Meet Our Instructors and Staff

Barb has danced since age 3 at studios in the Green Bay area and throughout Wisconsin and the Chicago area. It was always Barb’s childhood dream to own her own dance studio. Her true love for dance helped her to establish and open Barb’s Centre for Dance in 1985. Under her guidance and with the help of her talented and dedicated staff, Barb’s Centre for Dance has grown to become one of the largest and most respected studios in the state of Wisconsin. Barb’s goal has always been to provide all of Northeast Wisconsin with the best dance education possible set in a welcoming and comfortable learning environment. Many thousands of dance students have experienced not only the professional instruction but also the sincere praise and encouragement it takes to foster young student’s character and self-esteem. Barb takes much pride and joy in the studio’s seasonal production, “Spirit of the Holidays, A Celebration of Dance”. The production is designed to feature our young dancer’s talents while celebrating the ‘reason for the season’. All profits from the shows and the weekend events are donated to local charitable organizations that serve both our Green Bay and Fox Valley locations communities. Over $406,175 has been raised and donated to very worthy local organizations like The Freedom House of Green Bay and Homeless Connections of the Fox Valley. Barb plans to continue growing the event and helping her students give back to the community.

Jennifer Palma started dancing in a suburb of Chicago at age four. Her family relocated to Wisconsin where her passion for dance continued to grow. She continued to dance through college and graduated from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh with a bachelor of social work with a focus in dance therapy. Jen has been sharing her knowledge and love of dance with her students for over a decade and has been awarded multiple choreography awards. Her students have also received multiple awards for technical excellence and overall championships awards. She continues to attend workshops and events to keep her dance knowledge current and to help her students excel to higher levels. 

Shauna Garrison came to us as a long-term sub from Las Vegas, Nevada in mid-fall of 2020 and loved the Green Bay area so much, that she has decided to move here full time.
She has been dancing since she was 10 years old and is trained in a variety of styles from Jazz, Jazz Funk, Contemporary, Lyrical, Acro, and Tap. Her professional line of work has consisted of performing as a back up dancer for various artists, and music videos, along with teaching competitive teams at Innovation Dance Company/ Summerlin Dance Academy. Shauna has won numerous awards for her choreography and teaching for all her hard work and dedication. Shauna is also a former student of BCFD's competition director, Samantha Hunt and has been a perfect addition to the BCFD staff.

Lacy Slaats grew up in northeast Wisconsin, training in a variety of styles and dancing competitively at Barb’s Centre For Dance. There Lacy had the opportunity to discover her passion for teaching and choreographing. Throughout her high school years, she began assisting as well as setting her own award winning choreography. Lacy completed her education at The Ohio State University where she received her BFA in Dance with a Business minor. During her time at Ohio State, she had the opportunity to learn and perform work from faculty such as Bebe Miller, Abby Zbikowski, Crystal Michelle Perkins, and Charles O. Anderson. Her training also included collaborations with BalletMet and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. Her choreographic thesis, Praxis, was chosen to be restaged and performed internationally. Lacy has performed historic works by Martha Graham and Anna Sokolow across Paris, while also facilitating and leading discussions about how these works relate to global societal issues today. Recently, she demonstrated and assisted in the restaging of Balanchine’s Agon on artists of the New York City Ballet. Lacy has continued to teach throughout the years, striving to share her love for dance with others.

Tiffany's deep connection to dance, started in her formative years in Eau Claire, WI, where she attended studio dance classes, specializing in various styles such as jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and pom. Her dedication and skills led her to become the captain of her high school varsity dance team, achieving success at the state level.

Her passion for dance persisted as she pursued further education in dance at UW-Stout, later transitioning into teaching at a local studio. Upon relocating, she enrolled her daughters in dance classes at Barb's Centre for Dance-Fox Valley and swiftly became an instructor herself. Beyond her love for dance, Tiffany cherishes family time, frequently indulging in activities with her loved ones. She enjoys attending sporting events, relishing moments by the lake, and nurturing her relationship with date nights alongside her husband.

Kerri started dancing at 6 years old. She started at different dance studio then switched to Barb's, where she danced all through high school and even was on the Pom-Pon squad.  

Kerri received her BFA in Dance and a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After graduating, she moved to Chicago to pursue her dancing career. While living in Chicago, Kerri danced professionally for 12 years and taught at various dance studios around Chicagoland. She implemented several Parent Tot dance programs and Creative Movement classes for little dancers. This is where Kerri found her passion for teaching the babies/little dancers. Kerri moved back to Green Bay in late summer 2016 to be closer to her family and has taught at Barb's since. She considers the studio her 2nd home and loves teaching at Barb's. Kerri's teaching styles include Creative Movement (Pre-Ballet and Tap), Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Pointe, Modern, Contemporary, Hippity Hop, and basic Ballroom. She is trained in the Leap N' Learn Dance Program. Kerri is also Mat Pilates certified. When Kerri isn't teaching, she loves spending time with her family and likes traveling to see her friends in Chicago. She loves anything fitness related. Kerri is thrilled to be teaching her passion, dance. 

Kara has been dancing for 15 years, 9 of which have been with BCFD. Her favorite styles are Tap, Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary. She's grown up and lived in the Appleton area her entire life. As a class of 2022 graduate, Kara decided to jump right into teaching at BCFD. Along with teaching, she works at the FV front desk. In her free time, she likes spending time with her friends and family, traveling, and enjoying the outdoors. She loves working with the kids and can't wait to watch them grow.

Murphy has been a part of Barb's Centre for Dance for over 28 years where she began dancing at the young age of 2. She danced competitively with BCFD for 10 years, winning dozens of national and regional titles. After high school, Murphy attended Valparaiso University to pursue degrees in Public Relations and Dance. While studying at Valpo, Murphy danced and choreographed a number of routines for the Dance Ensemble between 2010-2014. In addition to choreographing and dancing for Valparaiso's Dance Ensemble, Murphy also taught and choreographed at United Dance Arts 2012-2014. After college, Murphy moved back to Green Bay where she began teaching at Barb's Centre for Dance part time. Specializing in tap and jazz for all ages, she has choreographed many award winning routines for the BCFD competition and travel teams. She absolutely loves spending time with the BCFD students and watching them learn and grow year after year! 

Ms. Emily is an alumni of BCFD, and trained for 14 years in various disciplines. Additionally, Ms. Emily has worked with choreographers such as Samantha Hunt, Kevin Leon, Eddie Garcia, Hailey Mac, Liz Imperio, and Twitch. While attending UW-Madison to pursue a degree in education, Ms. Emily also continued her training within the dance department taking various collegiate dance classes. Outside of the studio, Ms Emily is an educator in the Pulaski Community School District. Ms. Emily is excited to return to BCFD, and share her passion with other dancers! 

Abbi started dancing when she was 6 years old, beginning with ballet and quickly adding tap and jazz to the lineup. By the time she came to Barb's Centre For Dance when she was 13 year old. Abbie was dedicated to expanding her dance vocabulary across numerous dance styles. To continue her dance training while also learning more about dance history, teaching, choreographing, and physiology she studied at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Abbi graduated with her BA in dance and minor in creative writing from Stevens Point in May of 2023. She is dedicated to spreading the love and passion for dance among students and hopes to inspire many young dancers as she continues to teach. When not dancing, Abbi likes to spend her free time with her family and loved ones, playing video and board games, watching movies, collecting rubber ducks, and exploring the central Wisconsin area.