Teachers & Staff

WHERE THE PASSION BEGINS

Mary Elizabeth Humphrey

Artistic Director & Teacher

Mary-Liz built our studio from the floors up in 1990, she currently teaches ballet and creative dance to youth at the studio. Mary Elizabeth has taught at Stetson University Arts and Dance Community School, assistant teacher to Ruth C. Petrinovic at the the Academy of the Performing Arts. She has participated in two training programs from National Dance Institute: in New York and Sante Fe, Noyes School of Rhythm (Portland, 1995 & 1996), Alabama School of Ballet (2001), and Ernstine Stodelle Studio of Modern Dance (Cheshire, CT 1983 - 89). An Alumni of the American School of Ballet, New York, NY, Mary-Liz fell in love with Virginia and the small town of Elkton. Soon after moving she founded our studio.

Learn more about its history here...

Bryanna Dean

Director & Teacher

Dean earned a BFA in Dance from Florida State University, giving her a degree accompanied with a growing passion for teaching.

During time schooling in Tallahassee, she directed a dance department in a local children's art school: David Mason School of the Arts. Taugh as a guest teacher for FSU's summer pre-professional intensive. After graduating, Dean moved to NYC teaching dance at The Movement Studio in Brooklyn, and taught movement studies in schools across the boroughs with UGOT Active Kids: a company based in Toronto, Canada (2018-2020). Bryanna has studied at the American Dance Festival, Doug Varone and Dancers Workshop, George Mason College, and assistant taught at MASDI summer program (a California based company) once located here at JMU. She's performed in dance projects with choreographers: Tiffany Ryhnard (2018), and Donna Uchizono Co. (2019, premiered at the Joyce Theater).

While directing our studio she is also currently the Operations Associate and teacher for a dance company based in NYC called "Dances for a Variable Population", for seniors.

Sara Carrington

Teaching Artist

Sara is currently a dance major at JMU. She is our Contemporary dance teaching artist! She has participated in works from Ballet Hispanico and has attended training at Orange Grove Dance Intensive (a contemporary/modern dance workshop).

Jenna Randall

Teaching Artist

Jenna trained at our own Expressive Dance studio from the age of five. She is currently a graduate of James Madison University, with a major in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience as well as a minor in Dance from the School of Theatre and Dance within JMU. Jenna is our fantastic Jazz teacher. Her explosive Jazz style, mixed with fluid organic lyrical training makes Jenna's classes a so challenging and fun!

Emma Daly

Teaching Artist

Emma is currently a dance major at JMU. She is our Jazz dance teacher!

She grew up at Genia Johnson Dance Company, doing competition dance her whole life.

Emma attended Thomas Dale Dance Specialty Center of Fine Arts for her high school years.