FACULTY
Derek Capps Co-Director
Derek is a professional dancer, choreographer, and celebrity fitness and dance trainer whose extensive career has taken him throughout the United States and Asia. He earned his degree in Dance from East Carolina University, where he met his wife, Cami, in jazz class. Today, Derek and Cami serve as Co-Directors of Coast to Coast Dance Convention and Palisades Dance Studio in Los Angeles. After the Pacific Palisades Fires they currently divide their time between Los Angeles and Wilmington, North Carolina.
Throughout his performance career, Derek has appeared in productions at Walt Disney World, including "The Lion King", Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s "Katonga", the Holy Land Experience, and with Glory Dance Company. He has toured nationally with Dance Revolution and Project Dance and has appeared as a featured dancer in music videos for Kevin Drew, alongside Zach Galifianakis, and recording artist Malek Hanna. His professional experience also includes performing and judging in pageants.
Derek and Cami have co-owned and operated dance studios, professional companies, and training programs in North Carolina, Florida, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Los Angeles. As an instructor and choreographer, Derek combines professional performance experience, international training, high energy, and a genuine passion for inspiring young dancers.
While living in Los Angeles, Derek taught dance while building a successful career as a celebrity fitness and dance trainer. He provided personal training and private dance coaching to high-profile clients including Josh Gad in both Los Angeles and Hong Kong. He has worked with leading fitness organizations, including Tracy Anderson, Orangetheory Fitness, Equinox, The Bay Club, Pure Fitness, and Exhale.
Derek also served as Head Athletic Director at the Beverly Hills Country Club, now known as Griffin Club Los Angeles. In addition to Private coaching he currently works as a personal fitness coach at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Derek is excited to bring his energy, experience, and love of dance to Coast to Coast Dance Convention, helping dancers grow in confidence, technique, artistry, and performance.
Derek and Cami have been married for 28 years and are most proud to be the parents of their three greatest treasures: Cayden, Sasha, and Cole.
Cami Capps Co-Director
Cami is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, where she began her training at the Raleigh School of Dance Arts. By age nine, she had her first professional debut with Raleigh Civic Ballet in Cinderella.
She earned her BFA in Modern Dance from East Carolina University and summer studies at the American Dance Festival (ADF) at Duke University. During college, she also worked at the North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts under the mentorship of Sherryl Tipton. Cami brings more than 30 years of experience as a dance educator, choreographer, performer, director, and entertainment professional as a talent manager.
In 1997, Cami founded Glory Academy of Dance Arts in Wilmington, NC, now known as GAFA and directed by her former student, Alison Dutka Jones. She and her husband, Derek, later founded Glory Dance Company and a college-age training program that toured nationally and internationally.
Derek and Cami’s strong faith has opened many doors for them to use dance as a ministry. They performed in Israel with the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, served on the faculty of Project Dance and Dance Revolution Dance Conventions, and choreographed for the Hong Kong Global Day of Prayer (Daystar TV). They worked as choreographers and performers for TBN, the Holy Land Experience (Orlando,FL) and Noah’s Ark Theme Park (Hong Kong).
Throughout her career, Cami has founded and directed dance companies and dance studios in Hong Kong, Singapore, Florida, North Carolina, and Los Angeles, where she currently she co-directs Palisades Dance Studio. Cami worked with the Abby Lee Dance Company (ALDC) while living in LA as a dance instructor and studio administrator. She spent 7 years as a youth talent manager for film, TV, and commercials with Kreativ Media Partners.
Some professional credits include performing in the Dance Moms music video for Meghan Trainor’s "Me Too" and choreographing music videos for Rosie McClelland’s "La La", Paulina Aguirre’s "Me Duele", and Malek Hanna’s "Beautiful Stranger". Additional credits include Singapore’s Okto Live children’s TV series, a TVB promotional video for "The Walking Dead" (Hong Kong), and stage manager for a Reebok fashion show (Macau).
Cami met her Prince Charming, Derek in jazz class at ECU. They later discovered they both performed as children in the same Raleigh Civic Ballet production of Cinderella.
JAN BURKHARD
CAROLINA BALLET
20 Year Principal Dancer - Current School Director
Jan began her professional training at The School of American Ballet at the age of 9. She performed numerous ballets with New York City Ballet and was involved in the New York Choreographic Institute. Upon completion, she was also the recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award in 2005 for Most Outstanding Promise. In the fall of 2005, she became a member of Carolina Ballet’s corps de ballet. In 2009, Ms. Burkhard was nominated for the Princess Grace award. She has performed principal roles including Princess Aurora, Juliet, Firebird, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Giselle. Her repertoire also includes George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Valse Fantaisie, Apollo, Who Cares?, Allegro Brillante and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; August Bournonville’s La Sylphide and Flower Festival; Robert Weiss’ A Classical Ballet, Intimate Voices, Les Saltimbanques, Lady in the White Veil, Poemes des Rivages and Lullaby; Zalman Raffael’s Rhapsody, Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, In the Gray, Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1, The Other Ravel, Metaphorical Heart, and Frankenstein among others.
GIANNA MARTELLO
"DANCE MOMS"
Lead Choreographer
CONTEMPORARY
Gianna Martello is a renowned dancer, educator, and choreographer best known for her work on all eight seasons of the hit television series Dance Moms. A Pittsburgh native and former competitive dancer, Gianna began choreographing at just 16 years old, quickly discovering a lifelong passion for teaching and mentoring young artists.
Her choreography has been featured in films, music videos, award shows, and international productions, including Dance-Off, the ASTRA Awards, the Kids' Choice Awards, and performances for artists such as Todrick Hall, Allegra Miles, and The Pretty Wild.
Gianna is a sought-after guest teacher and competition judge, traveling the world to teach dancers of all ages and levels. She is on faculty with Broadway Dance Center, Millennium Dance Complex, Wild Dance Intensive, Savage Dance Intensive, Titans of Dance, and other leading dance organizations. Most recently, she headlined Move It, London's largest dance and performing arts convention.
Known for her dynamic choreography, high standards, and encouraging teaching style, Gianna is passionate about helping dancers build confidence, artistry, and strong technical foundations. Her classes are designed to challenge, inspire, and empower students, providing performance-driven training that extends far beyond learning choreography.
ELLIANA WALSLEY
"DANCE MOMS" (Alumni)
K-POP
Elliana Walmsley is an American dancer, actress, model, and social media personality from Boulder, Colorado. She began dancing at just 18 months old and went on to train at prestigious studios and programs across the country, including the Joffrey Ballet in Arizona, the Michelle Latimer Academy in Colorado, and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles. Elliana rose to national recognition after joining Lifetime’s hit series Dance Moms, where she appeared in Seasons 6–8 as a member of the ALDC Mini Team and later the Elite Team. Her talent and versatility quickly opened the door to professional opportunities, including being named “Mini Female Best Dancer” at The Dance Awards in 2018, performing as a professional dancer and mentor on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, and earning the role of Clara in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. She also originated the lead role of Grace in the Off-Broadway production Dance Divas Nutcracker. In addition to her dance career, Elliana has built an impressive acting and digital media presence, appearing as Claire on Brat TV’s Chicken Girls and on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, while also reaching millions of fans across YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. With her strong technical training, professional performance experience, and vibrant personality.
PRITZKAU SISTERS GRACI&MAGGI
HIP-HOP /Contemporary
Graci & Maggi Pritzkau, known as “The Pritzkau Sisters,” are professional dancers. Both Maggi and Graci danced professionally as NBA dancers for the Orlando Magic and have taught classes and workshops throughout Florida and across the country.
In addition to performing they are also choreographers, instructors, and Christian ministry leaders based in Central Florida. Born and raised in Florida, the sisters began their dance journey as highly decorated competitive dancers before moving into professional performance, teaching, and choreography. They also served as head coaches for the West Orange High School dance program, leading the team to a Florida Dance Championship title. Maggi & Graci lead Worship Werk!, where they offer faith-based classes, worship sessions, and spiritual movement experiences at dance studios and academies.
NATALIE MINNS
LEAPS, TURNS
PROGRESSIONS & ACROBATICS
Natalie Minns is a dancer, educator, and choreographer originally from Ohio and currently based in Los Angeles, California. She earned both her Master of Business Administration in Interdisciplinary Business and her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a Business Cognate from the University of Akron.
During her time at the University of Akron, Natalie was a four-year member of the NCAA Division I dance team, performing at football and men's and women's basketball games, community events, and the NDA Collegiate National Championship.
Today, Natalie teaches throughout the United States and holds weekly classes at several California studios, including ALDC LA and Palisades Studio. She is on faculty with Wild Dance Intensive, serves as a judge for Starpower Dance Competition, Battle of the Seas Cruise, Move It Convention in London, and Evolution Dance Competition in Australia and Singapore.
Natalie also travels internationally as an assistant to Gianna Martello, working at conventions, studio intensives, and master classes around the world.
Represented by Go 2 Talent Agency, Natalie has appeared in numerous music videos and live performances, including New York Fashion Week; JoJo Siwa's "Serendipity" and "Karma"; Allegra Miles' "Tainted"; Emily Rowed's "Blindside"; Peloton's "It's a Vibe" featuring R3HAB; as well as projects with RIP Youth, the Boys of Summer National Tour, We Are the PrettyWild, and more.
SARAH ASHLEY HUNT
"DANCE MOMS" (Alumni)
LYRICAL
Sarah Ashley is a professional dancer, choreographer, influencer, and reality TV star from Dance Moms. She has danced on tour with Casting Crowns and performed in many music videos including inspiring Christian artists such as Josiah Queen, Brandon Lake, and Cade Thompson to name a few! Sarah began her dance training at the age of 7 from the world renowed Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh. Her passion for dance and her faith shines through in every class she teaches, motivating dancers to perform with heart and purpose.
MELISSA STOKES
LYRICAL
Melissa Stokes is an award-winning choreographer, nationally-ranked dance studio owner, and experienced dance instructor. Her studio, Shooting Stars School of the Performing Arts, based in Clermont, Florida, is now ranked in the Top 50 in the nation by the Federation of Dance. Melissa has helped launch the professional dance careers of dozens of students who have found success with “So You Think You Can Dance”, Cirque du Soleil, Radio City Music Hall, Disney, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and in other notable professional dance companies.
Combining a unique gift for visual creativity with a commitment to impeccable technique, Melissa continues to craft dances that have established her as one of the strongest choreographers on the competition circuit. Currently, she holds Starpower’s “Choreographer of the Year” title.
ABBY LEE MILLER
"DANCE MOMS"
Originally from Pittsburgh, Abby Lee Miller's love for dance came from her mother, Maryen Lorrian Miller, who was a 50 year member of Dance Masters of America. Maryen owned seven dance studios in Miami, Florida, and taught classes all over the city before opening her main studio in Penn Hills. Abby took classes throughout her formative years at her mother's studio. After traveling with her to several national dance conventions, she was inspired and captivated by the newest "dance craze" competitions! At just 14 years-old she started the Abby Lee Dance Company. In 1980, she opened her own dance studio and estimates she has taught 3,000 to 4,000 students throughout her career. Now known for her incredible dedication, discipline and passion, Abby is one of the most sought-after dance teachers in the world, as she has turned out numerous professional dance stars on Broadway, TV and Film. In summer 2011, Abby made her national television debut on Lifetime's "Dance Moms." The show went on to become one of the networks highest rated docu-series and Abby Lee Miller has become a bona fide star and world-renowned dance persona.