OUR TEAM

Taylee has been dancing since the age of three. She has been trained in various styles with her favorite being jazz and lyrical. She began competing in groups and as a soloist when she was 11 years old. She was a member of her high school's drill team where she served as a captain for two years. She had the opportunity of traveling to New York with her team and training with a cast member from Wicked. Her senior year she was selected as a member of the 3A all-state team as well as a member of the 3A academic all-state. After graduating high school, she attended Snow College where she was a member of the Badgerettes and continued teaching at a studio there in Ephraim, UT. Taylee enjoys traveling, and spending time with her husband and two children. She has been teaching dance for 8 years and is excited to continue here at Stand Out Studios. 

Katie has been dancing since she was 7 years old. She has trained in jazz, tap, ballet, point, contemporary, hip hop, and ballroom. She has had the opportunity to be the ALA Evolution show choir dance captain for 2 years, and a member of ALA’s top hip hop and ballroom company, Surge. She has competed nationwide, meriting first place awards with dance and show choir, trained with multiple “dancing with the stars” professional dancers, was a featured dancer in an Alex Boye Christmas music video, and choreographed over 20 dances for multiple different groups. Katie has received an Associates of Science degree in University Studies from Utah Valley University, and is currently studying Dance Education at Brigham Young University. Katie is adventurous and loves decorating, traveling, trying new things, and spending endless amounts of time with her friends and family.

Gaylene Merchant is the founder of Sunshine Singers, the inspiration that sparked Stand Out Singers. Gaylene has blessed children, families, and audiences everywhere- infusing them with the confidence to believe in themselves and each other. She is the mother of seven children, and the founder of the Rain Dancing Swan Scholarship (a scholarship offered to help children with financial need to develop their talents at Stand Out Studios). Gaylene has professionally managed the country band Firefly for 13 years, handling bookings, communications, social media, and directing recordings and music videos. We are grateful to have Gaylene as a dance teacher, costume designer, and sponsor at Stand Out Studios.