Stephanie Manuel has owned and operated The Dance Warehouse Inc. for the past 24 years and has been teaching and choreographing for over 3 decades. As a young dancer, Stephanie trained in Louisiana and Florida. During her years in Florida, she was the runner up of Jr. Miss Dance of Florida and was part of Mary Jo’s Performing Arts Company. As she continued to study, she received scholarships to The Edge Performing Arts Center and Tremaine Studios in Los Angeles. Stephanie was also selected as LA DanceMagic Performer of the Weekend. She attended college at The University of Southwestern Louisiana and received a Bachelor of Arts degree. While in college, she was invited to be a part of an LA Showcase with Tony Selznick Productions. Upon graduation, Stephanie opened The Dance Warehouse Inc.

From 1989 to 1991, Stephanie was a member of the nationally ranked St. Thomas More Sparklers. It was during this time that her love and talent for choreographing became apparent. Beginning in 1992, Stephanie began coaching and choreographing for the St. Thomas More Sparklers. She continued to coach and choreograph for The Sparklers for the next 23 years. Under Stephanie’s direction, the Sparklers received 16 national championship titles for jazz and pom. Her success with the Sparklers gave her the opportunity to work with and choreograph for the nationally ranked dance teams of The University of Tennessee, The University of Minnesota, The University of Oklahoma, Hawaii Pacific University, The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Louisiana State University, not to mention many high school dance teams across the country.

Stephanie was a head instructor and choreographer for Universal Dance Association for 12 years and served as the district representative for 6 years. She serves as a judge for UDA College Nationals and other major competitions. In 2012, Stephanie was an ESPN commentator for the UDA College Dance Team Championship.

Owning and operating The Dance Warehouse Inc. has been a dream come true for Stephanie. She teaches all genres of dance and continues to educate herself and her staff by attending teacher workshops and conventions. Stephanie’s students have always been competitors, but in 2013, she officially started the Dance Warehouse Competition Company, also known as DWCC. As the director of DWCC, she has lead her team to many high point overall honors at competitions and her students have won numerous scholarships.  In 2019, DWCC was awarded 3 National Championship titles at The Streetz Nationals. Dance Warehouse was also awarded Top Choreography at the Nationals event.

Stephanie and her husband, Garrett, are the proud parents of their twins, Jaxon and Chloe. Mostly, Stephanie is committed to teaching the art of dance and enjoys the energy of her students while giving quality instruction. She believes that at The Dance Warehouse, not only do you learn how to dance, but you learn dedication, how to be a team player, and how to be kind to one another.

Callie Carter is a sophomore at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is a psychology major who hopes to work with children in the future. This upcoming season will be her second year on the Ragin' Jazz dance team at UL, where she will serve as a captain. Callie was a Sparkler for four years at Saint Thomas More High School. Within these four years, she earned 7 national titles at UDA and is the 2023 ICU Junior Pom World Champion. Callie has been a Student at Dance Warehouse for 15 years. She has danced competitively with Dance Warehouse for 11 years and received various awards, scholarships, and call-outs. Callie is now a part of Dance Warehouse's teaching staff as well as an assistant. Callie loves to choreograph, learn, perform, and share her love of dance with others. She strives to grow as a dancer and person, while encouraging others to reach out of their comfort zone and become the best version of themselves. Callie hopes to foster a positive and welcoming dance environment while sharing her gift with those in her community.

Lori Giglio Carter was a student and assistant teacher at The Dance Warehouse in 1997 and began teaching in 1999.  After moving away for several years, she was excited to rejoin The Dance Warehouse staff in 2003. She was a member of the nationally ranked St. Thomas More Sparkler Dance Team from 1993—1997, during which the team obtained six first place national titles.  Lori was a member of the Universal Dance Association staff for four years, where she taught and choreographed for various high schools throughout the country. She attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she obtained a degree in Accounting in 2001 and became a CPA in 2002.   Lori worked in public accounting and then at Stuller, Inc. for 19 years, where she held various roles in the finance department and became the Executive Director, Financial Controller in 2018. In 2023, she began working for VGraham, LLC, a boutique consulting firm providing Outsourced Financial Leadership and CFO/Controller services. She and her husband, Shawn, have two daughters, Izzy and Callie. Callie is a student at Dance Warehouse and a member of the Dance Warehouse Competition Company (DWCC). She is also a member of the St. Thomas More Sparklers and is currently a senior serving as Chaplain. Izzy is a student at University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is passionate about sports, health, and all things fitness. She is majoring in Kinesiology with ambitions to attend PT school.  While juggling careers and family life, Lori and Shawn find great joy in sharing their passions of dance and music with their children. Similarly, Lori aspires to share her knowledge and love of dance with all the students she teaches.  Her favorite quote, "We never learn so well as when we teach", has been reinforced after her many years of dancing and teaching.

Rebecca Comeaux previously trained for 16 years at Morgan Street Dance Company and Dance Warehouse in Lafayette, Louisiana.  As a Company member, she attended various conventions and competitions, and performed in Summer intensive programs at Ballet Austin.  She participated in classes at EDGE Performing Arts, Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, Jazz Dance World Congress, Alvin Ailey’s Dance and Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase.  Rebecca was a member of the nationally ranked UDA Sparklers High School Dance Team.  Rebecca attended LSU, obtaining a degree in Mass Communications/Advertising and currently works for Lamar Advertising.  During her time in Baton Rouge, she was a Company member and soloist for Of Moving Colors, a contemporary-dance theater organization, for 10 years. Throughout those years, she taught classes for their popular production–Kick It Out, was part of multiple Residencies and began training hours for Dance for Parkinsons curriculum. Rebecca now lives in Lafayette with her husband, Walter and their two children, Quin and Corinne. She is excited to be back with her Dance Warehouse family!

Alexis has been dancing since the age of two. She started with Dance Warehouse in 2005. She then became an assistant in 2010. She has attended numerous conventions where she has been privileged to train under various world renowned teachers. After moving away for a few years she’s very excited to be back with the Dance Warehouse Staff. She is an alumni of St. Thomas Moore high school and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She also is an active alumna in Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. While Alexis enjoys her love for the dental field as an Administrator for Theriot Family Dental Care, she’s excited to express her love for dancing with those who are eager to learn and to increase their love for dance!

Bio Coming Soon

Natalie has been a student of dance for over 20 years. At age 11, she began her dance training at The Dance Warehouse Inc.  She has been awarded numerous dance convention scholarships over the past years.  Natalie was a member of the National Champions St. Thomas More Sparklers from 2003-2007.  In her Senior year, Natalie served as Captain of the squad. She worked for Universal Dance Association where she taught high school dance teams across the country.  Through UDA, she has choreographed for Louisiana schools.  For 7 years she was the coach and choreographer of the Cougar Dance Team at STM.  Since 2007, Natalie has been assisting and teaching at The Dance Warehouse Inc.  She is currently married and the mother of three beautiful children.  Her love of dance shines through in her performances and in the teaching of her students.

Katie has been on the staff of Dance Warehouse for the past 24 years.  She attended St. Thomas More Catholic High School, where she was a member of the nationally ranked Sparklers dance team.  During her senior year the team obtained two first place national titles in Pom and Jazz.  She attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s School of Architecture and Design and graduated in 2005 with a Degree in Interior Design. 

Katie is a devoted staff member who currently assists with clerical work in the office, edits music, and works on all of our graphic design and web design needs.  She currently works for the Professional Engineering firm, Randall J Hebert & Associates, Inc and has recently opened her own Small Business, Katie Gaubert Designs. katie@dancewarhouseinc.com

Bio Coming Soon!

Bio Coming Soon!

Jessica Henke is currently in her 27th year of teaching dance.  She is a certified member of Dance Masters of America and Louisiana Association of Dance Masters. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1993 and was a member of the Ragin’ Jazz Dance Team for four years, serving as captain and choreographer for 2 years. She was a dance instructor for Universal Dance Association for seven years, traveling across the U.S., as well as internationally, teaching high school and college cheer and dance teams. For five years, she performed on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon and the National Dance Team Championship, representing UDA. Jessica was also the coach and choreographer for the Lafayette High School Dance Team for nine years and has choreographed for several area high school dance teams.   She was the Assistant Artistic Director of Jazz Extensions Dance Company and Classical Connections of Louisiana where she  choreographed and performed for numerous Mardi Gras Balls and industrial shows.  She attended Ballet West Summer Dance Intensive, and has studied with numerous teachers including, Lou Conte, Joseph Giocobbe, Bill Hastings, Bill Hotaling, and Finis Jhung.  Jessica has broadened her love for teaching and is currently a second grade teacher at St. Edward Catholic School in New Iberia.  Jessica lives in Lafayette with her husband, Roger, and their two children, Riley and Avery.  Jessica loves learning and nurturing the untapped potential of every child she meets.

Ms. Kiersten has been a part of Dance Warehouse since she was 3 years old. She danced competitively on the Dance Warehouse Competition Company Team for four years where she attended numerous dance conventions. She has been an assistant and substitute dance instructor for the past seven years. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2022 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science and Fitness Studies. In the past, she was a personal trainer and group fitness instructor for a year and a half and is now an elementary Physical Education teacher at a local private school. She is excited to instill her creativity and love for dance into her students!

Samantha has been dancing since the age of two and joined DW as a student in 2002. Starting in 2011, Samantha became an assistant helping classes of all ages. She attended Lafayette High where she was a part of the Performing Arts Academy. She was also a part of the dance team for three years, serving as Captain her Senior Year. She was an instructor for UDA (Universal Dance Association) for sixe years where she traveled teaching dance teams around the country, choreographing for multiple competitive dance teams, and judging competitions. She is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, majoring in Marketing. While attending ULL for Undergrad, she was an active member of Kappa Delta Sorority and was a member of the Ragin’ Jazz Dance Team her senior year. She graduated in May 2021 with her Masters in Business Administration with a concentration of Entrepreneurship. She now works for the Boys & Girls Club as their Event and Marketing Manager here in Lafayette. Samantha is the former coach of the Gator Jazz Dance Team at Ascension Episcopal School. They currently hold three DTU National Titles, Small Varsity Pom National Champions (2021, 2024) and Small Varsity Jazz National Champions (2023) with all other routines placing Top 5 in the Nation.  Samantha resides in Lafayette with her fiance, Brock Adamson and their daughters, Sloane and Kalli. She hopes for her students to continue to grow and be inspired through a positive and hard working environment that allows them to shine individually and collectively.

Ashley Trett Lombas began dancing her sophomore year at Lafayette High School where she served as captain of the dance team her senior year. After graduating high school in 1999, Ashley joined the Universal Dance Association, where she was a member for 4 years, served as Head Instructor her last 2 years, and choreographed for the association her final year. She joined the Dance Warehouse in 2001 then began teaching in 2003. Ashley attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. She currently serves the community as a real estate agent with Keaty Real Estate and is also an Independent Beauty Guide for LimeLife by Alcone. Ashley lives in Lafayette with her husband, Lane and their two children, Luke and Leni. Ashley’s approach to teaching is full of energy and passion which makes her students excited and eager to learn.

Chloe Manuel has been a part of the Dance Warehouse family for over 20 years. She was raised at DW alongside her mother, Stephanie, owner and director of DW. She has been a student of DW for 17 years and was on the Dance Warehouse Competition Company Team for over 10 years. She has been a DW Class Assistant for 9 years and is now a DWCC instructor. Chloe graduated from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a marketing degree in May of 2025. For the past few years, Chloe has worked behind the scenes as an administrative assistant and has been the Social Media Manager for Dance Warehouse for 4 years. This year, Chloe takes on a new role as the Bookkeeper and Account Manager. Chloe is committed to spreading her passion of dance to all of her students and enjoys seeing each dancer smile as they walk through the doors of DW. She loves to see the students of DW grow and be inspired in a confident and fun environment.

Andree joined the Dance Warehouse as a student in 1996 and has been a part of the Dance Warehouse staff since 2001.  Committed to expanding her dance education, Andree has attended regional and national dance conventions, where she took classes from top choreographers.  She attended Lafayette High School where she was a part of the Gifted and Talented program and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.  Andree became a registered nurse in 2006, and she is currently employed at Southern Oral and Facial Surgery in New Iberia and Lake Charles.  She and her husband, Brad, have three children, Knox, Jax, and Annzlee.  Andree is skilled in the art of interacting with young children which only adds to her love of teaching dance.  She enjoys passing on her love of dance to her students through her positive attitude.  Dance has always and will always be a part of Andree's life.

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Dontrell Thomas has been dancing at Dance Warehouse since the age of 11, taking part in many dance competitions and conventions. He became an assistant teacher at Dance Warehouse in 2018. He is a graduate from Lafayette High School where he was apart of the health academy and honor’s society. Dontrell is currently a senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, majoring in Biology. He was also a member of the Ragin’ Jazz Dance Team for 3 years. Dontrell is thrilled to continue his love for dance while helping other kids at the studio gain the same if not better experiences than he had.