Our Staff

Alex Gumminger, owner and director of Limelight Academy of Performing Arts, is humbled by the opportunity to give back to the Shawnee Community and surrounding area. A member of Dance Masters of America, Alex is following in the footsteps of his mentors Kathi Nallia (Nallia School of Dance) and Marj Gumminger (Allard School of Dance) and carrying on their legacy.  Growing up, Alex was part of the Teachers Training Program at NSoD and also assisted his grandmother in teaching her Seniors 50+ program with Johnson County Parks and Recreation District. Through these programs he had the opportunity to see how powerfully dance brings people together and creates joy. He believes dancers never stop learning and is always seeking opportunities to further develop his own dance education. Most importantly he believes valuable life skills are learned in the dance classroom in addition to proper technique, and ensures his staff echoes this core value. 

In 2022, Alex was selected as part of the inaugural class of the Emerging Theatre Professional Initiative (Emerging Choreographer) with Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park. Through this program he advanced his leadership skills and fine-tuned his artistic abilities. Since this program he’s had the opportunity to work on choreography for many theatres around KC, including The White Theatre at the J, Theatre in the Park Academy, River City Community Players, and Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park. Alex is eager to share his love of dance and performing arts in this new chapter of his career. Welcome to Limelight! 

Aimee grew up dancing at Nallia School of Dance in Shawnee, KS where she

danced a variety of styles such as ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics and musical theater. Aimee then

went on to receive a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from UMKC’s

Conservatory of Music & Dance, where she trained intensively in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz

techniques, as well as choreography composition. Most recently, Aimee furthered her

training by completing the Broadway Dance Center’s Professional Semester Program in

NYC. She has performed works by world renowned choreographers such as Christopher

Huggins, Jae Man Joo, Nicole Clarke Springer, Gary Abbott, Caroline Dahm, Christina

Burton, and DeeAnna Hiett among others. Professional credits include Disney’s production

of Newsies and The Fabulous Lipitones at New Theater & Restaurant, and Song and Dance

at Kansas City’s Musical Theater Heritage. Aimee also enjoys teaching the art of dance, in

hopes of passing along her knowledge and love of dance to dancers of all ages.

Mandy Dulny has loved all things dance since the time she could walk. A performer, choreographer and educator, she has found passions through all art forms. Her mother put her in dance classes at two and a half years old and while extensively training from ages 2-18 in performance and competition style companies, Mandy found a love for teaching. She began assisting classes at 11 years old and has not stopped since then. Her passion for detail and performance with natural born leadership qualities allowed her make her passions into a career. Working with The Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center and White Theatre she was able to dive into the world of dance and theatre teaching. This lead her to pursue a degree at Millikin University. There she received a Bachelors in Theatre with a minor in dance. In those four years, she worked multiple times weekly teaching a local competitive dance studio while also choreographing multiple main stage productions at her university. Once graduating and moving back to KC, her choreography, talents and teachings have been a part of many local theatres and studios consistently for the last three years. Whether on stage or in the studio, Mandy is creating and teaching. She is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop and partnering with years of experience of teaching under her belt. 

McKenna grew up in the Overland Park area, where she began her dance training with Crescendo Conservatory. She was involved in their performing company for over 8 years, and trained under the direction of Michele Hamlett-Weith, Vicki-Allen-Reid, Bryant Williams, Molly Wagner, Dillon Malinski, among others. McKenna then studied at The University of Kansas, receiving her BA in both Psychology and Dance and a minor in Sociology. She is currently in the process of obtaining her certification in Child Life Specialty. She has been trained in many different dance styles, but her favorite to teach is ballet! McKenna is thrilled to be teaching at Limelight, among such a talented and dedicated faculty. Her number one priority in the studio is to always be a safe person for students and families, and create a welcoming environment for all identities and abilities.