Our Team
Annie - Founder & Owner
Annie has had a passion for the children of Westmoreland since 2005. As an elementary school teacher, she saw a real need in the local community and decided to do something about it herself. She started Hearts in Motion with a strong desire to see children flourish and plan to continue to grow the community center expanding into art and an activity center for children of all ages.
Annie has 14 years of experience as a dancer and is excited to open her second dance studio, Hearts in Motion.
Jay - Director
Before joining the Hearts in Motion team, Jay had a successful career as a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Born and raised in King George, Jay spent her entire life dancing; she was trained from childhood in Cecchetti and Vaganova and quickly fell in love with all styles of dance. Jay studied as a Dance and Choreography major at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she was a member of the varsity dance team. Jay spent nearly a decade in Los Angeles, where she had the pleasure of working with Back Street Boys, Will.I.Am, Jamie Foxx, Cee lo Green, Trey Songz, Ginuwine, Earth, Wind & Fire, Charlie Wilson, The Time, Rej3ctz, and many more. She had the pleasure of working under Fatima Robinson as an assistant choreographer for many gigs. When she is not chasing after her children or caring for her newborn, Jay enjoys spending time with family. Jay continues to teach and create choreography for studios in the Northern Virginia area.
Alyse - Teacher
Alyse was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She started dancing at the age of three. She attended Penn State Altoona Branch Campus and received a minor in Dance Studies. Alyse studied many dancing techniques, including Laban, improvisation, and choreography. She was a part of the Ivyside Dance Ensemble, where she showcased mostly Modern and Jazz dance. After college, she continued taking classes and was a part of a few shows in Pennsylvania. Alyse now resides in Montross, Virginia, with her husband and one-year-old son. She is excited to be onboarding to the Hearts in Motion team.
Joanna - Teacher
Joanna was born and raised in King George County. She has been dancing since she could walk and spent the past ten years competing. Since the start of her competitive career, Joanna has been awarded 31 scholarships and has received top placement at many regional and national competitions. Joanna was blessed with the opportunity to train as an assistant long before she stepped into the role of teacher; because of this training, Joanna is skilled beyond her years. She has experience in teaching many forms of dance as well as a wide variety of ages. Joanna is working her way through PBT (Progressive Ballet Training) Certification. Joanna is an Ally Day Ambassador as well as an ID icon/influencer. Her favorite thing to do is to spend time with my family and loved ones. She is excited to join the Hearts in Motion team and hopes to help to create a family with the Hearts and Motion community.
Sarah - Office Manager
Sarah is from Charles County, MD and now lives locally with her husband and two children. She danced for a large portion of her youth at Debbie Manolies Dance Studio. Tap dancing was her strong suit and favorite genre, and she continued tap lessons into adulthood. Sarah has several years of experience working with children in the county, as she served as a General & Special Education ParaProfessional at Washington District Elementary School. Sarah decided to join Hearts in Motion after realizing Annie’s vision of pouring out and into the children of the local community and wants to be a part of making that vision a reality.
Abby - Teacher
Abby started her dancing career in King George County, where she studied ballet and lyrical. She is currently working on her teacher certification and continuing education through classes and CLI Studios. Abby finds joy in children, and children find joy in her. She has been blessed with the gift of leadership, which she uses to share her love of dance with her students. Additionally, Abby is skilled in strength and cross-training, which is vital to older students. She is an integral part of the competition team at Hearts in Motion. In her free time, Abby enjoys spending time with her family, her husband Ben, and dabbling in photography.
Grace - Teacher
Grace “Gracie” Evers comes to Hearts in Motion with multiple years of gymnastics & acro experience. She is on the college hunt and works hard to balance her own workload, as well as teach and be a member of the Hearts in Motion competition team. She has a passion for teaching children, and it is displayed in her hard work and work ethic. Gracie loves to read, dance, and help on her family farm in her spare time. She looks forward to working with the children and families in the Northern Neck Area of Virginia.
Julie - Teacher
Julie has been dancing nearly her entire life. She studied at Fredericksburg Ballet Center, focusing on ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, contemporary, and musical theatre, and performed in over 25 shows. Julie has received multiple awards for acting, most notably Best Actor in “The Keeping Place” in her regional theatre competition. She can’t wait for what is to come in the future and appreciates everyone who has helped her along the way. Outside of dance, Julie works at Chick-fil-A and, in her free time, enjoys gaming and all things DND. In the fall you find her having fun at Renaissance Festivals.
