Instructors

Katie Whitley/ Owner and Artistic Director

Background:
I have danced since childhood studying ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical/contemporary, as well as multiple dance teams. I was lucky enough to be able to start assisting dance classes in middle school, and oh how I fell in love with it! By the time I reached high school I was teaching multiple classes a week and assisting in creating choreography for storytelling shows. I helped in our productions of Storybook Tales, a Tribute to Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, The Wizard of Oz, and many more.

When I went to Georgia College for undergraduate studies, I obtained a bachelors in Early Childhood Education and then went on to get my Masters. All the while in college I remained heavily involved in the dance program.
Upon graduation I taught elementary school for 6 years. In the midst of teaching in 2016, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to open my own studio in Forsyth. We opened on West Johnston Street where the former Encore Dance studio was located.

Since our opening in 2016 we continue to provide ever improving instruction for our students while staying relevant and unique. Our recital productions set us apart from other studios as every show we do tells a story. The dancers, teachers, and audience members all become invested in the story the dancers are bringing to life on stage. Since opening we have done tributes to Alice in Wonderland, Snow White, Under the Sea, The Lion King, and Aladdin.

As the studio director, my main goal is to build strong, confident, kind dancers who will make a difference in the world by cultivating a passion for dance and the arts. I can’t begin to imagine my life without dance and I want everyone of our students to be able to explore any aspirations in life because of the skills they learned at our studio.
Favorite class to teach:
I love teaching lyrical and contemporary classes! Teaching emotion and self expression is so important to me. I also really love working with our studios youngest dancers- the magic in their eyes as they walk into dance each week in like no other. Production is also so fun to me- combining theatre with dance is my absolute favorite thing to do!
Favorite Holiday:
Christmas, but Easter is a close second!
Starbucks order:
Seasonal Cold Brew or a Grande White Mocha Extra Hot Nonfat/ No whip

 

Alayna Criswell/ Instructor

Background:
I started taking dance classes at the age of 3 & stopped taking them when I was 18. Over the years I taken ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe & even some hip hop. My favorite types of dance have always been ballet & lyrical! I love how graceful you get to be & the emotion that can be poured into it. I started assisting dance at 15 years old with Encore Dance studio here in Forsyth. Then Encore was sold to Mrs. Katie. She was generous enough to let me continue assisting at Simply Dance starting in 2016 when we opened & I’ve been here ever since! I assisted classes until 2018 & then I was given the opportunity to have classes of my own that I teach! My main role as a teacher & as an assistant is working with some of our youngest students, the 3-4 year olds. I help with other age groups as well, but the littles are who I spend most of my time with!
Favorite class to teach: 
The 3-4 year old classes are my favorite to teach for sure! I love being able to see them learn new things & I try to get on their level as much as I can to connect with them. I’m so grateful that I get to be a part of setting the foundation for them to grow at dance. I always make sure to set a good example for them in order to help ensure that they grow with grace as dancers & in life!
Favorite Holiday: 
CHRISTMAS!!! The reason for the season, the weather, the happiness that beams from everyone & the time spent with family are just a few of the reasons that I love it!
Starbucks order: 
Venti Strawberry Açaí refresher w/ lemonade (& a chocolate cake-pop if I’m feeling snackish) 🤩

Makenzie Collier/ Instructor

Background:
I have been dancing since the age of 13 and have trained and competed in the styles of jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, contemporary, pointe, and heels. Over the course of my training, I have been given the opportunity to work on several TV/Netflix shows and movies such as “Insatiable”, “Superstition”, “The Darkest Minds”, “Legacies” and many others. I have, also, danced with legends such as Kelly Clarkson, Tevin Campbell, Sevyn Streeter, Justine Skye, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole and several others. I have recently started working at Simply Dance and have been teaching a variety of styles. The kids are such a joy to work with and I love getting to share my knowledge of dance with them!
Favorite class to teach:
I love teaching all styles and it really just depends on the day, but tap and contemporary are two of my favorite styles/classes to teach!
Favorite Holiday: 
Christmas, of course. I love giving gifts!
Starbucks order: 
Grande white chocolate mocha

Cameron Lowery/ Instructor

Background:

I began dancing at age three and never stopped. I began competing in ninth grade with our studios competition team and competed for six years. I was blessed to be able to assist teaching classes starting in middle school and continued to teach through my high school graduation. I began teaching dance classes to students in Valdosta while getting my Bachelor's in Elementary Education at Valdosta State University. I lead the competition team for my Valdosta Studio and taught there for two and a half years before moving to Macon. I am excited to teach at Simply Dance and work with these talented children!

Favorite class to teach: Tap and Acro

Favorite Holiday: Christmas
Starbucks order: 
If I'm feeling a coffee, then the brown sugar oatmilk iced shaken espresso. If I want something else, the pink drink is my favorite!

Saranne Ezelle/ Instructor

Background:

I have been dancing since I was 3 and have always been the one to dance wherever I went! I took classes from ages 3 to 17 at CC Performers and at 17 I moved to Simply Dance were I took for another 2 years. Along the way I started assisting classes at 15 and when I moved to SD, I start assisting after a few months of being here. I’ve taken Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Baton, Lyrical, and Hip-Hop throughout the years and had to opportunity to assist our former Hip-Hop teacher, Gator, where I learned most of what I know of Hip-Hop. Dancing has always been the way I expressed myself and you can always find me dancing even when I am not at the studio.

Favorite class to teach: My favorite class to teach of course is Hip-Hop. It’s such a fun and upbeat class, I always leave feeling so happy and energized.

Favorite Holiday: My favorite holiday is Christmas!! I love the time of the year to celebrate Jesus, the music, the lights, all the happiness around, and maybe a present too!

Starbucks order: From Starbucks I get a Iced Blonde Vanilla Latte with Caramel sauce and caramel drizzle!

Madaline McCoy/ Instructor

Background:
I attended my first dance camp at Simply Dance at age 13. After one week I fell in love and knew it was something I wanted to pursue. I began taking classes that fall. Even though I loved it, I felt behind.  All of my class mates had an earlier start, and I soon began to feel very discouraged. That Christmas my parents gave me a book written by Misty Copland, a principle dancer for ABT. From this book I learned that Misty Copeland had also started at age 13 and had become one of the greatest artists in the dancing world! Knowing this gave me the courage to work hard and pursue my dream! It is so fulfilling to watch students find that same courage, passion, and drive in themselves! “Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain, and still succeed.”- Misty Copeland.

Favorite class to teach: 
My favorite class to teach is definitely ballet! Hard work and discipline are so so important to me. Not only are these traits crucial for ballet but also in everyday life, and I love getting the opportunity to instill that drive in others.

Favorite Holiday: 
110% Christmas! I love the music, lights, and crazy socks🤪.

Starbucks order: 
Typically a venti caramel ribbon crunch Frappuccino. But as long as it’s coffee I will drink anything I can get.

Lauren Savelle/ Instructor

Background:
I started dancing when I was 3 years old. Some of my earliest memories are of me in tutus learning to plie' in dance class. I am trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary and pointe. For the past 16 years, dance has been my outlet of exploration where I can express myself both on stage and in class. For the past 2 years it has been my joy to help other young students flourish in dance classes. To best explain my love of dance is to quote a line from a movie that one of my dance teachers had us watch to learn from about classical ballets. It says “They ask why I dance. So in return I ask, “ why do you breathe?” Their answer is always the same. “ I don’t know, I just must.” They think they’ve answered my question, but in reality they’ve answered both questions.” To this day, that is the best quote I have ever heard to express my love for dance.

Favorite class to teach: 

Ballet! While I do love each style of dance, ballet has always been my passion. I have been teaching at Simply Dance for 2 years now and I have loved every minute! I love teaching dancers the history of ballet. Explaining where ballet originated, how it has evolved and of course the terminology that goes along with it. Nothing makes me more excited than a good ballet history lesson. 😆 As a teacher my goal is to reach inside the hearts of my students and to ignite a spark for the love of dance.

Favorite Holiday: 

Thanksgiving! I love the family time that this holiday brings. The yummy smells, the Christmas movies we watch every year, and of course my Uncle Johns corn casserole!

Starbucks order: 
Venti vanilla bean frappe chino with 7 pumps of raspberry syrup. It’s literally a starburst milkshake and I’m obsessed 🤩

Ella Vinson/ Instructor

Background:

I knew the second I walked into the studio for my first dance camp, that I loved it more than words could describe. I started dance when I was 11 years old and I knew most people started way younger. Even though I felt far behind, I wanted to progress in my dancing and push myself. I was super nervous but always strived for more because I knew I wanted to continue dancing for as long as possible. Immediately after the first class I knew that dance was “my thing”. Dance is something you can always get better at and that’s what I love. Seeing not only myself, but others overtime get more confident and comfortable really keeps me going to keep dancing and I think that’s just one beauty about dance itself.


Favorite class to teach: 

I love teaching any classes because you really get to see where people thrive at the most in their dance journey and keep pushing them for more. I would say either ballet or lyrical are my favorite to teach! Ballet is the foundation for dance and I think that anyone who choses to dance needs at least one ballet class. Ballet is very difficult and essential for someone’s technique. Lyrical and Contemporary are also very important because you really get to feel the music and make it your own. Watching students doing this along with applying technique from ballet is so satisfying to watch and it makes you feel the story even more. Watching students take in different interpretations of the same story is beautiful and that’s something I love about teaching those classes. 

Favorite Holiday: 

Christmas definitely. I can’t even begin to describe how much I love everything about Christmas.

Starbucks order: 

switches between venti black iced coffee or a Carmel macchiato.

Addison Warwick/ Instructor

Background:

I have been dancing for 17 years and teaching for 7- Focused on tap, ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and acro. Notable credits include dancing in a music video of local artist WNTALN, acting in a commercial about bullying, and modeling for Calvin Klein & Jockey. Most recently dancing alongside Maroon 5 and Usher.

Alison McCoy/ Office Manager

Background:
My primary job (away from the studio) is managing our home of 10. Everyday presents a new task/challenge while being surrounded by a lot of super cute humans. My job at the studio is pretty much the same. I love coming to “work” and witnessing the growth of our studio and students every single week!
Favorite Holiday: 
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S. I love everything about it. The cozy days, the busy days, the decorations, the extra kindness shown by complete strangers, and of course the gifts!
Starbucks order: 
On a hurried day- Venti Caramel Macchiato (hot)
On a boujee day- Venti Caramel ribbon crunch Frappuccino with 2 pumps cream base and 2 pumps coffee base.😬 💁🏼‍♀️

Liz Ward/ Office Manager

Background:
My full time job is a Project Manager for a healthcare company, aka I’m pretty good with a spreadsheet, sending emails and creating processes. I use my 8-5 skills at Simply Dance all the time! At the studio I whip up excel sheets to help organize and streamline data and also help with communication to our dance families.
Favorite Holiday: 
Thanksgiving! For my family, it’s all about spending quality time with those you love and being thankful for all of Gods blessings.
Starbucks order: 
Venti Iced Vanilla Latte with light Ice, 2% milk and an extra shot