Our Team
LEADERSHIP
JULIE GRAYSON
Owner/Executive Director
MEREDITH CANONICO
Studio Manager, Director of Marketing, and Enrollment Coordinator
Meredith grew up doing gymnastics and competed in collegiate gymnastics. She also cheered her last two years at the University of Oklahoma. After college, she began choreographing floor routines for a local gym. Even though Meredith never took formal dance classes, dance was woven in to her life and she always enjoyed performing. She went on to have a career as an educator; teaching high school Business classes and moving into administration as an Assistant Principal and Principal.
She has been married to her husband Marcus for 12 years. They have a daughter, Makenna, that attends Danceworks and absolutely adores dancing in all genres. They also have a son, Mason who likes playing soccer and anything outdoors. In her spare time, Meredith enjoys reading and spending time with her family and two dogs, Dax and DeeDee.
MEREDITH CANONICO
Studio Manager, Director of Marketing, and Enrollment Coordinator
HAYLEY RASCO
IT, Branding, and Communications Coordinator
Hayley Rasco began dancing at five years old at Danceworks and considers herself incredibly fortunate to have been taught by Ms. Jennifer Stevens for 13 years. Hayley is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary, but she has the greatest love for ballet.
After graduating high school, Hayley pursued her passion for creative problem-solving at the University of Texas at Arlington. She spent the next three and a half years earning her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, all the while dreaming about getting to dance again someday.
Eager to help in any way she could during Danceworks’ difficult first year without Jennifer, Hayley began working at the studio in 2018 and has been at Danceworks ever since. She quickly discovered that preschool-age dancers are her favorite ones to teach, and she has a blast teaching Creative Movement classes. She loves teaching and sharing her love for dance with the next generation of dancers.
Miss Hayley is very involved in her girls ministry at church, loves chocolate in all its forms, enjoys any kind of crafting, and most of all, loves making memories with her family. She lives in Waxahachie with her husband of 7 years, her two little boys, and her baby girl.
HAYLEY RASCO
IT, Branding, and Communications Coordinator
SUMMER STEVENS
Creative Engagement Director and Instructor
Summer Stevens started dancing at the age of three at Danceworks with her mom, Jennifer—the founder of the studio! She grew up training in tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary and has loved every second of it.
In 2016, Summer became a certified jazz teacher through the Texas Association Teachers of Dancing (TATD). She now serves as the Secretary on their Board of Directors and feels so lucky to give back to an organization that has meant so much to her over the years.
She’s also an Alixa Flexibility certified instructor, helping students safely improve their strength, flexibility, and mobility while reducing the risk of injury—something she’s super passionate about.
Summer is the choreographer for the Waxahachie Theatre Department and has worked on shows like Chicago, Big Fish, Matilda, Addams Family, Something Rotten, and more!
She graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology, a minor in Communication, and a Certificate in Event Management. While in college, she continued teaching at On Our Toes Dance Studio.
Summer currently lives in Dallas with her sweet pup, Poppy. Outside of dance, she teaches Barre at The Bar Method and works as a Social Media Manager for several companies. She’s beyond excited to teach at the studio she grew up in, following in her mom’s footsteps and sharing her love of dance with the next generation.
SUMMER STEVENS
Creative Engagement Director and Instructor
CANDICE GOUSE
Ballet Program Director and Instructor
For 22 years, Candice Gouse has been teaching children and adults the art of dance. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Candice spent the beginning years of her dance career training with various schools in Philadelphia, Washington DC and New York City. She has studied with world renown teachers and companies such as Dance Del Bello, Alvin Ailey, Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, Koresh Dance Company and University of the Arts. Candice has professionally trained in ballet, lyrical, modern, jazz and pointe. In addition to traditional forms of dance, she has expanded her passion and knowledge to yoga, Pilates and Barre techniques.
After a decade of performing on the stage and traveling with a regional production company, she found her real passion was in the classroom providing her students with an all-encompassing approach of performance knowledge; from core technique / terminology to stage etiquette and auditioning skills. Candice is proud to see her students blossom and perform on Broadway and other grand theater opportunities. Their success drives Candice and continues her devotion to help all her students find and achieve their dreams.
Off the stage, Candice spent time traveling the country with her husband, who served 22 years in the United States Air Force. Candice and her husband, Fred, live in Ovilla, TX with their three daughters, Peyton, Simone and Amelia.
CANDICE GOUSE
Ballet Program Director and Instructor
BROOKE GRAYSON
Front Desk Lead
This is Brooke’s second year at Danceworks as Office Manager. She has been married to Lane for 26 years, and together they have raised four fantastic children. As a team they serve the children and families of Ellis County as volunteers for CASA and The Heights: Ellis County Family Resources.
In her spare time Brooke enjoys reading books and collecting rocks.
BROOKE GRAYSON
Front Desk Lead
FACULTY & STAFF
REBECCA HANS
SAMANTHA GROSS
Instructor
Beginning her dance training at the age of three, Samantha's passion for dance quickly grew. She is a former student and teacher of GO! Dance & Gymnastics Studios in Ennis, TX. Starting out as a recreational dancer like many, by the age of eight, she began dancing competitively with the GO! Dance junior and senior performing companies in jazz, hip hop, tap, musical theater, and lyrical dance. At age 10, she was assisting preschool and beginner level dance classes. By age 16, she was teaching and creating choreography for classes of her own, for herself, and for the younger competitive teams.
Midway through high school, she decided to pursue dance more seriously and joined Dallas Powerhouse of Dance in Dallas, TX. There, she was a part of the Senior Pre-Professional Performance Company where she had the pleasure to learn from Dallas-based dance artists such as Meredith Marks, Kevin Harris, Phil Gonzalez, Kristi Bittenbender, Lonnie Hightower, and DeeDee Munson. She also performed "Snow Queen" in the Nutcracker and variations of Swan Lake her senior year.
A 2022 alumnus of Texas State University, she holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance & Choreography with minors in Business Administration and Exercises & Sports science. At Texas State, she studied modern, contemporary, jazz, ballet, hip hop, improvisation, choreography, and dance pedagogy under Ana Baer, Michelle Nance, Nicole Wesley, Kaysie-Seitz Brown, Christa Oliver, Rocio Luna, Torens Johnson, Megan Moss, and several student dance artists. She participated in student dance organizations such as CIMTEYA and Merge Dance Company's Semilla Fest. She has presented and performed numerous original works, for both stage and video, in Texas State choreography productions. She worked as a dance instructor for Heather Stolle's School of Dance in both San Antonio and Boerne, TX. She attended numerous professional development conferences such as TATD, TDIF, and ACDA.
Most importantly, she developed her approach to dance performance and choreography. The cornerstones include encouraging fun, nurturing curiosity and creativity, prioritizing health and autonomy, and challenging both the mind and body.
Now, she's moved back to the Dallas, TX area where you can find her dancing en pointe in the nightly Illumination Sensation show at the State Fair of Texas. Samantha is thrilled to join the Danceworks team, and can't wait to meet you!
SAMANTHA GROSS
MCKENZIE HOLMES
MALLORY GARZA
Instructor
Mallory started dancing when she was six years old at Desoto Dance Academy under Judy Pelusi and Kara Flores. Dance became a big part of her life as she grew up learning ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. These wonderful teachers were also great mentors and would spread the joy of teaching on to her!
After her first year of college she began teaching ballet, tap, and jazz at Desoto Dance Academy. She continued to train under Judy and Kara along with attending dance conventions, all while studying biology at the University of Texas at Arlington.
In her final years of college she met her best friend and now husband, Jose! After getting married in July of 2013, she began to teach under Kara Flores at Metro Dance. She then graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology in 2014. In April of 2015 Mallory and Jose welcomed their first baby and now have three girls and one boy! She stepped away from dance after having her oldest daughter, but she is excited to get back into the classroom and share the joy that dance has always brought her!
MALLORY GARZA
MEAGAN HENRIQUEZ
TAWNIA GUEST
CARLI BOLDEN
Instructor
Carli Bolden is a lifelong lover of dance (beginning ballet and tap at the age of 3) and a passionate educator with years of experience working with kids in both classrooms and studios. She has taught dance to children as young as two years old, and absolutely loves helping little ones discover the joy of movement.
Carli spent several years teaching at a dance studio in Houston, where she followed a fun, well-rounded dance curriculum and choreographed pieces for both Christmas shows and end-of-year recitals. Seeing young dancers light up on stage is one of her favorite things!
In addition to her dance background in ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop, she is a Texas certified teacher with additional certifications in Special Education and English as a Second Language. She is currently the Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator at UME Preparatory Academy. Her extensive experience teaching children from preschool through middle school has equipped her with skills in age-appropriate instruction, classroom engagement, and differentiated learning—ideal for working with young dancers of all ability levels.
With a strong background in child development, classroom management, and creative expression, she brings patience, energy, and lots of enthusiasm to every class. Whether in the studio or the classroom, her goal is always to help kids feel confident, supported, and excited to grow.
Carli holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Texas Tech University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. When she is not teaching, Carli enjoys traveling with her husband and five children, reading, and spending time outdoors. Whether leading in a classroom or a dance studio, she brings energy, professionalism, and heart to everything she does.
CARLI BOLDEN
ELIZA BEARDEN
Instructor
Bio coming soon!
ELIZA BEARDEN
OLIVIA GRAYSON
INTERNS
ELLA BOLDEN
Instructor Intern
Ella Bolden began her dance journey at age three and has loved it ever since! She attended her first class at Chara Christian Dance Academy in Friendswood, TX and trained there for eight years. Later, she transferred to Jana’s School of Dance in West Columbia, TX. During this time, she was promoted to pointe shoes and continued to grow as a dancer there for 2 ½ years before moving to Waxahachie and beginning Danceworks in eighth grade. Here, she takes classes in ballet, pointe, jazz, and contemporary as well as participating in Company. She has also worked as a Danceworks Student Assistant and is excited to begin teaching as an Intern!
Currently, Ella attends UME Preparatory Academy as a junior and dances on the drill team. She also teaches a pep squad at the UME Elementary campus in Duncanville with her mom and sister.
Some other things that she enjoys are summertime, taking care of animals, swimming, and visiting family. Ella can’t wait to inspire other young dancers to follow their dreams and shine Jesus’s light to the world through dance!
