Sierra Lekoy-
The Arts Company Director and Owner since 2013.
Sierra graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise and Sport Science and a certificate in Dance Choreography/Education. Sierra has over 30 years of dance experience and believes you should never stop learning and always challenge yourself. During her time at UNC she spent three years on Carolina's Opeyo dance team, and served as lead choreographer and teacher for two years. Sierra's training includes ballet, jazz, pointe, contemporary, modern, lyrical, hip hop, tap and gymnastics. At Carolina she studied under The Hopkin's Dance Program and had the honor to study under the teachers and choreographers from the American Dance Festival such as Charles Anderson, Anjali Austin, Glenna Batson, Roger Belman, and Brenda Daniels. Sierra has attended numerous dance conventions, professional training seminars, and both student and elite professional level competitions throughout her career in which she received numerous awards for both choreography and performance. Sierra along with many teachers from the studio has had the honor to have had many students accepted into college dance programs, pre professional programs and professional programs. We have an array of alumni who have continued in the dance field in various roles from teachers, lead choreographers as well as dancing. Her passion has always been focused on the arts with an emphasis on dance and fitness. Sierra has continued her dance education through dance master teacher work since 2018 where she has had the oppurtunity to study under professional dance program coordinators from around the world, to bring back ever evolving and updated curriculum and methods to the town of Faison. Sierra strongly believes in honoring the gifts God has given her and finds joy in spreading that gift through teaching and by challenging students in their craft. She considers it an honor and blessing to be working with the incredible students and staff members at the Art's Company. Sierra continues to travel the world with her family but prioritizes the work and sacrifices it takes to give her studio the best that it deserves so that it can continue to strive and flourish. She prides herself in having a team that is educated, trained, experienced and most importantly dedicated to The ARTS Company family
Mechelle Ward-Barksdale - Mechelle Ward-Barksdale has been at The ARTS Company as office manager since 2009 under the director Leigh Williams and continued under the director Sierra Lekoy. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Family and Community Services from East Carolina University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Cappella University. She has worked in the Human Service field for over twenty years. Working with developmental disabled children and adults, at-risk youth, homeless families, as an administrative assistant and a daycare teacher which has given her a diverse experience working with individuals and families. Mechelle has also volunteered with a number of organizations focusing on families. For years she was the leader of CYF (Christian Youth Fellowship) at her home church and a youth group called “Tru 2 U”; that focused on teenage females being true to who they are as young women and respected, loving, and cherishing that. Mechelle heads up the studio's competition team fundraisers and serves as a link with parents to find ways to provide oppurtunities to all of our students. She was also the leader of the “Spiritual Gathering Circle” which was a group of woman from diverse ages and backgrounds that met and focused on women related issues and the importance of taking care of themselves mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally. Mechelle will be incoporating those same beliefs as well as physical education and training in her health and fitness class offered at the studio. Each year she looks forward to what is in store for The Arts Company and all it will bring.
Eboney Teachey - Eboney has been dancing for over 20 years and over the course of these years she has studied ballet, tap, acro and jazz. Along with her dance training, Eboney has had experience in cheer with both performance and teaching. She started her journey at The Arts Company in 2009. She danced for several years for Project Reclaim and served on the dance ministry for Mount Olive First Pentecostal. Eboney has dedicated time and work in training specifically in the Arts Company curriculum and furthering her dance eduacation in an apprentice program. She has attended training conventions such as Dance Revolution, Titans of Dance and has continued her dance education with classes through online dance teacher continuing education sites. She deeply cares about the art of dance and wants to help students find their own passion and love for dance. Eboney has been assissting, subbing and teaching since 2014 at The ARTS Company. Her joy comes from experiencing students shining their own light through the love of dance. She truly feels she has the best job in the world working with the students at The ARTS Company.
Leigh Williams (BS Dance Education, East Carolina University) Leigh and her husband, Jeffery built The Arts Company the Summer of 2003 and were blessed when ownership changed to Sierra Lekoy in 2013. Leigh settled into the position from studio director to teacher, after 13 years. A recent move to Wilmington, NC took Leigh and her family in a different direction, but she is thrilled to come back to her home studio and work with the families of her home community. Leigh’s teaching credits span 26 years in the public school system, private studios, community centers, professional theatres, intensives and workshops in arts education, with a primary focus on implementing excellence in training with a solid understanding of using one’s unique gifts to glorify God in the arts. Her motto for her students is simple: “If you want it, go get it. No one is going to give it to you. God will help you in everything you do. Do your best and let God do the rest.”
Cameron Barksdale resides in Mount Olive and as an Arts Co alumni Cameron has worked as an assistant and private teacher with our hip hop, ballet, jazz, and contemporary curriculum over the past 8 years. Now he joins us as a lead teacher bringing the expertise of his training in both our curriculum and in numerous styles. Cameron has focused his training in all genres which includes master work with professional connections and master teachers from around the world over the past decade. He has trained with dance masters out of Faison (his home studio), Cary, Wilmington, and from across the globe. Cameron has competed locally and nationally receiving the highest rank in scoring, titles, as well as numerous scholarships, top recognitions and has spent years mastering his craft. Our dance babies love him and we are excited to have him working with them. Cameron is a working professional dancer and when he is not out touring you will find him in our studio pouring everything he has into our students. We are honored to have him in our studio as part of our teaching family and blessed to know as his home studio we have been there from the beginning to where he is now, showing proof small studios like us yield big results.
Mrs. Brenda Collins comes to us from Florida where she owned a prestigious dance studio, Tampa Bay’s Dance Fx, for 15 years. She has produced many award winning dances that have won national competitions including, Most Entertaining, Best Choreography and Overall Top Scoring Grand Champion. In addition, she has choreographed many shows, including Crazy For You, Will Roger’s Follies, Seussical!, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Footloose and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to name a few. Besides choreographing and directing, Brenda has performed around the world: Copenhagen, Denmark; Minsk; Leningrad; Moscow; Seville, Spain. She has also performed at Disneyworld, Disneyland and Busch Gardens Tampa. She currently works and travels for Dance Revolution/Earthshakers Competition and MB Culture. While not traveling, you can find her working at Jones True Value in Mount Olive and she is also the Director of the Student Ministry program at the Bridge Mount Olive.