Ashley Ness is the owner and artistic director of Silhouette Dance Company, founded in 2009.  She is a committed dance teacher, choreographer and performer that has a passion for sharing her love of dance to people of all ages.

Beginning her dance training at the age of 2, Ashley has been surrounded by dance her whole life. She trained under Michelle Davis for 12 years in tap, ballet, jazz and drill team. During her high school years, she was a member of the state and national champion Pure Gold Dance Team at Boswell High School. While there, she held the title of Junior Lieutenant and Captain of the team.  As an officer she received irreplaceable experience as a choreographer for all team and officer routines and developed her skills as a leader.  After high school, she went on to study at The University of North Texas in Denton. There, she was a student of the dance department studying ballet, jazz and modern dance. During her time in college she also worked at her home studio, Encore School of Dance, as an instructor to children ages 3-18.  During this time as an instructor Ashley developed her love of teaching dance. In 2006, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences with a secondary education certification. After graduation, Ashley was awarded the position of drill team director for the Denton High School Fillies as well as a teaching position in the history department. She taught for two years and then decided she wanted to venture out on her own.  In 2009, Silhouette Dance Company was formed to provide dance instruction as well as personal and custom attention to drill teams in the North Texas area. Ashley is also a certified teacher in the state of Texas in Social Studies 8-12 and Generalist EC-12.  She enjoys working with children of all ages and has an extensive background in the public school system. Ashley loves spending time with her husband, Andy, who helps her with SDC, her two girls, Abigail and Ava and son, Cooper. She is excited to be expanding her business in Denton and Wise County and looks forward to many years of working with students and families of SDC!

Maiya Wenzel is a native of Austin, Texas. She began teaching dance at the age of 16 and continues to teach in the DFW area to share her passion of dance with others. Maiya received her BFA dance degree at University of North Texas in 2017. While at UNT, she was the dance director and choreographer for a competition team winning multiple awards across the state. During her studies, she was an active member of the Neighborhood (an adult hip-hop crew) and The Process both based in Dallas that carried the 1st place title 2 years in a row at World of Dance Dallas 2016 and 2017. Maiya’s choreography has also competed and won several awards at different competitions in Texas. Since graduating, Maiya has continued teaching in the DFW area and hopes to one day open a studio that can combine her passion for different dance styles and movement therapy to help others the way it did for her. Maiya is excited and humbled to start a new season with Silhouette Dance Company!

Grace Hammond is originally from San Antonio, Texas. She grew up dancing at Ballet San Antonio. In high school, Grace competed with their competitive studio team in jazz, pom, hip hop, and lyrical. Additionally, she was a member of her high school JV and Varsity drill team. Grace then attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas where she was a member of the Spurs dance team. They performed at athletic events, community events, and competed at ADTS nationals. Her junior year on the team she held the position of social chair, and her senior year held the position of co-captain. Throughout college she also had the opportunity to choreograph and teach for high schools and middle schools here in Texas. In May of 2021, she graduated with a B.S in Psychology and a minor in Exercise Science. After graduation, she moved to Denton, Texas with her husband Zach. This is Grace’s first year with Silhouette Dance Company. She is so excited to share her passion for dance and inspire young dancers.

Ashley Benson was born and raised in Clermont, Florida where She started dancing at the age of 3.  She then started to dance competitively at the age of 8 and continued through her senior year of High school.  Ashley has trained in many genres of dance including Ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, improvisation, Ballroom, Hip Hop and Tap.  Ashley moved to Frisco Texas her sophomore year of high school where she completed her competitive dance training at Next Step Dance Studio.

Through the years Has attended many national dance competitions including Starpower, KAR and Revive where she was chosen at a regional competition to dance in the crew for Nationals in Las Vegas her Senior year of high school.  Ashley has attended several Joffrey Ballet summer intensives while living in Florida.  Ashley and her friends also submitted a dance video in 2015 for the Good Morning America show Contest sponsoring Taylor Swifts new Album 1989.  There where over 950 videos entered for this contest and Ashley and her friends won and where flown to New York City met with Taylor Swift and danced in her opening act in Time Square.

Ashley was also a member of the TWU Pioneer Pride dance team her Sophomore year where she danced at many games performing sideline routines and intermission dance numbers.

Ashley is a Senior currently attending TWU where she is Majoring in Dance Studies because she wants to continue her love of dance by teaching dance to where ever God leads her to teach. 

Jody is from Oklahoma where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Ballet Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. While there she had the privilege of studying with Yvonne Chateau, Mary Margaret Holt, and Miguel Terekhov. She started dancing at the age of 6 at Furman-Gray School of Dance. At the age of 13 she was asked to become an assistant and eventually a full time instructor. Jody is trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet and holds her Teacher’s Cecchetti Advanced Certificate. Jody is the founder of Dancers Against Cancer, a non-profit organization raising money for cancer awareness and support. She has had several students go on to dance professionally including performing at the Moulin Rouge in France, teaching for Soul de Soul dance conventions, as well as performing in Las Vegas. Jody not only is trained in Ballet, but also is knowledgeable in Lyrical, Jazz, Pointe, and Tap.

Randie Burks grew up in Frisco, Texas where she started dancing at the age of 4. She decided to join her studio’s competitive dance team and enjoyed training in all styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, and hip hop. In high school, Randie joined her drill team, The Centennial Sweethearts, where she served as lieutenant her sophomore year and 1^st lieutenant her junior and senior years. During this time, she trained outside of her drill team where she got professional experience dancing for events and fun video shoots directed by local artists. After high school, Randie attended the University of North Texas and will graduate with a degree in Dance Performance, December 2021. Through the UNT Dance Department she has gotten experience not only performing but also working with choreography and videography which she has grown a passion for. On top of dancing, Randie is also passionate about fitness and has taught Dance Fitness at the UNT Rec Center. This is Randie’s first season with Silhouette Dance Company and she is very excited to share her love of dance with everyone!

Mallary Callahan began her education in ballet, tap, and jazz at the age of nine and quickly fell in love with the art of dance. During high school, she expanded her training to include pointe, lyrical, modern, and hip hop and joined her studio’s company, participating in local performances, as well as national conventions and competitions. As a senior, she discovered that the only thing she loved more than dance itself was sharing that love with others through teaching. In college, Mallary had the opportunity to train under Ballet Master Li-Chou Cheng at Texas Christian University while earning a Bachelor of Arts in Math and Economics. During that time, she competed with TCU Elite Dance, winning the ADTS American Collegiate Championship and placing as NDA Collegiate National Championship Finalists. For six years, she also performed with and served as a choreographer for Calling In Action, a Christian dance organization on the TCU campus. Since graduating, Mallary auditioned for and was accepted into the Ingredients Company Training Program and has been a member of two professional companies in Dallas, the Dallas Dance Company and Epiphany DanceArts. As a Performing Artist with Epiphany, Mallary collaborated with other artists, including actors, painters, musicians, and vocalists, to craft a beautiful fusion of creativity called danceArt. In July 2016 she produced, choreographed, and performed in a flash mob wedding proposal in Southlake Town Square. Mallary lives in Denton with her husband, Stephen, and daughter, Adalyn. She has over ten years of experience teaching recreational and competitive
dancers ages 18-months through adulthood, and this is her first year as an instructor with Silhouette Dance Company. Her unique calling is to see that every student discover movement as a means of expression and experience joy in creativity.

Jessica Jeske grew up in Rockwall, Texas where she began dancing at the age of 3 for Dance Force Studio. She continued with the studio joining their competitive company team in middle school. She served as 1st Lieutenant on her middle school drill team and then served as Lieutenant on the Rockwall Heath High Steppers Drill Team. She began teaching dance classes at the age of 14 for her studio. She has continued her love of dance after graduation working for Showtime International judging at dance competitions & teaching summer drill team camps throughout Texas. She graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station with a degree in education. While at A&M she continued taking dance classes at the university as well as teaching classes at Suzannes School of Dance. Upon graduation Jessica moved back to the DFW area to teach. She began an after school dance program for girls at the elementary school she taught at where she was able choreograph, teach technique & work collaboratively with the Texas Ballet Theatre to provide ballet intensive classes for her girls. This past year Jessica & her husband Brent moved to the Decatur area where she taught for Decatur ISD. Jessica’s philosophy for dance is that everyone is a dancer at heart whether it’s in the studio, in the car or in their bedroom at home with the door closed. Her passion is to help young dancers find joy & confidence through dance.

Holly hails from East Texas and moved to the DFW area last year to pursue a degree in Dance and Music Therapy at Texas Woman’s University. Though she has always thought of herself as an artist and had been involved in gymnastics and cheerleading throughout her school years, she started classical dance training at Tyler Junior College’s Academy of Dance at the ripe old age of 18 when she took ballet as an elective her freshman year of college. Since then she has completely fallen in love and committed herself to the form, and has also expanded into the realms of modern dance, jazz, and somatic practices. In addition to her collegiate dance training, she has also trained at Margo Dean School of Ballet in Fort Worth, Ballet Austin, The Louisville Ballet, and Artistic Dance Concepts in Tyler, Texas. She was also lucky enough to be able to study jazz at Steps on Broadway in New York this past summer, under the direction of Lloyd Culbreath, one of Bob Fosse’s former dancers. It is her dream to have her own studio one day that offers both dance, music, and visual arts therapy and educational services. She has a passion for teaching children and considers herself extremely lucky to have the chance to be an influence for good in her students’ lives. Her ultimate goal is to cultivate a deep love and respect for movement in the same way her teachers have done for her.

Joy Young was born and raised in Saginaw Texas. In 2018, Joy moved to Decatur with her husband Austen. They have 2 boys, Corbin & Hayes! Joy holds her personal training certification and has really enjoyed getting to be active in that way through her business, Gem Fit. This is Joy’s first year with Silhouette Dance Company working in the office, and looks forward to having a great year getting to know the students, parents and staff of SDC!

Taylin Johnson grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas, where she received twenty years of dance training, including several master classes. She was a member of the Bowie Belles drill team at James Bowie Highschool in Arlington, Texas. She was a team member for two years, Junior Lt. her Junior year, and Captain her Senior Year. As a Bowie Belle, she studied a variety of dance genres such as Jazz, Hip-Hop, modern, contemporary, and Ballet! She graduated Highschool in 2019. Taylin is currently attending Texas Women’s University in Denton, Texas and is earning her BFA in Dance Studies. She is a second year team member of the Pioneer Pride dance team. In the future she aspires to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and owner of her very own studio!