Management:
All of our staff share a love for not only dance but for teaching as well. We have a very gifted staff, and are lovely proud of our staff's many achievements.

Elizabeth Hester (Executive Director):
Elizabeth was a soloist with the Raleigh Dance Theatre, the affiliate company of the Carolina Ballet. She studied at the Atlanta School of Ballet, the Walnut Hill School of the Arts, NC School of the Arts, East Carolina Dance Program, and the Richmond Ballet. Ms. Hester is a former faculty member of the Raleigh School of Ballet. She also holds a BS in Civil Engineering from NC State University.

Nicole White (Ballet Director):
Nicole is a former member of the Greensboro Ballet and the Butler Ballet in Indianapolis, IN. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University. Mrs. White has also studied with Virginia School of the Arts, Ballet Internationale, Joffrey School of Ballet, and the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Level 9/10 Staff
Level 9/10 are considered our most advanced group of dancers, and these staff members work with these, but also our intermediate students as well.

Lesa Broadhead:
Lesa, MFA, is Founding Artistic Director of the Manchester Dance Ensemble in Akron, Ohio. She was Adjunct Professor of Dance at The University of Akron, Akron, OH before returning to her hometown of Wilmington, NC. In addition, she taught for the Dance Institute of The University of Akron where she most recently received the 2009-2010 Outstanding Teacher Award in recognition for dedication to excellence in dance education. Over the past 25 years, she has taught classical ballet and contemporary dance at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, where she received her MFA; Louisiana State University, Baton-Rouge, LA (coordinator of ballet); Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL (coordinator of dance); Kent State University, Kent, OH, and as artist-in-residence at De Montfort University, Bedford, England. Professionally she has performed with The Cleveland Opera and the Atlanta Ballet. Mrs. Broadhead is passionate about choreographing on societal issues, including themes on the Holocaust, Adoption, 9/11, and the American Civil War. In 1999, three of her Holocaust related dance works were preformed at The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, the first dance performance in the museum’s history. She has been happily married for the past 23 years to Geoff, and emeritus professor, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. They have been blessed with their son, Ian, who now attends Kent State University and will transfer to Shepherd University, Shepherd, West Virginia where he will major in American Civil War Studies. The Broadheads’ are excited to make their new home in Wilmington.

Elizabeth Fuller:
She began her dance training at Linda Kinlaw School of Dance in North Carolina, continuing on with Brandon Ballet, The Rock School, and Sarasota Ballet of Florida. After high school, she attended CCM at the University of Cincinnati as a ballet major for one year. She then left and danced professionally with Omaha Theater Ballet , Albano Ballet, and Atlanta Festival Ballet. In between dancing for various companies, she lived in New York City, working in the marketing department of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and training with various teachers throughout the city at Ailey, Broadway Dance Center, Steps, etc. She is also trained in IM=X Pilates.

Kathy Berting:
Principal Soloist with the Cinncinatti Ballet. Kathy has taught ballet for over 30 years, and is Elizabeth Hester, our director's, favorite local childhood teacher.

Level 7/8

Heather Wells:
Has studied dance in Raleigh, Atlanta, New York, and Paris. Mrs. Wells has been teaching ballet, jazz, and modern in the Wilmington area for over 10 years. She is certified by Dance Masters of America in 2001. Mrs. Wells has a degree in Marine Biology and works for the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. She also has taught our level 9/10 in years past.

Level Pre-K - 5/6 Staff
Many of our staff teach at several different levels giving students a chance to grow up with their favorite teacher, but also having the advantages of a diverse staff.

Rebecca Hennis:
Rebecca graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dance Educaton from East Carolina University. She taught dance education in a A+ Magnet School at the Clarkton School of Discovery in Bladen County, correlating dance with the academic curriculum. She has performed in numerous musicals with the High Point Community Theatre and with the Opera House Theatre Company. Currently, she still choreographs and performs Liturgical Dance throughout North Carolina.

Jeneen Cleare:
From Brooklyn, NY, Jeneen is a graduate of the The High School of Preforming Arts, and has a BFA from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Jeneen has studied at the Dance Theater of Harlem and the Martha Graham Conservatory, and has danced professionally with several NYC companies. In Wilmington, has been dancing with Forward Motion Dance Company for two years, performing at Thalian Hall, Community Arts Center, Cameron Art Museum, Kenan Auditorium, and City Stage.

Sarah Mason:
Has a background in classical ballet, taking numerous examinations with the Royal Academy of Dance in London. After attending nursing school, Sarah lived in Germany, working as a nanny. When she moved to the United States she sought a position working with children and became involved with the Wilmington School of Ballet. In addition to serving as a lead teacher with the Wilmington Preschool of Fine Arts she teaches Ballet and Tap.

Lindsay Davis:
Lindsay Davis has been dancing since the age of 4. She began teaching in her hometown of Kinston, NC when she was 16 years old. She moved on to study at East Carolina University, where she took classes from renowned choreographers such as Mia Michaels. She then moved to New York City, where she studied with the New Actor’s Workshop and taking dance classes at Broadway Dance Center daily. Upon moving back to Wilmington, NC, she began teaching at Just Duet Dance Studio in 2004 before opening her own studio, Coastal Dance Fusion, in 2005. Coastal Dance Fusion eventually became a competitive-only company where her groups were recognized and awarded at several regional competitions each year. Lindsay’s choreography was also recognized at Starpower Competition in Raleigh in 2008. Lindsay met Elizabeth in July 2010 and is now a Contemporary, Hip-Hop, and Zumba instructor at the Wilmington School of Ballet.

Tracy Cordon:
Bio to come!

Guest Staff:
These ladies are staff members that dance in the professional world, and teach at our school to share the love and passon they have for dance.

Stacey Slichter:
Stacey began her dance training in Miami, FL under the direction of Gloria Gaither, Victoria Leigh, and Lynne Dreeson. She attended and graduated from the acclaimed Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL studying with Oliver Pardina, Margory Tallchief, Demetrius Klein, Maria Tallchief, and David Howard, among others. Ms. Slichter spent her summers on full scholarship at The Houston Ballet Academy. She has performed with The Sarasota Ballet of Florida, The Sarasota Opera, Ballet Eddy Toussaint, USA, Ballet Memphis, and most recently, with The Atlanta Ballet. Ms. Slichter has also guest performed with North Atlanta Dance Theatre, Brooks and Company, Bacchus Productions, A Room To Move, The Atlanta Lyric (West Side Story), and Statesboro Youth Ballet. Ms. Slichter has enjoyed teaching the art of ballet to all levels and all ages for the past ten years. She had the opportunity to guest teach for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, in New York City in the summer of 2006.

Amanda Oakley Hort:
Amanda is a scholarship graduate of the NC School of the Arts with a BFA in Contemporary Dance. She was on faculty at East Carolina University from 2002-2005 and worked as the Dance Education teacher at Northwoods Park Middle School in Jacksonville, NC, from 2005-2007, developing one of the only Dance Education programs offered in the Onslow County School System. Amanda has worked across the Carolinas as a dancer, teacher, guest artist, and choreographer for the past 11 years. She has had the pleasure of teaching at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill, Nina’s School of Dance, the NC Academy of Dance Arts, Dance Theatre of Jacksonville, the Wilmington School of Ballet, DanceWorks Studio, Fox Troupe Dancers and Step Ahead Gymnastics. She was a guest artist at the South Carolina Governor’s School in 2001 and at the SERBA Festival in High Point in 2004. She has served as the Assistant Director for the Wilmington Ballet Company, and is currently the Director of the StepAhead Dance Company, in its third year. For the past three summers, she has served as the dance instructor for Clyde Erwin Elementary School Summer Enrichment Program teaching 2nd – 5th graders.

Stella Rosialana Vives Johnson:
Stella danced with the National Ballet of Panama. Mrs. Johnson studied with Nicholai Morosov and Ludmila Morkovina, both graduates and professors of the Vaganova Ballet Academy and the Maly Theatre is St. Petersburg, Russia. Mrs. Johnson also studied with Ginela Vasquez, graduate of the Royal Ballet School and Protégé of Dame Margot Fonteyn.

Adult Drop-In Staff:
These ladies teach some of our drop-in dance classes ranging from beginning ballet to advanced modern/jazz and tap.

Tracey Varga:
Tracey has been an avid dance participant since taking her first tap class at age 5. Her performance, teaching and choregraphic experience includes works with and for a variety of dance companies in California, Maryland, Idaho, Washington, Illinois, and New York. Tracey teaches modern/jazz and tap dance at the YWCA and is a licensed physical therapist. Locally she has served as performing arts c0-chair for Celebrate the Arts Sensation benefit concert. Tracey is the Director of the Forward Motion Dance Company, Inc. It is a Wilmington, NC based non-profit 501(c )(3) dance organization whose mission is to provide the local and regional communities with quality modern contemporary dance, and to enhance the arts community by providing performance opportunities for area dancers and performance artists.

Jeneen Cleare:
Bio is listed above in the Levels Pre-K - 5/6.