Staff

Julia Schaefer is a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and educator. Passionate about physical and emotional health, she is excited to bring the art of dance and movement to the community of Lowell. With bachelor's degrees in both Dance and Exercise Science, along with a plethora of professional dance and teaching experience, she is excited to offer a variety of classes in dance and fitness for all ages. 

Julia was a competitive gymnast until the age of 12, and then began intensely training 20+ hours a week in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Modern, and Musical Theatre with Company Dance Traverse in Traverse City, MI. After high school, she danced professionally on Holland America Cruise Lines and came home to attend the prestigious dance program at Western Michigan University. Throughout her college career, she performed with a touring company called the Western Dance Project, was selected to perform and teach on a cultural immersion trip to China and Taiwan, co-founded a hip hop company, was selected for multiple guest pieces by world renowned choreographers such as Peter Chu and Nelly VanBommel, all while earning a separate degree in Exercise Science. Throughout many summers, she was the assistant choreographer for the musical theatre summer program at Interlochen Arts Academy, performed as the dance captain for multiple professional theatre shows in Traverse City, instructed for Universal Dance Alliance dance team camps, and guest taught at various studios across MI and beyond.

Over the past 7 years, Julia has been on the teaching and administrative staff at two different studios in MI. She has taught ages 1 to adults, recreational to competitive levels, in many styles including Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre and Acro/ Tumbling. She specializes in technique, where she uses her knowledge from her exercise science degree to help build strong and versatile dancers. Dancers trained by her are now performing in the programs at Western Michigan University, Marymount University in NYC, and the dance teams at Michigan State University and Grand Valley University. She has received numerous awards for her choreography and performances and has also expanded her choreography to show choirs, pageant contestants, wedding dances, and competitive gymnastics routines. 

 Alex began her dance training at age 4 at the FIM’s Flint School of Performing Arts, studying a pre-conservatory curriculum in ballet and modern dance. Alex participated in Children’s Performance Workshop, Youth Dance Ensemble, and Flint Youth Ballet under the direction of Karen Mills Jennings. From 2003-2011, Alex performed in over 9 productions of The Nutcracker with the Flint Symphony Orchestra at The Whiting alongside company members from Dance Theatre of Harlem and Dance Collage Collective in Memphis. She also performed works by George Balanchine, Darrell Moultrie, Tyrone Brooks, Amy Hall Garner, among others, and attended summer dance intensives on scholarship at the Alvin Ailey School, Magnus Midwest, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Alex continued her training as a dance major at Western Michigan University’s Dance Department and attended intensives at DanceWorks Chicago before moving to Tallahassee, Florida to receive her Bachelor of Science in Criminology from Florida State University. As a college student, Alex performed in MFA student choreographed works with FSU’s School of Dance, served as a dance diplomat with FSU’s Movement Exchange Chapter in Panama City, Panama, and performed as a company member with Dance Tallahassee. Alex returned to Michigan in 2017 to attend law school, while performing as a company member with MSU’s Orchesis Dance Company and MSU’s Law Musical Theatre Revue. Alex earned her Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law and passed the Michigan Bar Exam in 2020.

Nowadays, Alex is a municipal attorney in Lansing, MI, providing general counsel to local governments and representing them in litigation throughout state and federal court. She continues to guest teach locally and dance in professional freelance roles. Alex is so excited and grateful to join the LoMI community for its second season!

Chris Worpel comes to LoMI Studios with years of experience in teaching preschool and elementary age children. Beginning with her love for music as a child, she studied piano into her high school years, was involved in band/choir, and is a self-taught guitarist. While homeschooling her 3 daughters, she directed the 3 year old Cherub Choir and helped direct a musical production with the West Michigan Homeschool Group. Other experience involves teaching piano, tutoring phonics, accompanying students at Solo Ensemble and leading worship at her church. She has been teaching with Wee Luv Music to preschoolers at AppleTree Daycares for the past several years. This involved teaching young children at several locations, organizing Christmas programs, and teaching rhythm, movement, musical awareness to the next generation. Chris is excited to join a talented group of instructors and will most certainly bring a fun and inspiring energy that will instill a lasting passion of music and dance to your preschooler. Other interests include staying active and working out at the gym, playing pickleball, hiking, boating, and spending as much time as possible with her 7 grandchildren.