Dance Classes

Bonita Simpson

Bonita Simpson, owner and director of Monroe City Dance Academy (formerly Bonita’s School of Ballet — 1992), founded Monroe City Ballet (2004) and the Union County Youth Ballet (1992). She is certified by American Ballet Theatre through the National Training Curriculum Program, Primary through Level 5. She is also certified as a ballet teacher through the Royal Academy of Dance and the Cecchetti Council of America. Simpson trained at the Charlotte School of Ballet under Gay Porter Speer. In her earlier training, Simpson attended summer programs at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She has continued her training with summer Teacher Intensives with Finis Jhung, Ballet Magnificat, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Since she founded the Union County Youth Ballet, Simpson has directed and choreographed numerous full-length productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, and There is a God.

Tara Beaver

Tara grew up dancing with Bonita’s School of Ballet since its inception in 1993. She has studied the Royal Academy, Cecchetti, & ABT methods of classical ballet. Tara is an ABT certified teacher, who has successfully completed the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level Three of the ABT National Training Curriculum. She is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique method of training. Tara has also been trained in contemporary ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and lyrical. Tara is daughter of Owner/Artistic Director, Bonita Simpson. She is married to Grant Beaver, and they have one daughter, Aria.

Skyla Caldwell

Skyla Caldwell, A.R.A.D. (Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance), trained at the Charlotte School of Ballet under Gay Porter Speer and The Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA as a scholarship student under the direction of Robert Munoz. Skyla has danced for NCDT as an apprentice under Salvatore Aiello and Jerry Kumery. Caldwell has also danced at the National Ballet of Cuba under Laura Alonzo in Havana, Cuba, and is associated with the Royal Academy of London. Caldwell danced with numerous companies and has choreographed and taught for many companies in Charlotte and surrounding areas.

Madelyn Coates

Madelyn Coates is a Monroe resident who studied ballet at Bonita’s School of Ballet beginning at age 5 and furthered her passion for dance and using the arts for God’s glory through training at Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, Mississippi for three years after high school graduation. During her time training at Bonita’s School of Ballet, she had the opportunity to dance various roles in the Union County Youth Ballet’s Nutcracker. She also was able to attend several summer workshops at Ballet Magnificat which God used to greatly prompt her next step to their trainee program. While training with Ballet Magnificat, she had the privilege of dancing locally and internationally. This fostered a love for the nations and taught her how dance can be used as a tool to share a beautiful message! She had the opportunity to assistant teach during high school and continued once completing the Ballet Magnificat Trainee program. She loves investing in the dancers and seeing their growth in dance ability, character, and joy of using the talent given to them by God!

Jessica Cromwell

Amy Hamilton

Ms. Amy teaches Advanced ballet and pointe classes at Monroe City Dance Academy. She is certified by American Ballet Theatre through the National Training Curriculum Program, Primary through Level 5. She has studied Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova (Russian) methods of classical ballet as well as modern, jazz, tap and ballroom dance. Amy is also a Library Supervisor at the Union County Public Library in Waxhaw.

Mary Elizabeth Horne

Kate Loretz

Kate is originally from the New Haven, CT area where she grew up dancing and training under Lorraine Judd. She received a BA in Humanities with a concentration in Theatre Arts from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT as well as a Dance Performance certificate from Naugatuck Valley College. She performed and worked technical theatre in numerous shows in the CT area. Training includes: tap with Dianne Walker, modern with Earl Mosley’s Institute of the Arts and members of Momix Company and Pilobolus, ballet with Susan Shields of Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project and Kate Lydon of American Ballet Theatre and hip hop with Brian Friedman and Rennie Harris Puremovement.

After performing and teaching at various CT dance studios, she and her husband Kristopher, opened their own dance studio, CT Dance Force, in Hamden, CT in the fall of 2004. With a focus on technique and performance, the studio ran successfully for 9 years until Kate and her family moved to NC in the summer of 2012.

Since moving to NC, Kate took a few years off from dance to focus on raising her children, Aidan and Juliana. She was the volunteer coordinator and board member at Matthews Playhouse from 2012-2017. She is currently a volunteer and board member with Matthew’s Helping Hands, an area non-profit for children and families with special needs, and recently started teaching dance again in area studios. Kate is passionate about teaching proper dance technique, sharing dance history with her students and is an advocate for performing arts accessibility for all.

Reaghan Nichols

Miranda Rice

Originally from Waxhaw, NC, Miranda has received ballet training from Bonita’s School of Ballet and Ballet Magnificat. During her time at Bonita’s School of Ballet she was a member of Union County Youth Ballet as well as Monroe City Ballet, the Pre-Professional sector of the UCYB. With the UCYB she had the privilege to perform in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. She also attended UNCSA’s Winter Dance Festival for multiple years during high school and performed with MCB at the showcase at the end of the Festival. During high school she also attended Ballet Magnificat! Summer Dance Intensive for 2 years.

In 2014 Miranda was accepted into Ballet Magnificat! Trainee Program. While dancing in the Trainee Program she was awarded the Rose Faucher Scholarship for the 2015-16 season. She also served as Ballet Magnificat! School of the Arts Costume Mistress in 2016-17. She danced with Trainee I, II, and Events Company for 3 years. In the Events Company she toured not only nationally but also internationally to Honduras, Guam, South Korea, and China. She graduated from the Trainee Program in the spring of 2017. Miranda is a ABT certified teacher, who has successfully completed the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level Three of the ABT National Training Curriculum.

Victoria Wagner

Victoria has dedicated her life to the perfection of the art of ballet. As a student, Victoria trained in the Royal Academy, Cecchetti, and Vaganova styles of classical ballet. She graduated from Bonita’s School of Ballet in 2015 and continued her instruction in Ballet Magnificat!’s trainee program in Jackson, Mississippi. Victoria is also trained in jazz, modern, and contemporary styles of dance. In pursuit of higher education, Victoria achieved a BSBA from Appalachian State University and the NASM-CPT, CES, and CNC certifications. Outside the studio, Victoria directs the choir at her church and raises her daughters.

Alex White

Alex White is a New York native raised in the South Bronx. He attended UNCC as a nursing major. A lover of all things active, he played basketball, ran track, and boxed competitively. He eventually found his true love of the arts. Alex has been a part of many major productions, including the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks, as well as a host of Broadway shows (most recently The Lion King), and toured with Disney. He has been teaching since 2016 at numerous dance studios in the Charlotte area. He has also trained in traditional African dance, ballet, jazz, and most notably, hip hop since 2012.

Audna VanBlon

A native of Union County, Audna was born and raised in the community she is proud to call home. She and her husband, Tim, are proud parents of three children: Chris, Jazzy, and Jackson. Their family’s journey with Monroe City Dance Academy (formerly Bonita’s School of Ballet) began in 2008 when Jazzy attended her first dance experience at the studio through a Hannah Montana camp. It did not take long for the studio’s welcoming and supportive environment to become a second home for their family.

Over the years, Monroe City Dance Academy became much more than a place to dance — it became a family. Audna and her children have built lifelong friendships, created countless memories, and experienced the joy of watching dancers grow both inside and outside the studio.

Jackson joined the studio family in 2016 and discovered his passion for dance. With the guidance and encouragement of his instructors and the MCDA dance family, he continued to grow as a dancer. After graduation, he has continued his dance journey as a trainee with Charlotte Ballet.

Audna’s own love for ballet grew alongside her children’s experiences. She began as a parent watching from the hallway, became a volunteer, and later joined the studio staff as Office Manager. After nearly two decades as part of the Monroe City Dance Academy and Union County Youth Ballet family, Audna brings a deep appreciation for the dancers, families, and traditions that make the studio so special.

She is honored to help create the same welcoming and supportive environment for current and future dancers that meant so much to her own family throughout their journey.

Mary Kay Austin Canupp