Gena has been teaching for the past 20 years and started her professional dance career at age 16 in Myrtle Beach, SC as a performer with “High Steppin’ Country”.  From there she went on to work for Paramount Carowinds as a dancer in "Gotta Dance".  She was in a CBS New Years Eve Special “Live From Opryland”, and has also worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines as a performer.  During a short relocation to Los Angeles, Gena was an assistant teacher at Tremaine Dance Studios in Hollywood.

Gena attended UNCG and has a business degree.  She was a  former Miss Forsyth & Miss Guilford Counties, and won “Miss Congeniality” in the Miss NC Pageant. Gena was the choreographer for Preliminary Pageants, and choreographs pageant routines for girls of all ages. 

Her competitive dance teams and choreography have won many regional and national awards and honors, and she currently works on the judging circuit for various competitions.

Hope Surratt grew up dancing at Advance Dance and now serves as the studio’s Creative Director. She earned her B.S. in Fashion Merchandising from East Carolina University, where she was also an executive member of the ECU Club Dance Team.

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Not only has she worked closely with AD, we love sharing her creativity with local studios. She has experience teaching all the way across the state, including, NCADA in Greenville, NC. 

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In addition to teaching and choreographing, Hope works professionally in the dance competition industry and serves as a judge for competitions. 

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Hope’s choreography and dancers have earned numerous regional and national awards and honors. She is passionate about creating unique concepts, developing confident performers, and helping each dancer discover what makes them stand out onstage.

Alexandria Waning's passion for dance ignited at age five, when she began training at Lake Shore Dance in Port Washington, Wisconsin. She honed her skills in ballet, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary, and excelled as a member of the studio's competition team. 

Continuing her education, Alexandria earned a BFA in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Post-graduation, she choreographed for showcases at Danceworks Inc. and shared her expertise through their outreach program. 

A move to South Carolina expanded her teaching horizons, where she is inspired students at a Summerville middle school and dance studio for 10 years. Specializing in lyrical and jazz, she crafted compelling and award winning routines for the competition team. She has now relocated to North Carolina to continue teaching!
With over 15 years of studio experience, Alexandria completed her second season with Inspire as a judge, motivating a wider audience of young dancers to discover their own passion for movement. She is also providing personalized masterclasses and professional critiques for studios and collegiate dance teams in the South East.

Miss. Devan has been  a part of the Advance Dance Staff since 2014. She grew up dancing at AD. She has a big love of music, movement, and making memories.

When not in the studio, Miss. Devan is a physical therapist assistant. She also loves traveling, spending time with her golden doodle & going for a ride in her classic car. 

We are happy to have her on our staff as she takes pride in helping students grow and has fun doing what they love. 

Erica began dancing at age six at M&M dance Academy before continuing her training as a dance major at Pittsburgh CAPA. She later trained in New York City as a member of Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz & Contemporary Trainee Program. 

After performing professionally in NYC, Erica earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from High point University.

Her experience includes over 12 years of teaching and choreographing, and a training background comprised of ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and ballroom styles.

As a nationally award-winning choreographer, her work has earned recognition on the competitive dance circuit and has been presented as prestigious events including YAGP and ADC IBC. 

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