GRACE BAGWELL ADAMS
Owner, Artistic Director
Grace Bagwell Adams is the founding director of The Modern Pin-Ups, Normaltown Tap Company and Speakeasy. She taught with Dancefx Athens for 14 years, and enjoys teaching tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop. Grace is originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina where she received her training. An alumna of Converse College, she is a proud supporter of empowering women through creative energy, dance, and performance. Grace believes in continuing education, and annually attends dance classes and workshops such as the Pulse NYC. She also contributes her talents to community engagement with organizations such as Project Safe’s Dancing With the Athens Stars event and Stomp Out Domestic Violence.
Grace is an Associate Professor at the UGA College of Public Health.
LINDSAY GIEDL
Owner, Director of Dance
Lindsay Giedl is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer. She was a founding member of CADE:NCE – Contemporary African Dance Ensemble: New Conscious Explorations under the direction of Tamara Thomas. A graduate of The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, she can be seen in the indie film “The Last of Robin Hood”, “Honey 4”, as well as Corey Smith’s music video “Honky Tonkin’ in My Blood”.
Lindsay was the 2020 recipient for the PANDEMIC ATLANTA Choreographer search with the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Her work was selected to participate in the Fall for Fall Dance Festival, a new socially distanced dance festival in 2020 and 2022. Lindsay was also the 2020-2021 recipient of the Kristel Rose Tedesco Residency with Mathematics-in-Motion.
Lindsay currently resides as the Dance Director at The Studio Athens and is an Adjunct Professor of Dance at The University of Georgia. She is a guest teacher for Roswell Dance Theater and Ballet Hispanico’s Professional Studies Program and Adult Program. In addition, she is on faculty with Ignite Dance Competition and Convention and is also a 200 Registered Yoga Teacher. In 2023, she had the honor of working as the Rehearsal Assistant for the UGA x Martha Graham Dance Company Project. Lindsay is in her ninth season with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and is currently the Administrative Director/Faculty of the Summer Programs – Joffrey South and Joffrey Colorado.
CATHY RUMFELT
Owner, Director of Musical Theater
Cathy Rumfelt, better known around Athens as Miss Cathy, has always had music in her life. She started singing and playing the piano at a young age, attended music camp for many years, performed in musical theater productions throughout high school and college. Cathy holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education from University of Georgia, and her master’s degree in English from Georgia State University and has more than 20 years of experience as an educator. From 2000-2011, she taught English and Technical Theatre at Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, where she was awarded Teacher of the Year.
In 2014, Cathy moved to Athens and opened Allegro: Lively Music for Children, offering infant and preschool music & movement classes to children in Athens and surrounding areas. Allegro has been named Runner-up for Favorite Children’s Classes: Movement in the Flagpole Favorites for 5 years. When she opened The Studio, she knew she wanted to start a youth musical theater program and is now thrilled to direct Triple Threat Musical Theater.
Cathy discovered her love of dance in 2019 when she competed with Grace Bagwell Adams in Athens Dancing With the Stars. She started dancing with the Modern Pin-Ups soon after and loves performing with them.
HOPE BROWN
Studio Manager, Director of The Studio Company, Competition Team, & Pre Company
Hope Brown is an award-winning choreographer and teacher from Atlanta, GA. Hope began her dance journey at Dan & Company Studios and later was a member of The Atlanta Jazz Theatre Company. She has studied under Kenneth Green, Dan Youmans, Mia Michaels, Lori Ann Gibson, and has performed at The Pulse on Tour. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia.
During her time at the University of Georgia, she danced in Pamoja Dance Company and is the Co-Founder and original Executive Director of Counterpoint Dance Company (2015 – 2017). Hope Brown is now the Director of Athens Dance Collective Pre-Professional Training Company as well as was promoted to Studio Manager of The Studio Athens in 2023. She can also be found leading and teaching for the Cedar Shoals High School Dance Collaboration Program. Hope’s work was last seen in “Carmen” for the University of Georgia Opera Department and Kennedy-nominated “Little Shop of Horrors” for University of Georgia Theatre Department.
WAVERLY NOBLE
Music Director, Triple Threat Musical Theater Company
Director, Shining Starz
Waverly Noble grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She began performing as a competitive Scottish highland dancer at 5 years old and found her love for musical theatre and solo voice in high school. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.M. in Music Therapy with a concentration in voice. Waverly is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) and the owner of Classic City Music Therapy, LLC. She also teaches youth voice lessons in the Athens area.
At the Studio, you can find her directing Triple Threat Musical Theater Company, teaching parent-child music classes at Allegro, welcoming you at the front desk, and performing in The Modern Pin-Ups!
Carrie Bishop
Assistant Director, Triple Threat Musical Theater Company
Carrie Bishop has been singing and playing music for her whole life. She started with piano lessons at the age of 5, and began singing at school and at church soon after. She has continued singing and playing piano since, including musical theatre productions, various church music programs and bands in Athens, GA. She has also been an aerial student at Canopy Studio since 2017.
When the Studio opened, Carrie took some dance classes to support her sister Cathy, and she hasn’t stopped dancing since. Carrie dances with Boulevard Burlesque Company. She also designed and maintains the Studio’s website. She is excited for another year of Triple Threat!
Carrie is a Triple Dawg, with a B.A. in English, an M.Ed in Instructional Technology, and an Ed.S. in Learning, Design and Technology, all from the University of Georgia. She is currently the Director of Learning Technologies at Digication, Inc. Before she came to Digication, Carrie worked at UGA for 15 years.
RALPH HALE
Director of Athena Rhythm
Ralph Hale has demonstrated a lifelong love of dance with over 20 years of experience and professional development. Although trained in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, and musical theater, Ralph has spent his professional career focused on various forms of tap and clogging as a teacher, choreographer, and production designer. Since 2005, Ralph has shared his talents though various dance camps, workshops, and intensives nationwide. What’s his philosophy? “Dance is about bringing music to life visually and audibly. We dance to tell our audience a story and to make them feel something.”
KEATYN LEE
Director of Boulevard Burlesque Company and Company Workshop
Keatyn Lee grew up studying ballet and modern at the Carnegie Performing Arts Center and Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After moving to New York City in 2008 and continuing to dance, Keatyn became the choreography coordinator for the 2011 feature film The Sitter. She expanded her portfolio further by later graduating from the New York School of Burlesque and performed on the New York City burlesque circuit from 2017-2020.
TABITHA ROBBINS
Director of Speakeasy
Tabitha Robbins has over twenty years of dance training, assisting, teaching, and choreography in a variety of styles including tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and more. She has taught students from age two to adult, ranging from beginner to advanced. Tabitha has been a loyal and dedicated instructor and studio administrator, spending much of her dance career at her childhood studios in Winder and Loganville, Georgia. Additionally, she has attended numerous dance camps, conventions, competitions, continuing education events, and costume shows over the years. In 2005, Tabitha toured the US assisting and demonstrating at industry leading dance camps. She has also worked in studio administration at Gwinnett School of Dance. Tabitha has dedicated her life to dance education, mentoring, and studio development. Currently, she is excited to be directing and teaching the youth tap program at The Studio!
Rylee Dickinson
Director of Company Workshop
Rylee has been dancing since the minute her feet hit the floor. Hailing from Toccoa Georgia, she holds two state titles from her time as a competitive dancer. She has choreographed for high school dance teams, performed with the UGA Dance Department, is currently a member of the Modern Pin-Ups, and the director of the Studio Workshop Company. Rylee loves dancing at the Studio because joy is the priority whether you’re across the floor, on the stage, or in the audience!
Amanda Auchenpaugh
Bio coming soon!
Bethany Barner
Bethany Barner is a sophomore at the University of Georgia currently pursuing a double major in Dance and Advertising. She began dancing at the age of 4 and hasn’t stopped since. At the age of 11, she began dancing at Studio D School of Dance in Griffin, Georgia. She trained in numerous styles such as ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and tap. That same year, she joined Griffin Ballet Theatre, a pre-professional company group under the direction of Mitch Flanders and Ashley Barnes. She had amazing opportunities to perform three different shows with GBT each year including “The Nutcracker”, “Cinderella”, “Coppélia”, “Ghosts”, “Peter Pan”, and many more. Bethany began assisting in dance classes in 9th grade and started teaching during her junior year of high school. She fell in love with teaching kids and knew that she wanted to continue teaching in college. Bethany is so excited to be able to continue her work with The Studio Athens for her second year!
Caroline Blanks
Caroline Blanks was born in LaGrange, GA where she began dancing and competing at the age of 2 for Techniques School of Dance and Gymnastics. At 14 years old, she began her training at The Lafayette School of Ballet where she worked and competed until she graduated high school in 2019. Throughout her career, Caroline won numerous titles at various competitions in the Southeast. She began assisting dance and acrobatics at 14, and after graduating high school, became a teacher and choreographer for the Royal Academy School of Dance. Though her primary focus was in competitive dance, Caroline taught many styles ranging from ballet to hip hop. Caroline currently is competing in the Miss Georgia/ Miss America Scholarship Competition, and in 2024 won two talent awards for her dancing. She loves working for The Studio Athens!
Sarah Blanks
Sarah was born in Lagrange, GA where she began dancing and training at Jenny Gordey’s dance studio at the age of two. She then moved to Techniques School of Dance & Gymnastics where she continued training in all styles, but specialized in acrobatics. While training at Techniques, she was also a competitive gymnast at Newnan School of Gymnastics where she placed 4th in the state of Georgia and top 10 in the southeast region of the US. After graduating high school and moving to Athens, she wanted to find a place where she could show how much dance meant to her. This led her to begin teaching at The Studio. Sarah is a UGA student studying Communication Sciences and Disorders with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences. She is planning on becoming a Speech Language Pathologist.
Kayla Bond
Kayla is a sophomore at the University of Georgia pursuing a major in computer science and a minor in dance. At nine years old, she began her dance career at Classical Ballet Theater in Reston, Virginia, and she switched to Skye Ballet Center after two years. At SBC, she had the opportunity to perform in numerous productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Paquita.
Additionally, Kayla danced in various competitions and was honored to receive a YAGP finals invitation, second place at the Étolie Dance Competition, and top 24 in the contemporary category at YAGP. She began teaching classes at SBC in 2021 as a substitute for young dancers’ ballet classes. Simultaneously, Kayla choreographed numerous pieces for YAGP and performances.
During her freshman year at UGA, she joined the UGA Club Dance Team, which has enabled her to expand outside her comfort zone and learn many group dances of all different styles. Kayla loves to share her passion with others and she is so excited to join the staff at The Studio!
Amelia Cassidy
Amelia Cassidy is a sophomore at the University of Georgia pursuing a double major in Business Management and Sports Marketing along with a minor in Dance. She developed a strong passion for ballet at a young age which led her to join Sugarloaf Performing Arts at the age of six. At the age of sixteen, Amelia joined Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, Gwinnett County’s only professional ballet company, as a trainee company member. She danced with GBT for two seasons during her junior and senior year of high school. In addition, Amelia competed at elite competitions where she received numerous awards and scholarships, and has spent past summers training with Nashville Ballet and Next Generation Ballet. She has taught many summer dance camps at Sugarloaf Performing Arts. Amelia graduated from Mill Creek High School in May of 2023 as an honor graduate, and is excited to continue sharing her love of dance with students in Athens!
Ava Cruz
Ava Cruz is a current student at the University of Georgia. She is a third year Elementary Education major as well as a third year on the UGA Dance Dawgs Dance Team. Ava has been able to work with various choreographers through ProAction Dance and the university overall. Dancing from the age of 2, Ava has been dancing her entire life. Ava has trained under Complexity Dance Center and the Godfrey Method for 6 years as well as having the opportunity to travel as a dance convention assistant with Revel Dance Convention. As a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority, Ava has also choreographed and performed for UGA Panhellenic’s event Greek Grind. Determined to bring her passion of teaching to every aspect of her life, Ava has also recently trained to become a Pure Barre instructor. As an aspiring elementary teacher, Ava has adored her time at The Studio while assisting Cathy in Creative Movement, and cannot wait for Pre-Ballet this upcoming year!
Megan Fitzgerald
Megan Fitzgerald was born in Dunwoody, Georgia where she started dancing at age 2 and then went on to join the Atlanta Jazz Theatre at 10. She graduated from AJT in 2023 after training and competing in multiple styles and is now attending the University of Georgia pursuing degrees in both Dance and Environmental Engineering. She has been choreographing for 4 years and hopes to continue throughout the rest of her career. Megan is excited to join the teaching staff at the studio!
Ava Grau
Ava Grau started dancing at Dan and Company at 5 years old and joined the Atlanta Jazz Theatre at 9. Ava fell in love with teaching and choreographing in high school thanks to the wonderful leadership opportunities in AJT, and graduated in 2023. Now, Ava is attending the University of Georgia pursuing degrees in Dance and Marketing. She is also dancing at DanceFX Athens and choreographing at Dan and Company. Ava is so excited to be teaching at The Studio this year!
Melissa Gogo
Melissa Gogo has been studying swing dancing for 14 years, and teaching for 10. She has been involved in the leadership of Athens Swing Central (formerly Athens Swing Night) for 12 years, and was a member of the swing dance performance troupe – Swung – for 9 years, serving as its president for 2 years and as choreographer 4 times.
Gogo has traveled all over the US to learn from the best in the world and bring that knowledge home to Athens. Lindy Hop is her favorite swing style, but she has also spent significant time learning and practicing Vernacular Jazz, Charleston, Balboa, Blues, and West Coast Swing. In the classroom, Gogo emphasizes fun, comfort, and safety first, while enthusiastically sharing her love of dance.
Ali Hall
Ali is the founder of Pure Balance Pilates studio here in Athens. Originally from Thomasville, Georgia, her love of movement started at a young age as she grew up dancing with South Georgia Ballet, where she was classically trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. Ali discovered Pilates as a form of physical therapy in high-school and fell in love with the way Pilates connected the mind, body, and spirit, and improved her dance practice.
Ali is a graduate of Polestar Pilates Comprehensive instructor training, and was trained by Karyn Staples, P.T, Ph.D. Ali took a 10 year hiatus from the dance world before returning in 2023, and is now a member of the Speakeasy adult dance company at The Studio.
Brenna Hayes
Brenna Hayes commenced her training at the age of 3 at Southern Performing Arts Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She danced with the studio’s nonprofit pre-professional ballet company, Southern Ballet Theatre, for nine years. Brenna also attended Dance Canvas’ summer dance intensive, DC NEXT, consecutively for two summers. As a company member of SBT, she annually attended the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association festivals, now known as Regional Dance America.
In spring 2019, Brenna transferred to UGA for their aerial dance program and K-12 teaching certification, joining the Core Contemporary & Aerial Dance Company. Alongside pursuing her BFA in K-12 Dance Education, she pursued a Masters in Nonprofit Management & Leadership through UGA’s DoubleDawg degree program, becoming the first graduate from the university with this dual degree in May 2023.
Outside her studies, Brenna has served as a teacher and choreographer in numerous dance studios across the metro-Atlanta area and Athens, specializing in ballet, pointe, contemporary/modern, jazz, tap, and catering to students of all ages from 3 to 60+. Embracing her role as an instructor, Brenna enjoys nurturing her students’ creativity and helping them achieve personal breakthroughs in their dance journeys. Fun fact: Brenna is certified to teach yoga trapeze, barre fitness, bungee fitness, and is on her way to adding Pilates to her list of certifications!
Jennifer Kay
Jennifer Kay (Rajni) had not attended formal dance classes since middle school, when she found a local Raqs Sharqi, or “Belly Dance” class in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 2003. She studied under Anthea Poole, aka Kawakib, a professional Oriental Dancer and co-founder of Tribal Odyssey Belly Dance in Virginia. Rajni was fortunate to study and perform with Kawakib for six years, and continues to learn from her beloved teacher, mentor, and friend.
Rajni has studied several styles of dance including Egyptian, Tribal Odyssey, Folkloric, and Turkish in classes with Kawakib, Aziza Nawal (Atlanta), Alima (Georgia), Amani Jabril (Atlanta), and MariaHamer (Pennsylvania). She has sought out opportunities for continued dance education through workshops and lessons with dancers such as Princess Farhana (Los Angeles), Tempest, Majda Anwar (Atlanta), Ziah (Atlanta), Jenny Nichols (Atlanta), Evadne Medina (Augusta, GA), Alia Thabit, Aegela (Ohio), and Carla Monnich.
Rajni incorporates several props into her dances, including sword and veil, but zils and cane remain her favorites. She has a passion for the history of the dance and the people and cultures who developed what we call modern “belly dance.” Rajni strongly encourages her students to learn about the cultures and history of the dance as well, and to learn about and appreciate the music and musicians that are integral to this dance. In that vein, Rajni has taken classes and workshops with Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska, Kawakib, Philip Mayer, and Wayne Byers.
Rajni is a certified Level 1 Tribal Odyssey instructor, and founded Qamar, a Belly Dance troupe based in Athens, GA, in 2013 to provide performance opportunities for students and share this beautiful dance with others. She seeks to promote collaboration and support for dancers, classes, and events within the local and regional belly dance community, and is an administrator of the Athens Bellydance Community on Facebook. She has also served for 11 years as Team Leader for the Athens Shimmy Mob, a belly dance flash mob held annually to raise awareness of domestic abuse.
Destiny Loyd
Destiny Loyd grew up in McDonough, Georgia where she started her journey with dance. For Destiny, dance isn’t just a hobby—it’s a lifelong devotion and her first love. She trained and competed with the Paris School of Performing Arts beginning at the age of five. She’s performed ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and Irish dances. Although she took a break from dance in high school, she continued movement through various roles in one act and musical theater. Her passion for dance persisted through college, where she enriched her skills by participating in dance classes and becoming a member of The Modern Pin-Ups in 2014. She’s excited to continue her journey with dance and share the joy of movement with others!
LILY MEDLOCK
Lily Medlock is an Elementary Education student at the University of Georgia with a minor in dance. She started dancing at the age of three and received training from the Decatur School of Ballet in ballet, modern, and jazz, later dancing in the Decatur City Dance company and BareGrounds modern dance company. She has additionally studied at Ballet Pensacola and with the UGA dance department. She is very passionate about teaching young children and students with disabilities, leading them in their expression through dance. Lily is also a member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group and is experienced in multiple forms of ballroom dance. She finds so much joy in teaching dance and is happy to live that out at The Studio!
Emily James Menke
Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of Georgia. She interned at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago before moving to New York City, where she studied and performed improv comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade, the Magnet and the People’s Improv Theater. She performed as a clown and in original comedy shows with her duo James and JF and with other companies around New York City, the Canadian Fringe Circuit, the New Orleans Fringe and even street performed in Mexico. She was a regular player on the Arty Need Show in Brooklyn. She recently returned to Athens to raise her family.
Caroline Passaro
Caroline Passaro is a third year student at the University of Georgia where she is studying Advertising with a Sports Media Certificate, Sport Management Minor and General Business Minor. She grew up in New Jersey where she began dancing at the age of 3. She began competing with the King Centre for the Performing Arts under the direction of Nancy C. King at the age of 13. She is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, hip hop and modern.
Caroline has been a part of performances for Diabetes Foundation, Make A Wish Foundation, Gift of Life, and many others. She has performed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Centre, for arts education and The Bergen Academies for “Dance For Our Children,” a benefit concert for children with serious illnesses. She has also held multiple roles in the King Centre’s annual performance of the Nutcracker. She has been teaching dance since her junior year of high school, and is super excited to get the chance to work at The Studio!
Sophia Pigo
Sophia Pigo started dancing at the young age of 3 years old. She moved to CK Danceworks in Dallas, GA when she was in 4th grade and began competing shortly after. She danced at the highest level until she graduated in 2023. She is entering her sophomore year at the University of Georgia where she is studying Biology and is on the Pre-Dental track. She loves working with kids and has both taught and assisted classes for over 5 years. She is so excited to be a part of the Studio Athens team!
Alyssa Poulos
Alyssa Poulos is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing B.A. s in Theatre and English. She was immersed in the theater from a young age, growing up in an artistic family with a shared passion for the performing arts. She was raised in Tucker, Georgia, where she participated in many productions from childhood to high school, earning her school’s Spotlight Award for her senior year roles in Our Town. She continues to perform at UGA and with the Town and Gown Players. She is also a member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group.
Alyssa has fallen in love with teaching and adores being a part of the Triple Threat Musical Theater team, where the faculty and children work together to create an accepting space to tell captivating stories to their audiences.
JANET ROBERTSON
Janet Robertson began formal ballet training at 11 with the Floyd Ward School of Dancing, Lynchburg, Virginia. Her mother registered her, saying, “You must hear this a lot, but, Janet has a special gift for dancing.” Before that, Robertson danced in the music room to her father’s practicing piano, and in the woods with ferns and sticks as props. By senior year high school, she performed the leading role in “Swan Lake”. Robertson then furthered her training at Sullins College with Valentina Belova of the Antwerp Ballet; after moving to Athens, she studied for ten years with Stanley Zompakos of NYCB; tap dancing with Gail May of the Mell Street Studio; and modern dance with Danna Frangione at UGA, where she also was coached by Ernestine Stodelle and Anna Sokolow for principal modern dance roles. Angela Elam (NPR’s New Letters on the Air) saw her in “Rooms” and offered her the lead in her play, ”The Last House in California”. From that performance, she was offered a fellowship at the Academy Theatre in Atlanta to study acting.
Robertson has performed with the Athens Ballet Theatre; with UGA’s Concert Dance Company; with Peggy Thrasher’s modern dance company, Wingspace; with Elle Udaykee at BAM; and has performed character roles with Joan Buttram’s UGA Ballet Ensemble. Before joining the faculty of UGA’s Department of Dance in 1985 as a temporary, part-time instructor, Robertson taught at Athens YWCO, Athens School of Ballet, Studio 441, and the University Gymnastics Center. She has shared her various talents with the Athens Community in many capacities. As Assistant Artistic Director of the Athens Ballet Theatre, she assisted in all areas of reconstructing classical ballets as well as creating new choreography. She created over 50 original works for several ballet, modern dance, and theatre companies since 1980. Robertson is coauthor of the script for the documentary film A Time to Dance as part of the Quality of Life Program under Dr. Claire Clements, which promoted dance for developmentally disabled adults and senior citizens.
Since 1993, Robertson has played lead and supporting roles, and volunteered as a set decorator and scenic painter with the Town & Gown Players. She has also acted in a series of 20 videos for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s research project on mediation and conflict resolution, and in Adrian Kayes’s award-winning film, “Stillwater”. Robertson has served on the Dance Panel of the Georgia Council for the Arts, and as an interviewer for the Governor’s Honors Program. She guest taught in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan; she has guest taught and choreographed for the East Athens Educational Dance Center.
In 2004, Robertson was given the Dance Athens Award for Excellence, “not only for her service to the Athens Dance Community, but also for the inner beauty and grace she radiates as a teacher, mentor, artist, and friend.” Robertson holds an AFA in Dance from Sullins College, a BA in Art, and MAT from Lynchburg College (now University of Lynchburg) in Virginia. She retired as Senior Lecturer, Emerita, from the UGA Department of Dance in 2017. She has taught for DanceFx since 2002, and most recently, Center City Ballet and Movement Arts. Robertson is an active member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, and raised a daughter with the help of this village, Athens, Georgia.
ABBY SCHULZE
Abby Schulze is a dance educator and creator based in Athens, Georgia with a passion for increasing the accessibility of dance through arts administration, dance education, and performance. She began her dance journey at N-Step Dance Academy and continued her training at BODYTRAFFIC, American College Dance Association 2022 and 2023 Conferences, and RootTheory and Italy Summer Intensives with staibdance.
Over the past eight years, Abby has taught and choreographed at N-Step Dance Academy, DanceFX, and The Studio Athens. She has also worked with the Traverse City Dance Project, the Joffrey Ballet School and the Atlanta Contemporary Dance School.
Abby is currently finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Georgia and is a Double Dawg student concurrently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. In January of 2023, Abby was a part of an ensemble that opened for the Martha Graham Dance Company in Athens, Georgia. She also debuted two concert choreographic works during the 2022 and 2023 Emerging Choreographer’s Series Concerts. She proudly represented The Studio Athens and the UGA Dance Department in Project Safe’s 2023 Dancing With the Athens Stars as an instructor. Abby is also a CURO-recognized scholar for her research in critical thinking in dance education.
Kydae Scott
Kydae Scott is a Fall 23′ UGA graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology & a Personal Health & Well-Being minor from Columbus, GA. Since Fall of 2021, Kydae has choreographed and taught Hip Hop, Contemporary, Majorette and Vogue pieces at UGA through Pamoja Dance Company and other organizations.
Furthermore, as a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. he has also choreographed, judged and performed for various Greek events within the state of Georgia since Fall 2022. Outside of dance, he also works as a Registered Behavior Technician since February of 2024. Kydae welcomes all dancers with open arms, open hearts and an open schedule!
Haley Werner
Haley Werner is a sophomore at the University of Georgia where she is currently pursuing a double major in Dance and Animal and Dairy Science. Haley began dancing at age 5 in her hometown of South Jersey, where she later taught as well. She has trained in a variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, West African, musical theater, hip-hop and contemporary. Haley is an ACTION certified personal trainer and most recently has been training in circus arts such as aerial silks and lyra. She competed on a studio competition team for 10 years and has continued training at Broadway Dance Center, Powerhouse Dance South Jersey, and Flair Dance Company. She has also worked under the direction of Bree Jacobs and her hip hop company Empire. Haley began teaching at Mainstream Dance Academy during her junior year of high school and has taught a variety of levels and styles, including both rec and competition. She is excited to be joining The Studio of Athens team and looks forward to sharing her passion for dance with another state of dancers!
