Meet our Team
Rebekah Faulkner
Classroom Assistant
Rebekah has been dancing since she was 5 years old. In high school, she spent a lot of time choreographing, especially for kids. Her favorite dance experience was Dancing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She has continued her dance career with UNCW's Dance Company. From the triangle area, she now attends UNCW majoring in Marine Biology and minoring in French. She aims to make Marine Mammel Rescue her career. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and swimming. She adores working with kids and the light they bring to life!
Chelsea Griffis
Instructor
Chelsea has been in the dance world since she was three years old. Starting that love of dance early, she has grown a passion and love for the art that she is now excited to share with others. Chelsea is attending Cape Fear Community College on a transfer track to the University of North Carolina Wilmington. While staying involved in the dance world, she is embarking on a new adventure on the Sea Devil’s Cheer Team with CFCC Athletics Department. New to the area, Chelsea was an assistant teacher back in Northern Virginia for four years. She quickly fell in love with sharing the joy and expression of dance with little ones! Chelsea is ready to begin her journey with Little Leaps and cultivating the next generation of dancers.
Lauren Griffis
Events and Projects Associate
Lauren began dancing at 3 and continued competing until 20. She has taught all ages and genres for nearly 10 years and is certified in the Twinkle Star Dance and Acrobatique programs. Along with teaching, Lauren served as the office operations and social media manager for a dance studio in Northern Virginia for several years. She holds a BA in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Waldorf University and is pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration. Lauren values the sense of community dance brings to children and believes in guiding dancers beyond the steps, helping them grow into the next generation of extraordinary individuals.
Kendall Krebs
Classroom Assistant
Kendall has been dancing since she was 3 at various dance studios across New Jersey and North Carolina. She has done many styles of dance, including ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, hip hop, tap, modern, and jazz. She was a competitive dancer for 8 years and took many tumbling classes. She was on the Holly Springs dance team and found her love for choreography at Holly Springs High School. She is currently studying at UNCW with a major in Theatre Performance and minors in dance and french. She loves working with kids and bringing the joy of performance into their lives. In her free time, she loves to go to the beach, surf, hang out with her friends, read, and take pictures.
Chelsea Griffis
Instructor
Chelsea has been in the dance world since she was three years old. Starting that love of dance early, she has grown a passion and love for the art that she is now excited to share with others. Chelsea is attending Cape Fear Community College on a transfer track to the University of North Carolina Wilmington. While staying involved in the dance world, she is embarking on a new adventure on the Sea Devil’s Cheer Team with CFCC Athletics Department. New to the area, Chelsea was an assistant teacher back in Northern Virginia for four years. She quickly fell in love with sharing the joy and expression of dance with little ones! Chelsea is ready to begin her journey with Little Leaps and cultivating the next generation of dancers.
Payton Loden
Instructor
Payton has been dancing since she was just 3 years old. Payton has danced for 16 years, spent 11 on a competition team, and 8 as a special needs dance teacher. She has trained in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, and contemporary. She has worked under numerous talented instructors such as Denise Wall and Jamie Goodwin from So You Think You Can Dance, Sarah Lapointe from the Charlotte Ballet, and more. Payton is currently attending UNCW for a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Applied Behavior Analysis and has dreams of getting her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. With that, she hopes to exercise her passion for working with the special needs community! When she isn’t dancing, you can find her at the beach or doing yoga!
Halle Maltarich
Classroom Assistant
Halle has a passion for working with children. She volunteers regularly with her church's children's ministries working with children from preschool to middle school age. A recent graduate of New Hanover High School and Halle is continuing her education at Cape Fear Community College and later at University of North Carolina Wilmington with a focus on Journalism and Business. Halle loves photography, design, and journalism and has her own photography business. In her free time Halle enjoys spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, watching movies, and shopping. Halle is excited to join the Little Leaps team!
Ebany Rae
Instructor
Ebany fell in love with dance at just three years old, sparking a lifelong passion that propelled her into the beautiful world of movement. By age 11, she joined her studio’s training company, embarking on years of intensive study across multiple dance styles. Her natural leadership led her to assistant and student teaching from an early age, discovering a parallel passion for dance education.
Post-high school, Ebany moved to New York to train in the Limón Launch Program with the renowned Limón Dance Foundation. Most recently, she spent four years in Colorado managing community dance programs and working at the historic Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp, where she deeply immersed herself in diverse art forms.
Dedicated to her growth as an educator, Ebany actively continues her professional development through ongoing NDEO courses. She firmly believes in nurturing not only well-rounded dancers, but well-rounded humans. Ebany is thrilled to bring her rich dance background, spunk, and vibrant energy to the Little Leaps team!
Testimonials
"Joining little leaps with Miss Carrie has been the best experience for my daughter. Each class I get to see her personality and confidence grow. The classes are so engaging for the little ones and parents. They are always full of energy, dancing and laughter (along with the occasional high pitch screams). It’s an amazing way to get yourself and your little one moving while seeing them develop and learn before your eyes through music and play. We love Miss Carrie and you will too!"
Tamekia Y., Little Leaps Parent
"As a former elementary educator turned stay-at-home mom, I couldn’t be more impressed with our experience at Little Leaps. Miss Carrie welcomed us by name the first time we met her and has made us feel like a special part of the Little Leaps community ever since! Her dance classes are perfect for my busy toddler (and even her baby sister). I am constantly amazed at the skills my daughter picks up after each class, such as listening and following directions, moving with coordination, and confidently expressing herself. I love connecting with other mothers and caregivers and seeing my daughter build relationships with her peers. My daughter asks to go to “dance class” almost daily and it has become the highlight of our week!"
Kelly W., Little Leaps Parent
Contact Us
ADDRESS
5226 S. College Rd, Unit 8-A, Wilmington, NC 28412
About
Little Leaps is a children's dance studio located in Wilmington with an award-winning team dedicated to providing the best dance instruction while fostering creativity, confidence, and growth in every child.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 910-994-3130
