Assistant Director, Academy Ballet, Jazz, & Lyrical Instructor, Beginner/Intermediate Musical Theatre Instructor, Company Choreography, Soloist Choreographer

Hannah Gomez has been dancing since the age of 3. Originally from the Cayman Islands, Hannah obtained a B.F.A in dance and choreography with a minor in business administration at Florida Southern College. While dancing in her teens, Hannah was fortunate enough to attend the Orlando Ballet School where she focused on her technique. Her advanced technical training in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, and hip hop is an asset to our studio . Hannah discovered her joy for teaching at a young age serving as a teacher assistant. She later became an instructor at her home studio while she was visiting from college and brought a more mature and artistic mindset to her studio. During her dance career Hannah was honored to dance with the Boston Ballet. Currently a resident in Maitland, Hannah is excited to share her joy of dance with the students at Stone Dance Academy.

Company Director, Acro Instructor, Academy Jazz & Lyrical Instructor, Company Choreographer, Soloist Choreographer

​Kaitlyn (Katie) Shuman has been dancing her entire life. Growing up a competitive dancer in South Florida since the age of 5- earning numerous scholarships and titles from many different competitions and conventions- she has trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Modern. Her love for teaching took over when she graduated high school to attend the University of Central Florida to minor in Dance, making it her main focus for the last 9 years. Acrobatics has been her biggest love as she works towards an Acrobatic Arts certification this year. She and her husband are active partners of One Hope Church along with their one year old daughter Charlotte. She is committed to growing her students in their faith and dance training!

Academy Ballet, Jazz, & Lyrical Instructor, Ballet Technique Instructor

Lauren Phillips is a native Floridian who has been passionate about the art of dance for as long as she can remember. She studied ballet at Orlando Ballet School for 11 years, performing as a soloist in ballets including Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. While at the school she discovered a love of teaching as well, serving as a teachers assistant for several years. She went on to teach creative movement and beginning ballet courses at a small private school before joining Stone Dance Academy, previously Grace Full Dance Academy, where she has been happily teaching for the past three seasons. Lauren lives in Casselberry with her husband and two daughters, both of whom are following in their mother’s footsteps in their love of dance, as students at Stone Dance Academy. She is passionate about laying a strong foundation technically for our students as well as nurturing their love for this amazing art form, all while pointing them back to Jesus!

Academy Ballet Instructor, Soloist Choreographer

Hannah Stanford is a former pre-professional ballerina, current science teacher, and passionate educator sharing her love of dance with the next generation. Hannah trained under Peter Stark at Orlando Ballet School and later became a New Artist at Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, FL, where she performed principal roles in Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and more. As a two-time YAGP Silver Medalist and YAGP NYC finalist, Hannah received a full-merit scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London, England where she trained during her first year under Anita Young until injuries caused an early retirement from dancing. Additionally, Hannah received three full-merit scholarships to the School of American Ballet’s summer intensive program, where she trained under former NYCB ballerinas Suki Schorer, Susan Pilarre, and Katrina Killian. During her twelve years of pre-professional training, Hannah trained in the Balanchine, Cuban, Vaganova, Cecchetti, Royal, and Bournonville ballet styles, Russian and Polish character dancing, as well as contemporary and modern. As a ballet teacher with over six years of ballet teaching experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Hannah incorporates scientific thinking including anatomy, physics, and mathematical concepts to strengthen students’ critical thinking and to bring awareness to their bodies and position in space. Ultimately, Hannah hopes that every one of her students gains skills that extend beyond the dance world and into their everyday lives, and that she inspires a lifelong love for dancing.

Primary & Pre-Academy Instructor, Academy Ballet, Jazz, & Lyrical Instructor, Soloist Choreographer

Caroline Schlenker fell in love with dancing at the age of three. She grew up in Ocala, Florida where she spent almost all of her time at her beloved dance studio. She is now a sophomore in College at the University of Central Florida with a major in Visual Arts Management and a minor in Dance. While growing up, she was classically trained in ballet and pointe and performed in many productions such as the Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and more. She also received training in modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop. As she got older, she began helping out with the younger dancers’ rehearsals, which eventually led her to discover a love for teaching. She got her first job in high school as a dance teacher at a local summer camp and adored it.

Caroline would love to spread the joy she gets from dancing and help make SDA a second home for its students, like her studio was for her. She is excited to learn more about competitive dance and can not wait to hear that Nutcracker music again!

Samantha Elliott is from Miami Florida. She has been dancing since the age of 4 years old and has trained at Miami City Ballet as well as local dance studios, where she studied all forms of dance. She continued her dance studies and graduated from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She has been performing at sea for the last 10 years, and just completed her final contract at sea on Ovation of the Seas as Dance Captain for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. She will continue to educate young dancers while teaching various styles of dance and leading the Dance Program this year at a local Charter School!

Some of her credits include

• “Vegas the Show” onboard the Pride of America

• Dance Captain/ Showgirl at Sandcastle Guam

• Broadway Christmas Wonderland in Tokyo, Japan

• Dance Captain for “Sequins & Feathers” and “Sonic Odyssey” on board Quantum of the Seas.

• Dance Captain for “Live, Love, Legs!” and “ The Beautiful Dream” onboard Ovation of the Seas.

• Dance Adjudicator for Leap! And Imagine National Dance Challenge.

Originally from Miami, FL, Percy Nelson started out as a street dancer. Upon moving to Orlando, FL in 2007, he guided his eventual pursuits into the dance industry. Spending a plethora of time training and teaching in Orlando at local studios as well as dance workshops, Percy quickly became highly sought after. Percy began to work with international artists such as Blanca and Tedashii. Percy has also worked as a dancer with some of the industry's top choreographers such as Sean Bankhead, Hollywood, Charm Ladonna, Matt Steffanina Draico Johnson, Fullout Cortland, Amari Marshall and more. Percy has appeared on BET's 106 and Park, Telemundo and MTV. His success has also lead him to work with the world renown companies, Old Navy, Disney World and Universal Studios Orlando. In addition, Percy has choreographed and danced at various showcases and competitions around the country. He has formerly been a choreographer for the breakthrough Megacrew known as "theSQUAD" out of Orlando, FL. They have competed and placed 1st at World of Dance twice, four times at Prelude South Dance Competition and Hip Hop International in the USA Finals, four times. Percy is currently represented by Level Talent Group for commercial work. His most recent accomplishments consist of performing at Super Bowl LV with the world-renown artist, The Weeknd and also being the choreographer for the quickly up and coming boy band "No Lonely Hearts (NLH)" from Orlando, FL. Allowing for his passion to influence creativity, Percy continues to develop a unique platform for dance within the industry today performing in and on multiple music videos and stages across the country.

Lauren Neiner grew up in St Louis, MO where she began dancing at the age of three at a local studio. She joined the competition team where she trained in jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap, and musical theater. She had the opportunity to attend conventions and take master classes from professional choreographers and industry artists. After high school, she attended Lindenwood University where she graduated with a B.S. in Exercise Science and minored in Dance. While at school, she had the opportunity to take class and perform pieces from various professionals. She started her teaching and choreography journey at the age of 16. Since then, she has taught at various studios around the St Louis and Orlando areas. She has choreographed multiple award winning dances for various competitive studios and dance teams in St Louis, MO. She continues to train and take classes to educate herself on current dance trends, anatomy, and various training techniques. She is a certified yoga teacher where she loves to collaborate her passion for dance and music in her sequences. She currently travels with Imagine Dance Challenge as a merchandise associate, emcee, and backstage manager along with teaching master classes while on tour. Lauren strives to create a safe, fun environment where dancers can feel challenged and empowered to celebrate where they are but aspire to achieve more. She encourages students to take risks and be vulnerable to explore who they are as artists and humans.

Shea discovered her passion for dance at a young age, self-teaching until she joined a studio at 13, sparking a lifelong love for the art. Throughout high school, she excelled in the FDEO dance program, earning numerous awards and titles in competitions.

From age 15, Shea began choreographing and teaching, receiving accolades for her innovative work. Specializing in jazz and lyrical dance, she is trained in various styles, blending technical precision with emotive storytelling.

Currently pursuing a degree in Kinesiology, Shea plans to pursue a Master's in Sports Medicine, aiming to integrate her dance expertise with human movement science. Her journey is driven by a deep passion for dance as both an art form and a vehicle for expression.

Gabrielle Kellogg found her love of dance at the age of 4. She grew up in Spring Hill/Brooksville, Florida, a small town about 45 minutes north of Tampa, where she was heavily involved at her dance studio, Erin’s Danceworks. She competed with her studio’s national award-winning competition team for 9 years. She has danced and competed in many styles of dance including tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, musical theater, and hip hop. During her time at the studio, she started assistant teaching at the age of 14 then teaching at the age of 16. Over the years, she has developed a love for choreographing, having choreographed competition and recital numbers. She was also heavily involved in community musical theater productions in which she would dance, act, and sing. She is now a junior attending the University of Central Florida majoring in Biology. She continues to dance and choreograph through various student organizations such as the Knights and Damsels Dance Company and Rhythm of the Knight.

With over 17 years of collective experience, Harrison Rustay is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator whose journey began in Orlando, FL. Initially honing his skills as a competitor, he shifted his focus to pursue the art of dance.

Throughout his initial 10+ years of training, Harrison had the privilege of studying under renowned choreographers at various conventions and workshops, enriching his repertoire and cultivating a diverse skill set that he continually refines. Having multiple scholarships awarded to him, such as Pulse Protege and Radix Core Performer, he got extensive training with the industry's best educators and choreographers within a myriad of genres - further extending his versatility.

Distinguished by his commitment to excellence, Harrison was selected as a guest dancer and scholarship recipient at the Northwest Florida Ballet Academie's prestigious summer program at the age of 15. He further polished his craft under the mentorship of esteemed educators Katie Garza and Israel Rodriguez from the Orlando Ballet.

Driven by his passion for choreography, Harrison discovered his creative flair while overcoming an injury sustained at the age of 13. By 15, he had already garnered acclaim, securing his first student choreography award. Since then, he has consistently showcased his artistry, earning multiple accolades for his innovative choreographic works at various competitions.

Central to Harrison's artistic philosophy is a rejection of constraints and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of dance. His mission revolves around transcending conventional norms, continually asking what dance can be, and elevating others to explore its limitless potential.

Born in Cali, Colombia. Boris started his training at the Colombian Classical Ballet Institute (Incolballet) at young age, participated in many festivals with the company also in competitions and events with the Cuban National Ballet; soon relocated to NYC where he graduated from ABT (JKO) under direction of Franco De Vita, Raymond Lukens, Martine van Hamel and Kevin McKenzie. Former principal dancer with Orlando Ballet. Has won and participated as a dancer/choreographer in prestigious competitions and galas such as: YAGP, ADC, WBC, IBC USA and IBC China.