Originally from Southwestern Pennsylvania, Ashley began dancing at the age of two. She received her BA in Dance from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in 2006. After graduating, she moved to Richmond to pursue her career as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. During her performing career she choreographed works that were performed in Chicago, Richmond, Charlottesville, and the Asheville Fringe Festival. She has worked with RVA Dance Collective, Ground Zero Dance Company, Dim Sum Dance, and Starr Foster Dance Project. She was selected for the work-study position at the Studio Upsun in Pennsylvania (SUPA) Choreographers Workshop in 2010 and 2013 with Jeanine Durning, 2011 ChoreoLab with Julie Mayo, and SUPA 2012 with RoseAnne Spradlin. Ashley directed the Extended Day Creative Dance Program at Saint Christopher's School from 2012 to 2018. She is Acrobatic Arts Certified, Certified in Modules one, two and three of Alixa Flexibility, Y.P.A.D. Certified (Youth Protection Advocates in Dance) and a member of NDEO (National Dance Educators Organization). She has a passion for continuing education in all ares of dance. After teaching at Regency for 8 years, Ashley became owner in 2019. Ashley is determined to continue the legacy of Regency Dance Academy by providing the Richmond area with the best possible dance teachers and training. She is also the mother of Mabel, Roland, and Laszlo.

Tracy founded and opened Regency Dance Academy in 1989. She has been a dancer, performer, choreographer and teacher for over 50 years. Over the 30 years of owning Regency Dance Academy, she has had the privilege to teach three generations of students and families. Making the studio one of the largest and longest running in Richmond Virginia, Tracy is particularly proud of the adult dance department at the studio. Still today, The adult students number over 100 studying Tap, Jazz and Hip Hop. Over the years, Tracy conducted many Award winning competition teams which have competed regionally and nationally and consistently won multiple first place trophies and specialty awards. To this day, The competition department remains at the top of their game at Regency Dance Academy, still winning and making a mark in the dance world. Tracy is very proud of all she’s accomplished over the years and is most proud that Ashley Valo- Horrigan can continue her legacy and maintain Regency Dance Academy as a top dance studio in Richmond Virginia! Tracy looks forward to many more wonderful years as a teacher at Regency Dance Academy!

Brooke is a freelance artist with a passion for fashion. Her work spans from teaching toddler art classes to styling events at New York Fashion Week. Brooke is a Virginia native who joined the Regency Dance team in 2021. She enjoys being back in the dance studio, a place where she spent the majority of her childhood and teen years. She moved to Richmond in 2012 to attend Virginia Commonwealth University's Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. From there, she received a Bachelors of Science in Mass Communications with a focus in advertising. ​ In her free time, Brooke loves collaging, creating clothes, binging her favorite reality tv shows and belting classic Britney Spears bops.

Born and raised in Richmond, Paisley began her training here at Regency Dance Academy in her early childhood. She started recreationally before she moved onto the company team where she competed from 2016-2026. She went on to join the Ambassador program for Ignite Dance Competition, where she worked as a convention assistant and stage hand from 2023-2024. She attended the Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary summer intensive in New York City the summer of 2025. Recently, she danced in a music video for Richmond’s very own Dumb Waiter Band. Given the opportunity, she began teaching and choreographing at the age of 16 at Regency and has loved it ever since. Paisley has set her mission to inspire and uplift the next generation of dancers!

Originally from New Jersey, Kelly is a graduate of the Freehold Fine & Performing Arts Program in New Jersey as well as studied at the NJ Governor's School of the Arts at Trenton State University. She then continued her music and dance training at Howard University. Kelly was a dancer and Dance Team Captain with the Washington Wizards for 3 years and was a Washington Redskins Cheerleader for 7 years and held the position of captain as well. Present day, she still choreographs for the Washington Commanders Cheerleaders. In addition, Kelly has performed in a few music videos for national recording artists. Kelly was also a member of The Capitol Movement Project Dance company where she had the honor of choreographing and performing in 7 Capitol Movements Concerts at the Historic Lincoln Theater, as well as the Kennedy Center under some of the country’s top choreographers including Tony Powell, Luam, Laura Edwards and Chris Hale. ​ In addition, Kelly Directed the Lady Raiders for 4 years (Indoor Professional Football) and the Richmond RoughRiders for 2 years. In its first season, the Richmond RoughRiders were voted the best dance team in the league. She has also choreographed competition routines for Clover Hill High School’s dance team and Prince George’s High School Dance Team.

Delaney grew up in the Virginia Beach area, and attended VCU where she obtained a degree in Business Management. She was a competitive gymnast for years, and began teaching 10 years ago. Teaching kids has always been her passion, and throughout her career she worked with all different ages and levels throughout Virginia. She prides herself on her ability to connect with children of all backgrounds and helping each of them reach their potential at their own pace. Delaney is an Acrobatic Arts certified instructor.

Jodi is a writer, editor, strategic planner, and organizer who loves to help businesses and nonprofit organizations tell their story, identify & set goals, and devise a plan to achieve those goals. That process is a journey, which leads to new discoveries, creative ideas, and innovative solutions. A true advocate, Jodi prides herself on being insightful, principled, passionate, creative, and altruistic. Jodi holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from California University of Pennsylvania and a master of public administration from VCU. Her 20+ years in nonprofit fundraising allowed her to serve a variety of arts and education organizations in Richmond. Jodi grew up dancing and she is pleased to lean in to her Dance Mom era and help maintain RDA's 8,000+ sq. feet of studio space and to assist wherever needed!

Amory has been dancing her whole life, and after a brief break when she started her family. Amory has a degree in theater and dance from The University of Mary Washington where she served as the head choreographer for their dance team and show choir. After college, she performed at Walt Disney World for 3 years and then moved to RVA. She is currently a TV/Film Casting Director and choreographer for several national commercials. She loves spending her free time on weekends on adventures away from home with her husband and three kids.

Carly Johnson grew up dancing in Vienna, Virginia and trained in ballet, lyrical, tap, jazz, musical theatre, and modern. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BFA in Dance and Choreography, a minor in General Business, and an Honors degree. While at VCU she had the pleasure of performing in pieces choreographed by her peers, faculty members, and guest artists such as Stephanie Martinez and Doug Varone. Previously based in Northern Virginia, Carly performed with several modern companies and taught studio classes. It is her greatest joy to help students of all ages discover their love of dance and perform from the heart.

KD is a dynamic dancer and instructor whose movement is rooted in hip hop, with influences from liturgical, contemporary, and majorette styles. As a versatile performer, KD has experience across live performances, music videos, and film, dancing for artists including Loretta Merritt and Fatman Scoop. Over the course of KD's professional training, KD has studied under instructors such as Tweet Boogie and Gary Beauford while training throughout the East Coast in major dance hubs including Atlanta, New York City, and Washington, D.C. KD remains committed to continued training, continually refining her artistry and expanding her movement vocabulary. KD is passionate about creating an encouraging learning environment where dancers are challenged to grow in both confidence and technique while embracing their individuality.

Arianna (Ari) discovered her love for dance at the age of four, beginning her training in Maine with Maine State Ballet, Portland School of Ballet, and Bossov Ballet. Her passion and dedication to the art form led her to continue her studies internationally at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia, and at the Houston Ballet Academy in Houston, Texas. At just 18 years old, Arianna began her professional career with Oklahoma City Ballet, where she spent six seasons performing a wide range of classical and contemporary works by some of the world’s most celebrated choreographers, including George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, Agnes de Mille, Helen Pickett, Ma Cong, Anthony Tudor, and Twyla Tharp. She later joined Dayton Ballet, where she had the opportunity to perform many memorable roles, including the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, along with works by Gerald Arpino, Mariana Oliveira, and Septime Webre.

Tay Lourenso is a passionate dancer who searches for every opportunity to express herself. Her experience spans across hip hop, contemporary, modern, lyrical, jazz, broadway jazz, ballet, and tap. She loves to dance but finds even more joy in helping others learn to do the same. She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University where she earned an interdisciplinary studies degree with focuses in English, education, and psychology. She uses her education focus to make sure her students get the most effective training possible and psychology to ensure that they are happy and healthy along the way. She sees dance as something that should be freeing and bring joy. She uses every technique to keep her classes exciting, dances unique, and students bonded. It is vital that dancers feel safe, and know they are valued no matter what.

Meredith Reardon is a Richmond-based dance artist, choreographer, and educator whose life in dance began at the age of two. A native of Richmond, she began her training with local teachers including Ann Catherine Cross and The Richmond Ballet before performing with The Moscow Ballet. As a young dancer, Meredith had the opportunity to train with artists including Mia Michaels, Desmond Richardson, Andy Blankenbuehler, Suzi Taylor, and Leslie Browne. In 2005, she attended the New York City Dance Alliance Dance Intensive, performing original work at LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and the Performing Arts. Meredith earned her B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009. During her time at VCU, she studied and performed with artists and companies including Robert Battle, Urban Bush Women, Scott Putman, Gerri Houlihan, Francis Wessells, Arnott Mader, Lori Belilove, Starr Foster Dance Project, and Heidi Weiss. She has continued to perform and create within the Richmond dance community with Starr Foster Dance Project and RVA Dance Collective, with her award-winning choreography presented at the Virginia Dance Festival in 2018 and 2019. In 2016, Meredith founded The Dance Lab in Ashland, Virginia, creating a space for dancers to continue their training, explore their artistry, and develop confidence in their individual voices. Her career has expanded across performance, choreography, education, and arts administration, including artistic direction, production, stage management, marketing, and curriculum development. Meredith currently teaches Fundamentals of Dance in the Arts Department at Randolph-Macon College, along with Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, and Tap. She brings her interests in improvisation, yoga, strength training, and dance medicine into her classes, workshops, choreography, and curriculum. She is certified in Progressing Contemporary Technique and Progressing Ballet Technique. Meredith’s teaching and choreography are grounded in the belief that strong technique and genuine artistry should coexist. She strives to create spaces where dancers can work rigorously, stay curious, take creative risks, and discover the ways movement can connect us to themselves and to one another.

Ella Richmond is a devoted dance educator with nearly a decade of teaching experience, fueled by a lifelong love for movement. Ella’s versatile background spans Ballet, Tap, Jazz, HipHop, Musical Theater/Character Heels,Modern/Contemporary, Pointe, Pom Funk, Ensemble choreography, and competitive dance. Guided by seasoned mentors, she cultivated a teaching style rooted in structure, empathy, creative exploration, and confidence building. She is a Danscend-certified Mental Wellness Dance Educator who strives to make every class a safe, affirming space where growth—both technical and emotional—is always the goal. Today, Ella empowers dancers of all ages to find strength, confidence, and creativity in their movement, while remaining devoted to her own growth as an artist and educator.

Natasha started dancing when she was five years old, and began taking dance classes at Regency Dance Academy in 2016. She trained across multiple disciplines, including ballet, contemporary, and jazz, and she joined the Regency Company in 2017. She competed in Jazz, Contemporary, and Musical Theater small groups, as well as production numbers and solos, until she graduated from Douglas Freeman High School in 2021. After high school, Natasha attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2025. Natasha has been teaching dance since 2022 and came back to teach at Regency in 2023. She recently completed CLI Conservatory's Preschool Dance certificate program. Natasha currently teaches ballet, jazz, and contemporary, and enjoys sharing her passion for dance and movement with her students. She looks forward to her fourth season as a teacher here at Regency Dance Academy!

Casey Royer brings over 25 years of dance education experience and a deep passion for movement to Regency. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Casey grew up dancing throughout the tristate area and was a founding member of the Susquehanna Youth Ballet in southern Pennsylvania. Casey holds a BFA in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University and has performed professionally with several local companies, including rva dance collective, Starr Foster Dance Project, Mayzoul Richmond Chapter, and av dance. As the former owner and director of Arts In Motion Dance Academy for 13 years, Casey possesses a rich background in nurturing dancers of all levels. Known for an exceptional ability to connect with students of all ages, Casey’s teaching style blends anatomical clarity with creative imagery, making complex techniques accessible and fun. Casey is dedicated to cultivating a classroom culture rooted in inclusivity, body positivity, and pure joy. When not in the studio, Casey runs Creative Rhythm Solutions, a small business consulting firm specializing in project management, systems and automation, and bookkeeping services. She lives in Richmond with her wife Margi and their two spoiled dogs, Kora and Benji.