WELCOME!
MEET THE TEAM FOR AODA fayetteville
for fall/spring 2023-2024…
(Hover over a staff member's picture to read their bio.)
Lead Team & Artistic Team
Ebony was raised in Fayetteville, NC. She began dancing with liturgical dance and upon entering college, she decided to pursue dance more intensely. She graduated from Fayetteville State University with a major in Business Management and a minor in Dance. In her years throughout college, she gathered training through various workshops, classes, etc, a few of which included traveling to New York and training at the Faison Firehouse Theatre, as well as experience through Lula Washington Dance Workshop and Ailey II Dance Workshop (among many others). For three years, Ebony was a part of a dance company that heavily trained in the modern dance style. She has also had experience as a dancer in The Wiz at Cape Fear Regional Theatre. She was co-founder of The 2-6 Intensives, which was mixed-genre dance workshops with the purpose of bringing dancers together in the community and surrounding areas, as well as exposure to various dance styles. She's had 4 years of experience teaching dance in the school system for grades K-8. Ebony has also had the position of Studio Manager, Recital Director, and Artistic Team member, here at AODA.
As owner, Ebony brings both artistic and administrative passions together. Through her business major and dance minor, she is able to access the artistry it takes for teaching and creating, as well as the business mindset it takes to run the administrative part of a dance studio. Ebony has the passion of seeing dance touch the hearts of others, knowing that dance is a gift from God. She is an active member of the dance ministry at her church, and believes dance should be used for God's glory. She has taught for many years in various styles and ages ranging from children to adult; she loves the Arts and enjoys impacting others through dance!
Ebony teaches Ballet/Tap combo, Ballet/Jazz combo, Creative Movement, Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballet, Hip-Hop, Alpha Company, and Pre-Company
Ebony Norris
Owner, Lead/Artistic Director, Dance Teacher
Lisa is from Mooresville, North Carolina, but moved to Fayetteville in 2018. She started dancing at Dance Davidson at age 4 and studied there for 14 years. She has had experience dancing with Lee Street Theater, and collaborations with Ballet Pensacola, Jason Samules Smith, and the Joffrey Ballet School. Lisa has also attended UNCSA Dance Festival and the Charlotte Dance Festival and a workshop by Vincent Paterson (a well-known choreographer for stars like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and other Broadway productions). Lisa graduated from Catawba College with a major in Recreational Therapy and a minor in Dance and Psychology. She is honored to be able to share her love and knowledge of dance with students of all ages at AODA.
Lisa teaches Adv. Ballet, Adv. Pointe, Adv. Jazz and Pre-Company
Lisa Terry
Children’s Director, Dance Teacher,
Lead Team, Artistic Team
Samantha has been dancing with AODA since 2016, when she took her first dance class and fell in love. She poured herself into the art, and she now has experience in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and musical theater. Samantha is also a company member and was recently seen as The White Witch in AODA’s 2021 production of “Through The Wardrobe.”
Samantha has been an assistant teacher with AODA since 2020, but her experience teaching and leading children goes back much further. She grew up in a family with eight siblings and always aims to have patience and lead by example. She has also served as a teacher in her church’s children’s ministry since 2016.
Samantha is not only passionate about dance, but also about gaining knowledge. She sees the opportunity to teach dance as a chance to invite students to share in those passions, and she’s excited to see how God may use her in this position!
Samantha teaches teaches Ballet and Musical Theatre Dance
Samantha Barnett
Head Receptionist, Dance Teacher, Lead Team
Collette started dance at the age of 5 and has studied ballet the longest. She has trained with multiple dance instructors from Hope Mills and Charlotte, worked with Cape Fear Regional Theatre, and has studied with AODA since 2011. She was most recently seen in the role of Tiger Lily in “Neverland” (AODA, 2018) and Cinderella in “The Glass Slipper” (AODA, 2019)! In addition to dance, Collette has a passion for medicine and missions. She has been on numerous mission trips to include working with crusades and orphanages in India (2011, 2017), the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf in Jamaica (2015), and FEMA disaster relief to rebuild houses affected by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico (2017). In 2018, Collette received her EMT Certification, and in the future she hopes to pursue a nursing degree and midwifery.
Collette is excited to be teaching ballet! She loves classical ballet because of its purity and grace. “I love that you can be at any level, from a principal dancer in a company or a little girl at barre, and still practice the same movements. I hope I can instill in my students that grace and precision are both of equal importance.”
When she’s not teaching or taking a ballet class, Collette also loves to play the piano and draw. One of her favorite things to do is watch rehearsals from the Royal Ballet, and her favorite movie is “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Collette teaches Adv. Contemporary, Adv. Ballet, and Omega Company
Collette LeFavor
Dance Teacher, Artistic Team
office Team & events TEAM
Anya, whose background is in Jewish Dance, has taught and assisted our children’s classes. With the arrival of her first child in August 2009, she transitioned into heading up our Receptionist Team, answering phone calls and voicemail. She is happy to serve in many ways, from the smallest to the largest task. Anya's bright smile and bubbly personality lets you easily see Jesus working through her as she serves!
Anya Crowther
Supply Manager
Janeissa is originally from Puerto Rico and moved to North Carolina in 2012, due to military relocation. She is fluent in both English and Spanish, has her associates in Christian Leadership, and is working toward her Bachelor’s in Christian Counseling at Manna University. Janeissa has recently focused her efforts on event coordination in the last couple of years. She has planned fundraisers for Noonday Kitchen, worked with AODA’s recital, and also enjoys planning baby showers! Janeissa loves event planning because it gives her an opportunity to serve others in a practical way by making their event dreams come to life. She is excited that with AODA, she can put her passion for planning to work while also enjoying being around the dance world, as a dancer herself. When Janeissa is not planning awesome events, she enjoys dancing, reading and painting.
Janeissa Deitz
Event Coordinator
Keira is a high school junior, having been homeschooled her entire life. She has been dancing at AODA for 6 years, trying out various dance styles to find what she loves. She's landed on Modern, Lyrical, Tap, and Musical Theatre as her favorites. In AODA’s 2022 production, Rapunzel, she played the role of the Queen. She used to run a self-started card business and enjoys writing novels and music in her free time. She endeavors to learn cinematography and movie directing as a future career.
Keira McIntyre
Receptionist
teacher Team
Kristen received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from UNC-Pembroke. She has taught 1st grade for 10 years and was the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. She loves working with children, watching them grow, and having a positive influence in their lives. Kristen has been married for 9 years and has an 8-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.
Kristen started dancing at the age of 6 and began with competitive clogging. At age 7, she began training in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern at Raeford Dance Arts, where she also assisted and taught classes in later years. Additionally, Kristen taught for 2 years at The Dance Connection and spent several years teaching ballet and tap at Hope Mills Parks and Rec. She has been taking classes off and on for the last 11 years at AODA, and she loves dance and AODA because it is a way for her to let go and relieve stress. “When I dance, I am the truest version of myself.” Kristen is excited to be a part of the AODA team, and she hopes to instill confidence, technique, and a passion for dance and worship in all her students.
Kristen teaches Ballet and Jazz
Kristen Shipp
Dance Teacher
Ashlyn was born in Fayetteville, NC and currently resides in Raeford, NC. Ashlyn has been dancing at Alpha & Omega Dance Academy for 10 Years. Over these years, she has developed a passion and love for dance. Ashlyn has been assisting children’s classes since 2019 at AODA. She is a senior this year, and in addition to her studies at home, she is dual-enrolled at FTCC and pursuing an Associate in Arts degree. She has trained in the styles of ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, lyrical, modern, tap, and a little bit of hip hop. But, Ashlyn’s favorite style of dance is jazz.
Outside of dance, Ashlyn likes to play the piano. She has been playing the piano for 9 years. Another hobby that she likes to do is crocheting. Ashlyn also enjoys helping with children’s church and playing the piano with the worship band at Refuge Church. Ashlyn is elated to teach young children the art of dance. She hopes to instill in them the same passion and love that she has for dance.
Ashlyn teaches Ballet/Tap Combo, Ballet, & Contemporary
Ashlyn Clark
Dance Teacher
Rivkah began her journey into the amazing world of dance at age 3 while living in Connecticut and continued her passion for dance into her adult years. Her journey with AODA began 5 years ago after attending their Free Day of Dance event. Rivkah's dance training includes Ballet, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, and Tap. She has even experienced a little bit of Jazz and Pointe. Rivkah is excited to share her passion by teaching Lyrical and Contemporary dance this year at AODA!
Beyond the studio, Rivkah is an active member of the Family Fellowship Worship Center (FFWC), where she leads the dance ministry. She is also involved in the children's church ministry, where she delights in working with the “littles.” Committed to serving others, Rivkah is a Clinical Social Worker with 11 years of experience in providing clinical care. When she's not dancing or helping others, Rivkah enjoys reading, working out, traveling, and doing arts and crafts like crocheting and painting.
Rivkah teaches Lyrical and Contemporary.
Rivkah Freeman-Dasent
Dance Teacher
Carissa is from Alabama, but now lives in Hope Mills, NC. Carissa has studied classical technique through private vocal instruction for over 15 years. In addition, she is now finishing a Music Performance degree at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. There she studies under Dr. Kim, who is the chair of the vocal department, and performs with both Vocal Jazz Ensemble and Pembroke Singers.
In addition, Carissa serves as worship leader at her church and teaches voice lessons at her home studio New Song, which is dedicated to enhancing the abilities of worship leaders and teams. She also arranges choir music; leads choir; and has written, composed, and directed musicals for church ensembles with her husband.
Carissa has been married 21 years and is busy homeschooling four of her six children. She directs Challenge A for Classical Conversations, leads a young mom’s group, and serves in children’s ministry. Some of her favorite things are hiking and exploring with her family, cheering for her kids, playing piano, doing yoga, having good conversations over excellent coffee, and sharing great meals with friends and family.
Carissa operates a satellite studio for AODA Fayetteville at her home studio in Hope Mills, where she offers virtual or in-person voice lessons. She teaches vocal techniques including chest voice, mix, belting, head voice, vibrato, and more. In addition, she teaches music theory and aural skills.
Carissa is excited to bring excellent voice instruction to AODA!
Carissa teaches voice privates.
Carissa Ospina
Voice Teacher
Olivia began dancing at AODA in 2013, where she has trained in hip hop, musical theatre, ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, modern, and lyrical. Jazz and modern are two of her favorite styles, as she loves their sharp and precise movements. Olivia has also been an Alpha Company member for 2 years and was just recently seen as Max in AODA’s 2022 production of “Rapunzel.” She has served doing children’s ministry at Manna Church, volunteering with the 6 year-olds for about 5 years. Olivia graduated this year and will be enrolling at Manna University for the fall.
This is Olivia’s first year teaching after being an assistant since 2019, and she is elated!! She says “I love working with children, so I’m really looking forward to watching them grow + learn with dance!!”
Olivia teaches Contemporary and Ballet/Tap combo
Olivia Seklejian
Dance Teacher
Gabrielle (who goes by Gabby for short) was born in Sanford, but has grown up in Hope Mills, North Carolina. She started dance at the age of 5, and has been dancing for 11 years at AODA. She’s trained in many dance styles including Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Modern, Lyrical, and Pointe. She has also been on staff with AODA since 2021, as an Assistant Teacher for many children’s combo classes. Gabby has been in AODA company classes for several years. She played the role of The Healing Flower in AODA’s 2022 production of “Rapunzel,” as well as the role of Sultan in AODA’s 2023 production of “Lamp Of Wonder.”
Gabby has been a Brown Girls Do Ballet Ambassador since 2021. She was also the recipient of the Dancing Angels Foundation scholarship, and attended the Carolina Ballet summer intensive in 2023. She has taught virtually for the organization Stairway For Ballet; an organization that provides dance classes to students who are unable to afford them. In September 2023, Gabby also became an ambassador for The Dancer, a local dance store in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Gabby looks forward to joining the AODA staff as a Dance Teacher. She loves to see every student’s face light up when they have accomplished something or are enjoying themselves!
Gabby teaches and assists Ballet/Tap combo
Gabrielle Lilly
Dance Teacher
Isabel began dancing at the age of 4 and has been dancing at Alpha and Omega Dance Academy for 11 years. She also trained at Turning Pointe School of Dance for two years in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a senior in high school and is dual-enrolled at FTCC. Over the years, she has taken ballet, pointe, tap, modern, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, and musical theatre, and she has been a company member for 6 years. While adoring all the styles she takes, Isabel’s goal is to pursue ballet and modern in college.
In her free time, Isabel loves to play the piano, read books and spend time with her family and friends. She attends Manna Church Executive Place and is one of the student leaders for their Student Ministries worship team.
Isabel has always had a love for working with children. In addition to being an assistant teacher with AODA, she has worked in childcare for many military events and was employed by Manna Church, Special Events Childcare. She remembers being a young girl in one of the ballet/tap combo classes, so she is eager to teach other little girls in the same class she started in. Although she began taking jazz later on, she has come to love the personality that comes with jazz choreography. She sees combining her passions for teaching and dance as a wonderful opportunity and she is honored and excited to begin.
Isabel teaches Ballet, Tap, and Musical Theatre Dance
Isabel Beck
Dance Teacher
Sophia, originally from Arkansas, has been raised in NC for 13 years. She is going into her Junior year and has been dancing at AODA for 9 years. Here she has trained in Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, Musical Theatre, Tap and Hip Hop, with the majority of her training in Ballet. She has been in AODA Company for the past several years, and has had a role in their recent productions: Through the Wardrobe as Susan, and Rapunzel as Bandit 1. Sophia was also accepted into Ballet Magnificat!’s (the nation’s premiere Christian ballet company) Summer Dance Intensive in 21’ and 22’.
Sophia has been an assistant at AODA for 2 years and is now becoming an apprentice teacher, and she has also served in Manna Church’s Children Ministry for the past 4 years, as well as on the SERVE Team. Dance is a huge passion of hers and she would love to pursue it in the future!
Sophia teaches Ballet/Jazz Combo and Ballet.
Sophia Seklejian
Dance Teacher
This year, AODA Fayetteville’s assistants are:
Lileigh Baucom
Treasure Dozier
Gabrielle Lilly
Victoria Dozier
Petra Warren
Grace Buttle
Aubrey Lilly
Adrianna Katzenberger