Lynn D. Raley is a native of North Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Performance from East Carolina University. Lynn has been teaching dance for 30+ years. As Owner and Artistic Director of South East Dance Academy she continues her dance education by attending numerous Seminars, Master Classes, and Dance Conventions thus allowing her to stay on top of the changes to this living art form. Lynn has studied with Masters such as Gregory Hines and Debbie Dee for Tap; Gus Giordano and Luigi for Jazz; Douglas Waddell and Karen Hebert for Ballet; Keith Clifton and Tracy Stanfield for Musical Theatre. She is a Certified Dance Educator through Dance Masters of America. Lynn has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Carolina Dance Masters as well as President of the organization. She has also served on the National Board of Directors of Dance Masters of America. Lynn most recently became a Module One Certified Teacher with Acrobatic Arts.
She has won many state and national awards for choreography and is the teacher of Teen Mister Dance of America. She has many dancers that are performing and teaching in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. Lynn is instrumental in making sure that her dancers don’t just learn “A” dance, but learn “How To” dance.
While teaching children is her primary passion, performing is a close 2nd. Lynn can be seen in film, television, and live theatrical performances. She has been the Dance Captain and performer with Opera House Theatre Company for such productions as “Chicago”, “Victor/Victoria”, “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, “Singing in the Rain,” “42nd Street”, ” A Chorus Line”, “Anything Goes”, “Will Rogers Follies” and “George M!”.
In addition to teaching dance, Lynn maintains her commitment to community service. She gives back to her dancers an extra opportunity to perform as well as an opportunity for her dance families to contribute to a local charity during the Annual Christmas Concert. She also recognizes those dancers that hold monthly Service Society projects as well as those that volunteer time or items to projects. Lynn works hard on teaching life lessons not just dance lessons.
Taylor Raley
Instructor
Taylor Raley is a native of Wilmington, NC where she began her dance training and pursuing a
career in the Dance field. From there she attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she
graduated in May of 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and
Choreography. While attending VCU she had the privilege of performing choreography by
accredited staff and colleagues whilst also participating in a Pedagogy Internship under the
guidance of Courtney Harris and Village Dance Companies director Melissa Gravely. Taylor
traveled abroad to Doha, Qatar under faculty member Melanie Richards and participated in the
VCU- Qatar Taseem conference; an international arts event featuring artists from around the
world with unique and creative workshops displaying their approaches to making art and
integrating many disciplines. Taylor has also had the opportunity to showcase her own
choreography on many stages including The Grace Street Theater, The Druker Center, and in site
specific works. Since graduation, Taylor relocated to Chicago and has interned with Thodos
Dance Chicago, performed as a company member with Cocodaco Dance Company, J. Lindsay
Brown Dance, and Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society. As a free lance performer she has
also been featured in several pop up performances for dance festivals and performance
showcases including THAW, Dance Chance at Lou Conte, Going Dutch, Delve, and many
others. Taylor has been operating as Communications and Assistant Artistic Director at Intrigue
Dance and Performing Arts Center for the past 3 years while also traveling giving master classes
and setting choreography for studios and contemporary companies and acting as a teaching artist
for The Joffrey Ballet. She most recently became a Module One Certified Teacher with Acrobatic Arts.
career in the Dance field. From there she attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she
graduated in May of 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and
Choreography. While attending VCU she had the privilege of performing choreography by
accredited staff and colleagues whilst also participating in a Pedagogy Internship under the
guidance of Courtney Harris and Village Dance Companies director Melissa Gravely. Taylor
traveled abroad to Doha, Qatar under faculty member Melanie Richards and participated in the
VCU- Qatar Taseem conference; an international arts event featuring artists from around the
world with unique and creative workshops displaying their approaches to making art and
integrating many disciplines. Taylor has also had the opportunity to showcase her own
choreography on many stages including The Grace Street Theater, The Druker Center, and in site
specific works. Since graduation, Taylor relocated to Chicago and has interned with Thodos
Dance Chicago, performed as a company member with Cocodaco Dance Company, J. Lindsay
Brown Dance, and Peckish Rhodes Performing Arts Society. As a free lance performer she has
also been featured in several pop up performances for dance festivals and performance
showcases including THAW, Dance Chance at Lou Conte, Going Dutch, Delve, and many
others. Taylor has been operating as Communications and Assistant Artistic Director at Intrigue
Dance and Performing Arts Center for the past 3 years while also traveling giving master classes
and setting choreography for studios and contemporary companies and acting as a teaching artist
for The Joffrey Ballet. She most recently became a Module One Certified Teacher with Acrobatic Arts.
James DeVita
Instructor
James DeVita is originally from Owego, NY where he began his training in ballet, tap, and jazz at age 3 at Kathy Hansen’s School of Dance. At age 12, he continued his technical training at Ballet Arts Theatre in Endicott, NY under the direction of Tina Christina-Price. Throughout his time at both studios,James competed at numerous regional and national competitions, and performed in several regional performances of The Nutcracker and other originally choreographed works. He also attended Joffrey Ballet’s summer sessions in New York City. James continued his training while attending Colgate University where he also taught ballet, jazz, and technique classes at the United Academy of Dance in Oneida, NY. Since completing his undergraduate degree, he has performed with and taught for several regional companies in the Northeast, including New England Ballet Company, Ithaca Ballet, and Hangar Theater Company. While working on his graduate degrees at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, James performed with, and taught and choreographed for the UT Dance Company. In 2010-2011 he was the primary ballet instructor with Charlee’s Elite School of Dance in Waukee, IA. James also works as an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
Lizzy Mongo
Instructor
Elizabeth Mongo discovered her passion for dance at Tamala Taylor’s Academy of Dance (Wooster, OH) at age 5. There, she studied with Cecchetti Council of America completing exams in Chapters One and Two by the age of 9. Elizabeth moved to the East Coast in 2006 where she continued her competitive career as a member of the South East Dance Academy Performing Team. Throughout her 12 years of competitions, Elizabeth was recognized for her musicality and performance quality as well as receiving many overall scores in the Elite Contemporary and Tap categories. Elizabeth was selected to compete for the title of Miss Dance of NC where she placed 11th at age 16. From ages 13-18, she was an active Junior Member of Carolina Dance Masters where she volunteered her time at competitions and conventions. She has been teaching at SEDA since 2014 and has always enjoyed sharing her knowledge with young artists. Her passion for teaching has been present since she first started assisting dance classes at age 13. In 2019 she received certification to teach in the subjects of jazz and acro through Carolina Dance Masters. Elizabeth is also a Module 1 Certified Teacher with Acrobatic Arts.
Kristi Stevens
Instructor
Kristi Stevens took her first dance steps at age 8 and found her way to Dance Dimensions (Brookfield, CT) under founder Beverly Legge, and current director Dody Flynn. Realizing her passion for dance, she began her journey with Dance Masters of America starting Teacher Training School as a high school senior, studying with renowned educators Tom Ralabate, Larraine Susa, Bill Thomas, PJ Catalano, Judy Rice, Jill Chase and Lynne Kurdziel Formato to name a few. Kristi continued the TTS program in the summers earning the post-graduate level and successfully passing certification exams in ballet, jazz, modern and tap. She is a 2004 graduate of East Carolina University (BFA in Dance Education) as well as a licensed massage therapist from the Connecticut Center of Massage Therapy (Clinical Massage Program 2006), a licensed Pilates Mat instructor and a Module One Certified Teacher with Acrobatic Arts. As a dance instructor, Kristi shares her love for anatomy and how to safely use their bodies to be the best dancer possible. Kristi has been a member of Carolina Dance Masters since 2006 and currently serves on their Board of Directors. She has been teaching at South East Dance Academy since 2007 and lives in Wilmington with her husband Seth and two incredible children, Russell and Coraleigh.
Hannah Renzulli
Instructor
Hannah was born and raised in Wilmington and has been dancing and competing since the age of 5 in genres including tap, jazz, ballet, hiphop, lyrical, and contemporary. She grew up training locally with Fox Troupe Dancers and remained a student there for 12 years. Specializing in tap, Hannah has had experience learning from several renowned tap choreographers such as Nick Dinicolangelo, Mark Goodman, and Gregg Russell and has been recognized with first place awards and scholarships for her solo tap performances. Since venturing off to college, Hannah has earned a BA in Psychology at NC State University and held the role as president of the NC State Tap Club for 2 years. She is excited to share the passion and knowledge she has gained and fill the students with the same love of dance that she has!
LaVonda Howard
Instructor
LaVonda Howard is a graduate of East Carolina University where she received a BFA in dance and was the recipient of the Marie Wallace Dance Scholarship. While at ECU, she was a member of the “5678” Musical Theater performances. She also appeared in the musical “Gypsy” with Barbara Bosson of Hill Street Blues. LaVonda danced professionally and traveled throughout North and South America on various cruise lines such of Royal Caribbean, Costa, Holland America and Celebrity. Being a veteran of the stage, she also performed on stages in San Diego, CA at the Coronado Resort, Showboat and Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, and the Newport Hotel and Resort in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
LaVonda has appeared in local theater productions in the Wilmington area including “42nd Street”, “Guys and Dolls” and “A Chorus Line”. Film credits include “Track 29”, “Cats Eye”, “Firestarter” and most recently onset of the film “Adrenaline”. Industrial credits include Daisytek, Ross Stores and IBM.
For the past 17 years, she has taught dance to recreational and competitive students. LaVonda is a 6-year Breast Cancer Survivor. In her spare time she is very dedicated to volunteering for charity organizations such as Women of Hope, Susan G. Komen and Pretty in Pink Foundation. LaVonda is a single mom of two beautiful children Brooke (15) and Trevor (11) of whom she shares life’s treasurable moments! She is excited for the “new” chapter in her life and delighted to share her passion and love of dance to children of all ages!
Anthony Hinrichs
Instructor
Anthony is a native to Wilmington and grew up training with Mira Fox-Lamendola. At 18 he moved to Los Angeles where he danced professionally with Bloc Talent Agency. He has taught and performed all over the country in genres such as tap, hip hop, contemporary, and jazz. Currently, he is working for Revive Dance Convention and is a Remix teacher for Adrenaline Dance Convention. He is very excited to be in Wilmington this summer to teach and share with everyone!
Sean Tinkler
Instructor
Sean Tinkler was born in St Petersburg Florida and moved to Wilmington at the age of 3. He started teaching himself gymnastics at the age of 8 and specialized in trampoline and floor tumbling. Sean started teaching at Gymnastics Unlimited in 2002 and has continued to teach privately till the present. He has 15 years teaching experience. When he is not teaching, he also owns and operates an automotive paint and body refinishing business. Sean is very excited to be working with South East Dance Academy.
Audrey Buck
Instructor
Audrey Buck relocated to Wilmington, NC when she was ten years old and quickly found a home inside the walls of South East Dance Academy. She was a member of our SEDA Performing Team for five years. In that time, she studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical and Hip Hop. Audrey has an Associates in Fine Arts as well as an Associates in American Sign Language Interpreting. She is currently working on her Bachelor’s Degree in American Sign Language Interpreting at Gallaudet University. Audrey just gave birth to her first baby, Adaline, who will be joining the SEDA family before too long.
Madison Stancil
Instructor
Madison is originally from Kinston, North Carolina where she began dancing at age 3. After relocating to Boone, North Carolina, she earned her BA in Dance Studies at Appalachian State University, where her education focused on dance pedagogy. Additionally, she studied Modern, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, HipHop, and West African under artists such as Maree Remalia, Ballet X, and Abraham in Motion. Madison has also performed and choreographed for numerous showcases affiliated with The Appalachian Dance Ensemble, Dance for a Difference, and local events, and she was a member of performance groups such as Momentum Dance Club, Entropy Dance Crew, and The Diyé African Dance and Drum Ensemble. Madison loves sharing her passion for dance with others, and she is so excited to join SEDA this year!
Sage Pasch
Instructor
Sage started her dance journey at 3 years old at a small school in Maryland. When she was 13 her family moved to Wilmington, where her passion for the arts grew. Sage started training in classical ballet 6 days a week for the next 5 years. Over these years she incorporated many different dance styles into her training including modern, tap, jazz & theater dance. She was given the opportunity through her ballet training to attend many ballet programs with scholarships; some of her favorites were American Ballet Theater & UNCSA. After training under Diane Orio Gerberg (former principal/assistant director at Joffrey) she learned her calling was not to join a company but to share her experience with the younger students. Sage began teaching and fell in love with it after helping put on her first behind the scenes Nutcracker. Sage attended Cape Fear Community College and now gets to be a stay at home mom to her son, Laith.
Cindy Byers
Instructor
Cindy Byers began her dance journey at the age of 3. She started training in the Russian technique but also has a background in the Italian and Cuban technique. Cindy was part of the Dominican Ballet Theater Youth Company. She also trained full time at Alina Abreu Dance Conservatory which is backed up by the American Ballet Theater and the Anna Pavlova Ballet Academy in the Dominican Republic. Cindy was a company apprentice at the Classical Cuban Ballet of Miami. She started teaching at the age of 16 in the Dominican Republic in different schools and also has been a teacher in Miami at Miami Fine Arts Academy and Creativo Dance Studio.