Meet Our Staff!
Meet Our Staff!
Mrs. Tonya
Mrs. Tonya is a cum laude graduate of Columbia College with a B.F.A. degree in modern dance with an emphasis in performance and choreography. While at Columbia College, she was on the Dean's List all four years as well as the President's List her senior year. She was inducted in the Order of the Purple Seal (Scholastic Honor Society) as well as the Omicron Delta Kappa (National Honor Society). She was a member of the Columbia College Dance Company where she choreographed and performed in all dance concerts. She was also president of the Dance Majors' Club her senior year. She has performed at the American College Dance Festival and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. After completing college, she was the dance instructor for two middle schools in Richland County School District #1 in Columbia, SC. Mrs. Tonya has 18 years of intensive training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical and gymnastics. She has won numerous dance competitions, gymnastics meets and pageants including being 2nd runner-up in the Miss Dance of South Carolina and being a contestant in the Miss SC Pageant. Mrs. Tonya is the former director of Laurinburg School of Dance Arts for 14 years. She has also taught in Raeford at the First Health Fitness Center and in Fayetteville at The Dance Connection. She is also the past owner of Elite Dance Academy in Laurinburg, NC. She has also taught ballet at Elite Dance of Durham and was the company ballet instructor at Energy Dance in Raleigh, NC.
She has also been a judge for regional dance competitions. She is a 2013 graduate of Ashford University where she obtained her Masters of Arts in Organizational Management specializing in Human Resource Management. She is currently a real estate agent at Windham Realty brokered by ERA Live Moore. Tonya is happily married to Leonard, and they are the proud parents of 3 children.
Mrs. Faith
Energetic, motivating, and all about the burn, Faith is a certified Xtreme Hip Hop Step, Xtreme Burn, and Xtreme HD instructor dedicated to helping people transform their fitness journey. Her classes combine high-energy music, choreographed step routines, and full body conditioning designed to challenge every level—from beginners to seasoned athletes.
She brings a fun, supportive, and hype-filled environment where everyone can sweat, smile, and push past their limits. Her mission is simple: inspire confidence, build strength, and create a community where fitness feels empowering and exciting. Let’s work, step, and glow together—Xtreme style!
Her motto: If you change your mind, your body will follow!
Ms. Shelley
Ms. Shelley is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Radiology. With a passion for healthcare and helping people feel their best, she works full-time as a Practice Manager at a primary care office, but also as a lifelong Dance Mom!
After many years of long practice nights and even longer competition days, Ms. Shelley has dedicated her free-time helping her daughter, Ms. Lexi, begin her dream of Open Arms Dance Academy!
With her own experience in dance as a child, Ms. Shelley teaches some of our preschool dance classes, as well as our Tiny Tots classes. Outside of Open Arms, you can find her in her kitchen cooking and baking for hours on end, or in her craft room working on her next project!
Kylah
Kylah serves as Open Arms’ Head of Media and Marketing. She attends UNC Greensboro, looking to obtain a B.S. in Community Recreation and Event Planning. When not managing the OADA social media, she can be found listening to vinyl records and immersing herself in mystery novels.