Meet the Team

Elizabeth has 9 years of teaching experience in dance with a background in ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz. She began teaching in 2013 with Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio and continued with Alamance Fine Arts Academy. She has studied various forms of dance since she was little with her main focuses being ballet and modern, and she is Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) certified. She is passionate about bringing emotion through movement and inspiring her students to dance for their Creator’s glory.  Elizabeth lives in Graham, NC with her husband, Caleb, and dog, Stella.

Heather is a former homeschooled student and original member of Rejoice! Dance Ministry, which was formed in 1993. She has been teaching and performing with many different studios, churches, workshops, and conferences throughout the area since 1999. Her choreography has won awards and been selected for dance showcases throughout the Triad. For 8 years, she was blessed to be a part of Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio and desires to continue the mission Arts Alive began by sharing the gospel through dance at Alamance Fine Arts Academy. Heather lives in Snow Camp with her husband, Jeremy, and children, Zeb, Elias, and Miriam, and Izac.

Susanna has been dancing since the age of three. She is classically trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet and also has experience in pointe, tap, jazz, and modern dance. She has had the opportunity to take classes at UNCG and The University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She has over fifteen years of teaching experience with all ages and levels and has had the opportunity to perform internationally with the Project Dance in Israel, Gathering of the Artisans Conference in Asheville and Germany, and various other mission opportunities abroad. She is passionate about her family and being a supportive wife to her wonderful husband, Sam, and a mother to her three children, Joseph, Charlotte, and Colette. Her heart is to spread the gospel and glorify God through excellence in dance.

Marie Rouser began dancing under Jo-Ann Stevens in Durham, NC, when she was about 9 years old. She graduated from Belhaven College (now Belhaven University) in Jackson, Mississippi in May 2007 with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Minor in Dance. There, she studied under Cynthia Newland, Laura Morton, Britta Wynne, Stephen Wynne and many others. She volunteered as a counselor for the USA International Ballet Competition Dance School in 2006 and 2010. Marie owned and operated her own dance studio in Hillsborough for 7 years then taught at Arts Alive in Burlington for several years before becoming their interim director in 2016. Over the years, she has taught ballet to a handful of ice skaters. She planned and choreographed many dances for herself and others throughout her dancing career and led dance/worship arts ministries at local churches. Marie was a ballet instructor at Hillsborough Cheer Dance and Gymnastics for the past 2 years where she also served as a coach for one of the competition teams. Marie is passionate about teaching dance and making sure children, teens, and adults learn correct ballet technique to help them excel as a dancer. 

Katherine fell in love with acting when her mother signed her up at 11 years old, and she has been passionate about it ever since. She has been acting on stage and in film for over 15 years. Katherine studied acting for the camera, cinematography, and lighting at the Center for Creative Media in Texas, and spent a year in Atlanta working in the film industry. She is incredibly excited to teach theatre at AFAA. Her credits include, Mrs. Beaver (“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”), Mary Magdalene (“Jesus of Nazareth”), Mrs. Gardener (“Pride and Prejudice”), and Susy Hendrix (“Wait Until Dark”). Katherine lives in Elon with her husband, Andrew, and daughters Arwen and Vivian, and son, Remington.

Katherine has been acting and directing for over ten years. She received an Associate's degree in Film and Video Technology from Piedmont Community College, where she wrote and directed three short films and acted in two more. She worked as part of the crew for the short psychological thrillers, The Mark of Nafarious and the feature film Kill Giggles. Katherine is thrilled to be working at AFAA, her second home, where she first learned to act. Some of her notable roles included, Lady Bracknell (The Importance of Being Earnest), Lydia Bennet (Pride and Prejudice), and Much (Robin Hood).

Sidney-Clay is a former AFAA Voice and Theatre student and is grateful to be a part of AFAA now as the Directors' Assistant in the Theatre department. Sidney-Clay’s passion for singing, acting, and creating motivates her to encourage students to use their talents for God’s glory. Currently pursuing a B.S. Degree in Fashion Design and a Minor in Music Performance from Liberty University, Sidney-Clay is inspired by her avid appreciation for classic black-and-white movies to bring back the fashions from the 1920s-1950s.

Lydia is a mom of 3 beautiful children: Hannah Rose, Samuel, and Rachel Violet. She's been married to her best friend and talented husband, Lucas Harris, since 2002. She was a CNA on the Oncology floor for 6.5 years and worked for a year as a community support staff. She and her husband have worked with children's ministry for many years. She has always loved working with people, especially children. Her family has enjoyed being a part of AFAA from its beginning and she is excited to be a part of the AFAA team.

Lucas Harris has been married to his wife, Lydia, since 2002 and they have 3 sweet children: Hannah Rose, Samuel, and Rachel Violet. He and his family attend The Lambs Chapel. He and his family can be found after work hours designing, building, and painting sets for AFAA, as every member of the family has been blessed by Jesus with the gift of visual art. He has had a love for art his whole life, and loves working at AFAA--along with his wife--as the Visual Art Instructors. He believes that art is meant to be an act of worship to our Creator, who is the greatest artist, and he enjoys sharing that with his students.

Jessica, a homeschool mom of 5, has enjoyed making music as long as she can remember. In 2005 she received her BA in Vocal Performance from Evangel University in Springfield, MO and has enjoyed teaching and coaching voice students since then.  She and her husband have lead worship together for over 20 years.  She has directed Homeschool Choirs in Rowan and Alamance County for 4-1/2 years.  She loves sharing her love of singing with the students of AFAA.