Brooklyne Williamson
owner/artistic director
Brooklyne is a native to the Wilmington area and began dancing at the young age of 2. She has always had a passion for the arts and for children. Brooklyne danced competitively in Wilmington throughout grade school. She won many dance awards and honors including overall placements at Nationals, America’s Dancer of the Year, America’s Teen Miss Dance and America’s Miss Dance. Before opening EDC, Brooklyne was in the top 20 finalists for the Radio City Rockettes in NYC and she was 3rd Runner Up at the Miss North Carolina Scholarship Pageant in 2012. Brooklyne is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she majored in Communication Studies and minored in Theatre. She was also a member of the UNCW Dance Team while in attendance. She currently enjoys volunteering with Opera House Theatre Company in her spare time. She has played many leading dance roles and choreographed Billy Elliot last summer. She continues her dance education by constantly attending dance conventions so that she can teach her students to the best of her ability. Brooklyne encourages her students to attend conventions themselves and she also brings well-known instructors and choreographers from across the country into the studio to teach master classes throughout the year. She believes in training dancers to be well-rounded so they can grow into successful professional dancers/artists. Brooklyne is an Active Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation where she has led a yearly fundraiser through the studio which has raised over $90,000 for children with terminal illnesses. One of her goals is to not only provide a healthy, nurturing, yet challenging dance environment for our youth, but also teach the EDC students the importance of giving back to others. Through her years of teaching, Brooklyne has won a number of teacher’s awards and choreography awards and her students and fellow staff members have been extremely successful as well. Brooklyne’s current teaching passion is private lessons, choreographing competitive routines, and teaching technique classes! Brooklyne is proud to say that EDC has been awarded the Top Studio Award as well as the Backstage Award for being a “class act studio” in recent years. She is grateful to have the best and top of the line instructors to teach Wilmington’s upcoming generations the art of dance!
Susan Sirianni
Susan Sirianni began her ballet studies with Jean Harris at 7 years old. She continued her studies and performance with the Raleigh Civic Ballet followed by University of North Carolina School of the Arts. In Atlanta, Susan danced with Lee Harper and Dancers and Dance South. She has worked in Musical Theatre as well as contemporary dance. Her most influential instructors were Johnny Walker, Anthony Ferro, Gyula Pandi, Lee Harper and Lou Criscuolo.
Allen Cooper
Allen began dancing at age 9. Throughout his training he has assisted such greats as Jason Parsons, Dee Caspary, Dennis Caspary, and Mia Michaels. He has appeared in national commercials such as ( Macys, Kmart, Joe Boxer) and industrials since the age of 15 and also was asked to appear on the tv show Star Search. Allen has assisted choreographers for the hit FOX tv show “So You Think You Can Dance”. At the age of 18 he began teaching on numerous dance conventions and for national talent competitions all over America. He has also been asked to choreograph opening numbers for benefits and charities across the country including The Woman’s Cancer Research Foundation and DRA (dancers responding to aids). Allen performed in Bryant Park in New York City with the Jason Parsons Project at the young age of 15. Allen was also brought on as a principle dancer with Odyssey Dance Theatre where he traveled the world and also had the the opportunity to perform at the Jazz world congress. His creative vision and excellence has been described as moving and inspirational. His ability to bring out passion in young dancers nationwide has created high demand for his gift of teaching. Since Allen moved back to the east coast he has continued to be one of the most sought out teachers and choreographers across the country.
Autumn Cooper
Originally from Nashville Tn, and traveling back and forth from California to North Carolina. Recently working on FOX’s TV show “Masked Dancer”, ABC’s show “Holy Moly” as assistant choreographer and performer along with touring and teaching on “IDanceConvention” in Canada along with dance convention “Endless Talent”, Her credits include: Broadway National tour “WICKED” as Palm Tree, Rihanna, LeAnn Rimes, Meaghan Smith, Billy Gilman, CeCe Winans, I Kissed a Vampire, Bad CGI Sharks (films), The CW’s “The 100,” “America’s Got Talent,” “Abby Lees Ultimate Dance Competition,” “Latin Dance TV,” Google, Reebok, Samsung, Avon (Industrials), multiple
Sarah Deming
Sarah began dancing at age 3 with Glenda Peele at Center Stage School of Performing Arts in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. By age five she began competing at regional dance competitions with Wrenn Peele. In the summer of 2016, Sarah attended the Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive in New York City, and again in 2018 where she was accepted into the Joffrey Ballet School program. When returning to NC, Sarah attended the Raleigh School of Ballet with Mary Legere, Hong Yang, and Susan Galdy, to name a few. While at the Raleigh School of Ballet, Sarah auditioned and was accepted into the Raleigh Dance Theatre, the performing group at RSB, where she performed for two years. During the summer of 2018, Sarah attended the Washington School of Ballet intensive in D.C. In 2019, Sarah was accepted to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s dual dance program where she was also accepted as a Charlotte Ballet trainee. Unfortunately, the pandemic changed everything and Sarah had taken a step back from dance to focus on her academic career. She later moved to Wilmington to attend the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, studying Public Health with a concentration in Gerontology. Sarah has regained her passion for dance and is excited to create a safe environment for students to learn and love ballet!
Leah Avant
Leah was born and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina where she began dancing at two-years-old. Leah continued her dance education through her mentors and teachers, Miss Brooklyne, Mrs. Marybeth, Mrs. Su, and Ms. Monica as well as her mother, Mrs. Crystal, who all shaped Leah into the dancer and person she is today. After graduating high school, Leah taught dance to the youngest members of the EDC dance family mainly through creative movement classes EDC offers. Leah graduated from UNCW with her masters degree in Social Work in 2022; when she isn’t at the dance studio, you can find her working as a child therapist during the day serving both New Hanover and Brunswick counties’ populations! Leah enjoys bridging her love and passion for dance and her career in social work to enhance the emotional safety and well-being of all children at EDC! Leah began dancing at EDC when the doors opened in 2014 as a student, and is beyond thrilled to still be so heavily involved, now as a mentor to students just like her, so many years later. Leah is very well-versed in all genres of dance and enjoys teaching tap, creative movement, musical theatre, and jazz technique to all ages and students at EDC. Welcome to our dance family, EDC is the place to be!
Mary Beth Henderson
Hello everyone! My name is Mary Beth Henderson and I have been teaching dance for over 35 years and have been teaching at Evolution Dance Complex since 2014. I even taught Ms. Brooklyne, owner of EDC when she was a young dancer, as well a Mrs. Crystal, Ms. Leah, Ms. Cameron and Ms. Skylar! I enjoy teaching every level of dancer and some of my favorite dance techniques to teach are ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and acrobatics. One of my greatest blessings is my husband Steve and our children: Hunter, Alexandra, Anderson, Walker, Stevie and our furry child Mollie! I am a big advocate of integrating the arts into education and I serve on the board for Wilmington School of the Arts. A Fun Fact is when I was young, I enjoyed a professional performance career which enabled me to travel and experience so many fascinating and different cultures around the world, as well as some amazing, life changing experiences with other performers who shared the same passion. A couple of my favorite gigs were the National tour of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dream Coat”, Royal Cruise Lines and Tokyo Disney World. My hobbies are decorating, creating art, and outreach opportunities in our community. I simply love my dance family at Evolution Dance Complex, and I am extremely grateful to Brooklyne for the gift to continue to share my passion to so many amazing and gifted young dancers.
Monica Rumpf
Monica Rumpf has been dancing since the age of 6. She grew up dancing in Michigan, then in NC, competing in all styles of dance. At the age 17, she began traveling with Star Systems Talent competition as an assistant, then began dancing professionally. Monica has appeared in movies such as Black Knight with Martin Lawrence and Paula Abdul and Jacobs’s Sound for Showtime. She also appeared on several TV shows including Dawsons Creek, One Tree Hill and Surface. Monica had also appeared on the stage in many theater pieces and as a volunteer dancer for many charities, including Save the Animals featuring Rupaul. Monica has been teaching for 24 years and is well versed in Jazz, Lyrical, Acrobatics and preschool age Ballet and Tap as well as Hip Hop. Monica is Acrobatic Arts certified. Monica got her start in teaching in NC. She also has taught in NY, and most recently Southern California for Murrieta Dance Project. She has been very fortunate to have worked in some amazing studios with amazing students/staff who have competed on all levels as well as running her own competitive team and her own acrobatics program. Monica moved back to NC in August of 2022 with her two children to be closer to family. Dance and teaching have always been her passion and she is happy to be back with what is truly an amazing dance family.
Emily Lawler
Emily Lawler cultivated her dance training through years of dancing in Wilmington and spent her summers in New York City. As a full-time trainee at the Joffrey Ballet School starting in 2017, she performed soloist roles, laying a strong foundation for her professional career, which included classical and contemporary performance, dance work for film/TV, and a touring show. She thoroughly enjoys teaching ballet to her students at Evolution Dance Complex, focusing on building a strong technical foundation, correct placement, elegant port de bras, and musicality.
Alexis Bomer
Alexis Bomer grew up in Pittsburgh PA where she trained and competed in almost all styles of dance. Before graduating high school Alexis had attended Joffrey Ballet School’s contemporary and ballet summer programs on full scholarships, trained in Millennium Dance Complex Pittsburgh’s pre-professional company, and apprenticed for Mid-Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Company (MACBallet). Upon graduating she became a company member for MACBallet under the direction of Gerard Holt, Firewall Dance Theatre directed by Elisa-Marie Alaio, instructor, as well as a freelance choreographer. With these companies Alexis performed in showcases across Pittsburgh, and full-length productions in both Pittsburgh and New York. Alexis has also performed works across the US by Lance and Danielle Guillermo, Chehon Wespi-Tschopp, Eddie Moody, Jesse Lee Santos, and many more great artists. On top of performing, Alexis also taught weekly classes in several genres of dance at many competition studios in the area as well as Millennium Dance Complex Pittsburgh. Alexis has always had a passion for choreographing from a young age, and her work has been featured in Texture Contemporary Ballet’s “ WIP” showcase, Millennium Dance Complex Pittsburgh’s Ascendance (2019 & 2020,) The Andy Warhol Museum’s “Of Ordinary Things,” The Harlem Globetrotters’ halftime show, Richmond Dance Festival 2022, and CDCFest Orlando (2022-2024) to name a few. Alexis has been on staff at EDC since 2021 and has loved watching the students grow in her classes through strong technique
and artistry. Alexis uses her training and love for dance to hopefully inspire the students to find their own style and be themselves inside and outside of the studio!
Vicki Williamson
EDC Apparel Manager | Front Desk
Vicki Williamson is thrilled to be part of the Evolution staff. Most know her as “Mrs. Vicki” or “Miss Brooklyne’s Mom!” Vicki has been a dance mom to Brooklyne since Brooklyne stepped foot in her first dance class at age 2. She has been one of EDC’s biggest cheerleaders alongside her husband and Brooklyne’s father, Eddie Williamson since 2014 when EDC first opened its doors. Vicki loves running Evolution Dance Apparel where she helps all of the dancers find the perfect dancewear, shoes, and accessories. She has 30 years of knowledge in this area and is always continuing to provide the latest and most current styles for dancers ages 2-18! She is also a huge help at the front desk of the dance studio with Ms. Tiffany. Vicki and Eddie are so proud of their daughter for her constant hard work, continuing to grow and develop her passion for dance through all these years, and sharing her talents with the students of EDC. Vicki loves each of the students and teachers at EDC and looks forward to many more wonderful years of growth and success!
Tiffany Brunson
Front Desk
Ms.Tiffany, known to many as “Tiff Dawg”, has been the smiling face that greets you at the door of EDC. She is a native of Wilmington and has been a member of the dance community for more than 30 of her 29 years of life. Tiffany is a past dancer, instructor, and award winning cheer dance coach. She now concentrates on training our local pageant title holders to the success of their next crown. She is the proud mother of Cameron, one of our dedicated instructors of EDC, and NoahAyden, a member of our team of dancing “dudes”. Tiffany not only manages the front office, but assists Brooklyne and her staff on whatever is needed for the success of our dancers, and has since the doors of EDC opened in 2014. She welcomes you to our studio, and encourages you to trust that this talented and qualified staff will train your child or children to be their personal best in a safe and healthy environment!
