Meet The Team
Brittany Alexander
Owner/Lead Instructor
Brittany began dancing at the age of 3. She danced for more than 20 years and has been an instructor for the last 10 years with Blue Ridge Performing Arts Academy. She competed with Dance Troupe, Inc. in 2004-2005 and received their Youth Dance Ambassador Award for both years. Brittany has won many special awards for choreography and entertainment as well as many overall placements and highest scoring routines. She has trained and taught in many styles of dance including Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap, Clogging, Musical Theater, Ballet, Pointe, and Irish Tap. Brittany also has a Dance Studio Owner Certification with IAP Career College.
Katelyn Saunders
Dance Instructor
Katelyn has been dancing since a very young age and has competed in multiple dance competitions where she won multiple awards. She has continued her love of dance as a teacher for the last 7 years at Blue Ridge Performing Arts Academy. Her choreography and dances have won many overall awards and high placements. She has taught Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Tap, Clogging, Musical Theater, Irish Tap, and Ballet. Her latest focus has been to also teach the Tiny Tots program and help children begin their love of dance.
Will Smith
Ballet Instructor
Originally from Camden, New York, Will started dancing under Delia Foley (A.R.A.D.) and completed the Royal Academy of Ballet’s advanced syllabus with merit. He then attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City on a talent and merit scholarship where he graduated with a B.F.A. in dance, with an emphasis in ballet. Will has danced with the Kansas City Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Ballet Theater of Maryland. He has choreographed several ballet shows and was awarded the Virginia Commission of Arts Fellowship for Choreography in 2014. Will is also a ballet instructor at Roanoke Ballet Theater.
Amber Collier
Dance Instructor
Amber began taking dance classes at the age of 3, experimenting with different styles of dance such as clogging and Irish tap, up until age 11. After that she then began to participate in other extracurricular activities in the arts, such as choir and musical theater. At the age of 20 she decided to continue her dance journey where it all began at Blue Ridge Performing Arts Academy. Since then, she has been teaching dance for 2 years. Teaching dance was always a dream of hers even as a child. Amber looks to inspire her dancers the same way her teachers inspired her.
Toi Edwards
Dance Instructor
Toi began dancing in Ballet at a very young age at the YMCA. Once joining Francesca's School of Dance it did not take long for her to also gain an interest in Tap and Hip Hop. Several years later she started dancing at Blue Ridge Performing Arts Academy where she then expanded her experience in other styles of dance such as Clogging, Musical Theater, Jazz, and Contemporary. She has taught dance for the last 3 years and has used her fun and energetic attitude to inspire others.
Haley Greer
Dance Instructor
Haley Greer began dancing at Blue Ridge Performing Arts Academy at age 3 and has been in love with the art of dance ever since. In the 15 years she has danced she has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Street Funk, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, Irish Tap and Clogging. She won several high overall placement awards for solos at Dance Machine, Star Talent, and World Class Talent. As a student Haley also taught several classes in Baby Ballerinas, Tapping Tots, Jazz, Contemporary, Ballet and Tap.
Avery Tosh
Dance Instructor
Avery Tosh is a newbie to Franklin County but a local at heart. She started dance classes at age 2 at a local studio where she grew up in middle Tennessee. Continued on with multiple Nutcracker performances with the Nashville Ballet Company. During the summer she would visit Rocky Mount to be with her grandparents and started performing with the Blue Ridge Dinner Theater at age 7. Once moving here in high school, Avery started teaching through Franklin County Parks and Rec classes anywhere from ballet, tap, and jazz to Mommy and me and musical theater. She currently lives in Rocky Mount with her husband and two year old son and teaches at Benjamin Franklin Middle School.