A native of Long Island, New York, Mrs. Stephanie R. Ogunnaike began her dance career at the young age of five years old. Stephanie studied tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, and hip hop, in addition to dancing competitively at a local nationally award winning dance studio.
Stephanie has been teaching dance in the Washington D.C. area since 2001. As a student at Howard University, Stephanie began volunteering her time by working in after school programs as a dance instructor. As a sophomore in college, Stephanie founded the Meridian Dance D.I.V.A.S. Competitive Dance team, an organization with the mission of providing inner city girls the opportunity to dance and perform. The D.I.V.A.S. went on to win national dance competitions, in addition to performing and winning the world famous Amateur Night at the Apollo.
In September of 2005, Stephanie opened Star Makers Academy of Dance. The mission of Star Makers Academy of Dance is to provide quality award winning instruction for dancers of all ages and ability levels. Star Makers offers curriculum that is meant to challenge and inspire dancers to reach their fullest potential. Star Makers aims to produce dancers who are well rounded and proficient in a variety of disciplines. Under the direction of Stephanie, the Star Makers Academy of Dance Competitive Team has consistently won numerous Overall High Score Awards at various regional and national competitions. Star Makers Dancers are nationally recognized for their outstanding training, dynamic choreography, and showmanship on stage. Over the years, Ms. Stephanie has continuously won numerous choreography awards, teacher awards, and top studio awards. Ms. Stephanie has also served as a judge for several national competitions and has served as choreographer at various dance workshops. Current and former Star Makers students have gone on to work professionally on stage and screen. Star Makers students have also won thousands of dollars in scholarships to various dance programs such as Dance Theater of Harlem, AMDA, Broadway Dance Center, and Joffrey Ballet School. In addition, Star Makers students have gone on to gain entrance into the areas top performing arts schools, college programs, and have continued to dance professionally in dance companies and the NFL. Stephanie has continued to study dance, attending various dance conventions and workshops studying under various dance masters. Stephanie also regularly attends professional development opportunities in order to continuously grow as a dance professional and to stay abreast of changes in teaching technique.
Stephanie holds a Masters Degree in Teaching from Howard University. In addition to teaching and directing at Star Makers, Stephanie is a 15 year veteran History and Dance teacher with in the D.C. Public School System. Stephanie also works in her community as a board member of the Bella Beau Foundation, a non profit organization with a mission of creating mentorship and leadership opportunities for underserved youth. Stephanie is also proud to be an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. Stephanie and her family are active members of St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church. Stephanie and her husband Seyi reside in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and are the proud parents of beautiful 7 year old twins.
