Amber Wood has over 30 years of dance competition experience. She's done it all from competing herself, to assisting choreographers starting at age 14, to teacher/director, studio owner, judge and finishing out with 10 years experience as a competition director. Amber is dedicated to providing a fun and positive environment where dancers experience all that competition can offer to help in their development both on and off the stage.

Devante Williams is a professional event manager, entrepreneur, and entertainer/choreographer who resides in Chattanooga, TN. He is the owner of D. Williams Dance Academy and Boss Bartender. Devante studied Communications, Theatre, and Dance while in college, but feels that he learned the most in all fields of expertise through experience. He has been a dance instructor and has worked in the entertainment & hospitality industry for 15 years. Through his work, Devante focuses on providing impactful memories and experiences that his students & clients will cherish for a lifetime. He is thrilled to be a part of the Spotlight Events Inc fam and looking forward to meeting all of our amazing event attendees!

Erika is a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor. She currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada where she performed for years in the award-winning show "Le Rêve - The Dream” at Wynn Resorts. She played multiple roles in the show, including the featured lead female character, "The Dreamer,” and one of the ballroom dancers. Erika was also the show's dance captain! Having this prominent title allowed her to be part of the creative process, working side-by-side with brilliant choreographers like Maksim Chmerkovskiy from "Dancing With The Stars," & Emmy-winning choreographer Marguerite Derricks. This past holiday season you might have seen Erika in the music video "Christmas Show" with Straight No Chaser. Not only did she (& her cute pup, Neptune) get to dance in the video, but she was also the associate choreographer on the project. Other choreography credits include being a guest choreographer for the San Fransisco 49ers Gold Rush Dancers, Stiletto Entertainment on behalf of Holland America Cruise Lines, and many studios and dance teams around the U.S. Before "Le Reve," some of Erika's favorite credits include dancing in the Broadway National Tour of "Peter Pan," starring Cathy Rigby, numerous music videos & films for Nickelodeon, NBC & Stars Encore, as well as industrials for Playstation, Honda, and Apple. In addition, dancing for Universal Studios Hollywood, and shows aboard Holland America Cruise Lines has allowed her to dance all around the world. Currently being an Event Manager & Show Director for both Leap NDC and Spotlight Dance Cup keeps her busy traveling all across the United States, and back to the dance competition world where it all started!

Kari Ringer hails from Ohio, and is thrilled to be traveling the country representing Spotlight Events and supporting arts education and performance! Her musical theatre background has afforded her the opportunity to perform in many facets, and she has worked on Broadway, regional theatres, cruise ships, theme parks, and corporate functions across the globe! 5 years ago, Kari embarked as an entertainment business owner of The Darlings Productions, Orlando Florida's premier entertainment booking agency. She is looking forward to collaborating with the incredible staff, dancers, and families to bring these performances to life. Now let's get this show on the road!

Kayla is an arts leader dedicated to building dynamic, community-driven spaces where artistry and opportunity meet. Dancing since a young age, she brings a lifelong passion for movement paired with a strong foundation in leadership and organizational strategy. Kayla holds a BFA in Dance from Arizona State University, with minors in Communication and Asian Pacific American Studies, and has extensive experience in theater production and nonprofit leadership. With eight years in the nonprofit sector, including service as Director of Stewardship and Community Engagement, Kayla approaches every dance competition through a lens of equity, sustainability, and artist care. A certified Group Fitness Instructor through the American Council on Exercise, she champions dancer wellness alongside excellence. Kayla recently completed a residency with an Arizona dance nonprofit, earned a nonprofit management certification, and is currently pursuing an MBA while preparing to relocate to Dallas, Texas, where she aims to reimagine future opportunities as a creative place-maker. 

Madison is so excited to be part of the Spotlight Events team after growing up on the other side as a competitor at 6 years old. Being back in this world feels full circle. Now, with her background as a wedding and corporate event coordinator, she gets to bring her eye for detail, timing, enthusiasm, and organization into each competition weekend. She aims to create smooth, memorable experiences for dancers and their families, and is truly grateful to make the competitions feel special from the inside, just as she felt as a little girl receiving her first Diamond Award.

Michelle’s dance career began shortly after training as a competitive gymnast for 11 years. She danced at The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, where she earned a spot on the Senior Jazz Company and taught within their hip-hop program. During college, Michelle was part of her university’s hip-hop team and danced professionally with Ascential Dance Theater. She has danced in a commercial for Bellco Credit Union, danced back-up to rapper Trina, performed at Wings Over the Rockies featuring Tommy Davidson of In Living Color and currently co-choreographs & dances in a Madonna tribute show, performing around Colorado.

For eighteen years and counting, Michelle has continued to teach, coach, choreograph, and perform. In 2012 Michelle graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver with a degree backed by ACSM in Exercise Science and Business Management and has since utilized this training to develop successful dance programs. She has established a highly sought after acro program and developed jazz curriculum within Flatirons Dance Academy. Michelle recently founded Mountain Range High Schools Dance Team, building the program from the ground up and is proud to say in the second season, the team has earned a NDA Regional Championship. Additionally, Michelle is the head coach of the Colorado School of Mines Dance Team, where in only one season, has transformed the group into a competitive team and recognized athletic program within the community.

From Wisconsin, Nikita Ruffolo grew up training and competing for 16 years. After graduating high school she was accepted to Troy University on a dance scholarship. There she received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance and Minor in Business. During her years at TROY, she has trained with and performed works set by Dante Puleio, James Boyd, Dominique Angel, Brynt Beitman, Thang Dao, Kavin Grant, Nicki Loud Hodges, and many more. In addition to performing in all concerts on the Troy University stage, Nikita was selected to perform during Ballet Fest in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and in the New Works Concert at the Alabama Dance Festival in Birmingham. Over the last several years at the Alabama Dance Festival, she has been awarded numerous summer intensive scholarships, these scholarships included awards from American Dance Festival, Peridance Center, Gus Giordano, and Montgomery Ballet. Post graduation Nikita’s choreography has been chosen by the Drapinski Dance Company to perform in The Catharsis Series Choreographer’s Festival in Orlando, Florida, in Dothan, Alabama at The Impact Project presented by Alabama Dance Works and Mike Schmitz and was chosen to perform in Pietrasanta, Italy at the DAP International Dance Festival.  Nikita is now back home in Wisconsin working as a Sales & Venue Specialist and Show Director for Spotlight Events Inc while choreographing and teaching young artists of the next generation.

Rachel was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado and has been dancing since the age of three. In 2015, she moved to Phoenix where she began teaching and choreographing for several studios across the valley. She has gained recognition and is a well sought-after choreographer. Her passion for dance grew as she began performing with several professional companies. She is a company member on DXX Tap, directed by Brendan Kellam, and is a dancer and choreographer for Tap 24.7, a professional company under the direction of Suzy Guarino-Hall. She has worked with many well-known choreographers such as Sarah Reich, Gregg Russell, Suzy Guarino-Hall, and Jenefer Miller. Rachel has taught on faculty for Tapapalooza, Tap Vibe Challenge, and Wing It Tap Intensive. Rachel strives to not only teach tap but also share her passion for dance and performing arts with young aspiring dancers. She has a strong love for the competitive dance world and loves getting to travel and connect with dancers around the country! Outside of teaching, Rachel is an Event Manager and Show Director for Spotlight Events as well as the Lead for Event Staff, Show Directors, and Event Managers. This is her eighth season with Spotlight Events Inc and she is excited to see what the future will hold!

Stacy Paydo kicked up her heels as a world-famous “Radio City Rockette” for 19 seasons.  As a Rockette, she performed on “The TONY Awards”, “The Rockefeller Center Holiday Christmas Tree Lighting”, the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”, “The Today Show”, “The Chew”, “The Wendy Williams Show”, “The Meredith Vieria Show”, “Michael Bubble’s Christmas Special”, Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas One and All” televised tour at Madison Square Garden, and the “NY Spectacular” Directed and Choreographed by Mia Michaels.  In addition to performing, her Assistant Choreographer work was televised on “The Today Show”, “Live with Jimmy Fallon”, and Google’s 2023 Holiday Commercial featuring the Rockettes. 

Her professional career began at the age of seven being named the “Star Search National Dance Champion” after appearing on the hit TV show seven times.  Other credits include Princess Cruise Lines, industrials for Ocean Pacific and Diet Pepsi, “The Jerry Lewis Telethon”, the EDGE Scholarship show in Los Angeles, & Disney’s Pediatric Aids Benefit with Paula Abdul.  

Ms. Paydo is a graduate of Arizona State University where she studied Business and Dance.  She is a 20+ year UDA veteran as a master teacher, former head instructor, summer material choreographer, and adjudicator.  Dance Team choreography credits include the UDA NDTC opening number (ESPN), the “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” performance for the 800 Spirit of America Dance participants (NBC), and numerous Top 5 placing Finalists teams at UDA/USA/NDA College and HS Nationals. 

Students of Stacy’s have gone on to have successful careers of their own appearing on “So You Think You Can Dance”, working at Disney, performing in Wicked, and becoming Rockettes themselves.  She is a veteran judge with numerous reputable dance competitions most notably Spotlight Dance Cup, where she currently serves as VP-Event Operations Director for Spotlight Events Inc. Her industry expertise has led her to be interviewed by “Dance Magazine” and you may have also caught her on an episode of “Dance Moms”.

Zoe Fox, with a rich history in dance, passionately dedicated 11 years of her life to it, with 7 competitive years. This journey led her to an exciting role as a Convention Manager with a renowned dance convention. She is now working with Spotlight Dance Cup, creating connections and spreading the love of dance. Born and raised in the heart of Seattle, Washington, Zoe now lives in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona. Although she’s a past dancer now, the lessons and experiences she’s had as a dancer have paved the way for her future endeavors.