Leadership
"Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity and soundness of speech."
Titus 2:7-8
FYDC is a performance division of Turning Pointe Dance.
Mimi McKinnis
Director, FYDC
Ms. Mimi has served as the director of FYDC since its inception, founding its mission, vision and core values in 2014. She has been teaching more than 16 years in the disciplines of ballet, worship, pointe, and ballroom dance. Over the last 10 years, she has created and choreographed each original stage production for FYDC, first together with co-directors before assuming complete creative ownership after the 2020 season.
Originally from Oklahoma, Mimi grew up training and performing with the dance ministry A.R.T.S. (Arts Revealing the Son) under the direction of Katha Morrill. She appeared in numerous praise and worship productions across the state, including a featured performance at the Oklahoma state capitol. Mimi has earned an advanced STOTT Pilates matwork certification and has been certified to teach the Cecchetti Method of ballet through Grade III. She has extensive training in Russian technique and danced four years with Viktoria Paige at Ballet Oklahoma. Mimi has more than 10 years of ballroom dance experience, training at the championship level with Mark Brock. Additionally, she is a three-time regional champion, two-time sectional champion, three-time U.S. medalist and former member of Team USA in ice dance.
In addition to directing the company, Mimi is an instructor, outreach director and blog writer for Turning Pointe Dance. Outside the studio, she served as the communications manager at U.S. Figure Skating headquarters, where she worked for six years. Through her position, she served as a journalist and reporter for Olympic News Service, managing press operations for all figure skating and short track speed skating events at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, as a press officer for the U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the assistant editor of the award-winning SKATING Magazine, and the creator/managing editor for Learn to Skate USA: The Magazine. While she has shifted her focus to her children, and creating a legacy of gospel-driven theater with FYDC, she continues to work as a freelance editor and feature writer for the organization and both publications.
Tina Cook
Owner, Turning Pointe Dance
Ms. Tina has been dancing since the age of four. She studied ballet, tap, and jazz under Shelly Ledbetter for 15 years. During that time, she was also captain and choreographer of the State Championship cheerleading squad and participated in gymnastics. She was a student teacher for 3 years and has been teaching dance in studios and on her own for almost 25 years. She performed in the Contemporary Dance Festival in Tulsa, OK, and was also selected to participate in Tulsa Summer Arts Training and summer intensives at Ballet Magnificat. She has also danced, performed, and taught dance workshops on many mission trips to countries including Russia, UK, Costa Rica, Mexico, and El Salvador.
Tina also coached and choreographed for numerous cheer and pom squads in the Tulsa area. She graduated from Oral Roberts University Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Elementary Education, and taught first grade for 4 years (2 years at CSCS). She has attended Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Teacher Workshop, DanceLife Teacher Conference, IDEA Studio Owner Conference, Dance Revolution Convention, and is a member of the International Dance Entrepreneur Association and National Dance Educators Organization. She founded Turning Pointe Dance, and loves to share the JOY of dancing and teach students how to use their gifts for the glory of God to bless those in the community and beyond. She and her husband Cody have two boys, Cale and Jack and a beautiful daughter, Ella.
Tonya Hayden
Stage Manager, TPD/FYDC
Ms. Tonya started dancing when she was 6 years old. Jazz and hip hop are her favorite styles of dance. Even more, she loves mixing the two styles for a more urban feel. One of her fondest memories is when she decided to do her middle school talent show. She choreographed a hip hop dance with a friend and fell in love with it. In high school, she danced and competed on her high school drill team. During that time she competed at various places including the National Drill Team Competition in Orlando Florida. After high school, she continued to take more hip hop classes and soon after taught at various studios and gyms in Utah and Colorado, including the Fountain Arts Center, Northridge Dance Center, and the YMCA.
Tonya has been fortunate enough to attend conferences, like the Chicago Association of Dance Masters, Dance Revolution, and trained in various cities such as Vegas, L.A., and NYC. She’s goofy when she teaches and she loves for her students to have fun, but also learn skills that can help them grow. She is currently serving as the Event Coordinator for Turning Pointe Dance, and Stage Manager for FYDC and Starz Theater Company. In these roles, she has found a new love for all the details that go on behind the scenes.
Abbie Van Horn
Leadership Assistant, FYDC
Ms. Abbie has been dancing since the age of 2 and grew up in the Turning Pointe Dance community. She danced featured roles in FYDC’s productions of "Women of Faith" and "Lionheart" (among other parts in advanced ensembles) before landing the lead role of Christian in 2022's "The Pilgrim’s Progress." At age 13, Ms. Abbie began working as a teacher’s assistant at Turning Pointe Dance. Three years later she became a studio intern, and after a year of student teaching, joined the FYDC Leadership Team.
Ms. Abbie has attended many master classes and dance conventions, including the Vail Dance Festival, Dance Revolution, and Turning Pointe’s Ignite intensive. She has been a part of the Training Division of Turning Pointe for 2 years, with which she danced in a variety of community outreach performances. In 2019, Ms. Abbie had the opportunity to travel to El Salvador on a mission trip with Turning Pointe, and continues to be passionate about using dance to communicate the gospel across language barriers. In addition to serving as the Leadership Assistant for FYDC, she currently serves as an instructor at Turning Pointe, along with handling the studio's logowear and dancewear departments. One of her favorite parts about teaching is pouring into her students and seeing them grow and flourish through hard work.
Volunteer Leadership
