Our Instructors
Mary Shelton – Director, Teacher, Choreographer
Ms. Mary is an accomplished teacher and choreographer with more than 26 years of experience – the last 18 years spent in northern Virginia. She prides herself on providing a strong technical dance education while maintaining a fun and encouraging environment. She believes that dance is an incredible way to grow the soul and develop great self-esteem.
Originally from upstate New York, Ms. Mary attended Oklahoma City University where she graduated with a B.S. in Dance Management. She taught at several studios in the area before deciding to take a leap and open her own school. She was a founding member of the DC-based rhythm tap company, Tappenstance. She also helped to form SOLEdarity (serving as President for three years) and Play Time Tap – both rhythm tap companies in the DC area. When not teaching or performing, you can find Ms. Mary spending time with her husband, Matt, and their three furbabies.
Mr. Alex is originally from Fairfax, Virginia and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance & Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2008. While a student at VCU he danced in faculty member James Frazier’s piece “Suspect Seven” which was performed at the American College Dance Festival held at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida and the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. His own choreographic work “Ethereal Emissaries” was performed at the Senior Project Dance Concert in April 2008. After graduating he was a dancer at Theatre West Virginia for their 2008 summer season and was Assistant Dance Captain for their 2009 summer season. While at TWV he performed in Honey In The Rock, Hatfields & McCoys, Cinderella, Seussical, and High School Musical. He was a member of the West Virginia Dance Company for their 2008-2009 season and travelled around the state performing at Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in their dance education series. Since returning to Fairfax he has worked with Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company primarily in their educational outreach program. He currently is a company member of DanceArtTheater under the direction of Meredith Barnes where he collaborates choreographically with the Artistic Director and the other dancers. DAT has performed at Capital Fringe, Small Plates Choreography Festival, and the Virginia Dance Coalition Gala among others. He began performing with Rhythm and Arts Center of Virginia in 2016 and began teaching here soon after.
Alex Miegel – Teacher, Choreographer
Ms. Anna grew up in upstate NY and moved to Northern Virginia in 2001 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She began gymnastics at age 8, and began competing at age 11. She competed until she graduated high school and also did two years of diving on her high school swim team. Her favorite events were beam and floor exercise, and she enjoyed working on her tumbling on the trampoline (before the days of trampoline parks). Her gymnastics training also included ballet training to enhance the dance elements needed in floor exercise routines. While at the University of North Carolina, she took hip hop dance and in her senior year, she competed on the UNC Club Gymnastics team. Ms. Anna has kept up with her tumbling skills as an adult with her daughters, who each took gymnastics and dance for 3 years before moving on to travel soccer and horseback riding. She looks forward to teaching the importance of strength and flexibility in acro training, and working with more children who are interested in tumbling and acro.
Anna Monaghan – Teacher, Choreographer
Rachel Snow – Teacher, Choreographer
Ms. Snow began her dance training at the age of 3. She studied at the Ballet Conservatory in San Diego, Virginia Governor's School for Dance, Ballet West's Summer Intensive, and eventually graduated from Virginia Ballet Company (VBC) in 2012, where she was trained in classical ballet, character, modern, flamenco, and hip-hop.
At VBC she performed some of her favorite roles: the Firebird in Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, the Arabian Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker, the Voodoo Queen in VBC’s Precedence, and the Evil Stepmother in Sergei Prokofiev’s Cinderella. She also had the honor to perform with VBC at The National Theatre, with the United States Air Force Band at Constitution Hall, and at the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap National Park.
Ms. Snow went on to study classical ballet, jazz, and modern Graham technique at Point Park University, then in 2015 studied abroad in Madrid, Spain, continuing to be inspired by the art of flamenco. In 2016 she graduated from BYU-Hawaii, where she performed contemporary, Hula, Maori, Samoan, and other Polynesian dance on the North Shore of Oahu.
Ms. Snow joined the contemporary dance group Nomadic Artist in 2017, performing in the Virginia Dance Coalition Gala, charity events, the company’s Horizon, and teaching dance workshops throughout northern Virginia. She began instructing ballet at VBC in February 2017 and eventually started teaching hip-hop too. She has directed VBC's contemporary summer concert - Precedence - several times, as well as choreographing pieces: Senso di Colpa, Zodiac, Quiet is Violent, Everybody, The Clique, and Beneath Contempt.
Ms. Snow has loved performing in recent seasons of the Burke Centre Festival along with returning as an alumna in Virginia Ballet Company’s productions. She enjoys teaching ballet, hip-hop, contemporary ballet, and an assortment of other dance disciplines at music and dance schools throughout Virginia. She is thrilled to teach hip-hop at Rhythm and Arts Center and to share her passion for dance and performance with her students.
Alisha Reay – Teacher
Ms. Reay has been teaching ballet since 1992. Her professional career started when she was accepted at age 10 into Chicago City Ballet, followed by the Ballet Russe in Skokie, Illinois, where she studied and performed for over seven years, achieving the rank of soloist and principal dancer. Ms. Reay holds a certification in teaching the Vaganova method of ballet and also teaches character, modern, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop. She was a founding member of the Union Street Dance Company in Valparaiso, Indiana and was the owner and manager of the Valparaiso Dance Connection before relocating to the Washington, DC area in 2001.
Maggie Mairena – Teacher, Choreographer
Ms. Maggie is a native Alexandrian and enjoys sharing her passion for dance everywhere she goes, but particularly so close to home in Northern Virginia. Though active in gymnastics, soccer, and cheerleading throughout her youth, dance is her first love. As a lifelong dancer, her formal education began at age six and she went on to join a competitive company of dancers. As an adult, she continues to participate in various styles of dance, perform whenever possible, and attend continuing education workshops.
Ms. Maggie initially began her yoga practice in 2005 to supplement her dancing and physical fitness, but equally enjoyed the mental health, body awareness, and soul fulfilling aspects it provides. Yoga’s numerous therapeutic properties compelled her to pursue her certification in order to share them with as many people as possible. Ms. Maggie received her training through PIES Fitness Yoga Studio under Marsha Banks-Harold and has been offering both private and group classes since 2016. She currently teaches a variety of Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin classes while offering modifications for all levels, including chair yoga for those with limited mobility. Ms. Maggie has also developed an all-inclusive family yoga class for all generations to enjoy together. Practicing yoga and mindfulness for over 15 years, she has created a guided meditation class to help individuals rediscover, and have a better relationship with, their body, breathing, and thought patterns. Guided meditation provides effective stress management, and its benefits are applied to everyday stresses and challenges.
In 2017 Ms. Maggie developed a “Dance Like A Pop Star” class for both children and adults who enjoy pop and hip-hop music videos. The class was a huge success, enabling her to hone her choreography skills while producing many creative, high-energy routines on a weekly basis. This transitioned perfectly into dance aerobics as a group fitness class where a great workout doesn’t have to feel like one. In 2020 Ms. Maggie received her Zumba certification as a complimentary addition to her dance background and passion for movement. Continuing with her love of dance, and now better-incorporating the rhythms of her Latin roots, she is able to motivate students of all backgrounds to catch on quickly, be challenged, and achieve their fitness goals. Exercise can be fun while relieving stress and boosting confidence. Everyone can dance, and the camaraderie of classes enables everyone to feel supported and encouraged.
Ms. Maggie strives to bring kindness, joy, and healing to others while using her knowledge and expertise to teach safe, effective, and engaging classes. She provides her community with a safe, quality space to explore wellness and strength with an emphasis on technique and posture. She thoroughly enjoys curating fun, positive playlists as a way to share her love for global music. Best of all, Ms. Maggie is sharing her first true love: dance. In numerous ways, her classes incorporate dance and movement. Furthermore, all of her classes are available in English and Spanish to better serve the diverse and multicultural Washington metropolitan area.
Gretchen Midgley – Teacher, Choreographer
Ms. Gretchen is a performer, writer, and teacher originally from the Los Angeles area. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre from Catholic University where she has also completed master’s coursework in Vocal Pedagogy for Musical Theatre. She will soon pursue her MA in Theatre Education. Gretchen regularly performs in the DC area, including with her swing band, Gretchen and the Sidecar Six. She has taught in a variety of settings for over five years, including as a private voice teacher and a swing dance teacher. Gretchen’s musical theatre writing has been showcased at venues such as the Atlas Performing Arts Center, the New York Music Theatre Festival, the Kennedy Center, and more. She is passionate about sharing her love for performing and swing dancing with students of all ages.