Meet Our Teachers & Staff
Maggie Kersten
Instructor/creative director
Maggie grew up dancing in Northwest Indiana before attending Interlochen Arts Academy for High School. She trained in ballet, pointe, modern, contemporary, and jazz. She then moved to Athens to attend Ohio University, and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Specialized Studies in Dance and Music. After graduation, Maggie went on to teach dance in Columbus for 6 years. She has worked with children of all ages in dance and non-dance settings since 2014.
Maggie recently graduated with a Masters of Community Dance and a Masters of Arts Administration at Ohio University.
amanda desantos
instructor
Amanda de Santos recently graduated from Ohio University with a Master of Arts Administration, with a specialization in Community Dance. She grew up in Athens, OH where she danced at Factory Street Studio for 15 years. At FSS, she studied modern, ballet, jazz, tap, and composition. Amanda went on to Franklin & Marshall College where she received a BA in Dance. At F&M, she developed a love and passion for improvisation and is always looking for new ideas to explore through the moving body. Amanda has also had the opportunity to study and work at the Centre International de Danse Rick Odums in Paris, France. Currently, Amanda serves on the board at Factory Street, where her love and deep appreciation for FSS and the community continue to grow.
bethany moreland
instructor
Bethany grew up dancing in Columbus, Ohio. She began taking ballet classes at the age of 3 and instantly fell in love. Through high school dance, especially ballet and modern, remained her focus.
After high school she studied Family Sciences and Human Development at The Ohio State University. Bethany then earned her Master’s in Early Childhood Education at Muskingum University. Throughout college dance remained a favorite pastime and stress reliever.
Bethany is currently a 3rd grade teacher at Amesville Elementary. She loves teaching young students the basics of dance. Bethany has been with Factory Street since 2016 and is looking forward to another season at the studio.
Sarah Braun
Instructor
Sarah is a third year student at Ohio University studying Art History. She danced at Factory Street Studio for fourteen years. Growing up, Sarah’s tap teachers were very important to her and helped her find a love for dance. Sarah is very excited to share her love of dance with more tappers!
Meg mccleary
intern instructor
Meg McCleary is a sophomore double major in Dance Performance and Choreography and Communications. She is also in the Ohio Honors College and pursuing a Performing Arts Health and Wellness certificate. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Meg trained at Academy of Dance Arts starting at age 14 in styles such as Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Hip-hop, Tap, and Musical Theater. This summer Meg had the opportunity to teach at the Schools Summer Intensive. While at Ohio University, Meg has performed in multiple School of Dance Shows such as Senior Dance Concert (2023,2024), Winter Dance Concert (2024), and Junior Projects (2024). She has also been the recipient of many scholarships for dance and academics. After graduation (2027), Meg hopes to continue teaching and performing.
Frankie bonte
instructor
Frankie Bonte recently graduated from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), receiving a BA in Dance and a BSE in Materials Science and Engineering. While at CWRU, she focused on the Graham modern dance technique. She has also trained in various dance forms at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, BalletMet in Columbus, Joffrey Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet, including ballet, pointe, modern, character dance, flamenco, and jazz. This year, she is studying business at Ohio University. Frankie is excited to teach at Factory Street -- the first place she ever took a dance class more than 17 years ago!
Kendall cooper
instructor
Kendall Cooper grew up competitively dancing and cheerleading in Dublin Ohio. She was a member of Dance Extensions Company and Collaborative Dance Program. She received numerous awards competing at local competitions. As a 2020 graduate from Dublin Jerome HS, Kendall received six OHSAA cheerleading state titles from 2017,2018,2019, and 2020. Her passion for dance continued as a student at the University of Kentucky and member of University of Kentucky's Dance Ensemble. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and dance in May 2024. Kendall is currently pursuing her Masters in Community Dance at Ohio University. She is excited to share her love for dance at Factory Street teaching Tech 2 Jazz.
Chloe Stocksett
intern instructor
Chloe Stocksett is currently a junior at Ohio University where she is working towards obtaining her BFA in performance and choreography and BS is Psychology. Chloe is from Florence, AL where she started taking dance classes at age 3 and quickly became a competitive competition dancer by age 5 at All Starz Dance Academy. During her time here she also began teaching dance to kids ages 5-18. During high school, Chloe was apart of her the Florence Academy of Fine Arts Company where she trained in various places all over the country. While at Ohio University, she has been involved in various performances with the School of Dance including Senior Dance Concerts, Winter Dance Concerts, and Junior Dance Concerts. Chloe has a passion for teaching dance and creating and enjoys sharing this love with her Factory Street Tech 2 Modern kids!
Gabby halliwill
intern instructor
Gabby Halliwill is a dancer, artist, and an actor. They are known for their fluid movement style and powerful stage presence. They view dance as a gift. As a 2022 graduate from Clonlara High School, with a performing arts endorsement in dance. They were a member of the performing company at IlluminaTe Dance & Art Center in Tecumseh, Michigan. She was also a member the JMESDA National dance company and toured during the summer. She also has studied under Molly Shanahan at Mad Shark studios in Chicago. Gabby was cast as a teen ensemble dancer in the Music Man musical, The Croswell Opera House in 2019. Gabby is currently a junior at Ohio University where she is pursuing a BFA in dance. She is proud to have earned an individual scholarship for her choreography.
tresa randall
instructor
Tresa Randall is a dancer-artist-scholar-educator with more than twenty-five years of experience teaching dance in community and university settings to children, teens, and adults. She is an Associate Professor at Ohio University, where she directs the Honors Tutorial program in Dance Studies and serves as chair of the master’s degree in Community Dance. Before coming to Athens, she danced professionally in New York, Philadelphia, and Santa Fe. Tresa has presented her choreography at American College Dance Festival, Dancing One Soul, Temple University, Hamilton College, and the Center for Contemporary Art in Santa Fe. As a dance historian, she presents and publishes work on dance modernism through international conferences and publications. Tresa was honored to serve on the Factory Street Studio Board of Directors for eleven years, including four years as President. During that time, she helped to create the FSS-School of Dance Teaching Artist Internship Program.
Christi Camper Moore
Instructor
Christi has a diverse background as a dance educator, administrator, and choreographer. She has been teaching dance for over 25 years in various settings including public schools, community spaces, private studios, and higher education. She taught her first dance classes for Factory Street in the mid 1990’s! Although she remained connected over the years, she returned to regular teaching at the studio in 2013.
Christi is an Associate Professor of Dance at Ohio University, where she also heads the Master of Arts Administration program. Her professional choreography has been presented at venues in Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. She also regularly collaborates with colleagues in theater and has choreographed numerous main stage musicals. As a dance scholar, Christi’s research focuses on pedagogy; she explores how dance training, curriculum, and community shape a student’s identity within the context of their studies. She contributes to the field through original research, international presentations, and publications.
Regardless of the class or age group she is teaching, Christi loves working with students to amplify their learning experiences and collaboratively explore their unique dance goals and interests.
Madison Cather
instructor
Madison Cather pursues a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health at Ohio University. She has danced for 11 years in Contemporary, Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Pointe. This past summer, Madison traveled to Italy with staibdance and was immersed in a 2-week summer dance program and final performance. Madison also recently performed in Factory Reset choreographed by Anthony Alterio at Ohio University’s Winter Dance Concert. Her latest choreographic works premiered with OU Vibrations Spring Show and Factory Street Dance Studio’s Spring Show. When Madison isn’t dancing or studying she can be found outside in the sunshine, listening to music and making art.
Ashley joy sarver
instructor
Ashley Joy Sarver has been social dancing, training, performing, and teaching for nearly 20 years, in particular East Coast Swing (Jitterbug), Lindy Hop, 20s Charleston, Balboa, Solo Jazz (Soft Shoe Tap), and Blues – as well as Latin-jazz dances like Salsa (On1, On2, and Casino) and Bachata.
Born and raised in Athens, she learned to dance – and developed lifelong friendships – at Factory Street Studio. She considers it the highest honor to have come home to Factory Street, now as a teacher. After college, Ashley moved to San Francisco where she fell in love with partner dancing. She explored dozens of dance styles, social dancing and training daily. As part of professional Salsa and Swing dance teams, she has performed throughout the U.S. and internationally, from New York, Los Angeles, and Vegas – to Paris, Warsaw, Cuba, and Mexico City.
In 2020, Ashley moved home to Athens, and is thrilled to be sharing her passion for social dance with her hometown. She is passionate about nurturing a thriving social-dance community here in Southeastern Ohio. Learn more at www.ashleyteaches.com.
Abby mattlin
intern instructor
Abby Mattlin is a junior at Ohio University. She is working towards her Bachelor's in Psychology with a minor in Performance and Choreography. Abby is from Cleveland, Ohio where she grew up dancing ever since she was 4 years old. She trained in various of styles of dance such as Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Hip-Hop, Ballroom, Lyrical, and Heels. She has been teaching dance for about 5 years now with ages 6-18. Some performance moments she has been a part of include, preforming with the Moscow Ballet of the Nutcracker at Cleveland’s Music Hall, dancing at a Kent-State University basketball game, and performing at a final concert at Tri-C community college. Aside from dance Abby enjoys yoga, the outdoors, and chai tea lattes! Teaching dance is a huge passion of hers, and she is so grateful for her opportunity here at FSS!
Mallory Godwin
Intern instructor
Mallory Godwin is a junior at Ohio University pursuing two degrees: B.F.A. Dance & Choreography and B.A. International Studies. Mallory has been dancing for seventeen years. Her previous dance training consists of dancing with performance-based Sidney Dance Company for eight years where she learned ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, and contemporary. More recently, she has studied modern, hip hop, and k-pop styles in South Korea and Greece, at Hanyang University, 1Million Dance Studio, and The American College of Greece. In the future, Mallory plans to pursue a career internationally in choreography. Aside from dancing, Mallory enjoys hiking, art, and learning new languages. She is so excited to be sharing her passion for dance at Factory Street.
Hallee cremeans
intern instructor
Hallee is a 20-year-old junior at Ohio University, majoring in Dance Performance and Choreography. Originally from Athens, Ohio, she spent 10 years training at Factory Street. She now shares her passion for dance as a Tech 2 Modern teacher alongside Chloe Stocksett. After an exciting experience with commercial dance in Los Angeles, Hallee is eager to graduate and pursue her career in both teaching and performing.
Factory Street Studio is proud to partner with Ohio University’s School of Dance for a one of a kind internship experience. For more information, visit https://www.ohio.edu/experience-ohio/factory-street-studio