Faculty Biographies

Director & Instructor

Wendy is a native of Burlington, NC, and started teaching at Down East Dance in 1999 and then became Owner/Director in 2001.  She instructs Preschool, Kinderdance, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and Lyrical classes at Down East Dance. Wendy holds a BS degree in Dance Education from East Carolina University with K-12 certification. While at ECU, Wendy studied modern dance with Pat Pertalion and Patti Weeks, Tap and Jazz with Alan Arnett, Ballet with Joe Carow and Dr. Dawn Clark, performed in various choreography projects, including Dance Theatre, the yearly faculty choreographed spring performance, Madrigal Dinners, and was a member of Wheel Power, a dance performance group for dancers with disabilities. Wendy also studied tap with Gene Medler, director of the nationally-praised NC Youth Tap Ensemble, while at the Burlington Academy of Dance Arts. As a dance educator Wendy spent five years educating through dance at Oaks Road Elementary School in New Bern and also 4 years as dance educator at St. Paul Education Center, also in New Bern. Mrs. Daw has also donated her time in various community dance projects. She was a founding member of the New Bern Dance Ensemble which was the primary dance group for the USO in Jacksonville, NC. As a member of NBDE, Wendy has performed in various shows and had the opportunity to dance aboard the USS Saipan for members of the US Military who were coming home from Iraq. She has also choreographed productions at New Bern Civic Theatre including Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, and Carousel as well as Chicago with the Craven Early College. Mrs. Daw also served as Dance Educator for the Craven Arts Council’s annual Summer Arts Camp. Wendy and her husband Lloyd are the proud parents of their two children, Marina and Dylan.

Ballet & Pointe Instructor

Joan Vermilyea Taylor began her ballet instruction at the age of 8 in Fredericksburg, VA under the instruction of Joan Limerick at the Fredericksburg School of Ballet. She continued with Victoria Shiflett of the American Ballet Theatre, and Wilfred Schumann of the New York City Ballet. Under their instruction she trained and enjoyed all aspects of Classical Ballet and Pointe. At age 13 the family moved to Yuma, AZ where Joan began dancing at Dancer’s Workshop. Instructors included Daniel Job, and John Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair from the San Francisco Ballet. She received her BA in English from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1990. Joan has been an instructor at Down East Dance since 1991 teaching all levels of Classical Ballet and Pointe.  Joan also served as choreographer for Craven Community College's show choir - Encore! She has resided in New Bern since 1990, is married to John Taylor of New Bern, and is proud mother to Max, Jake and Mimi Taylor.

Class Coordinator

Brooke grew up outside of Winston- Salem, NC where she began dancing at age 3. Her passion for teaching began in high school as she assisted instruction at her local dance studio.  Brooke attended East Carolina University where she studied and graduated in 2006 with a BFA in Dance Education.  While in Greenville she also performed with NC Academy of Dance Arts. After graduating, she taught dance and theatre at East Columbus High School in Lake Waccamaw,  NC where she was also the coach of their dance team and co-director of annual musical productions. She also worked at Carolina Performing Arts Academy in Loris SC where she was the choreographer and instructor for the Star Systems Regional Champions in the Teen Tap Duet/Trio division. Brooke relocated to Oak Island where she was the main instructor for On My Toes dance studio and director of Steps of Praise and Performance Team programs.  Brooke brings several years of teaching experience and has taught ages 3 through adult in classes ranging from ballet & pointe, tap, jazz, musical theatre, acro & hip hop to modern & lyrical dance styles.    

Brooke LOVES the beach, all types of music, anything orange, living healthy but still loving chocolate, Wake Forest basketball and ECU football. She and her husband are the proud parents of Oakley!

Ballet & Pointe Instructor

​Kathryn Taylor is a Lexington, NC native, moving to New Bern in 2010 with her husband Chris, and three children, Sarah, Reid, and Alex.  She began her dance education at age 6 with Sheets Dance Academy and the High Point Ballet.  During high school she began teaching ballet at Sheets, discovering a love for sharing her passion for ballet with youth. She also enjoyed choreographing for Lexington’s Charity League “Candelight” production, and various summer intensives.  Kathryn continued dancing while attending college at East Carolina University, taking classes through ECU’s dance department and at the Greenville Civic Ballet.  She graduated in 2002 with BS’s in both Athletic Training (sports medicine) and Community Health Education, and in 2004 with a Masters in Health Education.  In addition to teaching, Kathryn enjoys the creativity of fashioning her own stories and characters for original ballets including Sheet’s Dance Academy’s 2000 performance of “Masquerade”, and Down East Dance’s May 2016 performance of “The Fairy’s Gift”.   

Tap, Jazz, Lyrical & Clogging Instructor

Mrs. Erica Parker Sanderson is a graduate of East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education. During Ms. Erica’s high school years, she was titled “Miss Dance” with the Universal Dance Association of North Carolina, while dancing with New Bern High School’s Drill Team. Ms. Erica is one of the founding members and a former Assistant Coach for New Bern High School’s Terpsichore dance team. Being a member of The Twin River Country Dancer’s, Ms. Erica appeared in many episodes of the Wild Horse Saloon; a country music dance show that aired on the Nashville Network. Ms. Erica was also a member of The Craven Historical Dancers where she studied 18th Century Baroque and 16th Century Renaissance dance under the leadership of Paige Whitley-Baugess at Down East Dance. Ms. Erica currently performs with the world renowned Green Grass Cloggers, which has allowed her the honor and opportunity of performing with the famous Ira Bernstein on several occasions. Ms. Erica has been teaching at Down East Dance since 2006.  She and her husband Jason are the proud parents of their dancer daughter Vanessa and their little guy Brantley.

Jazz, Lyrical, & Tap Dance Instructor  

Lindsay hails from Knoxville, TN with a lifelong history of dancing and choreographing in the arts community. She began dancing at the age of 3 and never looked back. Lindsay is a proud alumnus of the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) where she earned her degrees in musical theatre and dance. Her favorite styles of dance to study are modern, jazz, tap, and musical theatre. Some of her favorite theatre credits include A Chorus Line, The Texas Outdoor Musical, Legally Blonde, The Addams Family Musical, Footloose, Newsies, and Funny Girl. In 2018 she had the opportunity to perform with Yonder Contemporary Dance Company their original work, IRL, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Lindsay is so excited to bring her experiences and love of storytelling to Eastern North Carolina! 

Kinderdance, Jazz, Lyrical & Tap Instructor

Amanda is a native of New Bern and continues to live here with her husband and 5 daughters.  She began her passion for dance at age 3 here in New Bern, dancing throughout high school.  She went on and studied at NCSA (North Carolina School of the Arts) in modern dance, then continued her dance and theatre studies at both UNCG (University of North Carolina Greensboro) and ECU (East Carolina University).   Amanda holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from ECU.  She started teaching at Down East in 2005 as well as choreographed several local theatre productions for both New Bern Civic Theatre and Rivertowne Repertory Players.  As a military family, the Pumphrey's moved around FL, VA, and TX between 2011 and 2017 where Amanda had the opportunity to continue to teach dance and choreograph shows in Pensacola and Corpus Christi.  Amanda has 5 dancing daughters that she enjoys sharing her love of dance with! 

Hip Hop, Jazz, Tap & Lyrical Instructor

Born and raised in Maryland, Courtney later moved to New York City to pursue her professional career.  She has been dancing since the age of five and went on to East Carolina University, where she received her BFA in dance with a concentration in Modern.  Courtney was a company member with the National Tap Ensemble and Tappers With Attitude in Washington, D.C. studying and performing with master tap teachers. She was also a member of Tap Fusion, a professional tap/modern company based in NYC.  She has had the opportunity to perform at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Lincoln Center, Duke Theater and Symphony Space in NYC, and spent six months performing on the Mariner for Radisson of the Seas Cruise Line. Some of her choreography credits include, “Anything Goes”, “Miss Saigon”, and “A Chorus Line.” Her most recent accomplishment is producing, directing and choreographing her own show “ALICE” A fun and funky take on the classic “Alice In Wonderland.”  She has taught all genres of dance throughout North Carolina, Maryland and the Tri-State area including Marymount University and NYU.  She was a faculty member at Westport’s Academy of Dance in Connecticut for 18 yrs. and still guest teaches. Courtney feels that a positive start to a child’s dance training will ensure a lifetime love of the joy of movement and music . She has loved teaching dance to generations of students and is thrilled that she gets to do what she loves every day! She is known for her energy, enthusiasm and devotion to her students. She absolutely loves the performing arts and is so grateful for the opportunity to help build a community of amazing, talented and passionate dancers that are focused on technique, performance, community and character.    

Preschool, Kinderdance, Jazz, Tap & Acro for Dance Instructor

Hannah was born and raised in New Bern and started dancing at the age of 7 here at Down East Dance, where she assisted with classes for six years. Hannah continued her dance career at Meredith College, in Raleigh, where she graduated with a B.A. in Dance Education. While she was at Meredith, she was a member of Meredith Dance Theatre, where she choreographed and performed numerous pieces, and served as the Historian forthe Meredith Dance Association. During her time in college, she had the opportunity to attend and perform at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) regional conference, as well as perform at the first annual Wake Forest Dance Festivaland assisted with classes at Meredith College’s High School Day of Dance. She has attended many conferences including Arts R4 Life and the Embodiment Conference. Hannah has been trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, clogging, and modern. During the week, she teaches dance and movement at East Wake Academy and is excited to continue her love of teaching and dance with her Down East Dance Family!