MEET OUR ELITE INSTRUCTORS
Welcome to Elite Academy of Dance! Our dedicated instructors are committed to providing professional and passionate education, a safe, fun, and disciplined environment for all students. Join us to experience the joy of dance and develop your skills in a supportive community.
Nicole began dancing at the age of 5, under the direction of Shelleh Harkcom at Deltona Dance Academy in Deltona, Florida. She studied all genres of dance, including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary/ Lyrical, Pointe, Gymnastics, and Hip Hop. Nicole began competitive dance at age 7, traveling to various conventions and competitions country-wide. Utilizing scholarships she had won in dance competitions, Nicole traveled to New York City or California each Summer to train with professional choreographers and instructors such as Mia Michaels, Ray Leaper, and Chris Jacobson, to name a few.
Nicole performed professionally at age of 8, dancing at Walt Disney World, performing on stage, in the televised Christmas Parade, as well as in TV commercials. Nicole starred in her first dance television show at age 9. Nicole has also had the opportunity to work and Dance at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida. Nicole began competitive dance at the age 7 and has been awarded numerous titles, including Florida Dance Masters Rising Star, Petite Miss Dance of Central Florida, and The Bill & Edith Royal Jazz Scholarship. Nicole was selected to tour with Florida Dance Masters Teen Company. Other national accolades Nicole has won include Miss Showbiz, Miss. Starpower and Miss Star Quest. Proudly, Nicole is a 4-time 1st-place National High Scoring solo Champion.
Nicole began classroom instruction, assisting her dance director at age 12, and continued assisting until she was 18. After graduating from high school and while attending Seminole State College, she taught dance at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, as well as for several other studios in Florida.
Nicole has toured with two National competition circuits as a judge for over 5 years, and has been asked to guest teach and choreograph for various studios around the United States. Nicole has received multiple Choreography Awards, and continues to be recognized for her innovative choreography. Nicole has also performed as a dancer for the Orlando Predators NAL Football team.
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Nicole is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique Instructor, as well as a certified Acrobatic Arts Instructor and a member of the American Academy of Ballet. The Acrobatic Arts certification process involved coursework, a practical, and a written examination. The course instructed in technique, anatomy, and training skills such as spotting safely and effectively, as well as implementing seamless Acrobatic Arts transitions. Acrobatic Arts is a National professional certification organization.
Nicole currently resides in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with her four children. As Co-Owner, Director, Choreographer, and Instructor at the Elite Academy of Dance in Southern Pines, Nicole has made her life’s work sharing her knowledge with her students.
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For 11 years, Nicole and her team have led their Elite Company dancers to become national high-scoring performers, earning prestigious honors such as Top Scoring Studio, Studio of Excellence, Technique Awards, Choreography Awards, and Artist of the Year titles.
But above all accolades and recognition, Nicole’s true passion is building well-rounded dancers—young people who not only strive for excellence on stage, but who also apply themselves in their schoolwork, lead with integrity, and show kindness to others.
Because at Elite, success isn’t just measured by trophies—it’s measured by character.
Katelyn Oramas is an award-winning, contemporary choreographer and visionary based in North Carolina. Her choreographic work pushes boundaries with geometric, layered, and distinctive details.
With expertise in crafting dynamic and original contemporary pieces, Katelyn has received Choreography Awards, Artist’s Recognition, and People’s Choice Awards during her professional career. She has stage performances that have been recognized at numerous competitions such as Showstopper, Star Systems, Inspire National Dance Competition, Inferno Dance Competition, KAR National Dance Competition, and Encore DCS. Her dancers have also been recognized on the individual level to include top scoring soloists with first overall, title recognition, scholarship offers, and artist recognition.
Katelyn’s creative pursuits reach beyond the stage to include first dances that have been featured in Southern Bride Magazine as well as Court and Father-Daughter routines for Quinceañeras. Katelyn attained the American Academy of Ballet Certification and uses her technical expertise to instruct multi-level classes and private lessons with a focus on technique, choreography, and artistry.
Taylor Quinn is a dancer, choreographer, teacher, model, certified yoga and meditation instructor and most recently a new mother.
She is one of Showstopper’s all-time top-scoring soloists from the east coast and has choreographed the Showstopper championship day opening number and taught on the Showstopper convention tour for almost 10 years.
After graduating high school she danced for a contemporary company in Carnegie, PA named FireWALL Dance Theatre, run by Elisa Alaio. Then Taylor moved to Los Angeles, CA to continue her dance training. While there she danced in music videos, performed live with artists, choreographed/creative directed dance videos, appeared in a McDonald’s commercial, modeled for a clothing line, taught weekly classes at dance studios, completed an underwater photoshoot to be the cover of Alex Linares’s book ‘The Art of Dancing’ and was a featured cheerleader/dancer in Olivia Rodrigo’s new concert video for her album ‘Sour’.
Then Taylor moved to Chicago, IL to share her love for dance, yoga, tumbling and cheerleading at elementary schools, dance studios and yoga studios.
Now she lives in Aberdeen, NC with her husband and daughter and their family is so excited to be welcoming a baby boy in early 2026.
Amanda Gulden began her dance training at the age 5 at The Dance Company in Madison, Alabama. She studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and acro. She was a member of their company team where she competed and performed across the southeast in Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. She continued her education by attending many master classes and dance conventions throughout the southeast.
She furthered her training in dance as a member of her high school dance team where they went on to win many state titles and national titles. She also performed in shows with her local community theatre.
After graduation, she studied dance at the University of Alabama. She also furthered her ballet training and is certified by the American Academy of Ballet by completing their certification program.
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Amanda has always enjoyed working with children and started her teaching career at the age of 12 as a student teacher. She loves sharing her love for dance with her students. Amanda currently resides in Southern Pines, North Carolina with her husband and 4 children.
With a lifelong passion for movement and community, Natalie is an accomplished dance educator, choreographer, and performer specializing in tap, jazz, and contemporary. She has taught across multiple states, working with dancers of all ages—from young beginners to older adults—while emphasizing strong technique, artistry, and confidence. Her choreography has been featured in annual studio showcases, where she also supports production and performance excellence alongside studio owners.
A proud alumna of Kansas State University, she was a member of the prestigious Kansas State Tap Ensemble, performing statewide and mastering over two hours of repertory work. She also served as Vice President of KanDance, helping grow the university dance community through campus-wide events and student engagement. As an undergraduate researcher for Tap to Togetherness (T3), she used tap dance as a powerful tool to connect communities through interactive performance and outreach.
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Blending education, leadership, and artistry, she continues to inspire dancers through technique-driven training, meaningful choreography, and a deep commitment to using dance as a force for connection and impact.
Erica began dancing at 4 years old withn Carthage, Missouri, starting her lifelong love of dancing. At age 9, she saw a production of The Nutcracker and immediately began focusing her training on classical ballet with the Shirley Tatar Dean School of Ballet in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Erica loved learning ballet and pointe, along with jazz and tap. During high school, she also performed on drill team, further solidifying a love of performing. While attending Brigham Young University, Erica discovered world folk dance and its wide variety of styles. Honing her percussive dance experience, she trained in Irish Dance and American clogging. She studied and performed for three years with the International Folk Dance Ensemble, and was selected to tour with the Spring Performing Arts Company for two seasons.
During this time, she earned a minor in World Dance and earned a research grant to study Irish dance in Ireland. Her Master of Arts in Comparative Studies is capped with a thesis focused on Irish Dance and its significant role as a cultural dance form for the Irish people.
Erica went on to study and perform with several studios following her college experience. Utah-based folk ensemble Clog America selected her as a tour member, and she traveled to 9 countries over three years, representing American folk dance at various international folk dance festivals. She continued her mastery of tap as a member of Colleen West’s Foot Poetry in Orem, Utah, and later joined a competition clogging team at Rocky Mountain Express Cloggers, under the direction of Greg and Maria Tucker. She helped her team earn a National Title in 2014 at America On Stage Nationals.
Because Erica loves performing so much, she has consistently kept a foot in the dance world when moves and family life took center stage. She ran a small Irish and Clogging studio in Colorado, volunteered to teach youth a variety of world and American folk dances, and taught summer folk dance workshops with the local dance studio in New Mexico. Helping kids succeed in learning new skills, gain confidence, and find joy in movement guides her teaching methods.
Erica loves focusing on the details that make each dance style unique, which in turn yields highly adaptable and expressive dancers. She is excited to bring her love of dance and performance to the dancers at Elite Academy of Dance.
Dr. Savannah Gardner grew up a formally trained ballet dancer and competitive baton twirler, winning multiple state and national titles. She continued her love of performing at the collegiate level and was selected as a Crimsonette at The University of Alabama.
During her career, she performed in 11 NFL stadiums and cheered for the Tide in 3 National Championship Games. Now, as a board-certified Doctor of Chiropractic, she owns a local boutique-style practice, assessing and treating both youth-level and professional athletes.
Combining a background of dance with an expertise on the human body, she is excited to offer our dancers a strong foundation in movement and support their athletic development.
"Kaitlyn grew up a dancer. In college she joined the Assumption University Dance Team. The team performed sideline routines and danced during the halftime performances at the Division II basketball and football games. Her dance team also traveled to Daytona, Florida to compete at NDA.
Kaitlyn's love of dance evolved into a passion for yoga and in December of 2020 she completed her 200-hour teacher training at Republic of Yoga under the guidance of Nicole Nichols Vespermann. Kaitlyn loves movement and continues to dance, practice gymnastics, aerial acrobatics and yoga. Kaitlyn also continues to be a dedicated student of each of these movement practices to better show up for her students at Elite Academy of Dance.
Kaitlyn works in inclusive postsecondary education and is passionate about supporting individuals as they identify their strengths and their potential. Kaitlyn intends to use her playful disposition, growth mindset and background in psychology to foster an accepting space at dance!"
Makhia McCullers’s dance journey began at the age of 2, and over the course of more than 20 years, she has grown into a versatile and passionate performer. With extensive training in styles such as Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Jazz Fusion, and Acro,
Her artistic development has been shaped by top-tier mentorship at CC & Company Dance Complex, where she had the privilege of learning under the guidance of some of the most respected names in dance. Her teachers include choreographers and performers from So You Think You Can Dance, the Step Up franchise, as well as Dance A.C.E. Award winners and participants, & Emmy award winners who helped cultivate her artistry to new heights.
Makhia has also honed her craft in the competitive world of USASF, both training and choreographing
With over 20 years of dance experience and 10 years of teaching, Makhia brings unparalleled passion and expertise to every class she teaches.
Some of her favorite past moments have been performing with Kidz Bop, dancing in the heart of New York City, and undergoing rigorous training in Los Angeles, all of which have further enriched her artistic range and performance capabilities. Her nurturing and encouraging approach inspires her students to challenge themselves, break through limitations, and discover their own unique movement style and have fun.
Ava began competitive gymnastics training at the age of 5. By the age of 10, she had already advanced to a Level 8 (on a scale of 10), when she became interested in combining her gymnastic skills with the art of dance.
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Ava joined our Elite family at the age of 10, taking all genres of dance, and shortly demonstrated a talent and interest in becoming a member of Elite’s competition team.
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During her training at Elite, Ava participated in dance conventions and intensive workshops, which gave her the opportunity to be trained by some of the best dance educators in the country.
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During Ava’s 7 years of competitive dance, she received many special awards, as well as 1st Overall High Score Senior Solo awards. Ava was selected in 2023 for a scholarship to take classes with the NYC Rockettes in 2024.
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Ava has 6 years of instructional training, where she worked alongside the instructors at Elite Academy of Dance and is now Acrobatic Arts certified.
