Staff

The Difference...

Destination Dance of Oviedo (DDO) is not your ordinary dance studio. One of the things that makes us unique is our approach to performances. Rather than one recital at the end of the year, our dancers will perform on stage twice each year in our fall and spring productions. Different than a traditional recital, where your child would dance for 2-3 minutes during a series of unrelated dances, our productions are very entertaining! Your child will dance as part of a story told to the audience through music and movement. This type of production allows dancers to show theatrical ability in addition to dancing ability and creates a connection between the dancers, the teachers and the audience that is missing with traditional recital formats.

We do not have a competition team here at DDO. Instead, we have our DDO Performance Team. This team will perform at different events around Central Florida. Our mission is to provide quality dance instruction to all dancers, regardless of how many hours per week they dance, without an extreme time or financial commitment. Since dancers are not required to take specific classes, our students find themselves amongst peers all dedicated to that class and what it has to offer, creating a positive class environment!

The atmosphere at DDO is welcoming to dancers and parents. We want you and your child to look forward to the time you spend with us. State of the art studios, comfortable lobby seating, large viewing windows, a work station and our friendly staff help to provide this welcoming atmosphere.

Come see us soon and discover the difference at Destination Dance!

Our Wonderful Staff:

Sheila Smith

Studio Owner

Sheila has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, where she was a gymnast from 1987 to 1990, specializing in balance beam and vault. She is married and a mother to three dancers. After several years of competition dance for her girls, Sheila’s family made the decision to stay with dance, but to find a better balance. She made the decision to open Destination Dance with the mission of providing a welcoming atmosphere to all levels of dancers and to provide quality instruction for the advanced dancer without requiring an extreme time and financial commitment. When Sheila is not busy running the business, you will occasionally find her assisting acro classes, getting to use her love of gymnastics in a small way at the studio! Her husband Tim is a big help to the business (maintenance man and all things props for productions)!

Candace Isaacs

Artistic Director

Performance Team Director

Candace is a graduate of the University of Central Florida with degrees in both Theatre and Dance. She has been dancing for over 29 years, training in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, musical theatre, lyrical, and contemporary. Along with dance, Candace began singing and acting at a young age and fell in love with performing. As a competition dancer, she attended many competitions throughout her early dance career and now adjudicates for competitions all over the country.
She started teaching and choreographing when she was fifteen years old and continues to teach dancers from pre-k to adult levels. She is the dance team coach for the Lawton Chiles Pantherettes, as well as the choreographer for the Timber Creek High School Theatre Department. She has choreographed for numerous middle school, high school, and college dance teams, musicals, and show choirs as well as choreographed for professional & college Theatres throughout Florida.
Candace has taught several dance classes in Ballet, Jazz, and Hip Hop at The University of Central Florida as well as master classes for Broadway Unhinged, Knights and Damsels Dance Company, Broadway Lights Dance Center, Chance to Dance, and many others across the state of FL. She originally moved to Central Florida to attend college at UCF but stayed to dance and perform in the parades and shows at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, & Sea World in Orlando, Florida. Candace is the Artistic Director of DDO and creator and Director of the DDO Performance Team and directs all the shows at DDO. Candace has a strong connection to her students and and loves being able to share her love for the Arts with all of them.

Kristin Kelch

Office Manager

Brittany Swanson

Instructor

Brittany was born and raised in Central FL. She started dancing when she was 10 years old and fell in love with the artistry! Brittany grew up dancing at DDO where she found her love for teaching and choreographing. In 2024, she attended the CLI summer intensive where she trained under Teddy Forance, Martha Nichols, Spenser Theberge, Jakevis Thomason, Stephanie Shumway and Kenichi Kasamatsu. This experience taught her so much and she can't wait to share it with her students. Her main goal as a teacher is to encourage her students to explore their artistic side and to allow them to find freedom and joy in dance!

Courtney Lutton

Instructor

Courtney has 12+ years of teaching and choreography experience. Courtney is an Alumni of the Tennessee Dance Team and a Universal and SeaWorld performer. Courtney has extensive knowledge and loves to share her expertise with her students!