Coastal Dance Academy
Leland, North Carolina
STAFF
Sara Misiti Clemmons
Studio Owner & Teacher
Ms. Sara is originally from Charleston, West Virginia. She is the founder and director of Coastal Dance Academy, Inc. Ms. Sara has been dancing since the age of five, has been teaching dance in Brunswick County for the last 18 years. She is a certified dance educator through Dance Masters of America and certified through the Acrobatic Arts AcroDance Preschool Program. Ms. Sara taught at Brunswick School of Dance for 7 years and founded the Coastal Contemporary Dance Company and directed it for 5 years. She has also taught and performed for community events and programs such as Dancing with the Brunswick County Stars and All County Dance for the local schools. Ms. Sara loves teaching children of all ages and sharing her love of dance with others. Having her own studio has been a blessing and a dream come true and she is excited to begin her 13th year of operation at Coastal Dance Academy!
Taylor Monroe
Front Desk & Teacher
Miss Taylor was raised in Lillington, North Carolina. She was a dancer at Main Street Dance for 15 years. For 10 year Miss Taylor attended dance competitions throughout the state. At Main Street Dance she studied all styles of dance, and even got to perform in Disney World with her entire studio! After graduating high school, Miss Taylor spent 2 years at Wake Technical College studying Business. She was a part of the Wake Tech dance team before transferring to The University of North Carolina Wilmington. At UNCW Miss Taylor graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business with a concentration in Management and Leadership. She was a proud member of the UNCW Dance Company where she held a spot as the fundraising chair and vice president. Miss Taylor loves all styles of dance, but her FAVORITES are Hip Hop and Tap. She is looking forward to her 6th year at CDA. If you need anything at all please reach out to Miss Taylor because when she is not teaching she is running the front desk!
Michelle Rackely
Teacher
Michelle Rackley is originally from Maryland, but has been living in Wilmington for 8 years. She began dancing at S Be Dance studio when she was 8 years old and later joined their company. She competed in dance competitions for 5 years and also performed in venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and The Lincoln Center in New York city. S Be Dance studio is also where she first began teaching, starting off as a teacher’s apprentice. She then began teaching at their summer dance programs and also taught several tap classes throughout the year. In Maryland, Michelle was also a member of the Anne Arundel County Dance Ensemble and was inducted into the National Dance Honor Society for the Dance Arts. Michelle continued to dance as a member of UNCW’s dance company during her years in undergraduate and graduate school. She began with CDA in 2016 and is looking forward to teaching and choreographing in her 9th recital with us this year.
Kayla Brennan
Teacher
Kayla Brennan was born in Long Island, NY and started her dance dream there at the age of four. She moved to Leland, NC and continued her passion of dancing and soon joined Coastal Dance Academy. Kayla Brennan is one our Alumni! Kayla danced at CDA for eight years of her life and just recently graduated high school from North Brunswick High School. Throughout her dance career, she has been on the North Brunswick High School Dance Team all four years and was even a dance team leader her senior year. Kayla has a very broad range of dance background. Kayla has participated in styles like tap, jazz, hiphop, pom, ballet, pointe, and lyrical. Kayla is now teaching at CDA for her 3rd year! She is going to Brunswick Community College to get her Associates in Science. She will then transfer to the University of North Carolina Wilmington and get her Bachelors degree in Chemistry. She hopes to become a biomedical chemist!
Cindy Byers
Teacher
Cindy Byers has been passionately trained in Russian and Cuban ballet techniques since 1999. With a deep love for ballet and teaching, Cindy brings extensive experience and dedication to her craft. She has taught at various prestigious institutions, including SEDA in Wilmington, Studio A in Wilmington, Creativo Dance Studio in Miami, and Miami Fine Arts Academy. Cindy has also managed her own ballet studio, Cindy’s Studio, in the Dominican Republic, where she was responsible for guiding 22 students and organizing dance shows. Her comprehensive ballet education includes training at the Alina Abreu Conservatorio de Danzas, the Dominican Ballet Theater, Centro de Danza Belkis Sandoval, Ballet Anna Pavlova, Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami, and the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Her recent education features advanced methodology courses in classical ballet and Vaganova syllabus training from Russian Ballet International. She continues to enhance her skills through ongoing professional development in Cuban methodology under the guidance of Lic. Ileana Balmori, who is recognized as a Master of Classical Ballet, Choreographer, rehearsal director, and Methodology teacher of the Cuban Ballet School, accredited by the Higher Institute of Art of Cuba.
Kathlene Aluise
Teacher
Kathleen “Kat” Aluise began dancing at the age of 3 at Elite Performance Academy in Huntington, WV. During her 15 years at the studio, she practiced in ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip-hop, modern, tap, musical theatre, triple threat, twirling, voice, lyrical, and jazz. She was a member of their competition team for 8 years. After graduation Kathleen moved on to West Virginia University where she specialized in Dance History and Education. She left West Virginia University to spend a short stint interning at Walt Disney World before finishing her degree at Marshall University. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Small Business and Entrepreneurship, a concentration in Sustainability Management and Technology, and a minor in Dance. During her time at Marshall University Kathleen taught hip hop classes at a local studio. She was a member of Alchemy Theatre Troupe where she acted as a lead in “Follies”. Kat also choreographed for several successful show choirs, theater troupes, and dance teams in the area. Kathleen has spent the past three years in Atlanta, GA teaching at Peachtree Dance Company. She taught everything from 3 year old combination classes to advanced company productions during her time there. Ms. Kat is excited to be moving to Wilmington and joining the Coastal Dance Academy team!
Angie Fasano
Teacher
Angie Fasano began her dance journey on Long Island, NY, where she started training at just 2 years old. She continued her early dance education at several local studios before joining her high school’s competitive dance team and performing in musical theatre productions at a nearby community theatre.
In 2019, Angie relocated to Leland, NC, where she deepened her passion for both dance and theatre. She trained under the guidance of Nancy Carson and Carson Hobbs at UNCW, while also expanding her performance experience through local showcases such as WDF and Dance-a-lorus. She graduated from UNCW in 2022 with her bachelors in Theatre Performance.
More recently, Angie has stepped into the role of choreographer, creating an original piece for WDF and continuing to grow as both an artist and educator. She is thrilled to begin her first season with CDA and looks forward to sharing her love of dance and creativity with her students.
Madison Spencer
Teacher
With over 18 years of dance experience, Madison Spencer is a passionate dance instructor dedicated to inspiring dancers of all ages and skill levels. Her background includes training in styles such as jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, pom, ballet, modern, tap, and musical theater. Madison's dance journey began with the pre-professional Dance FX company at the Mid Maryland Performing Arts Center in Frederick, MD. This is where she earned multiple scholarships and performed with international dance groups in Bermuda, Ireland, and Scotland. She has trained with top choreographers at national conventions like NYCDA, Nuvo, and Grier Dance, and was selected to perform with the Broadway choreographer of Anastasia. She participated in choreography classes and intensives in Bel Air, MD, specializing in partner work. Her leadership extended into cheerleading as well, where she choreographed halftime routines and performed pom and cheer sequences, as well as participated in intensives through the National Dance Association. In college, Madison was a member of the East Carolina University Club Dance Team, where she trained weekly and competed in hip hop at the collegiate level. Madison brings energy, creativity, and a deep love for movement into every class she teaches. Whether leading choreography or mentoring students in improv, her goal is to build confidence and joy through dance. She currently teaches 4th grade through Brunswick County Schools and enjoys combining her love for teaching with her love for dance.
Lilly Thomas
Teacher
Lilly Thomas grew up in New Bern, North Carolina, where she began her dance career at the age of four. Lilly has spent over a decade training and competing in a diverse range of dance styles, including jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, ballet, pointe, lyrical, modern, and musical theater. In high school, Lilly was a member of the New Bern High School Drill Team, where she began her training in pom and kick, as well as discovered her passion for choreography! Since graduating in 2022, Lilly has remained an active choreographer for the NBHS Drill Team, earning accolades such as the NDA Innovative and Technical Choreography Award. Currently, Lilly is living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is a senior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington - Honors College, where she is majoring in Sociology and minoring in Dance! Lilly is a proud member of the UNCW Dance Company, where she shares her passion for dance and choreography. Lilly is honored and thrilled to bring her love of artistry and musicality to CDA!
Taylor Tuttle
Teacher
Taylor Tuttle, is originally from New York and now resides in Wilmington NC and attends UNCW. She will begin her Senior year this fall and will be majoring in Criminology! Taylor has been dancing since she was 5 years old! She has danced her entire life at the New York Performing Arts Center and studied under the artistic direction of Cyara Clavell and Jackie Knight. During her time at NYPAC, she was given a multitude of opportunities including taking master classes, with the world famous Rockettes, and master choreographers. Taylor had the opportunity to perform in Lincoln Center twice with her Dance Companies who competed in numerous dance competitions. She was the Youngest soloist at NYPAC, starting to compete at the young age of 8. Taylor has trained in numerous styles of dance including contemporary, lyrical, jazz, kickline, tap, and acro! She has won several high Score/ Adjunications and Placements in the top ten as well as had the opportunity to dance at the World Dance Championship. She was also cast as the Sugar Plum fairy during her final Nutcracker season at her studio. Taylor has always had a passion for dance and started teaching at the age of 17 for a variety of ages! She has choreographed various solos and group dances as well. Taylor looks forward to starting in the Fall and meeting all the dancers at CDA!
24-25 Student Assistants
and Demonstrators
Ayden
Ayla
Dalainy
Ella
Kassidy
Kensi
Madelyn
Olivia
