About Us
Lynn Buenker- Owner/Instructor
Born and raised in Effingham, Lynn began studying dance at Jansen's Gym and Dance under the direction of Barbara Jansen. While her passion for dance began at an early age, it grew immensely during her years in competitive dance with Jansen's studio and with her dance team at St. Anthony High School.
After high school, Lynn began honing her teaching skills in ballet, jazz and tap at Jansen's while attending Lake Land College and then Southern Illinois University Carbondale where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. She spent her summers working as an instructor for Universal Dance Association (UDA) where she received numerous hours of training in not only different styles of dance but different styles of teaching. Eventually, all roads lead back to Effingham where she went to work for her family at Dust and Son Auto Supplies and took over the St. Anthony High School Bellette dance program from her mother. It was during her time coaching that she realized her love for choreographing. Lynn's routines earned the Bellettes a qualification to the IDTA and IHSA State competitions 12 out of 14 seasons with 5 Top 10 finishes in the IHSA 1A division and 7 Top 3 finishes at IDTA. She has also choreographed for EIU's Pink Panthers, local high schools and non-profit organizations.
More recently, she has worked as a teacher and choreographer for the DanceLife Center as well as continuing her job in the accounting dept at Dust and Son. She resides in Teutopolis with her husband Brian and two children, Hank and Vivian. Lynn is beyond excited for this "labor of love" and hopes to continue sharing her passion in a place that all students feel safe and happy coming to.
Avery Braunecker - Owner/Instructor
Avery has been an active member of the Effingham dance community since the age of 3, where she began her dance training at Jansen's Dance Center under the direction of Barbara Jansen. There, she began teaching at the age of 15 while participating in Jansen's Dance Center's competition program and the St. Anthony High School's Bellette competitive dance team.
She continued dance at the collegiate level with SIU-Edwardsville and completed her masters degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Social Work. Avery works both in Effingham and Charleston as a Clinical Social Worker at dialysis centers, helping those adjust to their kidney disease.
Since starting her dance education career, Avery has choreographed pieces for recitals and studio competition teams that have won many awards and nominations. She also has coaching experience with high school dance team and was most recently a lead instructor at The DanceLife Center. Avery specializes in jazz, ballet, lyrical, strength/conditioning, and has her certificate in PBT. She continues her dance education by regularly attending dance conventions and training.
Avery resides in Effingham with her husband, Cole, and soon to be baby girl. Avery believes in the importance of instilling hard work, dedication, and community in each of her classes.
Rachel Anderson- Owner/Instructor
Rachel is a Teutopolis native who started dance at the age of 2 at Jansen's Gym and Dance in downtown Effingham under the direction of Barbara Jansen. After dancing competitively for the studio and as a Teutopolis Pomerette, she continued to grow her passion and education for dance at the college level. At Parkland College and SIUC she competed at UDA Nationals and worked for UDA traveling teaching high school dance camps. Her love for dance did not stop there, in 2011 Rachel owned, operated, and taught at Jansen's Dance Center for the next 8 years. Rachel has earned Top 20 Under 40 Business Leader, Effingham's People's Choice Best Dance Instructor 2020, 2021, and 2022. Although dance has always been her passion, her biggest accomplishment is her 4 year old son who makes her a better person every day. Rachel continues to teach a variety of classes in the area including ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap, pom, and hip hop. Although dance is clearly her passion, she feels that it's important to instill much more in her students than just technique. She is committed to providing a fun and enriching environment in hopes that every student develops the skills necessary to build confidence, cooperation and a strong work ethic.