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. 

Annie Mears
Home School Classes Instructor/Choreographer

Annie Mears is thrilled to share her passion for dance in her hometown and hopes to use that passion to empower girls. Annie grew up dancing; studying ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop and contemporary. She continued her education at Florida State University majoring in Communications and English: Editing, Writing and Media. However, she believes the dance classes she had the privilege to take as electives gave her the most insight into what it really means to experience life with others. After college, she worked for Publix in corporate communications and taught contemporary and hip hop at Rebekah’s Sole in Motion until she had her first baby in April 2016. Now, she stays home with her two boys and their day has no shortage of spontaneous dance parties! She believes dance builds the confidence and discipline a child craves which overflows into all areas of life.

Summer Smith
​Hip-Hop Instructor/Choreographer

Summer’s first big milestone in her life, like many others, was walking. Her second, according to her family, was “flipping off of furniture and dancing to The Wiggles.” Summer was put into gymnastics at the age of 3 and continued until her Sunday School teacher introduced her to the world of dance. It was then, at age 8, Summer began pursuing dance. During her time, she trained in various styles including, Acro., Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Lyrical, and Pointe. Over the course of time, Summer shadowed and assisted along side teachers in Acro., Hip-Hop, and Jazz. Fast forward to 2018, Summer was invited to join the up and coming Southern Grace Dance Co. team. She taught Hip-Hop that year until graduating and temporarily moving to Orlando for school. In 2019, back in Lakeland, Summer started working for the Polk County Public School Board and got married to her life-long sweetheart. In 2021, she welcomed her first-born into the world and became a Stay-at-Home-Mom. With Summer’s love for children and dance, it is no surprise that her path brought her to the opportunity to, once again, teach at Southern Grace Co. starting 2023. Summer believes with the right mix of guidance, structure, and grace, any dancer can meet their full potential — inside and outside of the dance studio.
Sarah Campano
Instructor/Choreographer
Sarah began her dance journey at the age of 2, and has trained in multiple different styles of dance including Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Clogging, Irish, Contemporary, Lyrical, Ballroom, Acro and multiple different technique classes. She also has performed in several Ballet productions and has over ten years of competitive dance experience. Ever since she could remember, Sarah has always dreamed of becoming a dance instructor and sharing her dedication, love and passion for dance with others. For Sarah, dance was always more than just a hobby, it was something she truly loved and poured her heart into every single day and she continues to do that by teaching her students the same thing. Sarah feels so blessed and thrilled to be teaching for Southern Grace Dance Co. and cannot wait to share her love and passion for dance with the students!
Makayla Taylor
Instructor/Choreographer
Makayla has been dancing since the age of 4 training in Ballet, Lyrical/Contemporary, Pointe, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap, Acro, and Musical Theater. She has trained under many instructors in the Lakeland area, but the majority of her training was done under the instruction of Rebekah McLeod and Kaley Etheridge. During her time at Rebekah’s Sole in Motion, she was a part of their performance company. She later went on to join Southern Grace Dance Co. where she continued her training under Miss Kaley as well as the other instructors including: Julie Ellison, Annie Mears, and Emily Wenglarz/Harris. With the dream of becoming an instructor, she began her time working with young dancers in the classroom as an assistant before joining the team as an instructor. Makayla has a passion for working with kids and a love for dance, so she is very excited to teach the dancers at Southern Grace. 

Alicia Brick
​​Instructor/Choreographer

From an early age, dance has been a fundamental part of Alicia's life. At two starting with cheerleading and gymnastics, she quickly discovered her true calling in the diverse world of dance at the tender age of six. She dedicated many years to competing at nationally recognized competitions with a local studio and mastering various styles including tap, acro, jazz, musical theater, pointe, hip hop, contemporary, and ballet. Throughout her college years, she continued training at a nearby studio as her heart was never fully ready to stop. While training in new and familiar dance styles as an adult, her unwavering passion for dance and joy for teaching continued to shine through at a local gymnasium where she taught gymnastics at varying levels and choreographed competitive floor routines for advanced levels. Although the challenges of the pandemic closed that chapter for her, it also brought exciting changes such as a proposal from her high school sweetheart! Within these joyous transitions of engagement to marriage, they discovered they would be welcoming a baby boy!
As a mother witnessing her son’s joy, confidence, and growth brings her so much happiness. As a dancer, she also find pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passion for dance; which gives her the opportunity to instill confidence, and ignite creativity in young hearts.

Michelle Etheridge
Receptionist, Office Manager

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Michelle has been a part of the dance world for many years. She has spent countless hours in dance studios watching, supporting, and encouraging her daughter, Miss Kaley, so she is well acquainted with the life of a dance mom. She has played a very active role dream, vision, and start of Southern Grace Dance Co. The studio wouldn't be what it is today without her support, help and encouragement. Michelle is very in tune with the needs of a dance studio which makes her vital to our team, as she carries many roles. She is the friendly face in our lobby, she helps manage our daily office needs, and she is there to encourage and help inside the classroom when needed as well.  We couldn't be more blessed to have Michelle on our team!