troupe Dance Co. Alexandria finds joy in fostering the love of dance in performers of all ages through teaching, mentoring, choreographing and private coaching. Allie is adored by students and parents alike and is known for her infectious smile and the positive energy she brings to each and every environment.
Bri Samuelson
Instructor and Choreographer

Bri Samuelson is originally from Lawrence, KS has a degree in dance from the University of Kansas. Bri started in cheer and pom in her elementary years and made the transition to studio dance in junior high. She has trained extensively in ballet, modern, acro, pom, lyrical, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, pedagogy, choreography, improv and dabbled in flamenco, tap and ballroom. She has over 15 years of teaching experiences and ten years of studio ownership. Bri is also the current head coach for the Diamonds Dance Team at De Soto High School. In addition to her experience as a student and an instructor, she has continued her development as an educator by receiving certifications from Acrobatic Arts, with exemplary scores. Acrobatic Arts is the world's most trusted and well-researched program in the industry. She has a subscription to their amazing curriculum and online resource center that allows her to create top notch acrodance lesson plans and choreography. Needless to say, acrodance is her favorite style to teach.
Angel Waller
Instructor

Angel Waller is a Sophomore at Texas Tech University and a second year member of the Texas Tech University Pom Squad. She is from Lawrence, KS, where she attended Lawrence Free State High School and was a 4- year member of the Free State Dance Team, serving as captain during her senior year and was also awarded UDA “Top All American.” Angel has been dancing since she was 3 years old and started competing at 5 years old with Lawrence Dance Gallery. Angel has trained in ballet, jazz, ballroom, contemporary, lyrical and hip hop, and has won several individual and group National Championships and recognitions, including earning Stage One Dance’s first-ever perfect score at Nationals in 2021 for the lyrical small group “Gravity.” Angel has worked with several nationally recognized choreographers, including Shannon Mather, Nicole Smith, Steph & Andi, Caleb Brauner, Carley Lawrence, and Haley Erbert. In addition to her accomplishments in competition dance, Angel was also selected to participate in the Velocity Dance MVA+ Program, allowing her to travel and serve as a demonstrator in convention classes across the country. She also trained with ProAction Dance in August of 2023. Her professional credits include an appearance in Miya Guggs’s music video for “Vibe,” serving as a background dancer for Todrick Hall during the Velocity Dance Nationals Gala performance in Las Vegas, and performing with Texas Tech Pom in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023.