About Us
In 1983 First Movements studio was founded by Kathy Dishnow. Though not a dancer herself, Dishnow had a vested interest in dance and hired Beth Provencher to be the studio's Artistic Director. Early on, First Movements was in the upper level of the Downtown Plaza. The studio relocated twice — first to a remodeled racquetball court at the Crystal Lake Community Center and then to the upstairs of the old MichCon Building (Stephenson Court), under Dishnow's ownership. At that time, the studio offered many styles of dance lessons — jazz, middle eastern dance, tap, and modern, but ballet was always the backbone of the school.
In 1991, Dishnow sold the studio to Beth Provencher, Kelly Lutey, and her daughter Jodi. The three sat at a café with Provencher's parents, considering a new name for this next phase of the school's life. Northern Michigan Dance Academy was born. Under Provencher's direction, the tradition of performing The Nutcracker each year began, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
In 1997, Northern Michigan Dance Academy built a new studio - to dancer specifications - on John McNeil Drive. Shortly after, the Dickinson Ballet Company was formed. The studio lived on John McNeil Drive for nearly a decade before relocating to its present, beautiful loft on Hughitt Street in downtown Iron Mountain. After a long tenure co-directing alongside Provencher, Lutey retired in 2018.
In 2020, Katie Roell purchased Northern Michigan Dance Academy, carrying on the legacy started by Kathy Dishnow, Beth Provencher, and Kelly Lutey in Dickinson County.
Today, Northern Michigan Dance Academy is proud to be a ballet-only school dedicated to inspiring a long-lasting love and appreciation for the art of dance.
“We strive for artistic excellence through our classically trained ballet classes and our performances with unique and innovative choreography.”
— Katie Roell