Meet Our Staff
Lauren Carr
Owner & Instructor
The En Pointe Dance Company in Cornelius, NC was established by Lauren Robbins Carr. Lauren started dancing at the age of three and fell in love immediately. Since then, it has been her dream to open her own dance studio and pass her love of dance along to others. With years of hard work and a Bachelor's Degree in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, her dream is finally becoming a reality.
Arianna Shahin
Instructor
Arianna Shahin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography as well as a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Elon University. She is originally from Ambler, Pennsylvania where she trained in an array of dance genres and performed competitively. Arianna has studied at prestigious intensives including American Dance Festival, Paul Taylor American Dance, NYU Tisch, and The Joffrey Ballet School to supplement her education and further her passion. Additionally, in 2019, she was selected to present choreographic work at New Century Dance Project. Throughout her life, Arianna has been drawn to the beauty and expressivity that dance offers. Dance has provided a second home for her, being a place to build relationships and uncover growth as an artist. Arianna is forever grateful for the life lessons and character-building aspects that dance has also provided her with. After completing her degrees, she received a Master of Science in Accountancy from Wake Forest University and has since continued to pursue her passion for teaching dance. Through teaching, Arianna hopes to provide her students with the technique and knowledge to succeed as well as share her passion for the beautiful art form of dance.
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Leah Wolfe
Ballet Instructor
Leah graduated from Butler University with a B.F.A. in dance performance in 2019. Formerly, she has danced and taught professionally with the Fort Wayne Ballet in Fort Wayne, Indiana for 4 years. While with the Fort Wayne Ballet, she enjoyed performing both classical and contemporary roles, ranging from Jewels in Sleeping Beauty to Edward Stierle's Empyrean Dances, as well as serving as a faculty member and co-director of the Fort Wayne Ballet's Youth Company. She is certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum for levels pre-primary to 3, and she loves working with students of all ages!
Donice Blanton
Tap Instructor
Bio and headshot coming soon!
Alexa Darcangelo
Instructor
Alexa holds a Master’s degree in Education from SUNY Cortland and a Bachelor’s degree from St. John Fisher University. Originally from Upstate, NY, she trained in a variety of dance styles and performed in local productions throughout her youth. Growing up, she furthered her training and passion for dance by attending summer intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. Alexa is a Resource Teacher in the Fort Mill School District and is excited to continue sharing her love for the arts and working with young dancers so that they can learn to discover their own creativity, confidence, and joy through movement!
Channing Dayton
Instructor
Channing Dayton is a dancer and choreographer based in Charlotte, NC. She attended East Carolina University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography in December of 2024. Channing was recently awarded an Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity grant, where she choreographed an evening length work exploring how physical trauma changes the brain and body. She has performed in many student and faculty works at ECU, and served as an intern, where she connected with past alumni. Channing has also performed in festivals such as Detroit City Dance Festival, BOOM Festival, and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, as well as with Baran Dance Company and The MARK Dance Company. Channing performed in Grand Carnivale at Carowinds, and recently performed in an American Dance Festival Footprints piece choreographed by David Dorfman. She was selected as the student choreographer for ECU’s Fall Dance 2024 Faculty Concert. She also performed recently in the NC Choreographers Residency Project in May, as well as the Loose Leaves Legacy performance in June. Channing is looking forward to being a part of the Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion Institute cohort this season! She plans to pursue a future of dancing in a contemporary company and setting her own choreographic works.
Emily Vesely
Instructor
Emily is a 2025 High School Graduate. She has been dancing for 7 years, 3 of which were at En Pointe! She has been in multiple productions, including plays and musicals. She is excited to teach this year!
Grace Whittington
Teaching Assistant
Grace Whittington has danced at En Pointe Dance Company for 9 years. She is a member of our Elite Competition team. Grace has been assisting classes at En Pointe for 6 years and is excited to continue sharing her love of dance this season!
Emma Bostick
Teaching Assistant
Emma Bostick is a sophomore and passionate dancer with two years of experience, including one year as an assistant. Emma is excited to share her love for dance and see what this new dance season brings!
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Daliana Suarez
Teaching Assistant
Daliana has danced at En Pointe Dance Company for 4 years. She is a member of the competition team. Daliana enjoys performing in a variety of styles and bringing energy to every routine. She looks forward to improving her skills and reaching new goals in dance.