Staff

Anna Stone

Owner/Director

Anna is a founding member of Elite Performance Academy. As a student, she trained in acro-tumble, ballet, contemporary-lyrical, jazz, pointe, tap, and twirling. As a Company member under the instruction of Marlo Shaver Preston, she performed throughout the community, as well as competitively. Anna was a member of the dance team and flag corps at Huntington High School and the flag corps at Marshall University. Anna began assisting the creative movement classes at Elite when she was fourteen years old and found her love of teaching and working with children. After graduating high school, she taught her first class (tap-jazz) and found her passion to be even further ignited. Anna’s love for working with children led her to her previous career, working full time at a daycare throughout her college years at Marshall University, where she studied Speech and Language Communications. In 2017, Anna assumed ownership of Elite Performance Academy. Anna is also a substitute high school teacher during the school day. In Anna’s free time, she enjoys weightlifting, strength and conditioning training, spending time with her family, and constantly working to share her love of dance with all those she can.

Alexis Williams

Ms. Alexis teaches pieces and classes in the styles of hip-hop, jazz, musical theatre, ballet, pointe, and lyrical. Alexis started dancing at Elite when she was seven years old and continued for eleven years as a member of the Elite Dance Company. Throughout her years at Elite, she trained in jazz, tap, acro-tumble, contemporary-lyrical, hip-hop, ballet, and pointe. Alexis always showed a talent and passion for working with kids and was asked to assist in teaching many of the Creative Movement, Combination, Mini Troupe, and Hip-Hop classes. While at Huntington High School, Alexis participated in theater and Show Choir, where she appeared in and choreographed various productions. Alexis graduated in 2017 and was hired on staff shortly after. In competition, Alexis began with a bang, receiving an overall Choreography award for her 1st place Junior Hip-Hop number, “Level Up.” Her “Fresh Prince” number won 1st Overall in Petite Small Group Hip-Hop, a Choreography award, and was given a free invitation to compete in Star Talent Nationals.

Outside of the studio, Alexis is completing her degree in Elementary Education from Marshall University. She is currently working on student teaching. She also choreographs large production style numbers for her sorority’s annual, “Greek Sing,” event. Alexis enjoys any opportunity to share her love of dance with her community and those around her.

Kimba Hissom

Kimba began teaching at Elite in 2014. She is highly recognized throughout the tri-state area for her unmatched teaching and coaching abilities. and has been a cheerleading, gymnastics, and acro-tumble instructor for over fifteen years. She was involved in cheerleading for most of her life, igniting a passion for the world of tumbling. Kimba loves helping students achieve their goals and showing them that they are capable of more than they could imagine. Kimba is trained in helping her students set achievable goals and knows how to help her students overcome obstacles in the safest possible way. Kimba is passionate about her students and their success. 

Maddie Sheils Ray

Ms. Maddie teaches Intermediate Lyrical and Jazz, Teen Ballet, Senior Jazz, and Musical Theatre and competes lyrical, contemporary, and jazz numbers. Ms. Maddie danced at Elite Performance Academy for fourteen years and was one of the founding students of the Mini-Troupe Dance Company. While at Elite, Maddie trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary-lyrical, acro-tumble, tap, hip-hop, and jazz. As a student, Maddie assisted teaching classes in ballet, contemporary-lyrical, and jazz. Maddie attended summer dance intensives on scholarship including the Joffrey Ballet School Jazz and Contemporary in NYC, WVU Dance Camp, and Dancerpalooza in Long Beach, CA. Maddie loves to share her experiences with her students and encourages them all to pursue their dreams.

Outside of the studio, Maddie completed her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology at Marshall University and works as an SLP. Maddie builds incredible connections with her students and loves teaching them how to express themselves through movement.

Emaleigh Stevens Justice

Emaleigh began dancing and baton twirling at the age of three and began training under Marlo Shaver Preston at Elite in 2008. She has a strong passion for jazz, hip-hop, kickline, twirling, tap, and any and all high energy dance. Emaleigh began cheerleading at the age of 11 and continued this throughout high school, also joining her high school’s Color Guard and Dance Team. Her senior year, she coordinated and directed the Dancing for a Dream Dance Benefit her senior year to raise money to create Dance Therapy programs in schools and hospitals, a field she has since continued to pursue and learn more about. After graduating, she went on to become a member of the Marshall University Dance Team, where her passion for hip-hop grew even more. At Marshall, Emaleigh graduated with her Master’s degree in Psychology and Education Specialist degree in School Psychology. Her graduate thesis focused on the benefits of participating in dance education for children (showing benefits physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially), as well as how specially designed Dance Therapy can benefit children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Depression and Anxiety, physical ailments, and other disabilities.

Emaleigh began teaching in 2007 with a mini/junior Twirling class. She continued on to assist Ms. Michelle Heiner in teaching Creative Movement and Combination classes all throughout her high school years and then began teaching on her own in 2011. She later began teaching Jazz, Hip-Hop, and the Elite Mini and Petite Troupes, as well numerous solo and duo competitive performances. She has choreographed for local dance and cheerleading teams including Green High School, Symmes Valley High School and Junior High, Huntington Middle School, and DC Express. She has also choreographed numbers for community events such as for the Lara’s Teen Board and for the Harlem Globetrotters halftime show. Her choreography has received numerous judge’s awards at competition for Most Entertaining and placed regionally in competition. Emaleigh truly loves helping her students learn to express themselves through dance and seeing their confidence and personalities shine on stage. Outside of the studio, Emaleigh works as a full time School Psychologist.

Kiersten Beane

Ms. Beane, affectionately called Beane at the studio, began dancing at Elite when was twelve years old. Her favorite style of dance is lyrical, but she has a deep appreciation for ballet and jazz. Ms. Beane has assisted classes at Elite since she was 13 and began teaching on her own three years ago.

Ms. Beane balances a busy schedule as a full-time student at Marshall University, where she is majoring in political science and communications. She plans to attend law school in 2027.

When not at Elite or Drinko Library, she loves reading, cooking, spending time with friends, and hanging out at church.

Fun Fact! Ms. Beane is a lefty.

Lauran Nehring

Born in Virginia Beach, VA, Ms Lauran began dancing in middle school. After high school she attended the pre-professional program at Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. She danced for 7 years before life took her in different directions. After over a decade away, she is happy to be back to dancing. Ms Lauran has a deep passion for classical ballet and a keen eye for proper technique in her students.

Outside of teaching ballet she has a small sheep farm in Mason County. Raising wool sheep has been a dream for years spurred out of her love for knitting. You can find her teaching knitting classes at the Blue Ewe in Pullman.