Our Staff

Kaley Etheridge
​Owner/Director/Instructor/Choreographer

Kaley began studying dance at age three. From the moment she put on her first pair of dance shoes, it was clear that dance was forever going to be a part of her life. Since she was a little girl, she dreamed of owning her own dance studio and sharing her love for dance with others. Growing up, Kaley danced at several dance studios throughout Lakeland, studying ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, broadway, lyrical, contemporary, and partnering. She was also a part of the performance company at Rebekah's Sole in Motion. In 2010, she began an apprenticeship under the instruction of Rebekah McLeod, at Rebekah's Sole in Motion, and continued her training until 2012. Then, in 2012, she began her career as an instructor and choreographer at Rebekah's Sole in Motion. There, she taught multiple classes covering various genres of dance. In 2016, the dream for Southern Grace Dance Company was placed on her heart, and her vision grew from there. She wanted to create a wholesome environment where dancers could flourish and grow not only into beautiful dancers, but also learn through the discipline of dance,  how a person of grace should carry themselves.​
Julie Ellison
Tap Instructor/Choreographer
Julie’s first experience performing came at the age of two, as she tap danced alongside her sister at the local Shriner’s Club.  It was during this time that dance became a defining part of Julie’s life.  She studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, acrobatics and modern dance under the direction of Debra Coe and Amanda Bell at Amanda’s Dance Center (formerly Debco Dance) in South Daytona.  As a young dancer Julie attended workshops, competitions and scholarship auditions across the state of Florida with Florida Dance Masters and DANCEAMERICA-Dance Olympus where she had the opportunity to study with many master teachers.  During college the need for dance still ran through her veins and after completing her Masters Degree in Human Nutrition she found her way back to the living art of dance.  It was in 2012 that Julie got the privilege to share her love of dance with her own students.  Through this experience she realized how sharing the discipline of dance can enrich so many other lives and she is so grateful to be a part of the Southern Grace family. 
Kassidy Ames
Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz  Instructor/Choreographer
​Kassidy has been dancing since the early age of two. Starting out, she was a timid little girl
learning ballet and tap. Soon she grew a passion for dance and has never stopped since. She
danced competitively at Tammy’s Dance Company from age 3 to 18 and has been trained in
ballet, tap, pointe, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, lyrical, and acro. She loves every style of dance
but, she is most passionate about contemporary and ballet. Performing has a special place in
her heart and is one of her favorite parts of this art. She holds multiple titles in the dance
competition world and has passed levels 1-8 in Cicchetti ballet. Her love and passion for dance
is clear, and she couldn’t be more excited to work with every child to help them grow their love
for this art too.
Emily Wenglarz
Hip-Hop, Jazz/Hip-Hop, Ballet/Tap Instructor/Choreographer
Emily came to us from Indiana, having moved to Lakeland in late 2020. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN, majoring in Business Management as well as a minor in Dance. She began dancing at age 3 at Backstage Studio of Dance. It did not take long for her to find her passion for dance and began taking more and more classes. Emily has experience in Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Lyrical, Hip Hop, Jazz, Celtic and Ballroom. As the years went on, Emily became more confident in herself on stage and excelled. She danced with Backstage Studio of Dance for 17 years. She was a member of the competition team and received countless awards for group dances, trios and solos. Emily and the competition team danced at the World of Dance Competition at Disney World and took master classes with Dancing with the Stars pro, Lindsay Arnold and choreographer, Geo Hubela. She was a mentor to the younger ones and helped teach dance at the studio she attended. 17 years was not enough dancing for her. She went on to dance at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN and minored in Dance. She took ballroom classes, was a part of some dance clubs and was on the Saint Mary’s Dance team for three years, also Vice President of the dance team. While in college, she taught dance to Special needs adults as well and really enjoyed seeing their smiling faces while dancing. Emily not only danced on stage, she expressed herself in her performance, and released her feelings, leading with her heart and soul and left everything she had on that stage. Dancing is so much more to Emily, and she is excited to share this passion with others.
Michelle Etheridge
Receptionist, Office Manager