Owner/Director - Miss Charity Carrig is from Lapeer, Michigan. She began dancing at age six and it didn't take long for her love of dance to grow. Growing up, she studied at Lapeer Academy of Dance and the Rochester School of Ballet. Early on she performed with the Boston Ballet in the "Nutcracker". At age twelve she became the youngest member on the WNBA's professional dance team, and then to open for the Detroit Pistons as a tumbler. In 2002 she was asked to be a dancer at Lil' Bow Wow's movie premier for Like Mike. Charity spent multiple years training professionally and in the competition scene, traveling in and out of state with her team. She also danced on her high school Pom team, also competing and performing at sporting events.
Charity went to Oakland University from 2004 - 2008 to pursue a dance career. In college she had the opportunity to perform as a guest member in "Patterson Rhythm Pace" and "Eisenhower Dance Ensemble" and also be apart of the "Intrigue" Hip Hop dance crew. In 2008 she received a Matilda Award for Outstanding Dance Performance and earned her Bachelors Degree in Performance Arts Dance. In 2009 she moved to Buffalo, NY to travel with professional modern dance company Lehrer Dance. In 2010 she traveled to Europe with another company to perform at the annual International Dance Festival in LÄ…dek-Zdrój. Upon returning to Buffalo she began break dancing at local "Battle @ Buffalo" scene. She's also spent time on tour with local dance competitions as a judge and mentor for young dancers.
After an ankle injury, Charity attended school for Massage therapy and in 2012 became a NY state licensed Massage Therapist. She and her husband Timothy were married in 2014 and have four children, Jackson, Hawksley, Finnley and Parker, along with 3 step kids, Elijah, Eloise and Annabelle. As a performer and a teacher, Charity has continued to be recognized for her unique style, receiving awards for choreography and creativity. She is also constantly acquiring continued education in dance and acrobatic arts through CLI Studios, Acrobatic arts, Progressing Ballet Technique and other online and in person forums. She is currently certified with Acrobatic Arts and Progressing Ballet Technique. When Covid-19 struck, Charity quickly became familiar with online software and has been taking courses for successful virtual dance experiences. She is very excited to be starting her own dance studio in Hamburg, NY.
TEACHER - Miss Morgan is from Hamburg, NY and began dancing at age 3 in Hamburg until her graduation in 2020. There she trained in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theatre/Theatre Dance, and Hip Hop. During High School she participated in several conventions and competitions in Buffalo. Currently she is studying at the University at Buffalo for Physical Therapy and is a part of the UB Dance program to earn her BFA. She is in her 3rd year teaching at Elements.
TEACHER - Miss Isabelle began her dance training in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 2. She continued her training in Hamburg, NY before joining Buffalo Inner City Ballet School in 1998 under Mr. Marvin Askew. She has also participated in master classes and intensives with BalletMet, Dayton Ballet, and BalletWest/ArtEmotion with Allison DeBona and Rex Tilton. Since joining Buffalo City Ballet she has danced the leading and soloist roles of Snow Queen, Dew Drop, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, First Wili Soloist and Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, Spring Fairy and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and Sapphire Fairy in Sleeping Beauty as well as various corps de ballet roles She has additionally danced the titular roles in Cinderella, Firebird, and Paquita. Ms. Bateson-Brown is also a teacher for Buffalo Inner-City Ballet School and DanceLab 716. Ms. Bateson-Brown graduated magna cum laude from The Ohio State University in 2011 with degrees in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, French, and International Studies with minors in Cultural Anthropology and Dance. She earned her NYS teaching certification in French & Dance from Buffalo State College in 2012 and currently works as a high school French teacher.
TEACHER - Miss Emily is from Hamburg, NY. She began dancing at the age of 3 in Hamburg, NY up until her graduation in 2016. She is trained in several styles including ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, musical theater, and hip hop. While at Performing Arts, Emily was a dance assistant for 7 years, and she was trained by Miss. Charity for several years. While studying Early Childhood/Childhood Education at Fredonia, Emily was involved with the Orchesis Dance Company, where she choreographed her own contemporary piece, and she taught several dance classes at Eclectic Dance Company. While continuing her education at Buffalo State, Emily is currently teaching preschool for children with special needs. She is going into her 3rd year at Elements Dance Center.
TEACHER - Miss Isabelle is currently a student at Niagara University pursuing a major in theater performance and a minor in dance. She has performed at Eden high school as Maggie Jones in 42nd street, Bea Bottom in Something Rotten, and many others. She has performed with Mel's School of Music and Theater as Veronica in Heathers, Eponine in Les Miserables, and has choreographed multiple shows. Recently she was in Niagara University's Dance Theater show.
TEACHER - Miss Lexie is from Hamburg, NY. She has been dancing for 17 years and loves it more every day. In 2019, Lexie graduated from Hamburg High School and continues to dance at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. Lexie primarily focuses on ballet and pointe but also enjoys lyrical, tap, jazz and musical theater. Beyond being a dancer, Lexie has a leadership role on her dance team and has choreographed 2 ballet performance pieces so far, as well as working to coordinate the fully virtual spring recital. She also has experience with younger dancers and has been assistant teaching since 2012 and substitute teaching since 2018 for dancers aged 2-10. At St. John Fisher College, Lexie is an inclusive childhood education major concentrating in biology education and is also minoring in psychology. She dreams of coming back to Hamburg to teach in an elementary school nearby
TEACHER - Miss Bailey is from Lakeview, New York. She began dancing at age 2. Dance has been her one true passion and interest throughout her life and her love for dance is still growing today. Bailey danced in Hamburg 15 years. She was trained and taught by Charity Carrig, as well as many other talented teachers in the styles of contemporary, hip hop, ballet, jazz, and pointe. She was a dance assistant for 7 years there. After graduating from Frontier High School in 2017, she continued dancing at SUNY Fredonia where she got accepted into Orchesis Dance Company, a student run dance group on campus. She has been in the company every semester since freshman year and has been given two opportunities to choreograph her own pieces. She is now the Secretary for the dance company where she is responsible for informing the members of the club about auditions, show dates, and other dance opportunities on campus. She was also a member of another dance group of campus called Envied Expressions which focused on the style of hip hop. At Fredonia, she studies Psychology and Sociology and soon will receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in both. She hopes to get accepted into Graduate school with a major of Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a certification in Dance Movement Therapy.
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TEACHER - Miss Andrea Miss Andrea has been teaching all levels of music, movement and theater across Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York for nearly 25 years. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from The Pennsylvania State University and continued her musical training at Duquesne University and The Eastman School of Music. She spent music of her time teaching HS choral music where her dance training was put to use while choregoraphing and directing numerous theater productions. Here in WNY she has served as Artistic Director of the Cheektowaga Chorale, music teacher at the Orchard Park Cooperative Preschool, soprano soloist and professional core member with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and First Presbyterian Church of East Aurora. In 2020 she was appointed the Artistic Director of the Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus and most recently started her own business, Songbirds Preschool Music and Movement. She also runs a small voice stuido out of her home.
Miss Andrea made a return to her dance training under Miss Charity back in 2015. From there a passion for dance was reignited and she's been dancing ever since. She was thrilled when Miss Charity asked her to join the Elements team teaching Sing and Shake, a class pairing music and movement for our tiniest dancers. She is looking forward to year #3 at Elements and can't wait to meet and dance with all her new friends!
TEACHER - Miss Anna is a Buffalo native. Her passion for dance sparked at age 13, creating a bond between her and the art form that couldn’t be broken. Anna furthered her education in dance, graduating from the State University at Fredonia in 2020 with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has experience performing in over 20 shows, some of which being in: New York City, New Jersey, and downtown Buffalo.
Anna’s expertise in instruction has blessed her life for the past 5 years. Between private lesson work, fitness instruction, and studio teaching - she gained the privilege of working with a variety of ages in multiple settings. Her one goal as a teacher is to continually inspire her students to be the best versions of themselves in a community that changed her life.
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TEACHER - Miss Aniela is from Hamburg, NY where she began her passion for dance at an early age. She is a recent graduate from Point Park University where she received her BFA in Modern dance. While at Point Park she had the opportunity to work with many talented faculty members and choreographers, as well as choreograph her own piece this past spring. Aniela recently had the opportunity to travel to Italy this summer and dance at Orsolina 28.
Aniela loves to share her passion and knowledge of dance with her students. She is looking forward to teach this year and watching her students grow.
In-house Photographer - Payton Gray is from Hamburg, New York. She was a dancer in Hamburg for fourteen years, taught and trained by Charity Carrig in the art of Contemporary style dance. After graduating from High School in 2018, she ventured into Photography. Payton has now received her Associates Degree in Photography and Related Media Art from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Graduating as a Dean’s List recipient, she achieved her Bachelors Degree in 2022. She specializes in portraiture style photography, and is able to make a connection with each client that she works with. Payton has worked previously as the exclusive photographer for Longboards Paddle and Pedal Co., also located in Hamburg