Elevate Performing Arts Center

Elevate Performing Arts Center opened in 2014 and has built a reputation for giving students quality dance education in a supportive environment. The studio is located at Red Mill (2137 Upton Dr Suite 326, Virginia Beach) and offers classes in ballet, tap, pointe, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary, modern, musical theatre, and tumbling.

Classes are available for ages 3 and up, spanning beginner through advanced levels. The studio runs a competition team whose students and choreography have won overall high scores and choreography awards at competitions across the region and national level.

Kathy Walker, owner and director, began dancing at age 5 in Staten Island, New York, where she competed in numerous competitions and taught at several studios in Brooklyn and Staten Island before opening Elevate. She holds a B.A. in English from Wagner College and is a certified member of Dance Masters of America and The Dance Association of Virginia. She teaches tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and musical theater to various ages and levels.

The teaching staff includes instructors with extensive credentials. Katie Flint holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a Minor in Exercise Science from George Mason University and has taught at private studios across Northern Virginia and the Tidewater area, as well as serving as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College teaching ballet, modern, and jazz. She is the Dance Strand Lead at the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School in Virginia Beach and has been on the Academy Curriculum Committee since 2015. Kathryn Munk holds an M.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Bedfordshire and developed a strength and conditioning program for dancers, continuing to research cross-training programs. Hannah Walker graduated in April 2022 from Point Park University in Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and is a 2018 graduate of The Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA. She teaches jazz, contemporary, ballet, and advanced tap and choreographs for the competition team. Tomomi Brown has taught since 2005 and trained at summer intensives at the School of the Hartford Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, San Diego Ballet and Boston Ballet. Amber Romano performed principal roles with Todd Rosenlieb Dance and Virginia Ballet Theatre companies in Norfolk for four years and began her professional career with Nashville Ballet. Chelsea Bal has been teaching at Elevate since 2017 and specializes in tap. Maria Jones brings 7 years of all-star cheering experience and hip hop teaching background and is currently majoring in Musical Theater with a minor in Dance at Christopher Newport University. Mackenzie Broccolo received her B.A. in Dance from Dean College and has been teaching and choreographing for over 10 years throughout New England.

The studio offers summer camps and a downloadable dress code. Registration for summer 2026 begins April 20th.

Classes run for ages 3 and up across beginner through advanced levels in a range of styles. You can download the class schedule and dress code from the website before your first visit.

The studio is led by owner and director Kathy Walker, a certified member of Dance Masters of America and The Dance Association of Virginia who has competed and taught across New York. The teaching team includes Katie Flint (B.F.A. in Dance, GMU; Dance Strand Lead at Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School); Kathryn Munk (M.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from University of Bedfordshire); Hannah Walker (B.F.A. in Dance, Point Park University, 2022); Tomomi Brown (trained at summer intensives at Joffrey Ballet, School of the Hartford Ballet, San Diego Ballet and Boston Ballet); Amber Romano (performed with Nashville Ballet and Todd Rosenlieb Dance); Chelsea Bal (teaching at Elevate since 2017, specializes in tap); Maria Jones (7 years all-star cheering and hip hop experience); and Mackenzie Broccolo (B.A. in Dance from Dean College, 10+ years teaching and choreographing).

Classes are offered for ages 3 and up in beginner through advanced levels, and the studio believes dance is for everyone.