About I&E
I&E Dance Company was started in 2019 by Michelle Malone due to a lack of opportunity for professional level dance training and performing opportunities in the La Crosse, WI area. The company rehearses weekly and performs every 3-4 months!
I&E now has their own studio space in La Crosse, WI which opened in January 2023. The I&E Dance Studio now offers classes for ages 18+ in a variety of levels and styles!
About
Michelle Malone
Owner and Artistic Director of I&E Dance Company/Studio
Michelle Malone is known for her stylistic background in dance. Growing up, she danced on the competitive dance company at Misty's Dance Unlimited in Onalaska, WI.
Upon graduating high school she trained with Storling Dance Theatre in Kansas City, Ingredients Dance Company in Dallas, GX International and GX Brasil. She has done extensive travel to NYC, LA, Minneapolis and Chicago to continue her training throughout the years.
Michelle has been teaching and choreographing for 14 years, judged multiple dance competitions and taught numerous workshops/master classes in the Midwest.
She is an uplifting teacher that values intentional movement, connection and freedom in dance. Now as the Artistic Director of I&E Dance, she has found a passion for bringing dance opportunities to adults in the Coulee Region, no matter what their dance background may be!
Studio Instructors
Emmanuel Rivera
Salsa Instructor
Emmanuel was born and raised in Puerto Rico where dance was everywhere. From gym class to family events, music was always there, accompanied with dancing.
Learning salsa was not just a dance it was a way of life. Salsa makes him feel confident and he loves to share it with others. He is excited to bring a little piece of his hometown to your dancing feet!
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Christina Repa
Salsa Instructor
Christina was born and raised in Greece. With a musical and dancing background, she has been passionate about latin rhythms since she was young. Coming to the states when she was 18, Christina experienced dance in college and joined a group of advanced dancers to improve her dancing and teaching skills.
For Christina, salsa dancing is a way to express herself and feel confident. Her favorite part about dancing is feeling like there is nothing else but the present moment. She hopes to share that feeling with others and guide them to experience the same.
Haylee Thompson
Contemporary Instructor
Haylee Anne is a dance enthusiast from Willmar, Minnesota. Haylee studied Dance Education at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. This experience inspired her to bring back her knowledge in teaching dance to all ages and abilities to the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Haylee is the visionary and owner of Rethink Dance which produces a dance film festival annually and was a previous dance studio director!
Perrin
Iacopino
Swing Instructor
Perrin started swing dancing in October of 2010 in Los Angeles, CA. After learning East Coast Swing with Rusty Frank, she quickly branched out to learn Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, Charleston and Balboa at workshops all over the country.
Perrin has travelled to Seattle, Austin, New Orleans, New York and Sweden to dance, perform and compete. Her favorite part of swing dancing is the smiles it brings to the faces of almost everyone who tries it. She is excited to be teaching again at I&E Dance Studio!
Eddie
Kim
Swing Instructor
Eddie Kim started seriously studying the mechanics of lindy hop in 2005 in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. He found lindy hop by playing in school jazz combos and observing peers dance, noting that swing encourages dancers to express joy because of the message of freedom in its African-American roots and the lifting quality of its rhythm.
He has taken workshops for lindy hop and related dances (east coast swing, blues, and balboa) and attended major events in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minneapolis, Washington, and Wisconsin in addition to workshops and events in Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia. In La Crosse, Eddie has co-taught dance with Perrin for the Continental Dancers and the city's recreation program.
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Emma Kefer
Mindful Core &
Strength Instructor
Emma is a Mental Health Occupational Therapist currently working at Gundersen Inpatient Behavioral Health in La Crosse. She has a passion for helping people struggling with mental health to take back control of their symptoms and live their best lives.
Emma discovered her passion for dance as a little girl, and it has grown ever since. She has experience in various dance styles including ballet, hip hop, contemporary, and recently discovered a love of jazz heels through I&E Dance Studio! She worked as a group fitness instructor for 7 years during her time as a student at UWL, teaching Ballet, Pilates, Strength&Tone, and a variety of cardio classes.
Emma incorporates her passion for both movement and mental health into her Mindful Core and Strength class to help her students ground and reset their mind while conditioning their body. She hopes to help her students build a foundation of movement, strength, and mindfulness that can support them in other dance styles.
Ashlin Bowyer
Ballet Instructor
Ashlin was an Advanced Touring Student with the Minnesota Ballet and held many roles over the years as she advanced through the levels and ranks. In addition to performing and touring with “The Nutcracker,” she also performed in the corpse for “Giselle,” “La Bayadère,” and “Swan Lake.”
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She was also in the Professional Division for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet dancing 6-7+ hours a day. Training in Ballet, Modern, Character, Flamingo, Partnering, Variations and conditioning and professional development programs. Performed in performances during the year such as “Coppélia” as a ‘wheat and doll’ roles.