Samantha Aguilera

Costume Coordinator

Samantha has 17+ years of administrative experience in which attention to detail, structure, and organization are crucial. Her family has been attending Chara since 2020 starting with her daughter dancing then a year later her son starting piano lessons. She is a homeschool mom who loves taking field trips and learning alongside her children. She and her husband have been married for 13 years and together serve in the children’s ministry at their church. She loves spending time with her family and traveling!

Madison DeShane

Director of Studio Events, Artistic Director of Friendswood Contemporary Ballet & Dance Instructor

Madison began her dance training and performing in North Carolina. During that time she performed in works with Carolina Ballet, Graceful Expressions Classical Ballet Company, and Atlanta Ballet’s Centre for Dance in Georgia. She attended college at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi for Dance and graduated with a degree in Management. Madison loves teaching and working with our families at Chara Christian Dance Academy, and hopes to grow each of her students’ passion for dance! She is the Artistic Director for Friendswood Contemporary Ballet, and loves bringing ballet to the community of Friendswood!

Cindy Fletcher

Music Department Director & Piano Instructor

Combining a passion for teaching, children and music,  Mrs. Fletcher is an award-winning educator and musician who is thrilled to be sharing her love of fine arts in the Christian environment of Chara Christian Dance Academy.  Her goals are to motivate and encourage students while instilling a life-long appreciation of music.  She has taught piano lessons for 25 years, taught in public and private schools, and directed/performed with numerous choirs, singing groups, praise teams and musical productions.  When not teaching or making music, Mrs. Fletcher can be found with her other obsessions – reading, cross-stitch, fur babies and family.

Ashley Gilfoil

Bloom Fine Arts Coordinator & Bloom Teacher

Lori Harvey

Marketing Events Coordinator & Customer Care Representative

Lori has been married to her husband Jim for 39 years, and is the mother of two daughters. She spent many years serving in Children’s ministry at her church and many years as a Chara Dance Mom herself.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as traveling to new places. Her favorite thing about working at Chara is making the young dancers feel at home in our studio, as well as making families feel welcome and comfortable.

Christen Hellman

Director of Operations & Director of Sales and Marketing

Christen came to Chara from the corporate world with project management experience across small businesses.  Christen has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of Minnesota.  She is a League City resident and mother of two.  Christen has grown in her passion for the arts through her time and experience at Chara and contributes to our communication, website, and graphics, and community impact.

Susan Keeble

Director of Organizational Support

Kyndal Kennedy

School Director, Pearland

Kyndal received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a Minor in Theater from Texas State University in 2014. After spending 5 years in advertising and marketing, Kyndal returned to the dance industry full time as the Assistant Director of the Friendswood High School Wranglerettes from 2019-2024, all while continuing a position with Crowd Pleasers Dance Company as a part of their creative team. She hopes to bring her experience to Chara Christian Dance Academy to enhance the legacy that the staff has worked so hard to create. She is honored to serve students and teachers in her role as School Director, where she can prepare our dancers for a bright future, wherever their journey takes them. The only thing she loves more than an venti iced vanilla latte is spending time with her husband and two boys.

Ellaine LaBorde

Director of Customer Support

Ellaine received her undergraduate degree from Texas State and Masters from the University Houston. She taught for several years in CCISD before spending over a decade as a recruiter and Human Resources manager for a large public accounting firm. After deciding to stay home and focus on her family, she taught preschool and led many children’s ministry programs at her church. She’s been married to her husband for 21 years and has 3 children, one attending Baylor University and two in high school. Ellaine enjoys exercising, traveling and spending time with her family, especially their 7 dogs!

Jillian Marshburn

Media Coordinator & Technical Coordinator

Jillian started at Chara in 2016 working part time at the front desk while finishing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Ministry Leadership from Northwest University. After graduation, she shifted to a full time role with Media and Marketing being the focus. Growing up dancing herself and later becoming a member of the Deer Park HS Drill Team, she loves getting the opportunity to continue to be in the dance world while using her talents in graphic design & videography to showcase the culture and community of Chara to bring families into our Chara family! When Jillian is not at Chara, she enjoys reading, geeking out over Star Wars & Marvel, going to (& talking about) Disney and spending time with family & friends. Let them praise His name with dancing. Psalm 149:3

Meghan Owen

Director of Dance Programs & School Director, Friendswood

Meghan has been with Chara since 2014. Meghan grew up with a passion for dancing. She was captain of her high school dance team and danced competitively with her dance studio. She attended the University of Iowa receiving a BA in Dance and a BA in Performing Arts Entrepreneurship where she was a part of the university’s pre-professional dance company. Meghan then moved to Kansas City to dance professionally with Kacico Dance. Coming to Houston through Teach for America, Meghan previously coached dance and cheerleading teams at YES Prep Southwest and South Houston High School. Meghan holds a Masters in Physical Education from the University of Houston. Meghan hopes to give her dancers a well-rounded training experience that makes them versatile dancers for whatever dance journey they pursue! Meghan, her husband, and two children enjoy camping, hiking, and traveling throughout the year.

Madi Pack

Performance Company Coordinator, Dance Instructor, Customer Care Representative

Madi grew up dancing right here at Chara when it was still located in the gym at Friends Church. She danced competitively with Chara as a company principal for a few years before joining the National Champion Friendswood Wranglerettes drill team where she held a leadership position of President. Eventually she went on to teach dance at a fellow MTJGD studio in College Station while attending Texas A&M University and getting her degree in early childhood education. While she was there she coached a several companies and started a program for dancers with disabilities. She has been teaching dance for 10 years and believes wholeheartedly that all students deserve the opportunity to experience the joy of dance!

Nicole Reed

Director of Student Services 

Nicole received her Bachelor’s in Public Relations & minor in Business Management from University of Houston. She spent 3 years training with Ingredients Dance Company in Dallas where she had the privilege of touring the country with the Dance Revolution Dance Convention. Nicole manages our competitive and recreational dance companies, is the Administrative Director for Friendswood Contemporary Ballet and a dance instructor. She hopes to instill a deeper self confidence in her students as well as a drive and determination to push towards their goals. It is not about how you compare to your peers, but that you are better than you were the day before. She encourages her students to believe in themselves and to find one thing to grow in and improve on each day. Outside of dance, Nicole likes to spend time with her family, enjoys eating Mexican food and cheering on the Astros. She and her husband are looking forward to growing their family and welcoming their first baby in the fall of 2023.

Hillary Stout

Executive Assistant, Facilities Coordinator & Enrollment Coordinator

Hillary joined Chara in 2021 from a long background in early childhood education and children’s ministry. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Houston and certification in Early Childhood Development. She’s been married to her husband Marty for 23 years and enjoys being an “on-call” parent to a high school junior and a college junior. She enjoys volunteering in the community and loves to travel.

Tanya Fenier

Acro Instructor

Ashley Henry

Dance Instructor

Ms.Ashley studied at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance. The styles she specializes in are ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Drill/ Precision Team Dance and Modern. The top performance experience according to Ms.Ashley was when she performed at a halftime show at Louisiana State University Tiger Stadium, alongside LSU Tiger Girls Dance Team!

She hopes to motivate students and ensure that they learn in a comfortable and enjoyable environment by providing them with the opportunity to express themselves and have “talk time” to build confidence and improve their overall dance knowledge and skills. “I try to make my lessons practical, as well as personalizing them to each student”. As an educator and mentor, she aims to see her students succeed, to be proud of their accomplishments and enjoy all of the hard work and dedication they put into dance or any other goals they endeavor to achieve!

Outside of Chara, you will find Ms. Ashley spends time with her family, enjoying beautiful views at local parks or traveling to new places. She also enjoys cooking, baking and taking dance classes in her free time.

Lauren Hurstell

Dance Instructor

Lauren began dancing at an early age and studied at the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance in Chicago, Illinois. She has performed with the Civic Ballet of Chicago working with choreographers from Hubbard Street Dance and River North Dance Chicago while there, then Ballet Magnificat!, Evansville Dance Theatre, and The Pilot Dance Project. Her desire is to come alongside each of her students in class to help them realize their full potential. Outside of the classroom, Lauren loves spending time with her husband, horseback riding, and going for walks with her dog Bella.

Annica Marcuccio

Dance Instructor

Annica started dancing at the age of 10 and was one of the original members of Chara’s competitive dance team where she moved through the ranks until she became a principal. During her time as a company member, she performed at Texas A&M, churches, numerous community outreaches, and competitions. She continued in high school as a part of the Pride and Joy of Friendswood, The National Champion Wranglerettes Drill Team and she was appointed chaplain her senior year! Annica has also performed in numerous shows and musicals. Annica taught at Chara form 2015 – 2017 and then went on to be a part of Dance Revolution’s Ingredients trainee program, as well as become a teacher at Dance Academy of Mansfield and Dana’s School of Dance in the DFW area. Annica is so excited to be back at Chara to share her love of dance with all of her students.

Katie McGinn

Dance Instructor, Customer Care Representative

Katie spent most of her childhood studying dance in Pearland, Texas. She danced on a competitive team for two years. She later taught classes from her home and was an occasional assistant and substitute teacher at the studio she attended. After attending a performing arts homeschool co-op in high school, Katie attended Brazosport College and received an Associate of Arts in Music.

After graduating college, Katie married her husband, Mark, and spent two years working in administration at an electrical company in Stafford. Katie loves spending time with her husband and family and trying new cooking projects, and she is excited to teach the performing arts again!

Jenna Metz

Dance Instructor

Jenna has been dancing for over 11 years and has trained in Classical Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. She grew up dancing at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Feijoo Ballet School. She has also performed in many productions with Bay Area Houston Ballet and Theatre, her favorite role being Clara in The Nutcracker.

Jenna is currently pursuing a degree in Business at San Jacinto College. Jenna hopes to share her love of dance and the joy it brings her with her students. Something unique about Jenna is that she lived in Singapore during high school!

Alyssa Murphy

Dance Instructor

Alyssa grew up dancing at Renee Johnson’s Dance Studios in St. Louis, Missouri and was a member of their competition team for 5 years, dancing at both regional and national events. After high school, she began her college education at Maryville University and was a part of their nationally ranked dance team. Alyssa then transferred to Missouri University of Science & Technology to pursue an engineering degree and joined the S&T Gold Miners Dance Team. During her time in college, she taught at local dance studios and was a member of the school’s dance company. Her favorite performance experience has been to play the role of Mufasa in her school’s dance company production of the Lion King! Alyssa is so excited to teach at Chara this year and to share her love of dance with others!

Lauren Neill

Dance Instructor

Ms. Lauren started dancing when she was 3 and never stopped! She attended the Houston Ballet Academy, performed in the Houston Ballet Nutcracker for three years, danced in musicals in high school, became a professional ballroom dancer and instructor who competed across the country, and co-directed a high school drill team. She has a BS in biology from Texas A&M and an MS in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins. Something unique about Ms. Lauren is that she has worked as a microbiologist at NASA.

Julia Padilla

Dance Instructor

Julia Padilla started dance training at age 14 in her high school drill team where she trained in ballet, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop dance. In 2022, she graduated from the University of Houston receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor in education. She has been choreographing and teaching dance at her church dance ministry since 2017. She has performed in the “Emerging Choreographers Showcase” and “UH Goes to the MATCH”. At Chara, she hopes to lead and inspire lifelong dancers. Outside of Chara, she runs So Loved by Julia, a small business creating handmade polymer clay earrings and accessories.

Dominique Petrinko

Dance Instructor 

Dominique, a Lafayette, Louisiana native, developed her passion for dance under the mentorship of Sheridan Productions Inc., earning a full ride scholarship that allowed her to refine her skills in dance, music, and acting. She furthered her education at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, graduating with a BFA in Performing Arts, concentrating in Dance, and enhanced her craft through prestigious summer programs like the Nashville Ballet, American Dance Festival, and Ballet Arkansas. As an active member of her university’s Dance Honor Society, she contributed to bringing dance to the Lafayette community. Dominique’s expertise spans ballet, jazz, and modern dance, supported by a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. She continues to engage with the Houston community through performance and education, previously dancing with Ad Deum II from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020. Now, as a dedicated dance educator, Dominique is committed to inspiring the next generation of dancers.

Adria Reyes

Dance Instructor

Ms. Adria is a Chara Alumnus and recently graduated from Friendswood High School. She plans to attend the University of Houston to study Architecture with a minor in Dance! During her time at Chara, she was a member of the semi-professional company, Friendswood Contemporary Ballet. She especially loved being part of FCB’s Spring Collective and getting the opportunity to choreograph dances themselves!

Ms. Adria hopes to give her students an environment in which they feel safe to learn, make mistakes, have fun, and grow as people as well as dancers. Outside of dancing, she really enjoy singing, especially singing songs in lots of different languages!

Rachel Stonestreet

Dance Instructor & Customer Care Representative

Rachel has been dancing for over 11 years, training in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, musical theatre, and more. She has performed in multiple productions with the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre and as a paid artist with Juxtapose Arts Collective. Rachel also received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a Minor in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Houston in Spring 2024. She hopes to use her dance instructor/Performing Group Director and administrative experience to provide students with valuable skills that they can use both in and out of the studio, and help create a welcoming environment for all Chara families. When she’s not working, Rachel can be found painting, singing in her church’s band, or spending time with family and friends.

Taylor Williams

Dance Instructor

Ms. Taylor’s style specialty is Hip-hop and has been training in various street styles since 2019. She currently also teaches and directs Hip-hop teams at Soreal Dance Studio & Atascocita Dance Academy. She has competed in and choreographed for the World of Dance Franchise (Houston & Dallas)! Ms. Taylor hopes to bring her students at Chara a fresher outlook on Hip-hop culture! When she is not dancing or teaching, you can find her inside or outside with a volleyball in her hand!

Cassidy Woodcock

Dance Instructor

Cassidy is a Chara alumnus, having trained here for six years studying ballet, contemporary, and modern, and was a member of Friendswood Contemporary Ballet for four years. She is furthering her dance training by pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at The University of St. Thomas. She has danced in pieces by Jenifer Mabus, Nao Kusuzaki, and Randall Flinn. In 2023, she was in the original cast of El Sueno de Ximena: A Contemporary Ballet, Choreographed by Fernando Racha. Cassidy wishes to offer the dancers at Chara the care and instruction that defined her time as a student here, as well as incorporating in her classes the fresh ideas encountered while active dancing and training with professionals in the field.