THE BRANCH
Makaihlah Stover
Makaihlah is the founder and creative director of The Branch: A Dance Experience, established in 2022 to unite her passion for dance, education, and mental well-being. With a strong commitment to reshaping the culture of the dance industry, Makaihlah advocates for mental health awareness and strives to create spaces where dancers can grow both artistically and personally. Her work reflects a belief that dance can be both healthy and transformative—an outlet for self-discovery, confidence, and connection. Through The Branch and her ongoing mentorship, Makaihlah hopes to inspire her daughters and future generations of dancers to pursue their goals with balance, purpose, and heart.
Tyler Downey
One day I dropped out of college, ditching the Army ROTC scholarship I had, and told my commander that I was going to try my hand at acting. About a year later I was on stage for a studio production at a different college. I graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Theatre as well as Creative Writing and while there built a student-run filmmaking group, creating a bridge between the schools cinema and theatre disciplines.
Well, I ended up back in the Army, enlisted this time after a few years of artistic pursuit in NYC and LA; but I kept reciting Shakespeare and even performed for my basic training class. The military did not remove my passion for acting and theatre but strengthened it. Today, my wife and I own a performing arts studio, Activated Arts, focused on restoring the truth, beauty and goodness of the performing arts. I owe everything to Jesus Christ my savior, my wife and her support as well as my children who teach me how to act.
Makaihlah Stover
Makaihlah Stover is the founder and creative director of The Branch: A Dance Experience, established in 2022 to unite her passion for dance, education, and mental well-being. With a strong commitment to reshaping the culture of the dance industry, Makaihlah advocates for mental health awareness and strives to create spaces where dancers can grow both artistically and personally. Her work reflects a belief that dance can be both healthy and transformative—an outlet for self-discovery, confidence, and connection. Through The Branch and her ongoing mentorship, Makaihlah hopes to inspire her daughters and future generations of dancers to pursue their goals with balance, purpose, and heart.
Meet the Team
Our team is made up of people who care. They are about our mission, they care about our dancers, and they care about dance.
Andie Stitt
Andie grew up in Kansas City where her dance training began at the age of four. She trained under many professional dance educators at studios, conventions, camps and workshops. In high school Andie assisted with nationally ranked companies such as Pulse Dance Conventions, Tremaine Dance Conventions and Monster’s of Hip Hop working hand in hand with their professional master teachers such as Nappytabs, Brian Friedman and Dave Scott. Andie graduated from Wichita State University with a performance dance major as well as later completing a Kinesiology degree to further her knowledge of the human body. During her time in Wichita, Andie was employed by Arts Partners; bringing dance to at risk and low income children in the community. She has completed contracts teaching for both Wichita State University and The University of Kansas working with pre-professional dancers headed into the commercial dance world. She specializes in all things technique as well as injury prevention, alignment and culture building. She continues to guest choreograph for NFL and NBA dance teams nationally. Andie guest teaches and choreographs for over 150 studios and teams across the country each year. She also enjoys teaching and adjudicating for different conventions and talent competitions. Andie is the founder of “Dance on with Diabetes”; a support group for dancers living with Type 1 Diabetes. Andie is known for her explosive energy, the ability to make all dancers feel excited and welcomed and her creative insight for technique in all styles of dance. She is honored and humbled to have the opportunity to continue growing her passion for dance.
Kaylie Bee
"Dance has always been where I’ve felt the most confident and myself, but it’s also where I learned how easily dancers can forget to care for themselves. After years of performing and teaching, I pursued my education as a pediatric Physical Therapist Assistant where I’ve learned how the physical and emotional sides of movement are inseparable. Now, I teach dancers how to understand their bodies, honor their limits, and build strength from the inside out.
At The Branch, I bring that same passion into my classes, blending movement with lessons on mental and physical health. My goal is to remind dancers that taking care of their body and mind is what allows their artistry to truly shine. Through education, movement, and open conversation, I aim to create a space where dancers can learn, grow, and feel safe being themselves."
Kaylie Bee
Kaylie Bee
"Dance has always been where I’ve felt the most confident and myself, but it’s also where I learned how easily dancers can forget to care for themselves. After years of performing and teaching, I pursued my education as a pediatric Physical Therapist Assistant where I’ve learned how the physical and emotional sides of movement are inseparable. Now, I teach dancers how to understand their bodies, honor their limits, and build strength from the inside out.
At The Branch, I bring that same passion into my classes, blending movement with lessons on mental and physical health. My goal is to remind dancers that taking care of their body and mind is what allows their artistry to truly shine. Through education, movement, and open conversation, I aim to create a space where dancers can learn, grow, and feel safe being themselves."
Kaylie Bee
Tyler Downey
One day I dropped out of college, ditching the Army ROTC scholarship I had, and told my commander that I was going to try my hand at acting. About a year later I was on stage for a studio production at a different college. I graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Theatre as well as Creative Writing and while there built a student-run filmmaking group, creating a bridge between the schools cinema and theatre disciplines.
Well, I ended up back in the Army, enlisted this time after a few years of artistic pursuit in NYC and LA; but I kept reciting Shakespeare and even performed for my basic training class. The military did not remove my passion for acting and theatre but strengthened it. Today, my wife and I own a performing arts studio, Activated Arts, focused on restoring the truth, beauty and goodness of the performing arts. I owe everything to Jesus Christ my savior, my wife and her support as well as my children who teach me how to act.
Makaihlah Stover
Makaihlah is the founder and creative director of The Branch: A Dance Experience, established in 2022 to unite her passion for dance, education, and mental well-being. With a strong commitment to reshaping the culture of the dance industry, Makaihlah advocates for mental health awareness and strives to create spaces where dancers can grow both artistically and personally. Her work reflects a belief that dance can be both healthy and transformative—an outlet for self-discovery, confidence, and connection. Through The Branch and her ongoing mentorship, Makaihlah hopes to inspire her daughters and future generations of dancers to pursue their goals with balance, purpose, and heart.