Jeremy and his wife, Nicole, are both Alamance County natives; were married in 2000, and have six beautiful children. Jeremy graduated from NC State University with a degree in Engineering, and is the President of Piedmont Metals in Burlington, NC. He is an elder at Antioch Community Church, where he and his family have been members for over 10 years. He and Nicole are thankful to the Lord for allowing them the privilege of directing Alamance Fine Arts Academy since 2017, and pray that all who enter the studio will feel welcomed and encouraged in Christ.
Meet the Team
Learn more about instructors & staff
Owner | Dance Director | Dance Instructor
Nicole Troxler
Nicole has been teaching children, teens, and adults the art of dance for over 25 years; 19 of those years at a studio that was called Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio. Over the years, she has served as instructor, Ballet Director, and Dance Director. She has directed and choreographed 13 ballets, including the beloved Cinderella. Nicole studied dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as under Jane Wellford at Elon University, and is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). She loves continuing education and takes many opportunities to further her dance knowledge in order to pass it on to her students each year. Nicole lives in Elon with her husband, Jeremy, and their 6 children, Noah, Nathan, Elijah, LilyAnn, Sarai, and Isabella.
Dance Instructor
Anna Ballard
Anna graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a BFA in dance choreography, and a K-12 teaching license. In addition to teaching several classes at AFAA, she is a K-12 Dance Instructor at Clover Garden School. She loves being able to combine her love of teaching and dancing at AFAA, and has been teaching here since 2017. She has studied many forms of dance throughout her training including ballet, contemporary, liturgical, African, and jazz, and has studied under many amazing teachers and professors, and she recently trained with Progressing Ballet Technique and received her certification in PBT. Anna currently lives in Burlington with her husband Brandon and their dogs Maggie and Bri. She cannot wait to share her passion for dance and Christ with her students!
Dance Instructor
Laney Lee
Laney is a graduate of Clover Garden School and lives in Burlington, NC with her husband, Josh, and dogs, Jesse & Sadie. She danced for 14 years at Arts Alive Fine Arts Studio, training in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Liturgical, Clogging, and Character, and she is a certified through Acrobatic Arts as an Acro Instructor. Laney participated in Rejoice! Dance Ministry, and has also assisted with choreography for an Alamance Children's Theatre production. Laney loves sharing her dance experience with AFAA students.
Dance Instructor
Elizabeth Sharpe
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.
Dance Instructor
Heather Zachary
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.
Dance Instructor
Dana Culberson
Dana enjoys all styles of dance. She received instruction from Candy Brooks dance studio and taught at Arts Alive for 16 years. Her background includes Clogging, Jazz, Tap, and Character; she has also danced as a member of the Burlington Carousel Cloggers. Dana lives in Gibsonville, NC with her husband. She is proud to have her son, Caleb, serving in the U.S. Navy. In her spare time, Dana enjoys reading, watching Netflix, and spending time with friends and family.
Dance Instructor
Susanna Sutton
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.
Dance Instructor
Marie Rouser
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.
Theatre II Director
Katherine Childs
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.
Theatre I Director
Katherine (Kat) Holmes
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).
Directors' Assistant, Theatre
Sidney-Clay Moser
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.
Visual Art Instructor | Decor Committee Chairperson
Lydia Harris
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.
Visual Art Instructor | Set Design & Construction & Design Director
Lucas Harris
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.
Voice Instructor
Jessica Johnson
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.
Instructors | Ballroom
Rockie & Mary Lou Troxler
Rockie and Mary Lou Troxler have been dancing ballroom for over 20 years and have competed in USA Dance for over 10 years in various venues across the continental United States. In 2012 they won the Senior IV International Standard National Championship and are charter members of the Carolina Heartland Chapter of USA Dance in Greensboro, NC. They are natives of Alamance County and currently reside near Elon, NC. They have three children: Tonja (married to Sunny), Jeremy (married to Nicole), and Jesse (married to Jamie), as well as 8 grandchildren.
Office Manager
Chrissy Hahn
Born and raised in NJ, Chrissy Hahn moved to NC to attend Elon and graduated in 1998 with a degree in Elementary Education. She fell in love with the area upon arrival, and has enjoyed making NC her home ever since. She loves being around people--especially children--and is thankful the Lord has blessed her with opportunities to work with children over the years as a 4th grade teacher at BCA; summer camp director and after school care director for Burlington Parks and Rec; board member for ACCHE; teacher for Veritas Classes, Inc.; member at Antioch Community Church; office helper for Arts Alive; and now as Office Manger at AFAA. But her most-loved role is as a wife to Scott and mom to her three kids; Simeon, Zach, and Vada.
Tech Support
Geoff Gentry
Geoff Gentry has a degree in communications from Elon. He worked for New Directions International (now Feed the Hunger) for several years doing video and computer work. He currently serves as a Data Manager for the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School System. Serving and helping are gifts the Lord has given him. He enjoys being behind the scenes in the background and supporting. These gifts have been cultivated and helped along the way from serving with his parents at church growing up, as well as serving in his church (running sound and computers). He has enjoyed running sound & lights, and helping backstage for dance and theater productions for many years. Geoff served behind the scenes at Arts Alive for 18 years and is glad to be part of the AFAA team.