Our Team

Abbey Fitzjarrell (Director)

Abbey earned a B.M. in Musical Theatre Performance from the University of Central Oklahoma and has spent the past four years teaching at an elite competition dance studio in Amarillo, TX. She has traveled the country as a professional performer and has choreographed countless productions for dance and theatre. Abbey has expertise in many forms of dance and a passion for tap, musical theatre, and contemporary styles.

Mark GolD (Director)

Mark is a professional dancer, actor, choreographer, and teacher. He received a B.F.A in Dance Performance from West Texas A&M University. Mark has been honored to dance, choreograph, teach, and direct with many professional & educational organizations over the years. Since 2022 Mark has served as an adjunct professor of Dance at Abilene Christian University. Mark specializes in teaching both ballet & modern dance techniques as well as classes in choreography & improvisation.

Alisha Taylor

Ms. Alisha is a multi-hyphenate artist who has pursued a career as an actress, choreographer, producer, and director. She graduated from Abilene Christian University with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. Through this, she was able to learn many different styles of dance. Alisha specializes in teaching both Hip Hop and Traditional West African dance styles. She also has experience directing for both stage and film, and has performed in cities such as New York and Chicago. Her films have been official selections of the Pan African Film Festival over the years, and she has recently ventured into documentary filmmaking. Communicating the human experience through storytelling is the throughline of all the mediums Alisha works with. Stage, film, and dance all have the power to transform and uplift and she hopes to pass that along to others!

Melissa Mccoy

Ms. Melissa was born & raised right here in Abilene, TX! She was a Cooper Cougarette and grew up dancing at Dance Ltd. Through her dancing Melissa eventually received a talent-based scholarship to West Texas A&M University. While earning her BFA in Dance, Ms. Melissa toured to Italy & participated in a multiple award-winning performance of Edward Truitt’s “Kinetic Ties” at the GP Italia International Dance Festival.

Other notable career highlights include her work with various Lone Star Ballet productions like “Nutcracker” & “Coppelia” as well as multiple seasons with “Texas! The Outdoor Musical Drama” in Palo Duro Canyon.

Ms. Melissa has been part of the Key City Dance team since Day One & adores watching students grow in her Contemporary dance classes.

Astin Bryson (Ballet Mistress)

Miss Astin has been training in a wide variety of classical ballet styles since the age of 8 years old, her favourites being Vaganova, Cuban, and Cecchetti styles. In her years as a professional, she has danced with Ballet Latino de San Antonio, Ballet San Antonio, and Ballet Frontier of Texas, as well as making guest appearances in performances with the San Antonio Youth Ballet with a few notable roles being the Arabian soloist and Sugar Plum Fairy in SAYB’s productions of the Nutcracker and the Evil Witch in their production of Blanca Flor in 2018.

Her teaching career began at age 15, where she discovered her true passion. Her experience ranges from age 3 all the way up to adult, from recreational to professional level. Now, living in Rule, TX with her family and many cats, Miss Astin is happy to be teaching as many classes as she can get her hands on to share some of the same joy she has always held for the art of ballet.

Kaelin Winters

Ms. Kaelin was born and raised in Austin, Texas where she grew up dancing and competing in numerous styles, specializing and jazz and contemporary dance with her company. Alongside competing, Kaelin danced at her high school as a Leander High School Blue Belle for three years, serving as captain her senior year. Through both her competitive and drill team experiences, she was given the opportunity to travel, take classes and compete across the country, spending lots of time in LA and New York to learn from some of the best! Kaelin is currently a graduate student pursuing a Master of Divinity in the Graduate School of Theology at ACU, and in her spare time also works as the director of the Wylie High School Varsity Belles! Kaelin is passionate about both drill team and competitive dancing, and her heart is filled as she continues watching the dance community in Abilene grow every year!