Meet our Staff

Kristin LaNae Vanderbeek - Executive Director/Owner

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 - 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 - Operations Lead, Tap Program Director, and Curriculum Coordinator

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 - Admin Assistant, NHSDA Sponsor

Emalee Chapman is 25 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 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, winning regional & national honors, while also competing at Steps on Stage. She held the role of dance team captain and was an officer of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA).

Emalee graduated from North Carolina State University, Summa Cum Laude, with a degree in Communication and completed her Master's degree in Integrated Marketing & Communication from The University of North Carolina Wilmington in under a year.

Emalee has been a part of the staff for 8 years now. Over the years, her pieces have received different judge's awards, as well as choreography acknowledgements at competitions. Most recently, her contemporary group won Elite Grand Champion at 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 remotely with Steps & continues to push the importance of dance and arts eduction.

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.

Zophia Baucom

Zophia Baucom recently returned to North Carolina after achieving her goal of becoming a professional dancer in New York City. She is not only a professional dancer, but also an award-winning choreographer, instructor, and filmmaker.

While in New York, Zophia worked as a freelance dancer on numerous contemporary ballet projects, including a collaboration with world-renowned artist Reza Farkhondeh. In addition to performing, she has been a dedicated instructor for the past seven years, teaching a wide range of dance styles at various studios across North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey. Her students have gone on to perform professionally in national commercials and share the stage with artists such as Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey.

Before beginning her dance journey, Zophia was an accomplished competitive gymnast for 13 years, earning top overall placements in five state championships and three regional championships. At age 15, she discovered her passion for dance at West Johnston High School, where she led her team to three national championships. During this time, she trained under Cherri Crabtree at Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts and was a highly awarded member of their competition team.

Zophia graduated Summa Cum Laude from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, concentrating in Performance and Choreography. While at ECU, she performed in numerous works by faculty and guest artists and participated in esteemed dance intensives including Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK), Jennifer Archibald’s ArchCore40, and Joffrey Ballet School, where she was selected to perform in a piece choreographed by Angelica Stiskin in New York City.

Her long-term goal is to open her own dance studio, and she is committed to continually expanding her knowledge and experience to make that dream a reality. Zophia has a deep love for all styles of dance, and as an instructor, she strives to prepare her students technically for the professional world while helping them discover their unique passion and artistic voice.

Eileen Juric

Eileen Juric draws from a multi-layered history in the dance world. She began her career training on full scholarships at the Joffrey Ballet School and the School of American Ballet, afterwards dancing professionally as a soloist with the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet.

After her performing career, Eileen shifted to teaching children and later opened her own studio in New Jersey. Recognizing first-hand how traditional approaches fell short in a mainstream setting, she came to understand the need for a fresh approach to technique.

Eileen began developing an innovative technique program called “BalletBarreNone”, and she produced the acclaimed 3-DVD series “The Children’s Hour of Power” for ages 3-9. The highly-rated, 5-star reviewed series is based on the Joffrey Ballet School’s pre-ballet curriculum, has sold in over 23 countries, and was hailed by Dance Teacher Magazine as “unique and inspirational”.

She has continued to refine and expand her progressive teaching methods for dancers of all ages and backgrounds. While creating her latest content, Eileen decided to rename her program "PowerDance Technique" to better reflect its essence and reach its audience. The “Elements” Series, for ages 9 and up, was sponsored by Revolution Dancewear.

Since that time, Eileen has taught locally and traveled internationally as a faculty member for CLI Studios and for such conferences as the Dance Teacher Summit, the DanceLife Teacher Conference, Dance Masters of America, and the Florence Summer Dance Intensive in Italy. Eileen most recently taught for US Figure Skating’s “Access to Excellence” camp at their Colorado Springs headquarters this year.

Sydney McLeod

Sydney McLeod is 21 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 minors in Social Entrepreneurship and Sports Business. 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.

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!

Erica Richards

Erica holds a BFA in Modern Dance Performance from ECU. She trained with Galina Panova, Timour Bourtasenkov, Tommi Galaska, Patti Weeks, Roger Belman, and many other notable artists. She performed at the American Dance Festival at Duke University and The American College Dance Festival at Hollins University, 2008 and 2009 seasons. Erica was a part of the premiere season of Gaspard and Dancers, a modern dance company based in Durham and NYC. After teaching and performing for several years, she joined Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Cary as a professional Ballroom dance instructor and competitor, and became a Mixed Novice Regional Champion in 2014. She has since taught modern, jazz, ballet, and tap in Raleigh and surrounding areas to recreational and competitive dancers. Erica is proud of her students who have gone on to study in university dance programs at UNCSA, Meredith College, NCSU, UNCG and others. She is grateful to be back at Steps on Stage to train the amazing dancers here!

Gabrielle Stephenson

Gabrielle Stephenson has been dancing for over thirteen years. She has danced with Steps recreationally and on the company team for nine years. Gabrielle has attended multiple competitions and conventions with Steps. She is a student at West Johnston High School, where she is involved in many clubs.

Gabrielle has been trained in many styles of dance but focuses solely on tap. She has attended many tap events, training with professionals such as Josh Hilberman, Michelle Dorrance, Elizabeth Burke, Luke Hickey, Derick Grant, Lisa La Touché, Max Pollak, Mark Goodman, and many others. She loves to share her love for tap and is super excited to share it with even more students this year!