About DWDC
Welcome!
Our promise to you
It is our goal at Dallas West Dance Centre to provide ALL our dancers with the highest quality instruction and performance opportunities in a supportive, inclusive, encouraging environment, in which each and every student is treated with equal respect, acceptance, and appreciation. Emphasis is placed not only on the attainment and improvement of dance skills, coordination, flexibility, health, carriage, body confidence, and strength, but also on respect for self and others, perseverance, dedication, self-expression, empowerment, creativity, and pure enjoyment, thereby providing each dancer with the opportunity for positive growth that will include and extend far beyond the realm of dance.
Owner/director
Meet Ms. Pam
"I am beyond thrilled and honored to bring together a new dance family, where dancers can feel welcome, accepted, and safe to immerse themselves in the amazing world of dance. I cannot imagine my life without it and am so blessed and grateful to share my love, experience, knowledge, and passion for dance with our community."
Ms. Pam started her life-long dance journey in Arkansas at the age of 6, and continued to train extensively in all genres of dance. She competed in middle school, high school, and college, as captain of her teams, earning all 1st place solo awards, as well as winning choreography awards. She began choreographing for performances and clinics as early as middle school, and began her dance teaching career during college. After teaching and training for over 30 years in AR, TX, TN, and CA, Ms. Pam opened her own studio in Northern CA. Her studio flourished and grew into a highly respected, successful, and beloved dance home that won Studio of Excellence and Best Choreography awards in several regional competitions. In 2021, she and her family made the extremely difficult, yet positive, decision to return to her native South, reluctantly leaving her dance family in capable and loving hands. Ms. Pam holds a double major in Elementary and Special Education; focused her graduate work on Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Childhood & Adolescence; is a certified facilitator for ACT, a parenting program by the American Psychological Association; and is a member of the National Dance Education Organization and the CA and TX Dance Education Associations. Many of Ms. Pam's students have gone on to become dance instructors and choreographers, as well as to hold the highest national competition honors, and to dance on college teams, NBA teams, NFL teams, and Broadway. She brings with her over 40 years of experience working with children, teaching, coaching, and mentoring. Other than teaching dance, her greatest loves are her 3 sons, Ethan, Jake, and Marshall; 2 fur babies, Huck and Lulu; the beach, sunshine, studying psychology, and reading. (Although they all have great rhythm, sadly, no, none of her sons became dancers. Instead, they all 3 decided to spend their time playing rugby, football, basketball, snowboarding, dirtbiking, and jumping out of airplanes! LOL)
DWDC Staff
Cailan Niswonger
Miss Cailan has been dancing since the age of 3 and has a lifelong passion for movement and performance. Originally from Flower Mound, TX, she was a dedicated member of her high school drill team and proudly served as a dance officer her senior year. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Business from the University of Kansas. Miss Cailan has been highly successful in working with dancers of all ages and skills. She is highly skilled at teaching a variety of styles and levels, including jazz, lyrical, tap, hip hop, drill team, and ballet, and is committed to creating a positive, encouraging environment where every student can grow and shine!
MK Merritt
Miss MK is an accomplished dance instructor and former competitive cheerleader with roots in North Richland Hills, TX. Since high school, M.K. dedicated herself to mastering acrobatic skills and dance tricks. With several years teaching throughout the DFW area, she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to her classes. An impressive chapter of MK's dance journey includes her experience with Team Athena, where they clinched the title at World of Dance Dallas. Having trained along notable celebrity choreographers, MK combines her competitive spirit with a commitment to mentorship and shaping dancers through her skills and love for acro and dance.
Ms. Caroline,
Ms. Emily,
and Ms. Raechel - bios coming soon!
Sarah Lunceford
Sarah Lunceford is a dancer, teacher, performer, choreographer, and writer, who began her dance journey at the age of 8. Since then, Ms. Sarah has developed a love for exploring new genres of dance and continuously expanding her movement vocabulary. While training under Nicole Troxler, she trained in ballet, contemporary, pointe, modern, liturgical, character, and jazz. Through 4 years of intensive study at Belhaven University, Sarah studied primarily Vaganova ballet technique and contemporary modern and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She had the privilege of working with renowned staff and guest artists. Ms. Sarah continued her education in an intensive program at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where she had the honor of working with notable faculty and guest artists and where she received her Master of Fine Arts in Dance. Upon completing graduate school, Ms. Sarah relocated to the DFW area to begin dancing with Open Sky Arts Collective. She is a Comprehensively Trained Balanced Body Pilates instructor and teaches at various dance and Pilates studios in the DFW area. She is thrilled to get to share her love of dance and movement with DWDC!