Alexis Kozar, owner of N-Step Dance Academy, is a director, choreographer, educator, adjudicator, and dancer. Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, she was trained in all genres of dance from an early age and started performing for the Pro-Bowl Half Time shows at the young age of 13.

After continuing her training, Alexis went on to perform professionally for companies such as Disney and Norwegian Cruise Line. For over 15 years, she has trained dancers of all ages and levels in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Lyrical. Alexis is very dedicated to and shares her love and passion for the arts and technique with her students and students all over the country as an adjudicator for KAR Dance Competition. Her students have received several national and grand national titles, as well as being honored with numerous awards such as Choreography awards, Entertainment Awards, and High Point Awards at various dance competitions.

Alexis is dedicated to the growth and development of young artists to which she spends countless hours with her pre-professional company to help them achieve and accomplish all of their goals and dreams.

Miss Amanda trained at the Gus Giordano Dance Center, Steps On Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Arts Centre. She studied with Dennis Caspary, Jason Beitel, Joel Hall, and John Crutchman, just to name a few. Her performance credits include the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Sesame Street with Bob McGrath, the Miss Ohio Pageant, and Star Search. She has won awards such as Miss KAR Dance (Kids Artistic Revue), numerous convention scholarships, and many other national awards. Amanda has won awards for her choreography, including the FDC award and many high point and overall awards.

While attending high school in Chicago, she was president of the Orchesis Dance Troupe, Captain of the Varsity Cheer Squad, and a member of the Student Council. After moving to the greater Atlanta area, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Georgia Gwinnett College, majoring in Business Administration. Amanda is married to her husband Felix has a son named Michael, and three daughters Madeleine, Hannah, and MacKenzie. She is thrilled to be on staff at N-Step and looking forward to a great year!

Cecily Davis is an Atlanta-based dance artist, educator, and choreographer. Raised in Columbia, South Carolina, she began dancing at age nine, completing her training at Southeastern School of Ballet. She has also studied at renowned schools across the US, including Ballet Magnificat, Ellison Ballet under Edward Ellison, Jolanta Valeikaite, and Erin Forrest; Oklahoma City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet NYC under Svetlana Ivanova and Elena Bobrova, and St Louis Dance Theatre. Additionally, in 2015 she received a full scholarship to study ballet and Russian language for six weeks at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Bolshoi Ballet Academy). Since moving to Atlanta to pursue her professional career, Cecily has performed for Dance Canvas, The Georgia Ballet, The Aurora Theatre, Atlanta Dance Collective’s FEMMEfest, Fly On A Wall’s “Excuse The Art”, Oregon Fringe Festival, and Columbia Repertory Dance Company. She is currently in her 6th season as a company artist with Gwinnett Ballet Theatre.

Cecily Davis has spent nearly a decade working with students across the metro Atlanta area. She has been on faculty with NSTEP Dance Academy since 2019, and is also a ballet instructor at North Atlanta Dance Academy. Cecily has spent summers mentoring young dancers with organizations such as Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and DCNEXT, the training program for Dance Canvas. She has been choreographing since 2019; her choreographic credits include commissioned works for Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, Academy of Ballet, Sugarloaf Youth Ballet, and others. Cecily is passionate about inspiring young artists with the joy of classical ballet, and is excited to be building the next generation of artists. 

Kelly Ensman is a seasoned gymnastics coach and acro instructor with over 25 years of experience in the field. Originally from Orange County, California, she began her career in gymnastics as a competitive athlete and continued to grow her expertise through coaching and judging. Kelly earned her certification as a judge through the National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judging (NAWGJ) and spent many years coaching and officiating in Southern California.

After relocating to Georgia, Kelly continued her career as an acro instructor at N-Step Dance Academy. Throughout her tenure, she has consistently prioritized creating a fun, supportive environment that fosters both learning and growth for her students.

Kelly holds a Bachelor of Science in Child Development from California State University, Fullerton, and a Master’s Degree in Education from Whittier College. In addition to her coaching experience, she has taught preschool as well as third- and fourth-grade students, blending her passion for education with her extensive knowledge of movement and performance.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Kelly is an active member of her local community in Georgia, where she resides with her husband and three children. Her daughter, who trained at N-Step Dance Academy for 14 years, is now a member of a Division I college dance team, where she is advancing her dance and academic education and enjoying performing on campus. Kelly is deeply passionate about sharing her gymnastics and acro expertise with the next generation of dancers and is dedicated to inspiring her students to reach their fullest potential.

Lindsey Andrews grew up in Duluth, GA and started dance at the age of 2.  She has been trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap & Lyrical under the direction of Jeff Boss and Jamie Wardrop.  Lindsey went on to attend the University of Georgia where she was captain of local dance company Terpsicore and an assistant for the choreographer of the UGA dance team. While at the University of Georgia, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree from the Terry College of Business majoring in Risk Management and Insurance.

Lindsey has been a coach of the NSDA Performing Arts Company since 2015.  She has won numerous high point, judges choice, special awards, and choreography awards while at N-Step.  Lindsey is excited to be a part of the N-Step faculty and looks forward to the years ahead with this amazing team of dancers and coaches! 

Mary Schaefer grew up in the North Georgia area and trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, and jazz with En Pointe and Gainesville Ballet’s performing companies. She participated in summer intensives, including International Ballet Intensive and Hosanna Arts Intensive to broaden her horizons. While training throughout middle and high school, Mary began assistant teaching with her dance mentors and found a love for working with young dancers. Mary pursued a degree in finance from the University of North Georgia, while channeling her passion for dance into her students. Since graduating, Mary has continued to teach, with a specific focus on ballet and pointe. Mary is so excited to be a member of the NSDA team!

Rachel Truitt changed the game for the Atlanta dance community with innovative creation of Admix Project, formerly known as Gotta Dance Contemporary. Admix has been providing students and artists with opportunities for the past twelve seasons, performing in all kinds of venues across Atlanta, most notably 7 Stages Theatre.

She served as Choreographer for “First Ladies” Produced by Lionsgate/Showtime in 2021, and has also worked with musical artist Michael Kiwanuka for his video “Cold Little Heart”.

Her work has been featured at the Historic Academy of Medicine and Georgia Tech. Rachel continues to share her love of dance and art while providing opportunities for those she sees as inspiring.

Originally from Beaver Dam, WI, Lily Edgar started dancing at the age of 4. In 2010 she transferred to the School of Madison Ballet to continue her ballet training. At the age of 18 she joined Madison Ballet, one of two professional companies in Wisconsin, where she danced professionally until April 2023, and performed in Madison Ballet productions on Overture Stage for over a decade. Some of her favorite roles include ‘Clara’ in a brand-new Nutcracker production choreographed by Sara Stewert Schuman in 2021 and 2022. She had the pleasure of performing various other roles and productions, notably so ‘Orange Girl’ soloist in ‘Birthday Variations’, by Gerald Arpino, Lucy in Eddy Brays ‘Dracula’ with Mainstage Academy, and many other featured roles in ballets, including ‘A Midsummer’s Night's Dream’ and ‘Cinderella’ with Madison Ballet. Ms. Edgar is excited to be joining Gwinnett Ballet for her first season this year! 

Ms. Edgar also began teaching ballet at the age of 18. She has experience teaching ballet to all ages and loves the opportunity to share dance through a lens of joy and optimism. Ms. Edgar is particularly passionate about continuing the beauty and training of classical ballet. She is eager to change the culture in the studio to a more inviting, inclusive and accepting space for all, where we can learn, grow, and push ourselves to become better artists and people. 

Cheyenne Wardell is an Atlanta based professional dancer who grew up in Bethlehem, Georgia. She began dancing at age 10, taking only one hip hop class at Inspire School for the Arts. After that season she found a true love for dance and began training in all styles and soon started competing with them on their competition team. 

After graduating high school, she moved to Atlanta, GA where she now attends Georgia State university as an exercise science major. She currently trains professionally in the city at various studios and is a member of Xcel Studios Adult program. She’s trained closely with various well known choreographers including Aaron James, Gary Beauford, and many others. Along with the training, she’s been lucky to be a featured dancer in two music videos for Christian rap artists. 

She’s so excited for her first season with N-Step, and can’t wait to teach and share her love of hip hop and other styles with young dancers in the community! 

Emily Barton received her training from Carrollton Academy of Dance as a member of Parker Dance Company. She moved to Kennesaw, GA in 2020 to pursue her degrees. She graduated from Kennesaw State University in May of 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. 
She was the President of the KSU Dance Company for 2 years, where she performed in several shows under notable choreographers throughout her 4 years in the Dance program. She was also the recipient of the Marti M. Graham Memorial Outstanding Freshman scholarship in 2021. 
In 2022, Emily became a Company Dancer for VIA UNI, under the direction of Xavier Lewis and Mary Beth Stinson. She performed in their show "Sand" in December of 2022. She also joined RISK Contemporary Dance Company as a Professional Company Member in 2022, under the direction of Brady Michael and has remained a dancer in the company for all four seasons performing in "Five More Minutes" in January of 2024 and in "Under the Same Moon" in September 2025. In the summer of 2024, she performed in “Kairos” as a Professional Company member of Admix Project. In the summer of 2025, she performed in "Choices" as a Professional Company member of Admix Project.
Emily is currently on faculty at Heather Wayne Performing Arts, N-Step Dance Academy and Duet Dance Academy where she spreads her love of dance by teaching and choreographing.
Emily has a desire to learn, educate, and is eager to explore the endless possibilities of artistic expression through dance. She feels as though dance is her safe place and it has shaped her into who she is today.

Caylee Dussling is a dance instructor from Watkinsville, Georgia. She grew up dancing with Oconee Youth School of Performance’s dance company. She trained in jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, tap, ballet, point, musical theater, and acrobatics.

In college, she studied with the University of Georgia’s dance department in contemporary, modern, ballet, and jazz. Caylee had the opportunity to perform with the Young Choreographer’s Association through the university’s dance department.

Outside of the dance studio, Caylee is a nurse! She is expecting her first baby, a baby girl, in November of 2025. 

She is excited to foster growth and dance knowledge for dancers of all skill levels and ages at N-Step!

Abby Schulze is an Atlanta-based dancer and choreographer passionate about expanding access to dance through arts administration and education. She is a proud alumna of N-Step Dance Academy, where she began her formal journey toward becoming a dance educator as an assistant instructor. Over the past decade, Abby has taught tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, and children’s dance at studios across the Atlanta and Athens areas. Her written work, including articles and interviews published in the Journal of Dance Education, explores critical thinking and creative exploration in K–12 dance scholarship.

Abby earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Georgia, where she is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. During her time in the UGA Department of Dance, she performed works set by the Martha Graham Company, Amelia Reiser, and Jillian Mitchell, and specialized in aerial silks, lyra, and static trapeze performance. In 2024, she received the Emerging Choreographer Scholarship for her contributions to the department’s choreographic repertoire, which supported her travel and performance with staibdance in Sorrento and Sant’Agata, Italy that summer.

While in school, Abby collaborated with several Atlanta-based contemporary dance companies. From 2021 to 2023, she served as Marketing Coordinator and company member with the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company under the direction of Lauren Overstreet. In July 2025, she worked as Assistant Program Director and performer with staibdance, returning to perform in Sorrento and Sant’Agata, Italy. She is currently in her second season with Kitmodus, directed by Jillian Mitchell. As a performer and choreographer, Abby values vibrant expressivity, physical contact work, and dynamic textures in sound and form.

Angel Bramlett is a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a jazz concentration from Kennesaw State University. Before college, she trained for 15 years in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, and African dance. For four consecutive years, she was a vital member of the Kennesaw State University Dance Company and was selected as one of two students in the department to perform abroad in Casablanca, Morocco. She also received a scholarship to train at The Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, California. She loves concert-performance work and has collaborated with renowned choreographers, but her true passion lies in creating choreography. At regional and national competitions, her jazz and hip-hop choreography have earned top placements, along with Judge’s Choice, Precision, and Encore awards. For over ten years, she has had the pleasure of teaching and choreographing at many studios in the Atlanta area and has been on faculty at N-Step Dance Academy since 2024. She aims to broaden her passion for dance by indulging in experiences that are propelled by educating, inspiring, and growing her students.