Aravis Leininger
Dance Mentor
Aravis Leininger started her dance journey at the age of three and has been at it ever since! She has trained at Petra Ballet School and Springfield Little Theatre and has had the opportunity to participate in many workshops with performers from Broadway National Tours and Broadway alums. She has been on stage in over 20 shows at Springfield Little Theatre, some of her favorites include, Newsies, SpongeBob, Peter Pan, and The Secret Garden. She is a two time Youthfest Talent Showcase Scholarship winner and this past year she competed with Springfield Little Theatre's competitive dance team; Illumination Dance Company. Along with that Aravis has worked three Christmas seasons at Silver Dollar City in their Broadway style show; A Dickens Christmas Carol. Aravis has a passion for dance and looks forward to sharing it with her students!
Nate Sallie
Founder / Music Mentor
Nate Sallie is a prolific Singer/Songwriter who enjoyed a long and successful career in the Music Industry as a Recording artist and Concert Performer. Nate penned multiple radio hits for his solo projects with Curb Records as well as contributing songs for best-selling artists like the Newsboys, OBB, Jaci Velasquez & others. Nate is a Dove Nominated Artist who has enjoyed having songs on WoW and Absolute Smash Hit compilations, as well as Top 10 Songs of the Year. Serving as Frontman & Lead Singer for Grammy-nominated band Newsong, Nate had the opportunity to tour the globe and play to sold out arenas each year on the WinterJam tour. Nate earned a degree in Music Education studying both Classical & Jazz Piano as well as Voice. He garnered top honors in his field of study, which led to the privilege of playing and collaborating with composers from around the world. With 25 years of both Music Business & Music Education experience, Nate has mentored students who have competed as finalists on the hit show The Voice, and other students who have gone on to study music at Baylor, Belmont and Lipscomb University just to name a few. Although Music Row was kind to his career, and Nate enjoyed every moment in Music City, he finds nothing more rewarding than investing his time and talent into the next generation of musicians, creatives, and artists at Heyday.
Macy Aye
Vocal Mentor
Macy Aye started singing before she could talk! It was clear from an early age that vocal performance would be her passion. After lending her voice to the 7th & 8th grade school choirs, she found herself being invited to perform with the Bluegrass Band Missouri Roots. While continuing to develop her voice as a member of the Bluegrass Band, she also went on to join the vocal group Play & Sing His Praises, and serve as a Worship Leader for the Young Adults Ministry at Crossway Baptist Church. Her voice can be heard on many studio recordings, and she has had the wonderful opportunity to perform at the Fox Theatre, the College of the Ozarks Fourth of July Celebration, and has won numerous musical talent shows over the years. Considered one of the best voices in the area, Macy is excited to share her classical vocal training & passion for voice with students at Heyday!
Maria Olivea
Piano/Vocal Mentor
Maria Olivea is a 2015 graduate of College of the Ozarks. She earned her bachelor's degree in Music Education and went on to teach Pre-K, Elementary, and Junior High music. She has been performing in all manners since elementary school and has most recently performed at Stained Glass Theatre here in Ozark. Maria has been spending the last 2 years raising her son and is thrilled to be coming back to her musical roots as a mentor at Heyday
