Love of Dance Staff
Renée Robertson
Owner and Director
Renée is a graduate of Montclair State University receiving a BFA in Dance, a BA in Family and Child Studies with a concentration in Family Services, and a Minor in Psychology. Renée began her dance training at Laura’s Dance Studio at the age of three. She studied Ballet, Pointé, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop. Renée went on to further her concentration in Ballet and Pointé at the Mill Ballet School in Lambertville, NJ and New Jersey School of Ballet in Livingston, NJ. She danced with New Jersey Ballet Company for three years as a member of their Junior Company. Renée performed in productions of "Don Quixote", "The Nutcracker", and in NJB's 2012 Gala performing in theatres throughout New Jersey such as Mayo PAC, Bergen PAC, Middle Township Performing Arts Center, and NJPAC.
​
At MSU Renée trained in Ballet and Modern. She also studied improvisation, choreography, dance history, Laban movement analysis, rhythmic analysis, anatomy & physiology, pedagogy, and repertory. As a member of Montclair State University Dance Repertory Company, Renée performed works by leading choreographers including Frederick Earl Mosley and Martha Graham. She also performed at the Martha Graham Studio Theatre in NYC.
​
Renée has further developed her dance training by learning Bollywood and other forms of Indian dance. She has performed professionally with Kavi’s School of Dance in numerous events throughout New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut. Renée will continue performing and expanding her dance repertoire to extend her experiences and knowledge to her students.
​
Renée’s teaching experience includes Ballet, Pointé, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Jazz. During her time at MSU, Renée taught dance at Oasis, A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson, NJ. As Oasis' Dance Coordinator she developed and established a curriculum for the inception of the Oasis Dance Program, teaching children ages 8-13 hip hop/jazz. Renée has also collaborated with surrounding schools such as the Han Academy and the Primrose School of Berkeley Heights, offering children dance programs to children ages 3-5. Renée is entering her ninth year as director/owner of Love of Dance Studio. She feels it is the students’ joy, desire, and love of dance that inspires her creativity. Renée is committed to offering students her knowledge and passion for dance.
​​​
Laura Quickstad Draus
Founder and Former Director
Laura began her dance training at the age of eight. She studied Ballet, Jazz, and Tap. She began intensive training in ballet at the New Jersey School of Ballet in West Orange, NJ. Laura went on to receive a scholarship at the School of American Ballet and was asked to join ABT's Ballet Repertory Company now known as ABT 2. She spent three years dancing in association with American Ballet Theatre in NYC. As a member of Ballet Repertory she danced in the 1979 film "Hair" under the choreographic direction of Twyla Tharp. Laura also had the opportunity of dancing as an apprentice with American Ballet Theatre in NYC and performed with lead dancers Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland in "The Nutcracker". Following Laura's professional dance performing career, she began teaching for several local studios in NJ. During this time she found her love for teaching and desire to open her own studio. As owner/director of Laura's Dance Studio for 31 years, Laura offered her passion for dance and devotion for teaching to her students. ​
Christy Quickstad
Teacher - Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Jazz
Christy began her dance training at Laura’s Dance Studio at the age of two, concentrating on Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theatre and Hip Hop. During the summers, Christy attended several Rockette Intensives in Pittsburgh, PA and NYC. Christy went on to study at Rider University where she received a degree in Fine Arts with a concentration in Dance as well as a degree in Journalism. At Rider, Christy continued her dance instruction at the Princeton Ballet School where she took classes in Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, Pilates, and World Dance. Christy performed in several dance concerts through Rider’s dance program and appeared as a featured dancer in Rider University’s production of the Broadway show Sweet Charity. Her teaching experience includes teaching Hip Hop & Jazz at Laura's Dance Studio and at Oasis, A Haven for Women and Children in Paterson, NJ. Christy creatively combines her music theater background, love of performance and different dance styles to choreograph a thematic ensemble number each year.​
Leslie Reith
Teacher - Adult Ballet Fitness
Leslie Reith received her primary ballet training from Jordan College of Music in Indianapolis, IN, where she danced Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet" and the Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella" for her final school performances as a graduating senior. She then briefly took classes at American Ballet Theater school in NYC before deciding to pursue a full-time career in physics. She received physics degrees from NYU, CCNY, and UT at Austin, joined AT&T Bell Labs in NJ in 1981, and worked the rest of her career at various telecom companies in NJ. Meanwhile, she resumed ballet classes at NJ school of Ballet for a number of years. In 1999, she began taking classes at Laura's Dance Studio in Berkeley Heights, where she has been happily at home ever since, and taught occasionally at the studio. Besides ballet, she began taking ballroom classes at Ballroom Dance of NJ in Summit 12 years ago. She currently competes as a Pro-Am student in international-stlyle ballroom at the open gold level. At the age of 71, she understands first-hand the challenges of continuing to dance as an older adult, but also the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits that make the effort worthwhile.​​​​​​
​
Caileigh Idell
Teacher - Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary
Caileigh began her dance training at age 5 at both the New Jersey School of Ballet in Somerville/Livingston and at Gotta Dance in Martinsville, NJ. Her primary focus became classical ballet/pointe training when she joined NJB’s intensive program. At age 13, Caileigh was invited to become a member of NJB’s Junior Company. She danced in a number of professional productions including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella.
In addition to studying dance, Caileigh is a freelance yoga instructor with her 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training certificate. She is also a professional theatre actress and holds a Bachelor of the Arts in Musical Theatre from DeSales University. She has had opportunities to perform Off-Broadway and tour the United States and Canada performing in notable venues such as Madison Square Garden, the Chicago Theatre, the Fox Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, Mayo PAC, PA Shakespeare Festival, and many more.
​
Caileigh has been a performing arts educator for over 17 years. She has choreographed and taught dance, theatre, and gymnastics to students from 8 months old through adults all over the tri-state area. Her main goal is to encourage students to be their fullest selves in and outside of the studio.​
​​​
Allie McDonnell
Teacher - Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Pointe
Allie is from Houston, Texas. She is a graduate from Montclair State University where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in Family Science and Human Development. She has been trained in ballet, jazz, Horton, Limón, Taylor and more. Allie has worked with choreographers such as Christian von Howard, Maxine Steinman, Alrick Thomas, Nobert De La Cruz, Ehzoje Azeke, Frederick Earl Mosley and more. She has performed works by Doug Varone and Kyle Abraham. Allie has taught ballet, jazz and contemporary, along with interning at the Nantucket Dance Festival.
​
With nine years of competitive dance experience, Allie has honed her skills in styles such as jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, and tap. Her journey has included countless rehearsals, intense choreography, and performances at numerous regional and national competitions along with attending conventions. This extensive background has not only refined her technical abilities but also instilled a deep sense of discipline, teamwork, and creativity. As a teacher and choreographer Allie drives her students to push their boundaries and to achieve their highest potential by fostering a supportive and challenging environment.
​​​
