Teresa Merritt - Owner / Dance Instructor
Teresa Merritt is the owner and director of Life Moves Dance Studio (LMDS). The studio opened its doors in Richmond Hill in 1999, and opened a branch studio in Hinesville in 2005. Mrs. Merritt has over 35 years experience teaching dance―ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, tumbling, contemporary, and interpretive praise dance. Her students range from beginner to advanced, pre-school through adult.
Mrs. Merritt serves as Artistic Director for the Richmond Hill Dance Theatre, a local community-wide dance theatrical company performing productions such as Cinderella, Scrooge, and The Nutcracker. An active member of Bethesda Church for over fifteen years, Mrs. Teresa has served as youth leader and dance coordinator for VBS. She currently directs Feet of Glory, Bethesda’s dance ministry. She has also served on the board of directors of Arts on the Coast in Bryan County.
In 2006, LMDS branched out to Hampton, South Carolina, where they instruct elementary through high school age students in the state-funded Hampton County District One Gifted and Talented Program. Teresa has served their community for the past three years and the program continues to grow.
Mrs. Merritt has been privileged to serve government agencies as well. In Georgia, she taught the SKIES Pre-School Tumbling Program at Ft. Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield for two years, and in California she taught aerobics and fitness for the National Firefighters Association, getting their firefighters in tip top shape for their rigorous jobs. Teresa has trained many dancers and teachers in Louisiana, California, South Carolina, and Georgia, and shares the joy and love that she has for God, the arts, for fitness, and for life!
A fifteen-year resident of Richmond Hill, Teresa is a devoted wife and mother. She has three children; Eara T., a graduate from Georgia Southern who is pursuing a career in the entertainment and broadcasting field; Graille, a general studies major in her senior year at Georgia Southern University; and Ari, a sophomore at Georgia Southern University.
Teresa and her staff are available for workshops and dance seminars. To contact her please call Life Moves Dance Studio: (912)-756-8482, or her cell phone: (912)667-6258; or email her: tmerritt@aol.com.
Mrs. Merritt serves as Artistic Director for the Richmond Hill Dance Theatre, a local community-wide dance theatrical company performing productions such as Cinderella, Scrooge, and The Nutcracker. An active member of Bethesda Church for over fifteen years, Mrs. Teresa has served as youth leader and dance coordinator for VBS. She currently directs Feet of Glory, Bethesda’s dance ministry. She has also served on the board of directors of Arts on the Coast in Bryan County.
In 2006, LMDS branched out to Hampton, South Carolina, where they instruct elementary through high school age students in the state-funded Hampton County District One Gifted and Talented Program. Teresa has served their community for the past three years and the program continues to grow.
Mrs. Merritt has been privileged to serve government agencies as well. In Georgia, she taught the SKIES Pre-School Tumbling Program at Ft. Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield for two years, and in California she taught aerobics and fitness for the National Firefighters Association, getting their firefighters in tip top shape for their rigorous jobs. Teresa has trained many dancers and teachers in Louisiana, California, South Carolina, and Georgia, and shares the joy and love that she has for God, the arts, for fitness, and for life!
A fifteen-year resident of Richmond Hill, Teresa is a devoted wife and mother. She has three children; Eara T., a graduate from Georgia Southern who is pursuing a career in the entertainment and broadcasting field; Graille, a general studies major in her senior year at Georgia Southern University; and Ari, a sophomore at Georgia Southern University.
Teresa and her staff are available for workshops and dance seminars. To contact her please call Life Moves Dance Studio: (912)-756-8482, or her cell phone: (912)667-6258; or email her: tmerritt@aol.com.
Lauren Hodge - Dance Instructor / Office Assistant
Lauren Hodge has been with Life Moves Dance Studio since the opening of business September 1999. She started out as a student and worked her way up to be one of great teachers at Life Moves. She has been teaching pre-school through adult classes since 2004.
Lauren wears many hats: she is currently the Assistant Choreographer for Feet of Glory, Feet of Clay Dance Ministry at Bethesda Church in Hinesville, Georgia and the Richmond Hill Dance Theatre in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Mrs. Hodge is in charge of ordering costumes and dance merchandise for the studio and company as well as working in the office at the front desk. Lauren has studied under numerous teachers: Teresa Merritt, Lisa Bradley, Dmitry Tublsev, Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, and Ferdinand Bujones, to name a few. She has performed in Scrooge as Mrs. Cratchet, in Cinderella as one of the Autumn Fairies, in The Nutcracker as The Arabian Princess. Aimee Harris - Tumbling Instructor
Bio to come!
|
Beth Buchholz - Dance Instructor
A native of Columbus, GA, comes to our studio with 26 years of dance experience, and 9 years of teaching experience. Ms.Buchholz decided at the age of 7 to be a professional dancer after watching Houston ballet's performance of Sleeping Beauty. She began intensive ballet training at the North Houston Dance Academy before moving back to Columbus. At 14, she started training with Beth Griffen and Maria Hirsch at Balled Workshop and became a founding member of The Columbus Ballet. After graduating high school, Ms. Buchholz continued her dance career with Pavel Rotaru of International Ballet Rotaru in Atlanta. She then attended the University of Utah where she danced with the Department of Ballet's company and studied with Conrad Ludlow, formerly of the New York City Ballet, and Sharee Lane of Ballet West. Ms. Buchholz has also trained with the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre in New York City. She has performed many roles including Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Cinderella in Cinderella, Queen Myrtha in Giselle, Kitri in Don Quixote, and many others including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, and Scrooge as well as many original works. Ms. Buchholz received her BBA from Columbus State University in 2003. In 2006, relocated to Savannah and joined the Life Moves Dance Studio teaching staff where she also serves as the Richmond Hill Dance Theatre Ballet Mistress.
Norah Clark - Tap and Contemporary Instructor
Nora Clark, 24, is originally from rural Vermont where she danced with the New England Dance Ensemble and The Company at Dancers’ Corner from age 6 to 18. There she competed and performed nationally in ballet, jazz and tap. She received scholarships and titles from dance organizations such as New York City Dance Alliance and American Dance Awards. In 2005, Nora was honored to teach a tribute class for the late Dr. Leonard Reed at the St. Louis Tap Festival and The L.A. Tap Fest. In 2006, she moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College and began dancing with M.A.D.D. Rhythms, where she was a principal dancer and choreographer. Television and film appearances include local news performances on WGN and ABC and “The Simpsons Movie” premier. Nora has choreographed for The Detroit Tap Repertory and The Company at Dancers’ Corner. Additionally, in 2010 she has taught and performed at the St. Louis Tap Festival and Snowtapped, a Motor City Dance Productions, Inc. workshop. In May of 2010, Nora graduated with honors from Columbia College Chicago, receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Writing and Producing for Television. She worked at Long Tail Media Group as a producer for the Internet broadcast, sketch comedy show, Friday Nite Bytes, until moving to Savannah, GA in 2011.
|
Ashlynn Dykes - Dance Instructor
Ashlynn Dykes began assisting with classes in 2003 and has been an instructor and choreographer at Life Moves Dance Studio since 2007. She currently teaches ballet, tap, preschool tumbling, jazz, and lyrical. In 2000, she first found out about Life Moves at the age of 9 and has been dancing there ever since. Ashlynn has had the opportunity over the years to attend classes and conventions/workshops taught by a variety of teachers including Dmitry Tublsev, Lisa Bradley, Keri LaGrand, Derrick Schrader, Joe Tremaine, Doug Caldwell, as well as many others. She has performed in several productions with The Columbia City Ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and the Nutcracker. She has also danced many roles in performances for Life Moves including Christmas Present and Past in Scrooge, Red Rose in The Nutcracker, one of the Spring Fairies in Cinderella and her favorite was being the Princess in The Kingdom. Ashlynn has been attending college at Armstrong Atlantic State University for the past 3 years where she is majoring in Chemistry and hopes to transfer to South University within the next year to earn a degree in Pharmacy. She hopes to also have her own dance studio one day! When she is not dancing or going to school, she enjoys babysitting, going to the beach, swimming, reading and hanging out with friends. She enjoys taking dance classes herself, but most of all she loves sharing her love for God and passion for dance with all of the children she teaches and looks forward to it every week! “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
|
Jennifer George - Dance Instructor
|
