Meet The Team
Our faculty is devoted to training excellent dancers while instilling the discipline, humility, and moral strength every parent hopes to see in their child.
The People Behind The Training
Megan Bright is a dance educator originally from Wilmington, North Carolina. She trained at classical and contemporary conservatories across North Carolina and Florida, studying under mentors such as Jason Williams, Nick Dinicolangelo, and Wyatt Rocker. Her competitive experience includes elite circuits like The Dance Awards, NYCDA, and National Dance Honors. After relocating to Florida, Megan shifted her focus to dance pedagogy, earning certifications in the Vaganova Method through the Bolshoi Ballet Academy under Ekaterina Trunina and the Premiere Comprehensive Program with the Acro Dance Teachers Association under Melissa Klassen. Her teaching repertoire spans early childhood through pre-professional levels, with specialized training in DiscoverDance, the IDT Syllabus, The Godfrey Method, and more. Though personally invited by Teddy Forance to join the CLI Conservatory, Megan chose instead to build something of her own: a visionary studio dedicated to excellence. In 2020, Megan founded The Dancehouse & Co. where dancers refine their technique, grow their artistry, and train with intention. Today, Megan serves as a guest artist and choreographer throughout Florida while continuing to lead, mentor, and inspire her students right here at home.
Harrison Rustay is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and educator from Orlando, Florida, bringing 20 years of experience to the dance community. He trained at Central Florida studios and renowned convention circuits like The Pulse, Jump, and Radix, earning scholarships as a Pulse Protégé and Radix Core Performer. Mentored by Orlando Ballet's Israel Rodriguez and Katia Garza, he built a strong technical and artistic foundation. At 15, he joined Northwest Florida Ballet Academie's summer program on scholarship, advancing his classical ballet expertise. An injury at 13 sparked his choreography career, leading to award-winning works, including a student choreography award at 15, in regional and national competitions. Currently, Harrison dances and choreographs for Free Movement Society, a professional dance company, works in management with Nexstar National Talent Competition, and teaches at top Central Florida studios. His teaching philosophy centers on pushing students beyond their preconceived limitations, guiding them toward a future where they are amazed by their own potential.
Jayden Burge is a dancer and choreographer from Wheeling, West Virginia. She trained at Turn It Out Dance Academy in Bellaire, Ohio, under the expert mentorship of Mandy Doyle, a former Radio City Rockette, and Lacey Booth, a seasoned performer with Holland America Cruise Lines. With over 12 years of competitive experience, Jayden has performed at top conventions and competitions including Showstopper, Showbiz, Primetime, VIP, Ohio Dance Masters, Turn It Up, Starpower, Rising Star, Nextstar, Revel, and Radix. Her performance credits include appearances with the Wheeling Symphony and Broadway icon Sutton Foster. She also competed in Dancing with the Ohio Valley Stars (2023) and the OVAC Queen of Queens pageant (2024). After five years of teaching at Turn It Out Dance Academy, Jayden relocated to Florida to attend Flagler College. She believes dance is more than exceptional technique and skillset; it is about learning life skills such as time management, building resilience, and forming lifelong friendships. Jayden's goal is to be the kind of mentor who truly sees her students, just as her own teachers once did for her.
Originally from Oklahoma City, Lauren Hembree began her training under Lisa Webb at The Academy of Ballet and Theatre Arts, a pre-professional program rooted in the Vaganova method, which she has studied exclusively since the age of three. Lauren studied directly under numerous prestigious instructors including Edward Ellison, Gelsey Kirkland, Jolanta Valeikaite, and Misty Copeland. She has trained extensively through elite summer intensives at Tulsa Ballet, Ellison Ballet, and The Harid Conservatory. Lauren is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), and her teaching style emphasizes functional strength, targeted muscle engagement, and healthy flexibility. After relocating to Florida, she continued her dance journey as a member of the Flagler College Dance Team. Since 2021, Lauren has been shaping technically strong and artistically confident dancers at The Dancehouse & Co., grounded in her belief that great training begins with a supportive, student-centered relationship.
Joining Us This Season
Skyler Metzger
New Instructor
Studio Manager
Artist In Residency
The Choreographers Behind Our Routines
Each season we bring nationally respected guest choreographers to St. Augustine to set original competition work on our dancers.
The Visiting Faculty Behind Our Intensives
Our summer programs bring in respected guest artists from across the country to broaden our dancers' training.
