Poquoson Dance Academy

Zoe Gauthier

Kinetic Energy Dance Company Instructor

Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Creative Movement, Dance With Me, Acro

Zoe began dancing at the age of nine at Poquoson Dance Academy, and has continued her training ever since. She has trained in ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip-hop, pointe, modern, and contemporary. Zoe was a member of the Kinetic Energy Dance Company for seven years. Over the years of competing, she received multiple scholarships and invitations to dance workshops. In addition to this, she has also choreographed her own solos to compete as a student, which received high overall placements. She has also performed at Starlets of Dance, a breast cancer awareness and fundraising event. Zoe is the founder of our Dance With Me program for dancers ages 18 months to 2.5 years old. This program gives young dancers the opportunity to explore movement, dance, and music in a social environment with a parent/guardian. She is also certified in Acrobatic Arts and DiscoverDance Early Childhood Dance Education. Zoe is passionate about helping children find a love for dance early in their lives!

Tori Terrill

Hip Hop and Tap

Victoria “Tori” Terrill was born and raised in suburbs of Washington D.C. Tori began dancing at the age of nine in Fairfax, VA. She has trained in multiple genres such as Jazz, Pom, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Tap, Lyrical, Ballet, Musical Theatre, Ballroom, Irish Step dance, and Afro Caribbean. Since she began competing in 2004, Tori has been a semi-finalist at UDA and a finalist at NDA. Tori has performed for several philanthropic charities helping raise money for different organizations. She has also won numerous awards including two All-Americans and has been nominated for a Cappies award for choreography. In addition to her dance accolades, Tori has also choreographed routines for productions such as Fiddler On the Roof, By Bye Birdie, Singing in the Rain, and A Delicate Balance. Graduating with a dance minor from Christopher Newport University, she received the Casey DiPersio Annual Business and Performance Scholarship. While she was there, she was also Historian for Nu Delta Alpha Dance Honor Society. Tori currently judges and is involved with event planning for Eastern Cheer & Dance / AmeriDance. She loves being a mentor for her students and enjoys seeing them be dedicated to improving their dance abilities. 

Laura Bransford

Kinetic Energy Dance Company Director

Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro

Laura began her dance training at 3 years old at Margie Williams Studio of Dance and fell in love with it immediately. When she was 5, she began dancing at Poquoson Dance Academy as one of its original students. Over the next thirteen years, she trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop, and tap. She was a member of Poquoson Dance Academy’s competition team for six years and has been teaching for the studio and its company ever since. Additionally, she was a member of the York County School of the Arts (SOA) for four years. Laura had the amazing opportunity to dance in the Orange Bowl halftime show with country singer, Jake Owen. She received her B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Dance and Writing from Christopher Newport University in 2017. At CNU, Laura actively participated in the dance department’s annual dance concert, “A Delicate Balance,” as both a dancer and choreographer. Since she began teaching, Laura has received numerous high-scores and awards for her choreography. Laura is currently a judge and adjudicator for StarLand Productions. She is also certified in Acrobatic Arts. Laura is passionate about inspiring others to love dance as much as she does and loves to see the "ah-ha" moments when a student finally masters a skill. 

our STAFF:

Abby Topping

Kinetic Energy Dance Company Director

Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Acro

Abby grew up in Poquoson, VA where she began her dancing career. She was a student at Poquoson Dance Academy when it first opened in 2000 when she was 4. Abby started with a class of beginning tap and ballet and eventually trained in all styles of dance including ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary.  Abby was an active member of the Kinetic Energy Dance Company for 5 years. Abby graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2018 and received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Spanish.  She has had the opportunity to take classes from well known choreographers and organizations including the Joffery Ballet, Derrick Schrader, and Tony Bellissimo. Abby is now a teacher and choreographer for the company and other classes at the studio. As a choreographer, she has received choreography, high-score, and judge's awards for her work over the years. She is also certified in Acrobatic Arts. Abby loves to encourage her students and see how they improve as dancers!