Meet Our Faculty
at Ballet Arts Centre we are extremely proud of our faculty. All of our instructors have extensive training and performance experience and a deep love for the art of dance. Dance is a major part of all of the instructor's lives and we are honored to share our love of dance with the dancer in your family.
Sydney Keister Phelps - owner/director
Sydney is a magna cum laude graduate of Florida State University, with a BFA in Dance. While at FSU Sydney was a member of FSU’s Dance Repertory Theatre for three years. As a company member of DRT she was able to work with guest artists; Stephen Koester, Alan Danielson, Michael Foley and more. Her choreography Life After This was showcased at FSU in their Days of Dance Concert Series in 2011. Raised in Jacksonville, Sydney attended LaVilla Middle School of the Arts and went on to graduate from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in 2007. At Douglas Anderson she was a member of Dance Theatre for three years. Since graduating from FSU, Sydney was the director of dance at Lake Forest Elementary and has been dance faculty at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, LaVilla School of the Arts, Jacksonville Country Day School and Assumption ECLC. Sydney has held the title of Miss Jacksonville 2013 and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen 2006 in the Miss America Organization. Sydney has enjoyed choreographing and dancing with both Jacksonville Dance Theatre and Braided Light Dance Project. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her children and traveling the world with her husband who is a pilot.
Megan Bannatyne - ballet, jazz, contemporary & musical theatre
Megan Bannatyne is a Florida native who has been dancing for over 20 years. She grew up in a suburb of Orlando dancing recreationally and began to delve deeper into her future in dance when she started her collegiate career at Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. Megan graduated with her A.A. in Dance Performance Degree Pathway Major in May of 2022, which led her to transfer to Jacksonville University to receive her Bachelor in Fine Arts in Dance. Throughout her time in college, Megan has worked with esteemed choreographers such as Jon Lehrer, Daniel Lewis, Yoshito Sakuraba, Alberto del Saz and John Parks. In addition, she had opportunity to dance in "A Choreographic Offering" by José Limón/Jose’ Limon Dance Company. In the summer of 2023, Megan spent three weeks in New York City where she attended the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive. There, she studied under modern dance legends of the company such as Renee Robinson and Lakey Evans-Peña. In May of 2024, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from JU. Megan is currently the Company Manager for Jacksonville Dance Theatre, as well as a part time dance teacher at Jacksonville Country Day School. She is very excited for her third year at BAC and looks forward to an amazing year.
Ashlee-Paige Benjamin - ballet & pointe
Ashlee has had the privilege of dancing and performing with ballet companies and schools across the country throughout their career. She began her training at prestigious institutions including the School of American Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, building a strong classical foundation and a deep passion for the art form. Ashlee’s professional career began with a contract at Ballet Arizona, followed by time dancing with the second company of Oregon Ballet Theatre. She later completed her final professional season with Florida Ballet, refining her artistry and expanding her performance repertoire. Today, Ashlee is dedicated to teaching and inspiring the next generation of dancers, helping them grow both technically and artistically while passing on the joy and discipline of dance.
Jake Dukes - musical theatre & acrobatics
Jake Dukes is originally from Kentucky and is thrilled to have the opportunity to relocate to Florida this year. In his hometown of Bowling Green, Jake spent many years performing in musical theatre at the high school, community, and professional levels. In 2022, he attended Western Kentucky University, where he recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a minor in Musical Theatre. Throughout his studies, Jake trained in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, and Musical Theatre. In addition, he had the pleasure of working with multiple artists and choreographers, including Victor Alexander, David Dorfman, Mitchell Haley, and many others. Outside of the classroom, Jake was heavily involved with the Ramsey Theatre Company and BGOnstage, Bowling Green’s resident professional theatre company and children’s theatre program. He has had the opportunity to choreograph and assist with numerous professional musicals and junior/children’s productions, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Shrek Jr., The Wizard of Oz, and Yes, Virginia!. Currently, Jake is a Company Member with Jacksonville Dance Theatre for its 15th season. He is excited to begin this new adventure, continue growing as an artist, and share his passion for dance through teaching. Jake is thrilled to be a part of the BAC faculty and looks forward to inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Alyssa Harrell - hip hop & tap
Alyssa Harrell is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at Jacksonville University. She serves as the president of Choreo Club through the university's Dance Department, manages the department's social media, and was honored with the “outstanding sophomore” award. Alyssa has trained extensively in ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, jazz, acrobatics, ballroom, hip-hop, and a variety of fusion styles. Throughout her dance career, she has performed and collaborated with companies including Tap Into The Network, American Tap Company, Rhythmic Souls Tap Company, Orlando Tap Company, and DanceLook LLC. She has worked as an assistant for NRG DanceProject Convention and Embody Dance Conference and performed in the opening ceremony for the F1™ ROLEX British Grand Prix in Silverstone, England, with American Tap Company. Alyssa also participated in Michelle Dorrance's residency at Riff Dallas, where she performed an original work choreographed by Michelle Dorrance. Growing up in the competitive dance world, Alyssa attended numerous competitions, conventions, intensives, and dance team programs. Along the way, she earned several prestigious scholarships and titles, including the AMDA High School Summer Conservatory Scholarship, National Dance Alliance (NDA) All-American, Teen Miss Legacy (Legacy Dance Championships), and Elite Senior Dancer (StarQuest Dance Competition), among many others. Most recently, Alyssa has become an active member of the Jacksonville dance community, collaborating with local dancers on concept videos and performing Kid 'N Play choreography while sharing her passion for dance with others.
As both a performer and educator, Alyssa is passionate about giving back to the next generation of dancers. Her goal is to provide her students with the knowledge, opportunities, and experiences she has gained throughout her career while making a positive and lasting impact on the dance industry.
Stacey Henderson - ballet & acrobatics
Stacey has made a career out of dance and education. She began dancing at age 3 for Laurie Lanouette’s Dance Connection in Windham, NH. She performed jazz, ballet, contemporary and modern as well as started her career and love of teaching. She is a graduate of Jacksonville University with an Education Major and Dance Minor. While at JU, she was a varsity Cheerleader for the Football and Basketball teams. After graduation she returned home and taught for Laurie Lanouette for 5 more years before returning to sunny Florida. She taught preschool at JU's Wilma's Little Peoples School for 15 years. She is currently a teacher for Duval County. Stacey has a true passion for children, dance and education and it shows in her home life as well. She keeps life interesting raising her three girls who also love to dance.
Elizabeth Kuhn - ballet & pointe
Elizabeth grew up in Columbus Ohio, where she studied classical dance at BalletMet Academy. During her time at BalletMet Elizabeth had the opportunity to train in the pre-prefessional program which allowed her to perform alongside the professional company in multiple ballets and performances. She was also a member of their YouMet company, which had the privilege of training with Alvin Ailey principal dancer April Berry, and traveled the states presenting classical modern works. In 2007, Elizabeth attended Jacksonville University on a talent scholarship where she received her BFA in dance performance in 2011. After college, Elizabeth joined a local dance company and started teaching in the Jacksonville area. She has set several full-length ballets, as well has had her choreography performed all over the state of Florida.
Lily Pecnik - ballet, tap, & jazz
Lily has been dancing since the age of 4 and trained at BAC for 8 years, where she was a member of BAC Dance Company. During her time at BAC, she performed in numerous productions and later returned for alumni performances including Deck the Chairs and the 10th Annual Recital. Lily has continued pursuing her passion for dance by teaching youth dance classes at the YMCA for the past 3 years. She also spent two years performing as a Siren on the Jacksonville University Dance Team and graduated from JU with her Bachelor's in Science. Lily is excited and honored to be back at her dance home as faculty and looks forward to sharing her love of dance with the next generation of dancers.
Natalie Wheeler - tap
Natalie has been a dancer most of her life. She started her training at Sharon’s School of Dance in Live Oak, Florida at age 5. Within 3 years, she was selected to join the studio’s elite competition team, where she attended conventions and competed at Dance Makers, Inc. Natalie also trained seasonally with Dance Alive National Ballet Company in Gainesville, Florida and with the Moscow Ballet in Tallahassee, Florida. She regularly attended summer intensives, including classes with the Atlanta Ballet and Jacksonville University. Upon graduating from high school, Natalie attended the University of Florida where she continued to dance recreationally through courses at the school and student led dance groups.
Natalie also trained as a competitive gymnast at Bard Gymnastics in Lake City, Florida and later at Cheek’s Gymnastics in Live Oak. She became a USAG Certified gymnastics coach and trained recreational and competitive gymnasts at Cheek’s Gymnastics and later at Sun Country Gymnastics in Gainesville, Florida.
As an adult, Natalie started taking classes at Ballet Arts Centre in the Fall of 2016, where she has participated in annual recitals and performances. In her spare time, Natalie loves spending time with her family and newborn, trying cases as an attorney, and running marathons.