The Dance Unit Staff
Lauren Gross
Owner/Instructor
Lauren began dancing in tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz at a young age. A graduate of Woodbury Dance Center, Lauren continued her dance studies, in addition to holistic health and cultural studies, at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. As a college student, she also danced for Breaking Boundaries, Eclectic Edge Ensemble, and University Dance Theater. During this time, Lauren began instructing and choreographing for recreational classes and competition lines at Lake Area Dance Center and Dance By Kris.
Her routines have won numerous overall placements and choreography awards during her 14 years of teaching. She enjoys teaching individuals improved not only technical skills and excellent performance quality but also life lessons learned through the dance education process. Lauren also custom designs and sews all the Pre-Competition and Competition costumes for TDU through her custom costuming business, LTG Costumes. She's one high-energy, organized business owner and dance educator! Outside of dance, she enjoys time with her husband and fellow instructor, Kyle, and their 2 year old Corgi dog named Toad.
Kyle Gross
Owner/Instructor
Kyle grew up training in tap, jazz, ballet, musical theater, lyrical, and hip hop at Dance By Kris in Cottage Grove, MN. Kyle received numerous overall high scores and special judges’ awards through his solo and group routines as a competition line dancer. He also won the national “Mr. Masquerade” title in 2011. Kyle is a graduate of the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management with majors in Marketing and Supply Chain Operations Management and a minor in Mass Communications. While at the U of M, Kyle danced with “MinnesoTap” – the University of Minnesota’s tap dance company, serving as both President and Artistic Director. He was also a contemporary dancer for Breaking Boundaries Dance Company in Minneapolis.
Kyle is entering his 16th season of teaching dance. In June 2023 he was awarded the National Choreography Award at Masquerade Nationals! As an instructor, he enjoys teaching dancers about accountability, work ethic, communication, and dance technique. Kyle is looking forward to sharing his passion with students at The Dance Unit!
Erika Zeuli-Ruth
Erika began dancing at a young age, starting in recreational hip hop, tap, jazz, and lyrical and progressing into a senior competition group. There she learned the arts of ballet and other styles. In her senior year, she competed in a solo and duet in the contemporary category. A graduate of Lake Area Dance Center, Erika began her journey as a recreational dance teacher assistant. She assisted from preschool and kindergarten classes to teen and senior dancers. By the last year at Lake Area Dance Center, Erika was the primary teacher for most recreational classes and even a choreographer for the teen tap, jazz, and lyrical. Erika also taught and choreographed for competitive Pom Jazz as well. Erika has four semesters of general college classes outside of dance, including interpersonal communication and American Sign Language. While at college, she also enrolled in a guitar ensemble and concert band, where she played guitar and flute, respectively.
Erika is entering her seventh year of teaching recreational dance classes and she looks forward to sharing her love for dance and building lifelong relationships at The Dance Unit!
Zoey Malmstedt
Zoey began dancing at a young age, training seriously in many styles, including tap, ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and many other dance techniques. She joined The Dance Unit during its inaugural season and graduated in 2021. As a competitive dancer, she earned numerous top placements and high adjudications, as well as many Judges' Choice Awards.
Zoey graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Spring 2025 with a B.A. in Strategic Communications, with an emphasis in Advertising & Public Relations, and minors in both Physical Activity & Health Promotion and Dance. During college, she continued her training under respected dancers and choreographers. She was also a founding artist of the Minnesota Ballet Collective (2022–2024), where she performed, trained, and choreographed original works.
Zoey has been teaching dance since high school and has choreographed for The Dance Unit since its first season. Since then, she has worked with dancers ages 18 months to 18 years. Her choreography has earned multiple awards, including a 2025 National Choreography Title! She is passionate about creating confident, versatile dancers and is excited for another amazing season with The Dance Unit!
Katie Zeh
Katie has been] dancing for 15 years and competing for the past 12. She began her dance journey at Lake Area Dance Center and has been a member of The Dance Unit since season one, graduating this year. Katie has performed in solo, duet/trio, and group routines during her time as a competitive dancer - accomplishing many high score overall awards in each category of routine. While tap is her favorite style, Katie has performed in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, musical theater, and ballet. For the past five years, Katie has been a dance assistant, working with students of various ages, skill levels, and dance styles. This past year, she taught her first recreational class and also assisted and substituted for numerous competitive routines.
This fall, Katie will attend the University of Wisconsin–River Falls, where she plans to study Marketing Communications. She is excited to continue teaching at The Dance Unit and share her passion for dance with her students!
Willa Gulstrand
Willa is an instructor and choreographer based in the Twin Cities with more than 20 years of dance experience. Throughout her training, she studied with Midwest Youth Dance Theatre and continued her dance education at the University of Minnesota Duluth where she further developed her artistry and technical foundation. She has also had the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix, gaining valuable experience in a nationally recognized dance setting.
As a choreographer, Willa has created works for the University of Minnesota Duluth Theater Department as well as Short Dance Studios, collaborating with dancers of various ages and experience levels. Her teaching emphasizes strong technique, artistic expression, and fostering a positive, encouraging learning environment where every dancer can grow in confidence and ability.