Meet our Staff
Kristin LaNae Vanderbeek - Owner/Preschool Director
Kris Vanderbeek, was born in Kansas City, MO. She began dancing at the age of 2. Her training included ballet, tap, jazz, acrobatics and baton. When her family relocated to Atlanta, she started gymnastics and ice skating. Her love for ice skating grew as she continued her training when they moved to Maryland. Kris worked privately with a coach to move through the various levels of figure skating. When her family relocated to New Jersey and was unable to find a rink nearby she returned to her first love - DANCE. She started classes at Robin Horneff Performing Arts Center, as well as acting in high school, where she had the opportunity to work with Danny Aiello, whom you may have seen in Jacob's Ladder, Harlem Nights, Broadway Danny Rose & The Godfather Part II to name a few. While attending college, she worked closely with children as a nanny. She is married to her best friend and they have 3 daughters. Her love for the arts and children lead her to become a licensed Kindermusik teacher after experiencing a class with her first daughter.
Through the years, Kris has worn many hats. 13 years ago, she walked into a new studio so that her oldest daughter could dance closer to home. That studio was Step on Stage. She has had the honor to be a parent, costume designer, visual artistic designer for all props, teacher, and as of June 2018 owner of this special gem. With her family by her side, the journey is just beginning.
Kris is a positive role model and brings a versatile expertise to this studio. She relishes the look on a students face when they have that "aha" moment. She ends every class with her students saying, "I'm the BEST me ever!"
Taliah Vanderbeek - Lead Artistic Director
Taliah Jade Vanderbeek, raised in Willow Spring, North Carolina, began her early training with Cheri Crabtree at Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts. She is a recent graduate of East Carolina University where she received her BFA in Dance Performance. While at ECU, she danced in works by Richard Smith, Danielle Lydia Sheather, Ji-Eun Lee and Emily Schoen, and trained under Galina Panova, Tommi Galaska, Teal Darkenwald and John Dixon. She also had the opportunity to work with guest artists such as Koresh company members, BodyTraffic, Parsons Dance and Tiffany Rae Fisher to name a few. In 2014, she attended the Joffrey Ballet School New York City Jazz and Contemporary Intensive on scholarship and performed at Symphony Space in works choreographed by Jeremy McQueen and Andre Tyson. Taliah choreographed many of her own works during her time at ECU and recently presented her senior thesis project "You plucked the darkness out of my soul. You saved me."
Katie Padgett Brown
A native of Lexington, KY, Katie Padgett Brown spent her early days training at Diana Evans School of Dance. As a part of the competitive team, she performed in local and national dance festivals, concerts, pageants, and competitions. With over 20 years of teaching experience at studios in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Kentucky and North Carolina, Katie prides herself on bringing a rhythm tap education to her students, and believes that all students can succeed when given the right tools.
Katie performed in the annual Kennedy Kennedy Center Gala performance hosted by Julie Andrews and featuring the NSO Pops, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. She was invited back to dance in the Gala a second time, this time hosted by Angela Lansbury, where she performed with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In 2008, she performed at Lincoln Center in New York City with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, once again conducted by Marvin Hamlisch, in a performance with Kristen Chenoweth and Raul Esparza.
More recently, Katie, her students, and her choreography have been seen at the Ellington Theater as part of the annual DC Tap Festival, The Kennedy Center, Chicago's Contemporary Art Museum as part of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and the Ernst Cultural Center.
In 2022, she completed the Level 1 Copasetic Canon Curriculum and holds a Tap Teacher Training Certificate from the American Tap Dance Foundation. Katie’s students have gone on to dance with M.A.D.D. Rhythms (Chicago), Music from the Sole (NYC), Dorrance Dance, The Juilliard School (NYC), The Mark Morris Dance Group, Houston Ballet 2, The Richmond Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, The Boston Ballet, Ballet West, The School of American Ballet, numerous Broadways shows, national tours, regional theatre productions, and various college and university dance programs across the United States.
Katie is a proud honors graduate of Elon University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music.
When she is not nerding out about tap dance (or dance in general), she spends her time at home in North Carolina, reading, kayaking, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her husband and their cat.
Emalee Chapman
Emalee Chapman is 23 years old and has been dancing since she was 3. In 2008, her family moved from Maryland to North Carolina. She continued her love for dance once she moved here and has since then been trained by multiple dance instructors. Over the years, she has been trained in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, clogging, acrobatics, lyrical, musical theater, and ballet. Emalee has been with Steps on Stage since its opening and has loved it ever since. She has received multiple top honors and scholarships at regional and national dance competitions since her start of competition dance at the age of 6, as well as attending numerous dance conventions and intensives to grow in dance until she graduated from high school. Emalee attended West Johnston and was apart of the dance team there for four years while also competing. She held the role of dance team captain and was a part of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA).
Emalee graduated from North Carolina State University, Summa Cum Laude, with a degree in Communication. Most recently, Emalee completed her Master's degree in Integrated Marketing & Communication from The University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Emalee has been a part of the staff for 5 years now. Over the years, her dances have received different judge's awards, as well as choreography acknowledgements at dance competitions. Most recently, her contemporary group won Elite Grand Champion at Southeast Showdown Nationals. Emalee is also currently the official chapter sponsor for NHSDA at the studio. Even though she no longer lives in NC, she still works with Steps as the Marketing/PR Coordinator and was able to choreograph multiple pieces for the upcoming competition season.
“I love being able to teach and choreograph, but most of all I love being able to see my students improve and to see their love for dance grow!"
Zophia Baucom
Zophia Baucom recently returned to North Carolina after accomplishing her goal of becoming a professional dancer in New York City. Not only is she a professional dancer, she’s also an award-winning choreographer, instructor and film creator. Zophia danced for world renowned artist Reza Farkhondeh and has been an instructor teaching multiple genres of dance for the past 5 years at multiple studios in North Carolina, New York and New Jersey. Zophia was an accomplished competitive gymnast for 13 years winning highest overall in 5 state championships and 3 regional championships. At age 15, she found her love for dance at West Johnston High School where she led her team to 3 National Championships. During that time, Zophia studied under Cheri Crabtree at Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts and was an award-winning member of the competition team. Zophia graduated Summa Cum Laude from East Carolina University (ECU) with a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Performance and Choreography. During her time at ECU, she performed in multiple faculty and guest artist works. Zophia also participated in dance intensives with Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK), Jennifer Archibald’s ArchCore40 and Joffrey Ballet School where she was cast to perform in Angelica Stiskins work in New York City. Zophia has a love for all styles of dance and her goal as a teacher is to help future dancers be technically prepared for the professional world while helping them find their own individual passion and voice for the art form.
Sydney McLeod
Sydney McLeod is 19 years old and has been dancing with Steps since she was 11. She was on the West Johnston High School dance team her senior year as well as the National Honors Society of Dance. She’s been in trained in hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, and musical theatre but hip hop and contemporary are her favorite. She graduated from West Johnston in 2022 and is now attending Campbell University double majoring in Business Management and Marketing with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship. She has been on Step’s company team since she started at age 11 and has also attended multiple dance conventions with the studio. She loves the girls she teaches and danced with and can’t wait to continue to watch them grow every year.
Brittney Ayers
Brittney Alayna Ayers has been dancing since she was 2, competing in national championships at the age of 5. She danced in all different styles, such as lyrical, contemporary, ballet, pointe, hip-hop, jazz, tap, jazz funk, ballroom, musical theater, Acro, modern, open and heels. She danced throughout the cities of Minnesota, at Woodbury dance studio and Larkin Dance Studio, along with competing in her high school dance team. Throughout her life, Brittney has received many accomplishments with her dancing, such as being in the Super bowl halftime performance of 2017, Member of CSB Competition dance team, Captain of Larkin Performing Line Competition Dance Team, Captain of the Hill-Murray Dance Team, State Participant, All Conference and All Conference Honorable Mention both Hill-Murray dance and track and field, Numerous National and Regional Dance awards from 1999-2018, and Completed the Certificate Program at Millennium Dance Complex in LA. Brittney was able to study and dance abroad, attending classes in different languages, such as France, Italy, Switzerland and Greece. Brittney is choreographing all over the Twin Cities of Minnesota, Fayetteville in North Carolina, Belville in Canada, along with working various studios in North Carolina and judging at multiple Dance Competitions on weekends. She strives to keep up on her dancing, while performing and attending classes all around North Carolina, LA, Canada, and Minnesota. She is in the process of auditioning for famous sports teams and dance companies in the USA. Brittney always works hard at her passion for dancing and tries to keep on improving her network within the industry. She brings a positive atmosphere around those in her community, challenging people to their utmost potential and even pushing herself to new limits.
Mikah Simms
Mimi (Mikah Simms) is a 19-year-old professional dancer who was born in Fayetteville, NC. She has trained with the best at CLI Conservatory working with Robert Green, Teddy Forance, Akira Uchida, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Brian Nicholson, Codie Wiggins and Sienna Lyons. Mimi signed with Go2Talent Agency and is now teaching until her soon move to LA. Mimi has experience with teaching, Dancing on Camera, and performance quality. She loves to share her artistry with the dance community. Her goal as a teacher is to always create a space where students feel 100% themselves all while pushing them to be the best dancer they can be!
Vivian Kaye
Vivian Kaye is a Senior at UNC Chapel Hill, studying Psychology and Art. She is an Acro Specialist dance teacher who also loves teaching Jazz, Lyrical and Contemporary. She began dancing at age 6 and transitioned to competitive gymnastics at age 10. At 16, she began teaching and fell in love with sharing her love for movement. When she's not in the studio, she loves traveling, shopping, and cuddling with her cats, Milo and Sandy. She is so excited to become a member of Steps Faculty and meet all the dancers and their families!
Taylor Chase
Taylor Nicole Chase was raised in Ayden, North Carolina, and is now a student at Meredith College in Raleigh, where she is majoring in Hospitality and Tourism Management with minors in Dance and Communications. Taylor began dancing at a very young age and did most of her dance training at Greenville Civic Ballet or with the Eastern North Carolina Dance Foundation's "The Dance Collective" (a pre-professional company out of Greenville, North Carolina). She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, modern, hip-hop, and pointe. She has performed in many ballets and shows throughout her training such as "The Nutcracker", "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", and shows at the University North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Taylor is now dancing and choreographing at Meredith College and is a part of the Meredith College Jazz and Tap Company. Taylor is very excited to teach at Steps on Stage and hopes each of her students can become encouraged and confident through their dancing.
Robyn Wilson - Office Manager
Robyn lives in the McGee’s Crossroads area where she grew up on her family’s farm. She lives with her husband, Bryan, and their two dachshunds (Charlie and Waffles). She has a 20 year old son, Seth, and an 18 year old daughter, Sydney. She is a part time home baker and enjoys going to Myrtle Beach, watching Friends and following New Kids on the Block!
Robyn was introduced to the dance world when her daughter began taking dance at Steps on Stage seven years ago. Sydney has been a recreational and competitive dancer, so Robyn has learned all the ins and outs of dance and made invaluable friends at the studio. She has worked in the Johnston County school system for 11 years and has experience working with children and parents on a daily basis as well as working with an office staff.
As Sydney has now graduated, Robyn is so excited to be able to stay with the Steps family to encourage the other dancers and parents and continue to be a part of this wonderful studio.