Origins Dance Academy Faculty

ORIGINS DANCE ACADEMY TEAM

Jennifer Sullivan

Owner/Co-Director

Jennifer Sullivan is originally from Northwest Indiana, which gave her the opportunity to train in Chicago at Hubbard Street and Giordano’s. She then moved to Los Angeles, California after graduating high school, where she successfully worked as a dancer and choreographer for 14 years.

Her diversity in the art has led her to many avenues of the industry, including industrials for Jafra, AAA, Tarbell Realtors, IAM.COM and Disney. She can be seen in feature films, such as Beautiful Directed by Sally Fields and Rock Star, with Jennifer Aniston and Mark Wahlberg. Her television credits include It’s All Relative, The Practice, MTV’s The Andy Dick Show, and Nikki on the WB. Jennifer was part of the creative team for the Grand Opening Ceremonies of Disney’s California Adventure and choreographed Disney’s Fantasy Christmas in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. She has had the privilege to work with celebrities such as, Christina Aguilera, Nicholas Cage, Minnie Driver, Andy Dick, and Bjork.

Her regional theater credits include the role of Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street and Will Rogers Follies. She also performed for the world renowned Michael Curry Design at the Los Angeles Opera in “Bluebeard’s Castle” and “Ariadne auf Naxos”. Jennifer choreographed the Celebration of Sovereignty for Morongo, Casino, Resort, and Spa in Palm Springs and a “Sports Pack” commercial for DirecTV.

Jennifer is the Director and Owner of Origins Dance Academy, which is an award winning nationally acclaimed studio. Her excitement for sharing her knowledge and experience of “the art of dance” to dancers of all ages and background is evident in her teaching and leadership of ODA.

Rochelle Avery
Co-Director/Troupe Director/Sr Faculty

Rochelle, originally from Chicago, Illinois, started her training at a neighborhood studio. Her education then continued at DanceSpace, formerly the home for Chicago Dance Medium and Lou Conte, home of the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. To continually further her education she has attended numerous dance conventions and seminars. She has performed at numerous Chicago land functions, such as, Taste of Chicago, Ditka's Restaurant Club and UIC Pavilion, just to name a few. She appeared in the motion picture "Red Heat" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi and was a dancer at the Sabre Room in Hickory Hills, Illinois, where she performed Las Vegas Revue Shows. She has taught Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Modern and Lyrical to children throughout the Chicago land and NWI area. Rochelle LOVES teaching and watching her students grow as dancers and individuals and is ecstatic to be part of the Origins family and to bring her educational talent to our dancers.

Brooke Batinic

Sr Faculty

Brooke grew up dancing and competing in Northwest Indiana, winning many national awards. During high school, she attended the Chicago Academy for the Arts, where she studied under Joffrey’s Ballet Masters and Hubbard Street Jazz and Modern instructors. At the age of 18, Brooke moved to New York City on scholarships to Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center. She spent three years in the city, performing industrials and studying under Mia Michaels, Ray Leeper, Suzy Taylor, and many other industry greats. In 2001, Brooke moved to Orlando to work at Disney and also began her teaching career. During her years in Orlando, she taught full time with Raskin Dance Studio and Deltona Dance Academy, choreographing many nationally award winning pieces. Since moving back to Indiana in 2008, Brooke has gotten married and is thrilled to have taught at a few studios in the area. Origins is a special place for her, since Jennifer Sullivan is her childhood best friend.

Christina Blazo

WOW Coordinator

Social Media Coordinator/Sr Faculty

Christina began dancing at the age of three and discovered her passion for dance throughout middle and high school. During high school, her team won both state and national titles, and she continued dancing throughout her college career.

After college, Christina joined ODA as an instructor in 2014, where she expanded her teaching experience across a variety of styles and age groups, including hip hop, jazz, and turns and leaps. She has experience working with dancers of all ages, including kinder-level students, and has grown into administrative and coordinator roles within the studio.

Outside of the studio, Christina is a local Occupational Therapist with experience in early intervention, outpatient, and school-based settings. Her professional background also includes inpatient acute care and rehabilitation with the geriatric population.

We are grateful to have Christina as part of our studio family, and she looks forward to having your child in class!

Hailey Mishka

Sr Faculty

Coach Haylie has 10 years of experience in competitive gymnastics and cheer. She is a Tumbling Workshop Specialist and holds a certification in the USA Gymnastics Talent Opportunity program. Hailey, has specialized training in athlete development, safe skills progression and program leadership. Her passion for helping athletes build confidence, develop strong fundamentals, and reach their full potential is undeniable. As a Tumbling Director, she strives to create a positive, disciplined, and encouraging environment where every athlete feels supported while learning safe, technically sound skills.

Reese Rettig

Sr Faculty

Reese has been dancing at Origins for 8 years and a member of Origins Dance Troupe for 7 years, earning several scholarships and awards. She is a senior at Crown Point High School and a Varsity Dance Team member who earned her varsity letter as a freshman, as well as Rookie of the Year honors. Reese has been an assistant instructor and substitute at Origins since 2019 and danced on the Wheeler Middle School Dance Team. Taking honors, dual credit and AP level courses, Reese is a Scholar Athlete, Kiwanis Scholar, Crown Point Scholar and earned High Honor Roll recognition with a GPA of 4.0 or higher her freshman year. Reese is in her third year of teaching at Origins. She is excited to share her talent, experience and passion for dance with the students of ODA.

Dasia Dean

Sr Faculty

Dasia Dean is a dancer, choreographer, and creative director from Northwest Indiana with over 20 years of dance experience. She has performed in stage productions, plays, concerts, and major live events, including Kanye West’s Donda Album Release Concert and Michael Jordan Brand events, and has taught both hip-hop and acro to young dancers. Passionate about developing artists and inspiring the next generation, Dasia brings creativity, energy, and authenticity to every performance and project she takes on.

Molly Tully

Sr Faculty/Office Assistant

Molly danced at Origins for 7 years and was a member of Troupe for 4 years, training in styles such as ballet, lyrical, acro, jazz, pom, and turns and leaps. She was also a part of the Taft Dance Team and the Crown Point High School varsity dance team her freshman and sophomore years, earning several awards at both IHSDTA and UDA competitions. Molly is now at Purdue University studying Speech, Language, and Hearing Science to be working towards becoming a speech pathologist. Working as an instructor, Molly enjoys educating and encouraging the next generation of dancers and experiencing the shared joy of dance.