Teaching Staff

Dark skin woman smiling brightly in front of a black background

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Studio Director
Kia J. Street began dancing at the age of three at Norma’s Academy of Dance and continued her training at Dance with Donna Webb. She decided to pursue a dance career while attending Fine Arts Magnet at Mount Zion High School, now named Martha Ellen Stilwell School of the Arts in Jonesboro, GA. Kia graduated from Valdosta State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2015. While attending VSU she performed at the annual dance concerts, American College Dance Association, and during halftime with the marching band as a Blazette. She has choreographed for high school dance lines, the Emerging Artist Showcase at VSU, Modco Dance Company, and for Dancefx adult company members. Professionally, she has performed with Sideways Contemporary Dance Company and Modco Dance Company. Currently, she performs with Fuerta Dance Company, in festivals around Atlanta, and is the proud Studio Director of Metro Atlanta Dance

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Assistant Studio Director
At the age of 9, Jennifer Cooper finally got to realize her dream of a dancing career when Perkins Elementary Performing Arts School was created in her hometown of St. Petersburg, FL. From there, she continued on to performing arts schools for both middle and high school as well as a local studio that offered her a scholarship. She spent every moment possible dancing and training. It was during this time at the studio, that she found a passion for teaching.
Jennifer attended University of South Florida and received a BA in Dance Studies with Education. She started teaching in 2006, working at various locations including studios, a magnet school, day cares and special needs classes. When she moved to the Altanta area, she taught with Creative Movement and Dance for 11 years. She takes every opportunity to learn more as she attends workshops and conferences, such as Dance Masters of America. Jennifer loves teaching students of all ages and levels. She currently dances and performs with several MAD companies as well as takes several classes each week.

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Marketing Director
Sparks and Ignite Musical Theater Companies Director
Born and raised in Dunwoody, GA, Hope fell in love with dancing at age three. She continued to dance with the Expression in Motion Dance Company where she began teaching at age sixteen. Hope began her musical theater journey in high school, performing and assisting with choreography. This will be her third year directing Sparks, and her first with Ignite. She currently dances herself with several of MAD’s adult performance companies. Hope graduated with her Bachelor’s in Speech Communications in Winter 2025.

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Elevate Heels Company Director
Tricia is an Atlanta native who’s passion for dance grew at Pope High School while dancing with the marching band. While attending Georgia State University, she performed with the Pantherette Dance Team and Georgia State Color Guard. Tricia began dancing professionally as a WNBA Atlanta Dream Cheerleader, an event performer, and as a member of the Gwinnett Dance Project. Tricia is a member of Creatives Company (a professional hip hop team); she directs the Dance and Flag Line at Woodward Academy, and she directs Elevate Heels Company.

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Reverie Ballet Company Director
Audrey Crabtree holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts degree in Dance Performance from Oklahoma City University. Her performance work includes the theme park stages of Busch Gardens Williamsburg (VA) and Six Flags Magic Mountain (CA) dancing at Howl-O-Scream, Christmastown, Looney Tunes Kids Club, Fright Fest, and Holiday in the Park. Living in Los Angeles, Audrey performed with Amaterasu Dance Company, L.A. Unbound, City Ballet of Los Angeles, the Speak Hill Dance Project, and J Sutta. Returning to Atlanta, she was a company member with Watershed Dance Theatre and Sideways Dance Company. She currently performs as a company member with Atlanta-based Monica Hogan Danceworks (since 2021), ALA Dance (since 2021), and Fuerta Dance Company (since 2016), appearing at Dance Canvas, Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, and in seasonal company productions. Professional choreographic works by Audrey have been presented in Atlanta’s Fall for Fall Dance Festival, Modern Atlanta Dance Festival, and Fuerta's "Sole." A dance educator since 2012, Audrey is an experienced instructor in a variety of techniques with a passion for pedagogy. Audrey is a mother of two (Penelope & Theodore) who aims to develop each student’s technical skill set alongside a love for the performing arts.

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BoomX Hip Hop Crew Director
Mar is a dancer with over 15 years of experience training in styles like ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, heels, acrobatics, and waacking. She started dancing in elementary school, focusing primarily on acrobatics and ballet. As she went to college, she led a dance team called Impact for 4 years which focused on street style foundations and hip hop. Mar is a founding member of Waacklanta, having been on the planning committee for their first year of battles and events. Apart from that she has worked with age groups from elementary school to adult and is genuinely driven by people growing in their creativity and in their movement.

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Bounce Hip Hop Crew Director
EC is an educator of dance with 10+ years of experience training in street styles such as popping, house, and hip hop. He first started off dancing with a street dance crew in Virginia Beach known as Anonymous in 2009. From there he moved into teaching and growing in the North Carolina collegiate scene, ultimately ending up with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and rounding out his training with ballet, modern, and jazz. He hopes to use his position as an educator to grant insight, knowledge, and growth in street dance culture to people from all walks of life.

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Melissa Hoover began her dance training in tap at the age of 13. Since then, she has expanded her technical training to other styles including jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, and hip-hop. Though high school, she was a part of several performance dance companies in Arizona. Since moving to Atlanta, Melissa continued her passion for dance and performance as an adult, taking classes and performing with DanceFX Atlanta Studio in the Aesthetic Ballet, Xtensity, and Tap companies. She has also performed with FlexCo Dance company in the styles of hip-hop and contemporary and was featured in the 2019 Super Bowl Halftime Show in Atlanta. Melissa takes every opportunity to continue to learn and take class, and loves to share her passion for dance with adults and teens whether they have been dancing for years or it is their first day.

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Emily grew up dancing at various studios in the Alpharetta/Metro Atlanta Area, including Footnotes Dance and Acrobatics. She holds a Bachelors of Art with concentrations in Art History and Art Education from Georgia State University. Emily has student-taught at local elementary schools, and choreographed musicals from some of the local schools in the area. She is dedicated to making dance class accessible and welcoming to everyone. As a dancer with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Emily is knowledgeable on the effects of hypermobility disorders and chronic illnesses on dancers. While she is also formally trained in jazz, ballet, and contemporary, her favorite genre is tap, and she is so excited to be teaching Tap 1 and Tap 2 this year!

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Julia began her dance journey 15 years ago in Roswell, training under the familiar faces of Kia Street and Payton Duvall. While attending the University of Georgia in Athens, she spent 5 years performing with Dancefx Concert Company. Since moving back to Atlanta in 2023, Julia has become a member of Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company and reunited with her first dance family as a Metro Atlanta Dance faculty member. Dedicated to creating a high energy and encouraging environment, Julia enjoys helping dancers of all ages and skill levels reach their maximum potential and foster a lifelong love of dance.

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Stella Hansen grew up in Marietta, GA where she trained at Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre/Georgia Dance Conservatory ages 3-18. She trained in Classical Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Jazz, and Swing. Upon Graduating high school, Stella attended the Georgia Institute of Technology where she studied Industrial Engineering. Throughout College Stella took classes at Atlanta Ballet and danced with Georiga Tech’s DanceTech serving as their Membership Director and later their President. Stella began taking classes with Metro Atlanta Dance upon her graduation from college and is greatly looking forward to joining the MAD faculty for this upcoming season!

Delighted to be teaching in her hometown of Roswell, GA, Rebekah began dancing at a young age at the Tolbert-Yilmaz School of Dance and graduated from North Springs High School with the Performing Arts Magnet seal where she trained in Jazz, Musical Theatre, Horton, and a variety of modern techniques. Rebekah went on to the University of Georgia earning a Bachelor of Arts in Dance, focusing on Contemporary and movement theories including Laban Movement Analysis, Creative Movement, and Pedagogy. She has also received foundational training in Dance Movement Therapy principles and loves the role of artistic expression as a source of health and wellbeing for children.

Miss Nikki V. Matthews is a native of Southern California and has been dancing since the age of 3. She has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, character and even Irish dancing. She attended Orange Coast and Chapman College majoring in dance and liberal arts. As a teenager and young adult, she attended the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, Milwaukee Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and finally Ballet Pacifica . She has danced many roles in various ballets as well as choreographed individual and original pieces. She has taught all ages from 2-80. Her favorite styles to teach are ballet and tap. Her favorite styles to perform are also ballet and tap. Her favorite part of teaching is sharing the art and passion of dance and movement. Everyday is an opportunity for new experiences and growth. She loves to watch her students experience the magic of dance and the joy it brings to all involved. “I could not imagine my life without dance and the community it brings together.”

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Lola Hartley began her dance training at LWHS school of dance in England at the age of 3. From age 6 she entered regional competitions in Ballet, Tap and Modern as a solo performer as well as in duets and group dances with winning performances. She continued her dance training at Oakville Academy for the Arts in Canada from age 10 in another competition team, where she continued her training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Acro and there won divisional team competitions. Since moving to the US in 2019 she continued her love of dance with Petite Company and FX Companies at DanceFX Atlanta, where she added and developed her contemporary dance skills, and then continued her senior year at Metro Atlanta Dance. Since graduating High School, she hopes to continue her love of dance by teaching her passion to others and develop her choreography skills. She has also since begun studying at Kennesaw State University.

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Paige Curtis is an Atlanta based lover of theatre and all things arts! She has been part of the past few productions at MAD as part of the production team and loved it so much that she reached out and begged to be more involved! Teaching theatre is Paige’s biggest passion and teaching theatre at MAD surrounded by the artistry and talent that lives at MAD is exactly where she is meant to be! Paige works at the Alliance Theatre in midtown where she has worked for several years as both a Teaching artist and a concierge! She is thrilled to get back in a classroom and experience the magic of musical theatre with the students (and staff) of Metro Atlanta Dance!

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Ivy Loving is a passionate artist, dancer, and storyteller. His love of teaching comes from a belief that everyone should have a voice to tell their own story and express themselves. He is a dancer and company member with the Room to Move modern dance company as well as Mahealani’s Polynesian Entertainment company. He is currently studying dance and art history and choreographs for many local shows and community events in the Atlanta area. He is classically trained in ballet, Modern, contemporary, and Jazz though he is always excited and working to expand his repertoire.

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Gigi is originally from Alpharetta, GA and has been dancing for 17 years. Starting at the age of two- she has trained in styles as ballet, contemporary, jazz, and musical theatre. In 2025 she graduated from the PTP program at Terminus Modern Ballet School where she trained rigorously and performed both with the main company and student company. After graduating, she joined Saint Louis Ballet as a Trainee for the 2025/2026 season where she performed mainstage productions, and toured with the company. She has also trained at summer intensives with Orlando Ballet, National Choreography Intensive, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Brenau, and in the summer of 2026 she had the opportunity to intern with Deos Contemporary Ballet in Grand Rapids, MI. She is very excited to move back to Georgia to be dancing professionally with Gwinnett Ballet Theatre for the 2026/2027 season! Gigi is excited to spread her love for dance though teaching with the MAD family!