Meet Our Team
Cory Morgan
Owner & Instructor
Cory is the owner of the The Dancery and has over 20 years of progressive teaching experience. She has a master's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a current head coach of the UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina Girls dance team. Over the years, Cory has been awarded numerous awards for choreography and many of her students have gone on to study dance and dance professionally. She was a member of the UNCC Golddusters and numerous other companies. Cory's passion is teaching young dancers and preparing them for their future.
Madi Toney
Dance Instructor
Madi grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she trained at dance studios in both Wilmington and Raleigh. She has achieved numerous awards and national titles including Teen Honored Dancer at the National Dance Honors and Teen Miss Onstage New York. She has traveled extensively for dance competitions and convention placing in the Top 10 at The Dance Awards. She earned her undergraduate degree in Marketing from The University of Alabama, graduating in May 2024. She was a member of the Alabama Dance Team, representing Alabama Athletics. She competed in Varsity’s Universal Dance Association in Orlando FL, securing a Top 3 National placement for Gameday and multiple Top 10 finishes in Jazz. Madi has representing the Tide on ESPM’s College Football & Basketball Gameday and SEC Nation. She also traveled to men’s and women’s SEC Basketball Tournament run in 2024, traveling across the country to the Final 4
Madeline Amass
Dance Instructor
Madeline Amass is a young adult teaching dance in the studio sector for a second year while she attends Wake Technical Community College studying education. Originally from New York, Madeline began training competitively at Fierce Dance Company in Staten Island. She continued competing and training at Renner Dance Company in Chapel Hill and the Apex High School Dance Program when she relocated to North Carolina in 2020. After High School, Madeline found her passion for training strong technical dancers as well as helping children gain confidence and learn more about themselves through dance. Madeline has trained dancers at Peak Performing Arts, Premier School of Dance, and Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts and is eager to share her love for dancing at the Dancery.
Meredith Finch Hardy
Dance Instructor
Meredith Finch Hardy grew up in the Charlotte area and has studied tap with Gil Stroming, Mike Minery, Brenda Bufalino, Henri LeTang, Dianne Walker, and Savion Glover. She graduated from The Southern Strutt and started their competitive tap program from 2004-2007. While attending high school and college, Meredith performed in several Off-Broadway shows in New York City: Break the Floor, Shake ‘n Break, Slide with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and Gil Stroming’s - The Producers Showcase. After graduating college from NC State, Meredith has been teaching tap around the Raleigh area and started the award winning Center Stage tap team. She has won many awards with her choreography including making it into the finals at Showstoppers Nationals every year and receiving multiple You Rocked Jump Awards and Best of Jump Awards. Her students have won numerous tap scholarships and awards including a Team USA gold medalist at the World Tap Championships in 2019, members of the NC Youth Tap Ensemble member, and five Rockstar Awards at Jump. Meredith loves teaching an upbeat style of tap that introduces old tap styles with up-to-date music.
Eavan O'Keefe
Operations Manager
Eavan O’Keefe grew up in Wake Forest, NC and danced competitively in the local area for 16 years. She received numerous scholarships and awards during her dance career. She also attended two summers of American Dance Festival held at Duke University, learning from choreographers with Alvin Ailey, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane, and other companies local to the Raleigh triangle. In high school, she was one of the first members on the dance team when the program was created. She graduated from Appalachian State University in May 2024, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, holding a spot on the Dean’s List for all four years of college.
Chloe Stevenson
Administrative Manager/Dance Instructor
Chloe Stevenson is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications. She began her dance training at the age of five in her hometown studio in New Jersey and trained there for 14 years in a variety of styles. Throughout her dance career, Chloe took classes with the New York City Ballet, participated in numerous workshops and conventions, and was honored with the New Jersey Dancer Scholarship. She also had the opportunity to travel and perform, including being a featured dancer in the Miss America Parade in Atlantic City. While at UNC, Chloe was an active member of the university’s club dance team, ultimately serving as President during her senior year. She choreographed several pieces for the team that were performed at university athletic games and community events and has also choreographed for several other dance companies and musical theater productions. Chloe is passionate about sharing her love of dance and continues to inspire others through her creative work and leadership.
Jill Pretsch
Dance Instructor
Jill Pretsch grew up as a competitive dancer in the Raleigh area, training in all styles of dance. She traveled extensively to take master classes and compete at conventions, where she earned numerous scholarships. During high school, Jill spent her summers training in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. She also served as both a dancer and choreographer for her high school’s varsity dance team. Recently, Jill graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.S. in Exercise Science, where she also shared her passion for fitness as a certified group fitness instructor, teaching barre and cycle classes.
Becky Cox
Dance Instructor
Mrs. Becky began her dance training at Cary Ballet Conservatory at the age of 9. Throughout her dance training, she attended many prestigious ballet summer programs across the country, several of which on merit scholarships. Becky graduated from the ballet program of North Carolina School of the Arts in 2005. She was then hired by William Starrett’s Columbia City Ballet company. After a year of dancing with a classical ballet company, she decided she wanted to jazzup her life! She moved to Florida where she joined Florida Dance Theatre, a contemporary ballet company. Becky worked her up way to company manager and principal dancer over her 4 years with the company. In 2011, she choreographed Lasso’s and Plateaus with an original score by Drew Michael Cox, which was premiered at The Miami Dance Festival. While in Florida, she was a performer and artist with the innovative, Drip, for their Riff rock show and she also filmed Beautiful: An Original Flying Show, as the title character Beautiful. The following summer, she spent time in San Francisco at Alonzo Kings Lines Ballet. She continued her education to better serve her students by training extensively through various conditioning and flexibility courses. She is a certified mUvmethod instructor, a progressive dance flexibility conditioning system. Becky is now a certified yoga instructor, nutrition coach and personal trainer. She recently established B.FIT, where she trains clients as a personal trainer and wellness coach.
Zoe Turner
Dance Instructor
Zoe comes from Frederick, Maryland where she began her dance education at a young age. She attended Urbana Dance Studio and trained in a variety of styles. Zoe graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2024 earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Public Policy, with a minor in Data Science. Zoe is returning to Carolina this fall to earn a Master of Public Policy. During her undergraduate career, Zoe was a four-year member of the Carolina Girls Dance Team and served as Nationals Captain in her senior year. With the UNC Dance Team, she performed at all home men's football and basketball games, participated in special appearances, and competed in the Game Day and Jazz categories at UDA Nationals. Additionally, Zoe spent two years as a Universal Dance Association (UDA) Instructor. As a UDA staff member, she worked with hundreds of students and coaches to facilitate multi-day dance camps consisting of team building, instruction of technical skills and choreography, and performance evaluation in jazz, pom, hip-hop, and game day.
Allie Mobley Romeyn
Dance Instructor
Allie Mobley Romeyn grew up dancing competitively in Wake Forest and was a member of multiple dance teams while a student at UNC Chapel Hill. She was a member of performance company Elevate, dancing at events for brands such as Moschino and IBM. She's lived in NYC for the past 6 years, competing with hip hop teams and taking classes from a range of instructors. Allie has taught and choreographed at several dance studios in the Raleigh/Chapel Hill area. When not dancing, Allie enjoys teaching cardio dance fitness classes and taking pilates.
Mathew C. Donnell
Dance Instructor
Matthew C. Donnell (he/his) is a native of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. He received his formal training from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet. He spent his ballet career with the Kansas City Ballet, where he performed soloist and principal roles by many of the great ballet and contemporary choreographers including Petipa, Balanchine, Robbins, Cunningham, and Tharp. He has instructed, choreographed, set repertoire, and rehearsed professional ballet companies and schools across the country including CPYB, UNCSA, Cary Ballet Conservatory and Company, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, The University of Alabama, Kansas City Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, Alabama Dance Theatre, Littleton Ballet Academy, Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, Dance Conservatory Charleston, The Movement Ballet, Dance West Virginia, and Dance Teacher Web Live. He has served as the Director of the UNCSA Preparatory Dance Program, faculty of CPYB, faculty of Cary Ballet Conservatory, as a board member for the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the union that represents ballet and opera performers, and as a board member for The Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, NC. In addition to dance, he enjoys teaching physical comedy to dancers, actors, and anyone willing to learn.
Maria Kordit
Ballroom Instructor
Maria is a seasoned Ballroom Dancesport athlete and artist, specializing in Standard, Latin, and Club styles. She began her formal dance training at the age of 9 and quickly rose through the competitive ranks. At 18, Maria shifted her focus to academics, pursuing a career in public health and technology—but her passion for dance never faded.
With a deep background in Dancesport, including training with some of the world’s top professionals (yes, even a few familiar faces from Dancing with the Stars), Maria continues to blend her love for movement with her commitment to community wellness. Today, she works with Department of Health programs across the U.S. and shares her expertise by teaching children and adults at The Dancery, as well as at her own adult-focused studio, MK Creative Arts Center, in downtown Wake Forest.
Caroline Combs
Instructor
Caroline Combs is originally from Fayetteville, NC and grew up dancing at Cumberland Dance Academy. She has trained in a wide variety of dance styles from an early age and began competing at the age of 8. She has attended numerous competitions and conventions throughout the years, working with top leaders in the industry. Caroline recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics and Management & Society. Caroline was also a dedicated member of the UNC Carolina Girls Dance Team all four years of college and served as captain her senior year. She has performed at football and basketball games as well as community events, proudly representing UNC. Caroline also competed at UDA college nationals each year and was part of the first UNC Carolina Girls team to attend the prestigious competition.