Our people are our best asset
Our primary goal at Planet Dance is to give our students access to top talent through our classes, workshops as well as industry connections. All of our resident and guest teachers have worked, and continue to work, professionally in the industry with some of the top names in the business.
RESIDENT STAFF
Julie Lloyd, Claire Housh, Lisa Hyunh, Lexi Marshall, Conner Menard, Mecca Freeman, Emma Chillo, Quanita Roberson.
Owners / FOunders + GUEST TEACHERS
MISSY & ANDREW HUBBARD
Owners and Artistic Directors of Planet Dance Cincinnati for 22 years
MISSY LAY-ZIMMER & ANDREW HUBBARD
This creative duo is transforming the dance world with their choreography’s unique style and musicality. They are co founders of Exhale Dance Tribe “25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine, Exhale is an internationally recognized contemporary company.
Together their professional credits include Broadway and National companies of the original Broadway and National companies of CATS as Victoria (the white cat) and Tumblebrutus, Footloose on Broadway, Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway National/Anniversary Tour) with Carl Anderson and Ted Neeley, Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, Saturday Night Live “I’m 50” with Molly Shannon, Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas” (dancer/choreographer), MTV|VH1 appearances, Guiding Light Soap, Netflix movie White Noise with Adam Driver, MTV/VH1 and The Today Show.
Other choreography credits: Peter Frampton (LIVE) with Cincinnati Ballet, husband and wife duo, international songwriters, Over The Rhine, rapper Rakim, Tarkan (Turkish pop star), legendary Bootsy Collins, Paramount Productions, Cincinnati Ballet, Exhale Dance Tribe “25 to Watch” Dance Magazine, Kings Productions, Nickelodeon, Orion Pictures, and Tommy Boy Records (Joc Jams).
In Cincinnati, Missy won the Cincinnati Entertainment Award for Critical Achievement in Choreography, for her work in the original musical, ‘Christmas Yet to Come’ (Know Theater). Missy also has choreographed, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with Cincinnati Shakespeare Theater.
In 2009, received a highly reviewed response for the couple’s premiere of “Retrospect” for Cincinnati Ballet’s New Works program with music artist Over the Rhine.
In 2011 the couple was noted as “Best of Cincinnati” for Dance Instruction City Beat and “Who to Look for in 2011” by Cincinnati Enquirer (Arts & Entertainment). Later that year they created a full-length ballet for Cincinnati Ballet. Infamous Love Songs with Over the Rhine LIVE. Followed by creating/choreographing a LIVE show with OTR and Exhale Dance Tribe for the Restoration Project Requiem Project on 11-11-11. The couple also enjoyed setting work for an international music festival CONSTELLA.
In 2012, this duo collaborated and choreographed for Peter Frampton LIVE, a live show with Mr. Frampton and the dancers of the Cincinnati Ballet.
Films: Little Man Tate with Jodie Foster (Jodie’s Double) and Netflix movie with Don Cheadle and Adam Driver, White Noise slated to come out September 2022.
Missy has also been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher Magazine, Pointe Magazine, FIT Magazine “Babes of Broadway” and Cincinnati's City Beat, Enquirer, Post, and CIN Weekly.
With her husband Andrew, Missy has been on faculty for 20 years at the acclaimed Broadway Dance Center , STEPS On Broadway in New York City and Joffrey Ballet School. They have taught at numerous colleges and universities as adjunct faculty: Dean College (MA), University of Cincinnati (CCM) Musical Theater (current Jazz Level 3&4),Wayne State University Detroit, MI (Guest) Lexington Kentucky High School for the Arts (SCAPA), University of Kentucky, Wright State University (Dayton, OH), Northern Kentucky University, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Performing Arts High School (SCPA) and national Dance Festivals. She and Andrew Hubbard taught in 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand at UNITEC University/Ōkareka Summer school.
Missy and Andrew have co-founded an internationally recognized Contemporary company, Exhale Dance Tribe, Dance Magazine's ‘25 to Watch’. Exhale Dance Tribe is a resident company at the Broadway Series theater in Cincinnati, the Aronoff Center for the Arts for the past 19 years.
In 2019 and 2020, Exhale Dance Tribe spent six weeks rehearsing and performing for a world Premiere of Hōkioi me te Vwōhali at the New Zealand Festival for the Arts (Te Papa Museum - Wellington, NZ), This was a collaboration with the brilliant New Zealand based company, Ōkareka Dance Company, under the direction of Taiaroa Royal. This production was one of 100 artists invited worldwide. This work will premiere in the States in 2023 in Cincinnati and Cherokee, NC.
Hubbard and Zimmer were top 10 finalists for the Capezio ACE Choreography Awards in 2011 and in 2013 (NYC).
Exhale premiered an evening of work at Merce Cunningham Performance Studio in 2008. In addition, the couple choreographed for Cincinnati Ballet's New Works Program (2009-2011) with world premieres of Retrospect, Barre et Trois and Burning Moon (2012) Infamous Love Songs with International music talent, Over The Rhine. Their choreography can also be seen in Cincinnati Ballet’s Nutcracker (Victoria Morgan’s) Arabian dance for 10 seasons.
Missy and husband, Andrew have been honored with a Princess Grace nomination from Cincinnati Ballet for 2010-2011 for Excellence in Choreography. The couple created work for FRAMPTON project where legendary rock icon Peter Frampton played LIVE to their piece entitled Anthology in 2014.
The couple are owners & artistic directors of Planet Dance Cincinnati “Best of City” 2019 and celebrating 20 years of excellence in dance education this year (2023).
Missy and Andrew understand their creativity is the ultimate form of expression while here on this journey and they continue to inspire others to honor their unique artistic expression/path.
Missy and Andrew co choreographed for Broadway Cares and Equity Fights Aids /The Easter Bonnet Choreography Award with (co-Recipient) Broadway choreographer Chris Gattelli (Newies/The Cher Show).
ALUMNI
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