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!
Dana McIntyre
Elite Team Director & Teacher
Ms. Dana is the former Owner and Artistic Director of Edge Artistic Dance Center located in Oswego, NY which opened in 2005. She has trained many title and national level winners in addition to receiving numerous awards for excellence and artistry in teaching as well as a multitude of choreography and technique awards. Her specialties are lyrical, contemporary, jazz, and acrobatic arts. Ms. Dana is passionate about flexibility and helping dancers create long lines and strong bodies to enhance their artistic expression. She has been married for 25 years with three children. Her two daughters danced with her until graduation when they went on to professional dance careers. Her son was an elite gymnast, training to level 10 for Men’s Gymnastics and also coached during high school. He now proudly serves in the United States Marine Corps. Professional experience includes: dancing training since the age of 6 in all genres—ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, hip hop, tumbling and acrobatics. College dance team and theatre productions which included The King and I, Annie Get Your Gun, and Cinderella. Elite Choir and Performance Choir at the University of Salve Regina University in Newport, RI where she attended while pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. Zumba and PiYo certified. Ms Dana relocated to Wilmington, NC in 2018. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts since 2019 and In 2019, Ms. Dana started the Elite Competitive Team at Coastal Dance Academy. She is looking forward to starting her 6th season with CDA and sharing her love of dance and movement with her students.
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 had just completed her first year teaching at Coastal Dance Academy! 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!
Sydney Smith Martin
Teacher
Sydney Smith Martin grew up partially in Kernersville NC and Wilmington NC, dancing and performing in both cities from the age of three. She danced for Dance Unlimited and competed in dance competitions for 8 years before moving to Wilmington where she discovered her passion for musical theatre. Since then, she has been in over 100 productions in Wilmington working on and off the stage. She studied acting, voice and dance in NYC at the Institute of American Musical Theatre and attended many workshops and masterclasses while in the city. She currently teaches all types of performance and dance classes in Wilmington for all ages. She is so honored to join the wonderful CDA team and cannot wait to share her passion with the community!
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.
24-25 Student Assistants
and Demonstrators
Ayden
Ayla
Dalainy
Ella
Kassidy
Kensi
Madelyn
Olivia
