Our Team.

DSC_0043 (1) copy.jpeg — Kim Newlin, Studio Owner/Manager and Instructor

Ms. Kim began dancing at age nine at the Dance Gallery in Lawrence, Kansas. For four years she competed and performed with the Dance Gallery Troupe throughout the US and Europe. She has studied many styles including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, modern, hip hop, ballroom, pom, and acrobatics. Her training expanded with classes from master teachers like Joe Tremaine, Ray Leeper, Mandy Moore, Gregg Russell, Paula Abdul, Debbie Allen, Doug Caldwell, and Savion Glover through numerous conventions and master classes. She has a B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she performed with the UNC Dance Team and continued her dance training at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill. While a member of the UNC Dance Team, Kim performed during many nationally televised football and men's basketball games, as well as other sporting events and charity fundraisers.
Kim has more than 20 years of teaching, choreography, and management experience in the dance studio business. Her students have gone on to dance on college dance teams, college club teams, obtain college degrees in dance, pursue professional careers as dancers, and become teachers themselves. She has also participated in many workshops, conventions, and continued learning classes in order to keep expanding her dance training. Kim has judged both dance and cheerleading competitions and her choreography has received numerous awards. She opened The Dance Spot in 2013 and loves every second of living her dream. Kim and her husband Kurt also have two dancers of their own, Kayson and Kenzie.

Keily Stiles, Front Desk/Administrative Assistant and Instructor

Keily is the first smiling face you see when you enter The Dance Spot. She began dancing at age 5 and went on to compete in various styles for 9 years. She has been a consistent part of The Dance Spot since our opening season in 2013. Throughout her high school years, Keily spent her time performing and competing in regional and national dance competitions, assistant teaching, mentoring younger dancers, and volunteering at the studio in any way she could find. Even after reaching alumni status, Keily’s dedication to The Dance Spot and all our students and families has only grown. She has been working as a receptionist, administrative assistant, and teacher since the start of 2019. Her unique experience growing up alongside The Dance Spot allows for a well-rounded perspective into the dance world and, more specifically, all the ins and outs of our studio.
Keily earned her B.S. in Psychological Science and B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and she is currently working towards her M.S. in Forensic Psychology through Arizona State University’s online program. With a passion for helping others and all things dance, Keily’s goal is to build dancers’ confidence, encourage them to be their personal best, and support them as they reach their goals both on and off stage. Keily can speak to the positive atmosphere and sense of family present within The Dance Spot community and strives to continue building a safe and uplifting space for all. She is always there to answer your questions, rhinestone your costumes, and lend a helping hand, but her favorite part of the job is getting to know each and every one of your children.

Kasey Petersen, Instructor

Ms. Kasey began dancing at her local studio in Mt. Holly at 2 years old and she danced competitively for 8 years. She also danced and competed with her high school dance team. She met Ms. Kim when they were both on a dance team together at UNC Chapel Hill. Ms. Kasey was so excited to join The Dance Spot family as a teacher in 2017. Outside the studio Ms. Kasey is a dentist and the proud owner of Wellspring Dental Studio in Mt. Holly, NC. You can also find Ms. Kasey’s husband John at the studio bringing their daughters, Zoe and Lizzie to class!

DSC_0049 (1).jpeg — Grace Lecture, Instructor
*Owner of Grace & Pointe Boutique, Official dance wear provider of The Dance Spot
Grace began dancing at age 4 and has been dancing ever since.She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography with minor studies in education. Growing up in Spartanburg, SC she trained with Ballet Spartanburg and spent summers at the South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities. During her time with USC she performed in works such as Balanchine’s *Walpurgisnacht* and *Swan Lake,* Paul Taylors Company B, as well as numerous contemporary and jazz works. After graduation Grace moved to Charlotte where she danced for Caroline Calouche and Company, taught in the evenings, and managed The Sock Basket, a dance boutique. She is the current owner of Grace & Pointe Boutique just down the street from The Dance Spot. She is happiest in life when immersed in the dance world. No matter where the studio is, she feels at home at the barre.

Her approach to teaching is through an understanding of anatomy and which muscles work in specific exercises. She wants her students to be conscious of what muscles are working and how the joints move so the dancer works smarter not harder. Her teaching philosophy is to come into the studio ready to work with what you have at that moment. Grace’s teaching philosophy she wants her students to embrace is “The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday”.

Madison Cannon, Instructor

Madison began dancing at the age of 8 and began dancing competitively at the age of 12. She was a member of The Dance Spot National competition team 2016-2020. During her time at The Dance Spot she achieved multiple top placements, overall awards and special judges awards at numerous dance competitions. Madison also had the opportunity to dance and train with the Radio City Rockettes at their Atlanta Summer Intensive in 2018 and their New York Summer Intensive in 2019. She graduated in May of 2024 with honors from Appalachian State University with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition. During her time at Appalachian State she was a part of Momentum dance company on campus that taught open dance classes and put on yearly shows open to the public. Madison is also a professional dancer for the Carolina Cobras of the National Arena League in Greensboro, NC. She received the honor to be the Captain her first season on the team. Madison has trained in all styles of dance her whole life and has a strong passion for dance and choreography. She is very excited to be back home and back at the studio she loves with her second family and is looking forward to the dance season!