Dance Arts of Rocky Mount, Inc.
Proudly Serving The Rocky Mount Area
Our Team
Courtney Manning - Owner/Instructor: Courtney began dancing at age 3 and never stopped! Her passion, discovered at an early age, was to dance & own a studio. She has always felt that God's call on her life was to share her joy of dancing with children. Courtney has trained extensively in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, and Pointe. While in high school, she had the opportunity to help teach various classes at her studio. Upon high school graduation, Courtney headed to Radford University in Virginia to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance with a Concentration in Classical Ballet. While at Radford University, Courtney was a member of the dance team for the Roanoke Steam Arena Football Team for 2 seasons, attended the American College Dance Festival, and taught community dance classes offered through the University.
After graduating from RU in 2003, she began teaching at a small studio in Blacksburg, Va. In 2004, Courtney knew in her heart her home was back in North Carolina and she moved to Momeyer. Courtney taught dance and aerobics at Nash Central High School for 2 years while working as a substitute for Kat McCord in the evenings. Finally, in 2006, Kat offered Courtney a full-time position with the studio. She jumped at the opportunity and has loved every minute! With Kat’s second child on the way, she felt called to spend more time at home with her family. So in 2012, Courtney was offered the chance to take over the studio that captured her heart six years before. With God's help, Courtney has taken on this challenge and is very excited to see what He has in store!
Courtney married Nash County native, Wayne Manning in April 2006. They welcomed their first child, Davis, in 2009 and little Charlotte joined the pack in 2012. She continues to challenge herself by taking classes and workshops with top dance instructors and choreographers in Raleigh and NYC! She has attended the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, Dance Teacher Web Conference in Las Vegas, and many others.
Melanie Alford - Instructor: The daughter of dance studio owner and teacher Judy Ross, Melanie began dancing at age 3. Through the years Melanie took every type of class her mom offered: ballet, jazz, tap, acro, baton, ballroom, and competitive clogging. During her teen years, she helped her mom teach a variety of the classes offered at her studio. Her first chance at choreography was during her junior year of high school when she choreographed her own tap dance for the talent portion of Junior Miss winning the talent award that year. The following year she was asked to choreograph the Rocky Mount Area Junior Miss program and they won the best program for the state that year. She choreographed one additional year before realizing that she should focus on her nursing school studies. She has spent her time since then being a wife to her high school sweetheart, Shannon, and mother to their 5 children. With the love of dance forever in her heart, she decided to teach a dance class for her daughter and some of her friend's children. It was during that time Courtney asked her to join her at the studio. Without hesitation, she accepted the position and is glad to have been a part of Dance Arts of Rocky Mount since 2013.
Kelly Scott - Instructor: Born and raised in Greensboro, NC, Kelly's dance career started at age three at Cindy Gill School of Dance where she danced for 9 years. During high school, she danced on the dance team before auditioning for the School of Theatre and Dance at East Carolina University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Education with a concentration in Modern Dance. Her first job out of college was to fill Courtney's position at Nash Central High School. Kelly has enjoyed working with the kids at the high school for over 10 years! She has been with the studio since 2012 and we love her!!
Kelly is happily married to her principal husband, Hugh Scott, and resides here in Rocky Mount.
Kelsey Jones - Instructor: Kelsey joined us in 2012, during the expected arrival of Courtney's second child, and was a God-send from the start! Kelsey started dancing at an early age and it has been a passion of her's ever since. She is a Nationally Board Certified Early Education teacher with Nash-Rocky Mount Schools, as well as, a dedicated dance and yoga teacher in the evenings.
"Kelsey has a calmness and patience in class that amazes me on a regular basis" -Courtney
Kelsey, her husband, Mitch, and their dancing daughter Savannah reside in Red Oak.
Abigail Walston - Instructor: Abigail has been dancing since the age of four. She danced at Dance Arts for 15 years and worked as a classroom assistant for 5 years before graduating high school. While in high school, she was invited to dance with NC Wesleyan College’s dance team. Abigail has a passion for dance and working with preschoolers. She enjoys her job at Parkwood Baptist Preschool and teaching 4-year-old BFG at church. For the past two years, she has been asked to choreograph dances and perform with other dancers in the Christmas and Easter dramas for her church.
“Dance Arts is a second home to me and I’m so excited to be teaching at Dance Arts."