Carla Lee Crowe, Studio Owner/Company Founder & Artistic Director

Carla began dancing in Jr. High, studying many different styles of dance including ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop and hula. During High School she shifted her focus to the Bellbrook High School Color Guard and Winter Guard where she was recognized as a soloist and contributing choreographer, as well as held the position of Captain during her Senior Year.

It was during her Senior year of High School that Carla had an opportunity to dance in her Church Christmas Pageant. In that moment, Carla felt closer to God than she ever thought was possible. She was inspired to shift her focus once again and continue her dance training studying Modern Dance at South Dayton School of Dance. Carla then realized she wanted to pursue a Career in dance, and continue to find ways for her faith and her dancing to come together. Before leaving for college she set out on a Christian Arts Mission Trip, where she got to share her faith AND her choreography throughout Eastern Europe.

Carla went on to pursue a B.S. in Dance Performance from Eastern Michigan University. There, she gained experience in many different styles of dance including modern, ballet, African, jazz, hip hop, and tap, as well as musical theater, acting, and voice. She also had many opportunities to take master classes from professional dancers and choreographers and attend workshops and conferences such as the American College Dance Festival in Chicago and Detroit. Carla also explored in depth the connection between dance and Christianity through various choreography projects as well as with her Senior Thesis culminating in a well-known article called “Lord of the Dance: An In-Depth Look at Dance from a Christian Perspective.”

After college, Carla followed the Lord’s prompting and began on a journey that would result in the formation of well-known Christian dance ministry in Southeast Michigan. She became the Founder and Artistic Director of Fueled & Aflame, a contemporary Christian dance company. Fueled & Aflame Dance Company performed throughout Michigan and it’s surrounding areas, as well as traveled to Texas and New York City. The Company held many Master Classes and Workshops, and even helped churches to launch their own dance ministries.

During the Fall of 2005, Carla and her husband Allyn started a family and soon found themselves wanting to move back to the Dayton Area to be with their families. Leaving the Company behind indefinitely was difficult to say the least, but she stepped forward in faith, trusting God to restore the vision of Fueled & Aflame in her life, in God’s timing. Shortly after moving to Ohio, God opened up a door for her to start a dance program at Dominion Academy of Dayton. Carla taught and directed the dance program there for 4 years. And then she felt the Lord pushing her to REIGNITE Fueled & Aflame in the form of a dance studio.

Carla has been teaching dance for more than 13 years in Michigan and Ohio. She is a Workshop Instructor for Guidance Dance Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Carla’s choreography has been used to minister to many lives in the Detroit Metropolitan area, Southwest Ohio, Houston, Texas, Times Square in New York City, and Eastern Europe. And now, she is excited about the new journey God has for her with Fueled & Aflame Dance Studio!

Autumn Crane, Company Co-Founder/Workshop Instructor

Autumn was a member of the Berks Ballet Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania since the age of 13; training and performing with them for 10 years.  She was invited and given full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Govenor's School for the Arts, majoring in dance and theater.  She attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA as well as performed professionally for Freedom Theater there.  Her training has included classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps in NYC and Dance Ad Deum in Houston, TX.  She has teaching and consulting experience from Kennedy Dance Center, YMCA, Dexter Performing Arts Studio, Chelsea Community Education, Explorers Home School Association, studios, nursing homes, schools and churches within Lancaster and Berks county.  She has experience in community and professional theater, modeling, television, film and dance projects. Since a knee surgery following a dance related injury, she has been busy with her great family and works full time in the Physical Therapy profession where she has taught tap and ballet with loads of balance related cleasses to a more mature population of dancers, one of whom who was 108 years old taking barre exercises!  Recently, Autumn performed with Fueled and Aflame in Times Square, NYC as part of Project Dance and has been passionate about coordinating this region's worship dance artists.  She has a passionate heart for God and loves to inspire dancers to turn their movements into prayers.

Kristen Henry, Studio Instructor

Kristen began her ballet training at the age of 14 through a christian based dance ministry in Cincinnati, Ohio. She fell in love with dancing and especially with the idea that she can do it all for Jesus. She soon found herself training in studios all over Cincinnati's tri-state area through Miami Valley Ballet Theatre, Tanze Performing Arts,Cincinnati Ballet's Otto. M. Budig Academy, Mason Dance Center, and St. Romain Dance Academy. Through the years she continued dancing with the ministry now known as Rising Tide Dance Co. and began to search for where God wanted her next. She was accepted into Wright State University's Dance program where she is now attending, and studies Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Tap, as well as Theatre and Voice. This fall she will be studying in Dayton Ballet's Second Company as an apprentice and is very excited about teaching for Fueled an Aflame.

Teresa Muller, Studio Guest Instructor & Workshop Instructor

Training at several studios through out South-Eastern Michigan, Teresa began dancing at the age of four. Although she always loved dancing, having gained experience in Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Tap, Pointe, and African, she did not become serious about pursuing dance as a career until late in high school, when she began attending Mt. Zion School of Performing Arts in 2004; a dance studio based out of a Christian church. She spent four years dancing with Mt. Zion’s Elite Hip Hop Company and in 2006 she became apart of the teaching staff, educating the students in Hip Hop, Modern, and Jazz.

Teresa has attended various dance intensives and conventions including workshops at River North Dance Chicago, Point Park University International Summer Dance, and serval years of study at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. All of these experiences have allowed the opportunities to learned from world renown choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Mari Jo Irbe, Michelle Barber, Jeff Hancock and Lizzie MacKenzie.

In January of 2010, Teresa traveled to Lima, Peru with Mt. Zion Church. She was given the opportunity to both choreograph and perform for the church’s band, Ashley Maria and Revo 12:2. Through two days of concerts filled with music and dance, the band members and dancers shared the love of God with audiences of over 5,000.

In the spring of 2010, Teresa graduated with honors from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Performance under the direction of Jordeen Ivanov-Ericson on both academic and talent scholarship. Her time spent at Marygrove allowed her to work with acclaimed choreographers and company directors such as Ray Mercer, Kevin Iega-Jeff, and Tracy Pearson. Teresa’s own choreography was even asked to presented at the 2010 American College Dance Festival in Athens, Ohio.

Upon graduation, Teresa joined the Dayton Contemporary Dance 2nd Company under the direction of Shonna Hickman-Matlock. Having just finished her first season with the company, Teresa has been offered an Apprentice position with Ad Deum Dance Company in Houston, Texas and will be moving there in the Fall of 2011.

Olivia Tipton, Studio Guest Instructor/Workshop Instructor

Olivia started dancing at the age of 6, studying classical ballet at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios and was a member of pre-professional dance company Gem City Ballet for 3 seasons. She has also trained at the School of Ballet Chicago as well as Inlet Dance Theater. Her new love of modern dance took her to Jeraldyne's School of the Dance where she studied the Horton technique. Today Olivia enjoys sharing her knowledge of dance and love of the Lord with her students at Fueled and Aflame.

Emily Willmann, Studio Guest Instructor/Workshop Instructor

Emily has been dancing for 13 years. She has studied at Pontecorvo Ballet Studios and Dominion Academy of Dance. Emily has also danced in Guidance Dance Company in Cincinnati, OH. She loves working with children and sharing the love of Jesus through dance. Emily will be attending Anderson University beginning in the Fall of 2011 to study Nursing and Dance!

Olivia Willis, Studio Instructor

Olivia has been dancing since she was three years old, and has been trained in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Lyrical, and Worship dance. She has had the privilege of dancing at mulitple studios in Virginia, and Ohio.  While dancing with the Gary Geis Dance Company, in Springfield Ohio, Olivia had the opportunity to work work with Melissa Thodos, of Thodos Dance Chicago, as well as David Hochoy, of Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis.  Worship is her passion, and dance is a beautiful way for her to express her heart's longing for God.  Olivia enjoys teaching dance and looks forward to continuing her journey of combining dance and worship. She can't wait to see what else He'll do with it for His glory!

Rachelle Cartee, Studio Instructor

Rachelle (aka Chelle) Cartee is a junior at Wright State University. She is in the Dance major program there, where she has performed in WSUDE's student dance concerts, faculty dance concerts, junior/senior dance concerts, and has also participated in the Wright State Theatre Department's production of Hairspray. While studying dance at River Cities Dance Company in Greenup, Ky, Chelle also studied with Cincinnati Ballet, Dayton Ballet, and Cary Ballet Conservatory during her summers. In 2010 Chelle danced with Dayton Ballet II, and she is currently performing with River Cities Dance Company as a guest artist. As a choreographer, Chelle as created three middle school musicals, as well as two competition flag-group retinues in her hometown, Portsmouth, Ohio. She also choreographed for Wright State University Dance Ensemble's Student concert in 2009 and 2010.