All About Our Dance Instructors
Lindsay Tilley
Lindsay Tilley began dancing locally at the age of nine. She performed and competed on local and national levels, being crowned Jr. Miss Dance of the United States at thirteen. At fourteen, Lindsay left Durham to attend the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem as a high school ballet major. While there, she performed in many roles from classical ballet to jazz. During her high school years, Lindsay attended dance programs with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hungarian National Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet, as well as professionally guest performing with the New Jersey Coastal Ballet. Upon graduation, Lindsay returned to the triangle to pursue professional dancing and teaching. She danced with the Duke University Dance Program, Chapel Hill Dance Theatre and the 15-501 Ballet while teaching in the Durham Chapel Hill area. Later Lindsay went on to join the Carolina Ballet as their first paid professional dancer. After enjoying three years with Carolina Ballet, Lindsay decided to start a family and return to teaching, becoming a member of Dance Masters of America in 1998. While owning and teaching at Encore Academy of Dance Lindsay also teaches at many workshops and community events around the state, as well as teaching master classes for other studios in North Carolina. Along with teaching dance Lindsay is also a teacher at Grey Stone Preschool and Kindergarten. She is the mother of four very wonderful boys; Omar, Ayman, Ethan and Isaac.
Allison Daniels Gordon
Allison Daniels, a Durham native, has adapted a unique choreographic style that reflects her varied interests in the performing arts as a choreographer, performer and educator. Dancing since the age of three, Allison has attended the American Dance Festival, the Limon Institute and the Ailey School in New York City on talent based scholarships. During her training she worked with such luminaries as Max Luna, Ana Marie Forsythe, Fred Benjamin, Joan Peters, Bella Lewitzky, and Denise Jefferson. Allison was honored as she was chosen by Talley Beatty for his repertory, by Kelvin Rotardier, for a solo and honored again by becoming a member of Laura Dean Musicians and Dancers. In addition to being the artistic director of nosi DANCE theater, she currently teaches in the triangle, appears in commercials/tv and perfoms onstage regularly, as she creates a comtemporary dance syllabus. Allison's goal is get dance the exposure it deserves, from people of any background, to show how it can impact their lives. Allison is the very proud mother of new daughter Marlow Blue Gordon.
Michael McWaters
Michael McWaters, a student at the University of North Carolina. Originally from Wilmington, North Carolina, he has been very active in theatre and dance from a young age. He was a long time student of Judy Greenhut, the director of Theatre Dance Workshop. Michael has performed extensively with Opera House Theatre Company and Thalian Association. At UNC, Michael is the Executive Business Director for UNC Pauper Players, a fully student-run musical theatre organization. With this group, he has performed, choreographed, and directed shows such as Wild Party, I Love You Because, Into the Woods, and Sweet Charity. He is very excited to be a part of the Encore family!
Courtney Smith
Courtney Smith began dancing at the age of five in Artesia, New Mexico. Due to the lack of performance opportunities in her hometown, by high school Courtney was also training and performing in a company in neighboring Carlsbad. It was during high school that Courtney had the wonderful opportunity to perform at the Sugar Bowl. Upon gratuation from high school Courtney continued to dance and perfrom in many productions while attending Missouri University of Science and Technology; where she graduated with a BA in Biology. In addition to teaching tap Courtney loves her job as a science teacher.
Kristin Taylor
Kristin Taylor is a native of Durham, NC. She is a college graduate of the North Acrolina School of the Arts. In 1998 she attened Jacobs Pillow for the "Visions of Jazz" workshop, where she trained with guest artists Cholly Atkins, Vanoye Aikens, Danny Bericheski and Dianne Walker. For two years she worked at the South Carolina Govenors School for the Arts and Humanities as a dance assistant under the instruction of Robert Lindgern and Sandra Neels. In 2002 she received a scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studios where she trained with Hubbard Street II and guest artist Joanne Smith. During her three year residency in New York Ms. Taylor had the priviledge of working with choreographers Nathan Trice, Bridget Moore, Christal Brown, Germaul Barnes, Ayo Jackson and Sidra Bell. Also, she had the honor of apprenticing with Urban Bush Women. In January 2007 Ms. Taylor was invited to Venezuela to work with Yuxtadanza Compania de Danza directed by Jorge Esteva and Jonathan Castro. She was also requested to choereograph a new piece for Yuxtadanza. Kristin is currently in her third year with Tania Perez-Salas Compania de Danza based in Mexico City, Mexico. Kristinis the happy mother of Phoenix.
Sharon Bullock
Sharon Bullock is a Graduate in Dance from East Carolina University. She is a member of Dance Masters of America and Dance Educators of America. Her 30 years of teaching experience and studio ownership has rewarded her with State and National Choreographer awards. Many of her students have also won State and National championships, and many former students are now working professionally in the field of dance.
Ebonie Conley
Ebonie Conley has been dancing with Encore Academy of dance since she was three years old. She attended UNCSA Summer Intensvie for modern dance, and performed in the UNCSA winter performance. At Jordan High School she was a part of the National Honor Society for Dance and she was awarded most inspirational dancer. She is currently dancing for North Carolina Central University where she is majoring in Nursing; however, dance is her true passion.
Guest Faculty
Karen Clark
Growing up in Durham, Karen's love for dance began at an early age. Beginning in middle school, Karen began cheering and dancing competitively and her passion continued through high school and college. As a student at Riverside High School, Karen was captain of both the Junior Varsity and Varsity cheerleading squads. Upon graduating, she went on to attend Elon University where she was a member of the Varsity Dance Team for 3 years and a captain her Junior and Senior years.
After graduating from college in 2008, Karen spent a year teaching Jazz and Lyrical at Encore Academy of Dance. After getting married in 2009, she and her husband picked up and moved to New York City to pursue their career goals. Karen spent her first year in the city exploring her new home and enjoying taking classes at Broadway Dance Center. In May of 2010, she pursued her first professional audition and landed a spot as an NFL cheerleader. Currently in her second year with the team, she is now one of the four captains of the squad and is enjoying being a leader and mentor on the team.
Mallory McVey
Mallory McVey began dancing in Graham, NC studing ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre and lyrical while competiting on the school's competition team and performing in their ballet company. Mallory then continued her dance education here at Encore Academy of Dance, and went on to continue her education at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a high school ballet major. After graduation she went on to Western Carolina University while performing professionally with the Asheville Ballet. Mallory is now a student at the University of North Carolina and teaching throughout the state of North Carolina.
