Faculty         

Alecia LaKernick is a 1991 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Meredith College with a B.A. in Dance and a 1990 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Campbell University with a B.S. in Spanish and K-12 education certification. As Miss Henderson 1992, she won the Talent Award at the Miss North Carolina Pageant and was a Top Ten Finalist. She was also Miss Topsail Island in 1987 capturing the only Non-Finalist Talent Award at The Miss N.C. Pageant and was chosen as a member of the Miss N.C. Performing Troupe. Alecia has toured for five summers with Hoctor's Dance Caravan, where she has instructed, performed, and served as a head coordinator for the Caravan Kid program. Her studies include: N.C. School of the Arts, The Columbia City Ballet, Wake Forest University, The Dance Theater of Fayetteville, Broadway Dance Center in NYC. and Steps in NYC. She has choreographed for Hoctor's Dance Caravan, Miss Henderson Pageant, Miss Erwin-Denim Pageant, Miss Topsail Island Pageant, Louisburg College, Vance Rec. Players, Lakeland Cultural Arts Center, Imagination Station, Vance County Show Choir, as well as for the high school majorettes and twirlers of Triton, Midway, Webb and Northern Vance High School. She is a certified judge and instructor for Drum Majorettes of America. Alecia has over 20 years experience teaching dance and baton.

Yvonne Payton is in her third year as an instructor at Ballet Arts. She is a graduate of San Jose State University with a B.A. in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing her dance education degree at Meredith College. While in Florida, Yvonne danced professionally with the Tampa Bay Storm cheerleaders. Her theater credits include: Fiddler On the Roof, Once Upon a Mattress, Guys and Dolls as well as choreographer for Peter Pan for the Granville Little Theater. She is currently a performing member of the tap company "Footnotes Dance Ensemble". Additional credits include: The San Francisco Ballet, Advanced Dance Performance, Spartan Spectrum Dancers and Schumacher’s School of Dance. Additional teaching credits include:
Dance Creations in Raleigh, Dale City Parks and Rec in California and Victoria’s School of Dance in Tampa, Florida. Yvonne has won numerous awards and scholarships for her dance performance and choreography.

Lyn Wheeler is an Alumni of Ballet Arts where she has been on the faculty for four years. She was chosen by audition to tour, dance and perform as a Caravan Kid for Hoctor’s Dance Caravan in 1999. Lyn is also a veteran performer for the Louisburg College Players, the Raleigh Little Theater and the Henderson Rec Players. She has also choreographed for the Granville Little Theatre production of "Pump boys and Dinette". While training at Ballet Arts Lyn was a member of the “All Stars” Company where she earned many solo and group awards.

Rachel Macholl has studied dance for 14 years with the Gloria Jean’s Studio of Dance in West Haven, CT. Her love of dance led her to musical theater and earned her a full tuition St. Genesius Theater Scholarship to Merrimack College in Andover, MA. At Merrimack College, Rachel played the roles of Kitty Verdun in “Where’s Charlie?”, Miss Adelaide in “Guys & Dolls”, and Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other theater credits include: Polly Baker in “Crazy for You”, and Kim Macafee in “Bye Bye Birdie”. While at Merrimack College, Rachel was a member of the MC Dance Team and earned her BA with a major in psychology and minor in elementary ed. During her career as a dancer, Rachel was a member of the United States Tap Team and placed first in the World Tap Dance Festival held in Dresden, Germany. She also won the title of Miss Southern New England Teen at the American Coed Pageant in 1995. She won the Talent Award at the American Coed National Pageant. Rachel is currently in her 5th year of teaching and has choreographed for the Sacred Heart Academy Show Choir, the West Haven Public School System, and The Dance Attic. She is a kindergarten teacher at Franklin Academy. She is ecstatic about continuing her career as a dance educator at Ballet Arts.

CeCe Gay is a native of Henderson and has danced and performed for over twenty years. She is a dean’s list graduate of East Carolina University where she received her BS and Masters degrees in accounting.
CeCe currently works as a CPA for Phillips, Dorsey, Thomas, Waters & Brafford in addition to her work as a dance instructor. During her dance career CeCe has studied dance at Bounds Dance Studio in Chapel Hill, Virginia School of the Arts, UNC Greensboro, and East Carolina University. She has performed with the Bounds Dance Studio Competition Group, the Miss Henderson Pageant Dancers and the UNC Greensboro Dance Team. CeCe has over 6 years of teaching experience and is in her 5th year as an instructor at Ballet Arts.

Amanda Blanchard has trained for many years in ballet, tap, jazz, yoga and Pilates and is a yoga instructor. She has appeared in numerous regional theater musicals and plays and has been a part of Ballet Arts faculty for the past four years.

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