Patrice ("P.K.") Van Voorhees made history as the first graduate of the University of Michigan's B.F.A. program in Musical Theatre/Dance. Following graduation, she moved to New York City, where she launched a multifaceted career as a performer, choreographer, director, educator, and arts advocate.
 

In New York, Patrice studied acting with Fred Kareman (Meisner Technique), voice with Elizabeth Howell, Paul Gavert (CCM/Broadway), and Beverly Rinaldi (Classical and Musical Theatre), and dance with many of the industry's most respected masters, including David Howard, Willy Burmann, Alexandra Danilova, Miguel Godreau, Frank Hatchett, and Phil Black. She was mentored in ballet by the late Valentina Pereyaslavec and further expanded her artistic training through contemporary dance studies in Los Angeles with Dennon and Saybre Rawles, among many other distinguished artists and educators.
 

A versatile performer with extensive training in dance, theatre, and music, Patrice appeared with Agnes DeMille's Heritage Dance Theatre and performed in the National Ballet of Canada's production of Swan Lake featuring Karen Kain and Rudolf Nureyev. Her theatrical career includes Broadway and Off-Broadway productions with the Shubert Organization, Perry Street Theatre, Nat Horne Theatre, and Carnegie Studio Theatre, as well as national tours, regional theatre, dinner theatre, and summer stock. She also appeared on MTV alongside Carly Simon in a project directed by Jeremy Irons.
 

As a choreographer and director, Patrice has created original work in Los Angeles and regional theatres throughout the country, bringing both professional experience and a deep commitment to arts education to every production. Locally, she has directed productions for Waverly, Williamston, and East Lansing High Schools, as well as the former BoarsHead Musical Theatre Summer Conservatory.
 

In 2005, Patrice founded The Studio Performing Arts Center, where she serves as Founder and Artistic Director. Under her leadership, The Studio has embraced a conservatory-based philosophy that combines rigorous training, professional standards, and meaningful performance opportunities. Over the past 21 years, she has created, choreographed, directed, and produced more than 43 original productions, providing transformative artistic experiences for generations of young performers while establishing The Studio as one of the region's premier training programs in the performing arts.
 

Patrice is also the founder of The East Lansing Dance and Theatre Company, The Studio's performing division, and continues to teach and coach dancers, singers, and actors of all ages and levels. Through her work, she cultivates an environment where creativity, discipline, confidence, and artistic excellence flourish.
 

A dedicated advocate for the performing arts, Patrice currently serves as Vice President and is a Past President of Lansing Performing Arts Connection (formerly Lansing Matinee Musicale), a 132-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to arts education and outreach. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Richardson Emerging Artists Award for Musical Theatre and is a former Co-Chair of the Michigan Federation of Music Clubs Dance Award. Throughout her career, she has presented workshops and lectures on musical theatre and dance education for both organizations.
 

The daughter of Theda Assiff, founder of the now-retired Assiff Studio of Dance, Patrice continues a lifelong family legacy of arts education. Through more than two decades of teaching, directing, and mentorship, she has inspired generations of performers to discover their unique voice, pursue artistic excellence, and carry the confidence, creativity, discipline, and resilience gained through the performing arts into every aspect of their lives.

Theda, or "Miss Assiff" as she was lovingly known by her students, was a lifelong dance teacher and choreographer who shared her passion for the art of dance with thousands of students over more than eight decades. She began teaching in the 1940s and taught her final dance class in 2020. A pioneering businesswoman and arts educator, she founded the Assiff Studio of Dance in 1950 in East Lansing, establishing a legacy that would influence generations of performers and teachers.
 

She taught an extraordinary range of dance forms, from Ballet/Pointe, Tap, and Jazz to Ballroom, Spanish Dance and Castanets, Scottish Highland Dance, Country and Indian Dance, and Musical Theatre. She was especially renowned for her ballet instruction, earning the respect of students, parents, and fellow educators alike for her exceptional technique, high standards, and dedication to every dancer, regardless of age or ability. She also took students to the USA International Ballet Competition, where they had the opportunity to study with world-class master teachers and observe some of the finest dancers in the world.
 

Her former students have gone on to perform with professional dance companies, Broadway productions, films, and television programs throughout the United States and internationally. Many have carried her passion for dance forward by opening their own studios, including her daughter, Patrice ("P.K.") Van Voorhees.
 

Theda was a founding member of the former Lansing Ballet Association, later known as the Lansing Ballet Company and Children's Ballet Theatre. She studied with and was a friend and contemporary of some of the most influential dance artists of her era, including Valentina Pereyaslavec, Alexandra Danilova, José Limón, Gus Giordano, Honi Coles, Paul Draper, and Luigi, among many others.
 

A lifelong patron and advocate of the arts, Theda generously volunteered her talents as a choreographer for professional and community theatres, schools, and arts organizations throughout the region. In recognition of her extraordinary impact on generations of students, the East Lansing Education Foundation established the Theda Assiff Award for Distinguished Community Service in her honor. She also adjudicated at dance conventions and was a sought-after master teacher and acclaimed choreographer.
 

For more than 60 years, Theda choreographed musicals for local high schools, averaging at least two productions annually. She also served as an advisor in the creation of the Ballet Arts Program at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a nationally respected summer arts program that has enriched the lives of thousands of young artists.
 

Throughout her career, Theda maintained memberships in numerous professional organizations, including life memberships in the American Society of Teachers of Dancing—the oldest organization of dance teachers in the United States—where she also served on its National Council Board of Directors, and Dance Educators of America.
 

She received many honors and awards recognizing her lifetime of service and dedication to arts education, including the City of East Lansing's Crystal Award for significant contributions to community life and the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.
 

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Theda was beloved for her charisma, gentle kindness, business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, and remarkable ability to inspire confidence in others. Whether working with a beginning student or an accomplished performer, she had a gift for making every individual feel seen, capable, and valued. She was also a tremendous mentor in the creation of The Studio Performing Arts Center, where she continued teaching master classes until the age of 94.
 

Through more than eight decades of teaching, mentoring, choreographing, and inspiring, Theda Assiff helped shape the artistic lives of thousands of students. Her influence continues to be felt across generations of performers, teachers, and arts educators who carry forward her commitment to excellence, kindness, creativity, and the transformative power of the arts.