Creative Expressions Dance Studio, Inc.
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Meet Our Staff
Takiyah Jackson. Interim Director
Lead Hip Hop and Adult Jazz Instructor
Takiyah Jackson was born and raised in Mt. Morris, MI. At the early age of 2, Takiyah began dancing. By age 5, she began to realize her love for dance when she continued taking dance lessons at Creative Expressions Dance Studio. Through this experience, she was fortunate enough to travel the country and dance on a competitive level. She competed at Joe Tremaine Dance Convention/Competition and Creative Expressions obtained several wins. She studied Ballet and Jazz under Sheila Miller Graham. She also studied Ballet and Jazz under Charlene Hanks Banks. She was also privileged to work with professional dancer Tony B. White, featured in dance movie, Breakin 2, and featured in Michael Jackson's videos, Thriller and Beat it. She studied Tap under Alfred Bruce Bradley and number of guest artists, such as Kevin Ramsey, Gregory Hines, Tony Capella and many more. Takiyah was extremely successful in her craft because she was fortunate enough to learn the value of discipline, loyalty and respect. In 1995, Takiyah graduated from Beecher High School and was accepted to Western Michigan University. Although she did not major in dance, she would never neglect the gift of her creative artistic ability and Takiyah was a choreographer for pageants such as NAACP, Alpha Phi Alpha Incorporated, and many more. Upon graduation, Takiyah returned to her hometown, she could not resist returning to Creative Expressions Dance Studio, where she became a dance instructor and she has been there since. She currently teaches Hip Hop to ages 5 up and adult jazz. Takiyah has also been happily married for 10 years to Frederick Jackson. They have a beautiful daughter, Laelle Jackson, who is following in her mother's footsteps currently dancing on the competition team at Creative Expressions Dance Studio.
Le’Tina Shonte’ Williams is a native of Flint, MI. Her journey for dance began at the tender age of three with Creative Expression Dance Studio under the direction of Sheila Miller-Graham and Alfred Bruce Bradley. She began assisting and teaching at thirteen, during these years she also had the profound privilege to learn from several talented and professional choreographers, including Mia Michaels and Tony B. White. In the course of her studies, LeTina also had the opportunity to dance and travel on a competitive level. This is when she began to develop her confidence through master classes and auditioning. While at Joe Tremaine Covention Competition, LeTina was awarded a junior scholarship for the National Finals in Orlando, Florida.
Even though LeTina decided to take a short break from her passion in 1995 and begin cheerleading for her now Alma Mater Flint Central High School, it was not long before she returned to dance. Upon graduation in 1999 she was accepted to Eastern Michigan University where she joined Diversion Dance Troupe, which was founded by seven young and motivated undergraduate students. Diversion Dance Troupe was the beginning of her ability to reach within herself to see the true potential of her God given talent, which allowed her to extend chorography to others. Before completing her undergraduate degree, LeTina had the opportunity to perform beside several Grammy and Stellar Award winning artists Karen Clark-Sheard, Kierra ‘KI KI’ Sheard and Dorinda Clark-Cole. In 2003 she was given the pleasure to perform with the Eastern Michigan Gospel Choir and Dorinda Clark-Cole during the Stellar Awards in Atlanta, GA under the direction of choreographers Rosero McCoy and Jamal Sims, who has worked with Usher, Beyonce, and Snopp Dogg to name a few. She also appeared in the 2005 live recording of “The Rose of Gospel” in Houston, TX. LeTina is passionate about dance and always excited about passing on that passion to her students.
LeTina Williams
Small Tots / Father Daughter Instructor
Brittney Rimmer began her dance training at the age of four in Flint, MI at Creative Expression Dance Studio under the direction of Sheila Miller Graham. In 1999, she had the pleasure of being on the competition team that competed at Joe Tremaine Dance Convention Nationals in Orlando, FL. In 2003 she joined the Flintstone Hoofers under the direction of Bruce Bradley. It was with the hoofers that she had the pleasure of studying under Diane “Lady Di” Walker, Savion Glover, Van “The Man” Porter, Cartier Williams, Joseph Wiggan, Alexandria Bradley, Frances Bradley, and many others. Post-graduation, she received her BS in Biology from Ferris State University and is the mother of one son, Tristian Terrell. In 2013, Brittney returned to Creative Expressions and is now a part of the Tap program teaching Tap I -III.
Brittney Rimmer
Tap Instructor
Sharneese Jones is a proud Flint native! She joined Creative Expressions Dance Studio in 2022, starting with the Creative Movement class for 3-year-olds. The following year, she moved into teaching Small Tots, and she has been loving every moment of it! Her dance background began in high school, where she was part of the Auxiliary Squad at Flint Southwestern Academy as a color guard during her junior year, and later became color guard captain her senior year. After high school, she continued expressing her love for movement through praise dance for about six years under the instruction of Diane Blessingame. In addition to dance, she hold a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked in education for over 13 years. Teaching and working with children has always been her passion, and dance has been a natural extension of that joy. She is truly grateful to Mrs. Sheila Miller-Graham for giving me the opportunity to be part of the CEDS family, and she looks forward to continuing to inspire and grow with our dancers each season!
Sharneese Jones
Small Tots Instructor
Talia Wooten
Lead Ballet Instructor
As a student, Talia received training at the Flint School of Performing Arts, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Joffrey Midwest, Interlochen, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem — all on merit scholarships. She has been blessed to be mentored by many great dancers and teachers, including Joffrey’s John Magnus and Judy Rice, Dance Theatre of Harlem founder Arthur Mitchell, DTH’s Tyrone Brookes (now serving as Artistic Director of The Tallahassee Ballet), Lorraine Graves, and choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie. As a professional dancer, Talia has worked with Urban Bush Women, Ann Arbor Works Dance Company, Flint Water Project, FIM’s Nutcracker, and More Dances Contemporary Dance Company. She is currently a member of the multidisciplinary Vertical Ambition Dance Company and is entering her 10th year with the company. She also remains on faculty at Fli-City Dance Studio, home to Vertical Ambition.
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Talia Wooten is an ABT Certified Teacher, holding certification in levels Pre-Primary through Level 3 in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. She is currently the only African American woman in Michigan with this certification. Although ballet is her main focus, she is also well-versed in modern, contemporary ballet, jazz, and breaking. With 19 years of experience teaching movement to students from birth through adulthood, Talia has taught master classes and served on the faculty of many Michigan dance schools. She has led countless outreach classes in Genesee County and served in several leadership roles at the Flint School of Performing Arts, including Head Start Coordinator, Summer Dance-N-Fun Director, Children’s Performance Workshop Director, and Founder/Director of the Adult Ballet Ensemble. She also served as Children’s Ballet Mistress for FSPA’s yearly production of The Nutcracker for 14 years and was an ABT Project Plié teacher for the Boys and Girls Club for 2 years. In addition to classroom teaching, Talia created a course in GISD’s EduPaths program for teacher training, focused on incorporating movement into early childhood classrooms. She also co-founded A.R.T. (Addressing Racial Tensions), an art collective that builds community through discussion and the collaborative creation of multi-genre art. Her goal is to continue growing A.R.T. into a nonprofit that helps break down racial tensions in and around Genesee by connecting professional artists and community members. Talia also serves as a Tinkergarten teacher, a nature play school, often bringing her husband and four children along to participate. She is excited to be joining Creative Expressions Dance Studio and is glad to become part of the CEDS dance family.
Ambriana Mccollum started dancing at the age of 5 years old. She started taking ballet at the Flint Institute of Music for 5 years and then switched over to gymnastics at AGA Gymnastics for 3 years. Throughout her middle school and high school career, she participated in Cheerleading and Dancing along with many other sports. While in high school, Ambriana was apart of The Flint Southwestern marching band. In addition, she worked with Florida A&M (2011-2012) along with Jackson State University (2013-2015) majorette teams. She attends tumbling workshops at Creative Expressions and has worked as an majorette instructor for the past few years.
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Ambriana McCullom
Majorette Instructor
Roslyn English
Lead Tumbling & Acro Instructor
Roslyn English-Simmons is a native of Detroit, MI. Starting dance at the age of 3, Roslyn has trained in various styles of dance including but not limited to ballet, tap, modern, hip hop, and pom, as well as being a national award winning baton twirler. Although her performing arts training afforded her the opportunity to perform internationally, her favorite performance was in the parade at “The Most Magical Place on Earth” - Disney World. As a teen, she directed the liturgical dance ensemble at her home church. As a freshman at Michigan State University, she started I3 Dance Team, a college team which produced multiple events including a statewide College Dance Team Battle. These two experiences became a stepping stone for starting a youth dance program as a Sophomore at MSU all while completing her degree - a Bachelors of Science in Secondary Education & Economics with a minor in Mathematics. That program, which is now an international award winning competitive studio, caters to youth in Detroit ages 2+.
Although she enjoyed performing, Roslyn soon realized that she found her true passion, which was to become a coach. As a choreographer, she has won multiple choreography awards, entertainment awards and overall high scores at the Regional, National and International levels as well as being featured on a TV series and in America’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Besides being an award winning dance and acrobatics instructor and choreographer, Roslyn has been named one of the “40 under 40” by the Michigan Chronicle. Roslyn is a certified Zumba instructor and has also coached cheerleading for little league, middle school, high school, and all star programs, leading her teams to victories at the state and national levels and also winning “District Coach of the Year”.
Roslyn is extremely passionate about helping youth maximize their potential; that passion, combined with her love for dance, has been the driving force behind her training methods and instrumental in training hundreds of national award winning dancers and athletes. As an instructor, her most memorable experiences thus far have been winning the World Dance Championships and working on the set of Debbie Allen’s “Hot Chocolate Nutcracker” in LA alongside her dancers who were selected to be a part of the cast. When not teaching, Roslyn enjoys spending time with her biggest supporters, her husband and two sons. As a certified Tumbling & Acrobatic Arts instructor, she is excited to share her tumbling/acrobatics expertise with the dancers of CEDS and is looking forward to a great season.
Brianna Rimmer, a native of Flint, Michigan, nurtured her passion for dance at a tender age of four. Her journey began at Creative Expressions Dance Studio, where she immersed herself in various dance styles, including ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, and modern. Through partnerships with Creative Expressions, Brianna participated in workshops, danced in competitions, and performed in Tapology shows under the guidance of Shelia Miller-Graham. She even had the privilege of training in Baltimore for a summer. During her time at Creative Expressions, Brianna’s love for dance blossomed, and she found joy in creating her own dance pieces. In 2009, she graduated from Carman-Ainsworth High School and was accepted into Central Michigan University, where she continued her dance career as a member of Central Michigan’s Dance Company. At CMU, Brianna’s talents shone through when she choreographed for the Fall student showcase in 2012. After graduation, she returned to Flint, where she embarked on a new journey as a volunteer assistant for Takiyah’s hip-hop classes at Creative Expressions Dance Studio. Her dedication led to a full-time position, where she assisted in choreographing for both the adult class and the competition team. Under Takiyah’s mentorship, Brianna’s passion for dance blossomed further, and she eventually became a dance instructor. Today, she teaches beginners and intermediate hip-hop at Creative Expressions Dance Studio and she is the lead choreographer for Triumph Church, Flint Campus. In addition to her dance career, Brianna is a new mom to Myelle and works as a Finance and Accounting Analyst at the Community Foundation of Greater Flint.
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Brianna Rimmer
Hip Hop Instructor
Artaisha Bridges
Tap & Pre Dance Instructor
ArTaisha Bridges, born and raised in Flint, MI, began her dance training at the age of 10 with Creative Expressions Dance Studio. Throughout high school, she was actively involved in volleyball, cheerleading, majorette, track, and continued her passion for dance with both CEDS and Tapology. During this time, she also joined the Tapology Outreach Team, teaching local students across Flint and surrounding areas. ArTaisha has extensive training in heels, tap, ballet, jazz, tumbling, hip hop, and contemporary. After graduating from Flint Southwestern Classical Academy in 2017, she attended Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, majoring in Sociology. While at JSU, she was actively involved in multiple campus organizations including C.A.B, Pre-Alumni Council, SGA, Girl’s Coalition, and the JSU Dance Ensemble. Through the ensemble, she performed at numerous campus events, fundraisers, and even traveled to Miami, FL to participate in the World of Dance Competition. Returning to Flint in 2020, ArTaisha reconnected with Creative Expressions while also continuing to train in heels technique through HimHim Heels. This training opened opportunities to perform with local artists in both Flint and Detroit, including being the lead dancer in the “Vibe” music video by Rashaad Reed. In 2022, ArTaisha welcomed her beautiful daughter, who is now proudly carrying on the tradition as a “CEDS baby.” At Creative Expressions, she has taught Small Tots Tap, Pre-Dance, Tap 1, Tap 3, and has assisted with Adult Tap, Majorette 1, and Majorette 2. This past season, she also offered heels workshops, which she plans to continue in the upcoming year. ArTaisha is always willing to lend a hand wherever needed at CEDS, and her dedication, talent, and love for teaching continue to inspire the next generation of dancers.
Matthew Washington, a proud Flint native and graduate of Flint Northwestern High School, is excited to step into his role as CEDS Tap teacher. With over 25 years of dance experience, his journey began as a student at Creative Expressions Dance Studio as a child, and then as a member of Mrs. Sheila Miller-Graham’s celebrated Northwestern High School dance group, Wildcats in Motion. While attending the University of Michigan, Matthew continued honing his craft as part of the School of Theatre and Dance, deepening his passion for performance. Dedicated to inspiring the next generation, he especially encourages young boys to embrace movement and performance as a way to develop style, confidence, athleticism, and public speaking skills that carry far beyond the stage."
Matthew Washington
Boys Tap Instructor
Denijah Miller
Jazz Instuctor
Denijah Miller, born and raised in Flint, Michigan, is a dedicated dance educator ready to inspire students of all ages to express themselves through movement. With over 25 years of dance experience, Denijah began her training at Creative Expressions Dance Studio under the Direction of Sheila Miller-Graham at the age of three which ignited her love and devotion for the art. Training with renowned dance instructors such as Alfred Bruce-Bradley, Frances Bradley, Ali Bradley, JaMise Wash-Lang, Takiyah Jackson, Diane Walker, Cartier Williams, and more, Denijah developed a strong foundation across multiple styles including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Modern, and Gymnastics.
A proud double Alumna of Howard University, Denijah earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters degree in Public Health. During her time at Howard, she was a member of the celebrated Ooh La La! Dance Line, where she trained in Majorette and Band Dance styles for four years.
Denijah is passionate about combining technical excellence with creativity, fostering both discipline and joy in every class. She is committed to mentoring the next generation of dancers to move with confidence, artistry, and heart.
Terria Boose was born and raised in Flint, MI. Terria has been a part of Creative Expressions Dance Studio since the age of 11 when she first started dancing. Terria’s love of dance is bedded from watching her late uncle, Tony B. White, dance and perform some of the greatest legends and stars that include the late great, Michael Jackson. She has previously been a part of the “Ole School” ensemble and has passed on her shoes to her youngest daughter Teylyn, who has been dancing with the studio since the age of 3. Terria takes pride in her relationships established within Creative Expressions and desires to see the studio continue to prosper and grow. Mrs. Boose has taken on the responsibility of volunteer coordinator and office assistant. Terria holds a BA in Criminal Justice from Western Michigan University and a MSW from Michigan State University. She currently works for the State of Michigan as a State Administrative Manager. Mrs. Boose is the mother of 2 beautiful daughters. Terria prides herself in playing an active role in the lives of the youth in her community. She believes that with God and a supportive village anything is possible.
Terria Boose
Fundraising / Volunteer Coordinator / Office Manager
Shannon Owens-Burns love for dance started at Creative Expressions Dance Studio at the age of 8. She studied ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop until she graduated high school in 2007. After graduating, she went to Grand Valley State University where she was apart their Dance Troupe for 4 years. Moving back to flint, Shannon was excited to be able to pass down her passion of dance to her daughters who have now been apart of CEDS for 9 years. For the past 3 years shannon has enjoyed assisting and is now teaching Adult tap. CEDS has alaways been family but she is excited to join the teaching staff.
Shannon Burns
Adult Tap Instructor
Natasha Lyle is a native of Flint, Michigan who started dancing at the tender age of two. She is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University where she earned her B.A in psychology with a minor in allied health. Natasha is skilled in the areas of ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical. Mrs. Lyle began her dance training at Creative Expressions Dance Studio of whom her mother is the director. Previously, Natasha has served as the Artistic Director for Dance 360 of 360 Performance Fitness, a program of which she developed herself to help cultivate the minds of youth to embrace to art of dance as it coincides with health and fitness. Throughout her matriculation as a dancer, Natasha has performed on Broadway, Showtime at the Apollo, St. Louis Tap Festival, Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Detroit Tap Festival, Fox Theater, Foot Notes, and a variety of many other performances. She has performed and studied under many dance legends; some of which include Bruce Bradley, Savion Glover, Gregory Hines, Lady Dianne Walker, Henry LeTang, Peg Leg Bates, Cholly Atkins, Mia Michaels, Debbie Allen, Van the Man Porter, Jimmy Slyde, Mable Lee and many more. For several years, Natasha has served as a guest artist and instructor for the Tapology Tap Festival for Youth held for aspiring dancers locally & worldwide. As a professional dancer, Natasha has worked with the Urban Bush Woman as well. Natasha is a former member of professional companies such as Village Ensemble and Flintstone Hoofers and also former member of the Clark Atlanta University “Onyx” dance team. Mrs. Lyle has also had the opportunity to open up for artists such as B2K and Mario while exhibiting her gift of dancing as well as her singing ability. She has also done choreography for other dancers and groups who have opened up for Shad Moss "Bow wow" and Romeo Miller to name a few. Her choreography was also recently featured on a televised solo spot for the Children’s Miracle Network Parade. In addition, she has been known to produce double platinum, platinum, and high gold award winning competition choreography. Natasha is the founder of H.I.T. (Highly Innovative Tap Dancers) Entertainers Tap Dance Company. This company emphasizes embracing the history of tap, advancing tap skills, cultivating minds, and eloquently bringing tap dance to the forefront.
Natasha Lyle
Marketing Executive / Stage Manager / Financial Records Manager / Instructor
Meet Our Assistants
Zyana Cuthpert
Tumbling Assistant
