Our Team

Ashley Gooch

Co-Owner

Ashley Gooch began dancing at the age of 3 in ballet & tap. As she grew she enjoyed all dance styles including jazz, lyrical, and hip hop. She began dancing at Carries Dance Creations at the age of 12 and there she started competing under Mrs. Jessie. In 2003 she took a teaching position with Xtreme Dance continuing her love of dance after high school. In 2017 Ashley & her mother, Sandy, decided to take on the role of Owners and hope to continue the legacy that Mrs. Jessie & Mrs. Carrie started! Since then she continues to expand her knowledge through conventions such as Dance Makers, Pulse, and Monsters of Hip Hop. Her dance and hip hop teams have taken home many awards such as overall awards, costume awards, top teacher and choreography awards. Ashley enjoys teaching and sharing her love of dance with all the students.

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Sandy Hawk

Co-Owner

As the VP of Performance in Xtreme Dance Academy, Kris Ward has contributed to the success of our Dance Company since its establishment in 2000. We don’t know what we would do without Kris Ward on our team.

Jessica Long

Instructor

Jessica Long is the former Owner of Xtreme Dance Academy. She has over 20 years of experience teaching Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, Technique, Tap, and Acro. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts as well as Progressing Ballet Technique. Jessica has a strong passion for teaching and loves to challenge the kids to their fullest potential. She has won many choreography awards and top overall awards throughout her teaching career. We are lucky to have her continue her passion for teaching at Xtreme.

Brittanye Little

Instructor

Brittanye Little began her dance training at the age of two in Asheville, North Carolina at Asheville Dance Theater.  At the age of seven, she began competitively dancing in groups, duets/trios and solos, winning overalls and specialty awards both regionally and nationally.  She trained in numerous dance styles, including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip-hop, musical theater and modern.  Brittanye spent various summers studying ballet, pointe, and jazz at the Atlanta Ballet and The Rock School for Dance Education.  She also attended a plethora of master classes along the East Coast with greats, such as Mia Michaels, Mandy Moore, Tabitha and Napoleon, Ray Leeper, Dee Caspary and Mike Minery.  Outside her home dance studio, she performed in several onstage adaptations of The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, Oliver, Anything Goes, The Secret Garden, 42nd Street and Footloose.  After graduating from high school, Brittanye attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a member of the UNC Dance Team for four years.  Throughout her time on the dance team, as well as her senior year as captain, she choreographed show-stopping routines for major events, such as Late Night with Roy, football/basketball games and dance showcases.  Upon graduation in 2012, she began teaching at Xtreme Dance Academy as a competitive and noncompetitive tap, jazz and contemporary instructor.  Her choreographed routines have received various overalls and special awards, including Entertainment and Choreography Awards.  Brittanye enjoys working with the next generation of beautiful artists and hopes to continue instilling in them the true glory of what it means to be a dancer.

Melissa Porco

Instructor

 Melissa Porco is a UNC Chapel Hill graduate with a degree in Biology. She works full time at a Clinical Research Organization in RTP and also works part time as a server at a restaurant in Chapel Hill. Melissa began her dance career at the age of 3 at Chorus Line Dance Studio in New York. At age 8 she and her family moved down to North Carolina and she began dancing under Mrs. Jessie at Carrie’s Dance Creations. Melissa made the transition to Xtreme Dance Academy with Mrs. Jessie, and joined the junior competition team. Melissa has many years competing in jazz, tap, and lyrical during which she and her team won many high gold, platinum, and over-all awards. Melissa also took ballet, hip-hop, and tumble recreationally until she graduated high school. During her time as a student at XDA, Melissa began assisting younger classes with Mrs. Jessie and Mrs. Ashley. The positive experiences that she had as a student teacher influenced her decision to transition into the instructor role during her college years. Now, Melissa is an instructor at XDA and gets to share her passion for dance with her students on a weekly basis. 

Ashley Murphy

Instructor

 Ashley Murphy is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro with a Bachelor of Science Degree in kinesiology. She is currently employed full time at the Presbyterian Home of Hawfields in Mebane as the staffing coordinator. Ashley began clogging at the age of 8 and has been teaching for the past 10 years. Ashley was the 2008 Senior Miss American Clogger. Ashley is a member and co director for the Elite Feet Cloggers. She has been a part of Elite Feet for 17 years. She has won numerous solo and duo awards and also competed in the Junior Olympics and has been to Las Vegas to compete as well. Ashley has always had a love for dance and has a passion for teaching others.

Sarah Maiden

Instructor

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Stephanie Nolte

Instructor

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Kelsey Long

Instructor

As the VP of Performance in Xtreme Dance Academy, Charlie McMann has contributed to the success of our Dance Company since its establishment in 2000. We don’t know what we would do without Charlie McMann on our team.

Sierra Nordan

Instructor

Jordan Parker is a truly excellent Executive Director and has been with us since 2000. Passionate about performance and community involvement, Jordan Parker is committed to the growth and general well-being of Xtreme Dance Academy.