Executive Director / Owner

I am Mrs. Amy, the Director and Owner of Cornerstone Ballet. I began studying classical ballet seriously at 10 under Hennadii Bespechnyii and Vlada Kysselova, and was fortunate to train at the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Dance for two summers. 

I have always had a deep love for classical ballet and felt called to pursue my passion for teaching, setting aside my performing career to invest in the next generation of dancers. I have taught ballet for 15 years and opened the studio in 2013, originally as Carolina Dance Conservatory, here in Simpsonville. Over the years, my heart for teaching has only grown stronger, especially as I have seen the impact classical ballet can have on every part of a young dancer’s life. Cornerstone Ballet is built on a desire to love and train the whole dancer by providing serious classical ballet training in a safe, encouraging, and Christ-honoring environment here in the Upstate.

My favorite part of teaching ballet is building meaningful connections with my students. It brings me so much joy to watch a dancer’s confidence grow as we cultivate a relationship marked by mutual respect, encouragement, and high expectations. My classes are filled with energy, corrections, smiles, laughter, and hard work, or as my students like to say, “suffering.” My goal is for every dancer to leave my class exhausted, encouraged, and with a big smile on their face.

Co-Director

My name is Ms. Kim and I have been teaching with the team at Cornerstone Ballet since 2019. I took my first dance class at 4 years old, but around the time I was 8 I knew that I wanted to spend more time dancing than anything else. I participated in competitive dance, through which I discovered my love for being on stage as I trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary styles. I was recommended to audition for the North Carolina School of the Arts (now UNCSA) and a whole new world of classical ballet opened up to me as I studied there after school until becoming a full-time ballet student for all 4 years of my high school education. My favorite memory isn’t of one particular performance or class, but of the feeling it gave me to be part of a community that truly believed that dance was important because it connects us both to ourselves and to each other.

When I am not in the studio, I love reading, being a paparazzi for nature, and spending time with my dog, Sam, and my loved ones. Within the studio, I love helping dancers find their individual strengths and improve upon their challenges in my classes by creating a supportive, uplifting environment in which we can all make mistakes and grow from them.

It is my goal that we do the hard work, but that we find ways to infuse it with grace, joy, and care every day.

Ballet Instructor

Laura Winship D. is the former owner and director of Ballet Aresko in Lynchburg, Virginia, and His School of Dance in Pueblo, Colorado. She was trained in classical ballet under the Checcetti and later the Vaganova method. She has trained under artists such as Martin Friedman of Colorado Ballet, world-renowned Galina Panova, Eli Lazar, Adam Sage, Martha Fesia, 

Dominique Angel, Tyrone Brooks, and Sandra Meythaler. She received her dance education from The Sangre de Cristo Ballet School and from Virginia School of the Arts as a postgraduate student. Shortly after this, she joined the Roanoke Ballet Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia, and began dancing as a demi-soloist. She danced lead roles for RBT, including the Snow Queen, Isabella in Napoli, The Queen Fairy in an original ballet, and the principal role of Cinderella. She received her Bachelor of Science in 2011 and hopes to one day obtain her MFA in dance pedagogy. Her desire is to provide an exceptional dance education that leaves an eternal impact.

Instructor

I’m Miss Brantley, I was raised in the small town of Laurens, SC. I have an older sister, two amazing parents, and seven fur babies. If I’m not at the studio teaching, you can find me behind the chair at Vault Salon and Spa working as a hairstylist. Even though I grew up in the country, I love all things girly. I started dancing when I was eight years old with Mrs. Amy, and danced for eight years. I was the first student to register and sign up at Cornerstone Ballet. I also had the honor of performing the first role as Snow White, which is one of my favorite memories. Another one of my favorite memories was having the opportunity to student teach with Mrs. Amy. I was thrilled to get this opportunity and immediately fell in love with the idea of teaching. I am so thankful that I am entering my third year of teaching here at Cornerstone Ballet. I want to be an influence on my students like Mrs. Amy was to me. I want every student to be challenged in an environment that I make comfortable for them. I love that every student is different, and I can adapt to what works best for them. My goal is for the students to leave class challenged and excited to come back next week with a smile on their face. I can’t wait to see what the 2024-2025 year brings for Cornerstone!

Ballet and Lyrical Instructor

Spencer Radzanowski grew up in Colorado and was classically trained at the Ballet Society of Colorado Springs under the direction of Patricia Hoffman and Holly Marble. In addition to ballet, she enjoyed classes in lyrical, jazz, contemporary, and worship dance. Her last two years of high school, Ms. Spencer danced with the Colorado Youth Ballet Company and was selected for solo roles including Coppelia, Zoo Song and Carnival. Her favorite dance memories include performing with the Pikes Peak Philharmonic Orchestra, taking a Master Class from Sascha Radetsky of American Ballet Theatre, and traveling to schools around Colorado dancing the title role in Peter and the Wolf as part of an arts education program. Ms. Spencer has taught ballet and worship dance in Colorado, Arizona, and Virginia and is THRILLED to be joining Cornerstone Ballet. She is also a certified REFIT (dance fitness) instructor and certified elementary school teacher. Her favorite classes to teach are lyrical worship dance because movement is such a beautiful and powerful form of praise! Ms. Spencer is a homeschool mom of three and her daughter, Kaelynn, absolutely loves Cornerstone Ballet too. 

Ballet Instructor

Rachel is beginning her second year instructing at Cornerstone Ballet.  She is a graduate of the Greenville Fine Arts Center and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Columbia College.  Growing up, Rachel was a competitive gymnast before devoting her time to studying music and becoming a member of high school and college marching bands.  She began formal ballet training at the Fine Arts Center of Greenville where she found her love of ballet and contemporary dance.  In the last 25 years she has worked alongside band directors, gymnastics coaches, dance educators, and church leaders to choreograph and rehearse dances for various performances, competitions, and worship services. Rachel enjoys working with students of all ages but especially loves working with someone who is new to dance.

At home Rachel is a wife and a homeschooling mother of four.  She enjoys gardening, playing and teaching musical instruments, and snuggling cats.

Instructor and Admin Team

Hi, My name is Miss Lizzy, I am super excited for this new season at Cornerstone! I am 20 years old and live in Woodruff, SC, and will be getting married in September! Outside of spending time with my fiancé, and going to church, the studio is my second home! There is no place I'd rather be. I started ballet with Mrs Amy when I was 10 years old! Since then, this studio has shown me a passion for teaching, right at the young age of 13, where I had the opportunity to assist my teachers in their classes. You will see me at the front desk, greeting and getting to know each family, and in the classroom. In my class, I encourage dancers to "be brave" while trying new stuff, it's the only way we grow! My goal for classes is for there to be lots of hard work to happen, but lots of fun too! I am so blessed to have been called to teaching. I am so excited to get to know and love on each dancers at Cornerstone.

Instructor / Admin Team

A native of the Greenville, South Carolina area, Macayle McMullin started dance lessons with Louise’s House of Dance from 2006-2008. In 2010 she began training with International Ballet under Vlada Kysselova’s instruction. While cultivating her dancing technique with Victoria Yanchuk and Irina Ushakova, Miss McMullin performed in IB’s The Nutcracker and three seasons with their pre-professional company. Her roles included Giselle Waltz, Don Quixote corps, La Fille Mal Gardée corps, Spanish dancer in The Nutcracker, and many others, and solos in contemporary pieces choreographed by Megan Hannon and Juliana Jordan. In the Summer of 2020, McMullin participated in the Royal Ballet School’s online summer intensive. In 2021 she appeared in the short film ballet “Just Let Go” choreographed by Thomas Shoemaker. Miss McMullin performed with Cornerstone Ballet in their production of The Nutcracker as Snow Queen and Bo Peep in the 2023-2024 season. She will enter her second year of teaching ballet while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Visual Art from Bob Jones University.

Sofia began her dance training at the age of 2 in Greenville, South Carolina. She grew up classically trained in both ballet and contemporary. Her training focused more on the technical and artistic aspects of dance than on competition, even though she has participated in numerous competitions and festivals, including the American College Dance Association, the National High School Dance Festival, YAGP, and the World Ballet Competition. 

Sofia has also participated in a wide range of masterclasses, from Alonzo King, Roxanne Lyst, Garth Fagan, and Duncan Cooper. 

Sofia attended the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities from 2018 to 2021, where she continued her ballet and contemporary training, as well as taking other dance and movement-related courses, including yoga, Pilates, anatomy, music, choreography, and dance history.

Recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a major in dance and a minor in Integrative Approaches to Health and Wellness, Sofia expanded her training by incorporating African diasporic dance. She learned numerous skills and took many courses in dance, including composition and choreography, as well as technical skills such as sound design, lighting, production, intermedia, and dance film. 

Sofia also studied with Mrs. Amy for 2 years and is beyond thrilled to open a Contemporary Dance program that fuses Ballet, Contemporary, and African Diasporic dance for the future generation of dancers at Cornerstone Ballet. 

Admin Team

Hi, I’m Kara Poppe. I’m excited to be starting my fourth year on the admin team at Cornerstone Ballet. I took ballet classes from age 5 to 15 as a child, and now, after many years away from dancing, I have the privilege of participating in the adult ballet class at Cornerstone Ballet.

I am a mother of four, and my oldest daughter has been dancing with Mrs. Amy and the amazing Cornerstone Ballet family since 2019. We love the dedication to excellence and rigor in classical ballet, the encouraging teachers, the wholesome atmosphere, and the wonderful friendships it has brought both of us over the years. There’s no other place either one of us would rather be dancing!

Admin Team

Hi, I’m Amber! While I may not be a dancer myself, dance has been a special part of my family’s life through my daughters, who have spent years in the studio. Watching them grow in confidence, teamwork, and friendships through dance has given me a deep appreciation for the positive impact a dance studio can have on a child.

Outside of the studio, I’m a certified infant swim instructor. I began teaching swim lessons after losing my daughter to a drowning accident, and helping families learn lifesaving water safety has become my life’s passion. Every child I teach reminds me why this work is so important, and I feel incredibly grateful to be part of a profession that helps keep kids safe.

I’m excited to also be part of the admin team here at the studio, where I can combine my love for working with children and families in a different way. Whether I’m helping at the front desk, answering questions, or cheering on our dancers, I’m happy to be part of a place where children are encouraged to grow, learn, and shine.

I can’t wait to meet all of our wonderful dance families this season!

Admin Team

I am starting our fourth year at Cornerstone and am ecstatic to join the Admin Team. My daughter, Lillian, has been dancing since she was three, and in 2023, she joined Cornerstone as a Baby Mouse in The Nutcracker at the age of eight. She gets her love of dance from me, and while I did not continue dancing past the age of eleven, she dreams of being Clara in her favorite ballet. You will see me at the studio's front desk on the days she is in class. I look forward to seeing you all and supporting this wonderful atmosphere of dancers.