Meghann Weaver
Director
Determined to fill her students with self confidence and passion, Meghann embraced her love of dance at an early age. She became a part of the Chester County Ballet and Starlight Tap Company while studying at Harrison Dance Studios in West Chester, PA. Upon graduation, she was invited to attend two summers of training at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.
Meghann received a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance from the University of the Arts and began a teaching career focusing on competitive dance and performance. Meghann is now an award winning competition choreographer with recognitions including Entertainment awards, High Score Overall awards, and multiple Choreography awards. She has been proud to guide her students to continue on to higher education including multiple students pursuing majors and minors in the study of dance.
Meghann has also created many professional quality shows with the children of Radnor Township as the Performing Arts Director each summer. Meghann continues her training and has recently been working toward her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification.
With the opening of Main Line Dance Company, Meghann is motivated to provide an environment of intense training and individualized support that allows each of our dancers to thrive as the artists that they are born to be. Some girls are just born with glitter in their veins.
Emily Gach
Instructor & Private Coaching
Emily has studied Cecchetti, Vaganova & Balanchine styles from accomplished performers of the American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet & Joffrey Ballet. That training gave her a deep reverence for technique, history & research which shapes the way she teaches today. Her priority, in the studio, is helping every dancer bring their unique personality & artistry into their technique.
While studying Dance & Art History at Goucher College, Emily fell in love with anatomy & the pathways of movement. After graduating with her BA in Dance, she went on to become a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Certification. She continues to pursue a science based movement education in order to bring her passion of the most innovative research to her students.
Above all, Emily wants her students to feel welcome, supported, and free to grow into the dancers and people they are becoming.
Gianna Fink
Instructor & Team Coach
Gianna began dancing at the age of 3, studying a variety of styles, and continued her dance training as a competitive dancer for 12 years. Additionally, she is a former Varsity cheerleader for Sun Valley High School. Having traveled all around for performances, competitions and training, she has danced in Disney World, the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade, and at River Sharks Games, Philadelphia Soul Games and Wings Games on several occasions. Once graduating, she went on to West Chester University to study Exercise Science.
Gianna wanted to share her love of dance and began teaching and choreographing for all ages for both recreational and competitive dancing. Winning top scoring and choreography awards, Gianna continues to build her dance career, and hopes to help her students grow, thrive, and express themselves through dance.
Eryka Weaver
Team Coach
Eryka began her training at the age of three studying a variety of forms at Harrison’s Dance Studios in West Chester, PA. After graduating high school Eryka attended West Chester University with a Bachelors’ degree in psychology and a concentration in Dance.
Eryka has been involved in competitive dance as an assistant coach since 2012. Eryka is currently continuing to fulfill her love of dance while wokring with the competition teams.
She recently completed her Masters’ Degree in School Counseling and, when not in the studio, works as a School Counselor. Eryka loves spending time with the dancers and helping them to fulfill their full potential from the little ones to our seniors getting ready to leave for college.
Bilal Simpson
Guest Choreography & Resident Teaching Artist
Bilal Simpson is a distinguished artist and dance educator from Charlotte, North Carolina, who embarked on his dance journey at the age of 10. By the time he was 16, he had already gained recognition by performing professionally with the NBA Hornets and WNBA Sting. After graduating from Northwest High School of the Arts, Bilal dedicated himself to a fulfilling career as an instructor, sharing his passion for dance across many studios in North Carolina. In 2005, he moved to Philadelphia to pursue a BFA in Dance Education at the University of the Arts, specializing in Jazz Performance. Bilal has made a significant impact on the East Coast dance community, collaborating with over 40 studios and taking on the roles of principal dancer and resident choreographer with Grace Dance Theater. As an esteemed adjudicator and convention instructor, he judges at prestigious competitions, including Believe Talent, Revolution National Dance, Encore DCS, and Dance Champs Elite. Bilal contributes his creative talents to competitions nationwide, artfully crafting dynamic choreography for national opening ceremonies. His work has garnered multiple 1st Overall and Choreography Awards, along with six nominations from the Industry Dance Awards (IDA), underscoring his artistry and influence within the dance community.
Allie Stangler
Instructor & Team Coach
Allie Stangler has been dancing competitively from the age of 10. Originally starting off with just hip hop ,she quickly ventured into other styles including jazz, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, acro and even tap. During her competition days she had the privilege of competing at numerous regional, national and even world competitions winning many high scoring awards including 2012 and 2013 back to back national titles.
Following high school, Allie went on to Temple University where she joined a dance group called Dare 2 Dance. Within that group, she was able to open and perform for numerous events held by the university along with other competitions being held in the Philly area.
After graduation, Allie stayed in the city of Philadelphia and went on to dance professionally for a semi pro football team for a year. Following that, Allie was lucky enough to join the Philadelphia 76ers Dunk Team as their first female dancer. After two years on the team, she was named co-captain and is now in her fifth year with them and loving every minute of it. She has performed with artists including Run DMC, Bell Biv Devoe, Camila Cabello, Nina Sky, Biz Markie and many others. Allie feels very fortunate to have had so many amazing experiences in the world of dance and she loves being able to share that with her students and young dancers.
Bree Fili
Instructor & Team Coach
Bree has been dancing since the age of two and has always had a passion for dance, performance, and choreography. She trained at Main Line Dance Company, where she continued to grow as a dancer and develop her love for the art. In high school, Bree was also a Varsity Cheerleader at Sun Valley High School, where she gained valuable experience in performance, teamwork, and athleticism.
Bree is currently a Marketing major with a minor in Dance at West Chester University, where she is a member of both the West Chester University Dance Team and Dance Company. Throughout her competitive dance career, she has received numerous high-scoring awards, including being named Miss Backstage at Regionals. She has also competed at UDA Nationals and had the opportunity to perform at Philadelphia Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers games, as well as with the Philadelphia Soul as a Junior Soulmate Dancer.
Bree loves teaching and creating a positive and fun environment where dancers can feel confident, work hard, and be themselves. She enjoys helping her students improve their technique, challenge themselves, and grow as dancers while making sure they have fun along the way. Most importantly, Bree hopes to share her love of dance with her students and inspire them to enjoy their own dance journey.
Sevon Wright
Instructor & Team Coach
Sevon Wright is an innovative and passionate artist based out of Philadelphia. Her journey started at Pebblebrook High School’s Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts (CCCEPA) as a vocal major but took a turn and found her love for movement. Her choreographic journey began in Atlanta, Georgia where she presented work at schools, local shows, and in an internship with Dance Canvas. She has performed with the following companies: Merge Dance Company, Femme Collective, Speak 2 My Soul, Kathanga Dance Company, Fringe Festival’s Sprout (2019), Chocolate Ballerina and in several performances in collaboration with AniMalayaworks. In pursuit of her dream, Burgundy Blue Dance was born in October of 2018. In 2024 Burgundy reemerged as a project based immersive contemporary dance company and premiered the first show since
- The Album Series: Dreamland an immersive show about dreams, nightmares and patterns that we inherit from our families as well as her most recent show in July of 2025, The Album Series: Conditions Of A Punk.
Sevon is also a dance educator in the Philadelphia area. She is a Teaching Artist with the Philadelphia Ballet and teaches at several studios in various styles. She is also director of a pre professional training company called Cobalt Collective, which focuses on training young dancers and exposing them to different styles of dance and working with professional choreographers. Sevon is a Pilates Instructor as a Rehabilitation Specialist on the Main Line and using her training to help improve the longevity of her students’ careers in dance.
As a choreographer her intentions are to create art that is thought provoking, raw and relatable to audience members. Sevon strives to create environments full of expression and passion that feel fresh, new, and push the envelope when it comes to the format of traditional theater. Recently the company performed in Dance Canvas, Inc. 2024-2025 Choreographer Career Development Initiative presenting a new work, Sense Senses. A discovery and creation of connection through the five senses. A lover of all art forms, she aims to fuse elements of different styles of dance and art as well as build community between artists and audiences where we can all share experiences together as humans.
Arielle Ridley
Instructor & Private Coaching
Arielle Ridley fell in love with dance at the age of thirteen in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. By the age of seventeen, she found a passion for performing, teaching, and choreographing. She earned her BFA with honors in Dance Theatre from The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, attending both the NY and LA campuses. She has trained under choreographers and instructors such as Genevieve Carson, Monika Felice Smith, and Laura Berg. Currently, she lives in Philadelphia and performs professionally with multiple companies, including JCWK Dance Lab, VAULTA, and Burgundy Blue Dance Company. One of her most recent achievements includes performing in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and performing in the Arezzo Arts & Festival in Tuscany, Italy under VAULTA. In addition to performing, she continues to educate dancers of all ages. In previous seasons, she has been faculty at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School of the Arts, and has taught master classes at places such as Cedar Crest College and Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush. Currently, Arielle is Dance Faculty at Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, Moravian University, Philadelphia Ballet, Main Line Dance Company, and The Ballet Guild in the Lehigh Valley.
Emma Stuart
Instructor & Team Coach
Emma Stuart began dancing at the age of two and started competing at the age of five. Throughout her years of training, she developed a deep passion for all kinds of dance and a love for the artistry, discipline, and dedication that come with it. She continued her dance career at West Chester University, where she spent two incredible years as a member of the West Chester University Dance Team. During her time at the university, she had the opportunity to perform at football games, basketball games, and various student events, while also representing her school on a national level. She competed at UDA College Nationals both years, making history with her team. Emma has now begun a new chapter at Rizzieri School for Beauty and Wellness, pursuing a career in cosmetology while continuing to follow her passion for dance through teaching. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share the knowledge, passion, and valuable lessons that her teachers poured into her throughout the years.
As an instructor, Emma’s goal is to provide her students with a strong technical foundation while encouraging them to develop confidence and a genuine love for dance. She hopes to inspire her students to step outside of their comfort zones, embrace challenges, and recognize their potential. Above all, Emma wants her students to leave each class feeling proud of themselves, excited to keep learning, and reminded of why they love to dance.
Cristina Elliott
Instructor
Cristina Elliott, a native of Lititz, Pennsylvania, began her training at the young age of 3 in both gymnastics and dance. She dedicated the first 17 years of her life to her home studio, Dance Dynamix, where she learned all styles of dance. In her younger years, she specialized in acro, musical theatre, and jazz.
After high school, she continued her dance career with the Temple Dance Team. She served 4 years with the team and served as captain her senior year. Throughout her time on the team, she attended countless football games, basketball games, school sponsored volunteer events, and even had a chance to march in Macy’s Day Parade. Cristina also had the opportunity to perform at UDA nationals, competing in Pom, hip hop, and game day. She spent a summer traveling the country as a part of UDA Staff as well. While at Temple, she choreographed floor routines for the Temple Women’s Gymnastics Team, even having two of her gymnasts’ routines become a media sensation.
Cristina has become inspired to teach other young dancers to be the best version of themselves, and to spread her love of dance to a new generation. She hopes to continue her dance career meeting and inspiring amazing new dancers along the way.
Samantha Roche
Instructor
Samantha began training with Wayne Ballet & Center for Dance Arts at seven years old in every style of dance. Throughout her time there, Samantha additionally trained with Koresh, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Academy of International Ballet through summer programs.
Since her professional debut at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre (Elvis: A Musical Revolution), Samantha has performed at Walnut Street Theatre (Beauty and the Beast and Beautiful), Fulton Theatre (Cats and Treasure Island) and as an assistant choreographer and performer at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Samantha currently teaches dance and choreographs at William Penn Charter School, Radnor H.S., Conestoga H.S, FaceTime Theatre, Wayne Ballet, Kimberton Dance Academy, and Twirl, as well as other community theaters in the area.
Outside of teaching and performing, Samantha is trained in puppetry and loves to create puppets, and made the official music video for Bowling for Soup’s “Getting Old Sucks”. She looks forward to continuing to share her love and knowledge of dance at Main Line Dance!
Carolyn Crissey
Guest Faculty
Carolyn began her formal ballet lessons with Ms. Hedy Rock at the age of 6 and has been dancing ever since. Primarily trained in the Vaganova method she continued her studies at the Creative and Performing Arts HS of Philadelphia and graduated from Goucher College with a BA degree in Dance.
She started student teaching in 2004 and has taught classes of all ages and levels for the Pennsylvania School of Classical Ballet for the past 7 years. Her goal is to provide enjoyable yet challenging classes. She expects the best from all of her students and hopes that they continue to learn and love dance one class at a time.
Caitlin Cantrell
Guest Faculty
Caitlin Cantrell, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, started her dance training at the Edna Lee Dance Studio, under the direction of Miss Mary Moran and Mrs. Ashley Canterna-Hardy. She continued her training at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she received a degree in Dance Education, with a focus in Ballet.
While in school, Caitlin danced for Xhale Dance Company and performed throughout the Pennsylvania and New York areas. After graduation, Caitlin moved to New York where she dance professionally with Abarukas Contemporary Dance Company and Michael Susten & Company. She had the opportunity to perform at APAP, Manhattan Movement Arts, La Mama, Jacobs Pillow and many other fantastic festivals and venues. Caitlin has a wonderful passion for teaching and is happy to share her love of dance!