Staff and Instructors

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Diane Galbrecht Partee was born and raised right here in Olathe, KS. She started at the Studio School of Dance at the age of 3. She graduated in 1998 from Olathe South High School in which she was active in the Golden Girls dance team, too. After high school, Diane attended Benedictine College in Atchison for the next 4 years and obtained her BS in Biochemistry and a minor in dance. She was a member of the Raven dance team for 4 years and Captain for 2. 

In 2002, Diane was accepted to the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Diane graduated in 2006 with her Doctor of Optometry. After ICO, Dr. Diane specialized in Pediatrics during her residency at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry. Since finishing her education, Dr. Diane has opened her own office to practice. When she’s not at work, Diane enjoys spending time with her family and three kids.

Molly Galbrecht was born and raised in Olathe, KS and is the youngest of five children. At the age of three, Molly started her dance career at The Studio School of Dance. Molly continued performing as a member of the Olathe South High School Golden Girls. 

While at Benedictine College she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology while continuing to dance in classes and on the dance team. Molly was a four year member of the Raven Dance Team and served as captain for two of those years. From 2011-2015 Molly was a director and instructor for The Raven School of Dance, a community dance school set up on the Benedictine College campus in Atchison, KS. Molly looks forward to sharing her love and passion for dance with young students.

Born and raised in Olathe, KS, Samantha Bennett Miller began her dance training at the age of seven at the Studio School of Dance. After graduating high school, she went on to train at Stephen’s College and to earn a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Dance. When there, she trained under Elizabeth Hartwell, Deborah Carr, Carol Estey, Karen Grundy, Diane Coburn Bruning and performed scenes from Fokine’s Firebird and Petipa’s Swan Lake among other pieces choreographed by the Stephen’s College professors and guest instructors. 

In the summer of 2013, her own choreography was chosen for the Summer Dance Concert at Stephen’s College. After graduating from Stephen’s she continued her training with Störling Dance Theatre, and now continues to dance as a freelance artist. Samantha appreciates the way in which dance breaks down barriers and creates wonderful bonds of friendship with amazing people.

 Megan began dancing at The Studio at the age of four and continued until she graduated from Olathe South High School, where she was Captain of the Olathe South Golden Girls. She continued to study dance at the University of Kansas and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in dance. While at KU she worked with a variety of choreographers including Mikhail Baryshnikov and Bill Evans. Megan has performed with the University of Kansas Dance Company, Prairie Wind Dancers and Band of Dancers. Megan also studied dance at the Ailey School in New York City and the Rhee Gold Project in Boston, MA. Working primarily with Pre-K students, Megan has become a certified Master Leap n’ Learn Instructor. 

Amy Wilcox grew up here in Olathe, KS. She began dancing at The Studio School of Dance at 3 years old and continued through high school graduation from Olathe South High School in 1998. Amy attended the University of Kansas for undergraduate and graduate work and holds a master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education. She worked in the Early Childhood Autism classrooms for the Olathe School District and Gardner Edgerton School District for 9 years before taking a position with Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County where she continues to work today. Amy’s passion is working with children who have Autism through assistance with evaluations, education, and therapeutic strategies to help young children and their families.

Amy spent 8 years as a Jazzercise instructor in Olathe where she enjoyed the chance to teach, dance and be on stage all in one activity. She is excited about being back in the dance room and having the opportunity to share her love of dance with the students at The Studio!

Chiu Hsuan was born in Taiwan and  began learning dance at the age of five. She studied chinese dance, modern  ance, and ballet until graduating from junior high school. For her undergraduate studies, she attended the National Taiwan University of Arts, majoring in drama. Subsequently, in 2015, she was admitted to the Taipei National University of the Arts Dance Department, and received her MFA in dance performance in 2019. During her Master, she collaborated with Leigh Warren, David Krugel, Xiaoxiong Zhang …… etc. Following her graduation from graduate school, she worked as a dance teacher and administrative coordinator at Luodong Junior High School, where she continued teaching, choreographing, and pursuing further training. In 2019, she obtained a Gyrokinesis certification, and in 2023, she received a grant to attend a counter technique workshop in Amsterdam. In the same year, she came to the United States with the desire to continue sharing her passion for dance.

 Morgan Eliason was born and raised in Olathe, KS and is the older sister to another Studio Alumna. She began dancing around kindergarten after her parents discovered she could not sit still whenever music was playing. She found her place at The Studio School of Dance and remained there until she graduated from Olathe East High School in 2020. Morgan was on her varsity dance team all through out high school and was also a proud member of The Studio’s company team. After high school, Morgan pursued a BGS in Psychology and Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. She recently graduated with an additional dance minor as well. During her college career, Morgan auditioned to be part of the University’s club Hip Hop team and spent multiple years with them. After rekindling her dedication to this beautiful art in her college dance courses, Morgan is beyond excited to share her love for dance with her students! 

 Simone Gregory grew up with a passion for dance and enjoyed free-styling and teaching herself new moves. She choreographed group dances for school talent shows starting in elementary and middle school. Simone was on her high school step team named The Southside Steppers for 4 years and helped create choreo her senior year. She went to Stephens College and graduated with a BFA in Fashion Communication. Simone worked as a project manager for a local studio called WERQ Dance Fitness where she became certified and taught classes for a year. She also collaborated with other instructors to host First Friday Events for the community to come in and dance. That experience reawakened her love for dance and the joy she felt sharing it with others. 

If you are interested in joining our Studio Staff as a dance instructor, click the link below to reach out to our Artistic Director.