At Elite Dance Academy, we are proud to say that all of our teachers are highly educated and experts in their chosen craft. Their goal is to instill a sense of confidence and achievement in every student, and to provide an educational and exciting dance experience for all! Our faculty of dance professionals truly loves to teach - and it shows!
With over 25 years of teaching experience, Bethany Doherty Cruze is a dedicated and passionate dance educator. A graduate of Brenau University with a degree in Dance Education, Bethany has spent her career nurturing the next generation of dancers with excellence, integrity, and heart. She is the proud owner and director of Elite Dance Academy (EDA), which she has successfully operated for the past 12 years. Known for her dynamic energy and commitment to strong technical foundations, Bethany specializes in Jazz, Tap, Leaps & Turns, and Musical Theatre. Her classes are known for blending discipline with creativity, inspiring dancers to grow not only in skill but also in confidence and artistry.
Skyler Brennan has been an avid dancer for over 23 years, with extensive training in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, and contemporary. Her passion for dance began at an early age and has remained a constant throughout her academic and professional journey. Skyler began choreographing and teaching during her college years, creating award-winning routines for multiple competitive teams. Since then, she has accumulated more than 15 years of experience in both classroom instruction and choreography.
Since joining the staff at Elite Dance Academy, Skyler has been recognized for her creative vision and impactful routines, earning multiple choreography awards at regional competitions. Her ability to blend strong technical foundations with fresh, innovative movement has made her a valued member of the EDA team.
In addition to her work in the studio, Skyler holds a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology from Emory University and currently serves as a Zoonotic Disease Epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health. She brings the same dedication, precision, and thoughtfulness to her work in public health as she does to every class she teaches.
Skyler is proud to be part of the EDA family and is passionate about inspiring young dancers to grow in both confidence and skill.
With 15 years of dedicated dance experience, Magick Spencer is excited to embark on their teaching journey at Elite Dance Academy. Their passion for teaching stems from years of assisting instructors and choreographers such as Bubba Carr and Brady Michael.
Magick grew up immersed in the competitive and convention dance world before joining the teen program with Xcel Talent Agency, where they trained from 2018 to 2023. They performed in Xcel’s first live show, Image Nation, in August 2023.
Later that month, Magick moved to New York City to continue their training at the Joffrey Ballet School in the year-round Jazz and Contemporary program directed by Angelica Stiskin. During this time, they were also a member of RISK Contemporary Dance Company, directed by Brady Michael. Magick danced with RISK for its first two seasons, performing as a guest artist in the company’s debut show, Five More Minutes, before transitioning into an administrative role for seasons three and four.
In the summer of 2025, Magick choreographed a piece for Choices, a show presented by the Admix Project.
They are thrilled to join the staff at Elite Dance Academy and look forward to inspiring the next generation of dancers.
Ms Tristen is from a small town just outside of Columbia, SC. She started dancing at the age of three, but truly began training rigorously at the age of seven with Southeastern School of Ballet. While there, she attended well-known summer intensives, such as Houston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem on merit scholarship, The Rock School for Dance Education, and Texas Ballet Theater on merit scholarship. At the age of sixteen, she was chosen to be apart of Texas Ballet Theater’s very first Professional Training Division, where she trained under Ballet Mistress Anna Donovan for two years, and was able to perform works choreographed by the world renowned Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., such as Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker and Ben Stevenson’s Coppelia. At age eighteen, Tristen joined the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre as a trainee and has risen through the ranks each year to now being a full fledged professional company member. She has performed as the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Butterfly in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed a soloist variation in Paquita, and has had featured roles in original works choreographed by GBT’s own resident choreographers Jennifer Mason and Michelle Bourgeois. She is so very excited to be teaching at Elite Dance Academy
Summer is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, where she grew up dancing at Southern Strutt and cheering competitively with American Cheer Xtreme. She attended Clemson University, where she studied Biological Sciences and was a member of the Rally Cats dance team. While at Clemson, she performed on the sidelines at all home football and basketball games and competed annually in the Jazz division at NDA Nationals in Daytona, Florida.
After college, Summer auditioned for the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders and spent four years as a member of the team. During her time there, she had the opportunity to travel to London for the NFL London Games and perform alongside artists such as Ludacris, T.I., Bobby Brown, and many others. Her favorite styles of dance are Pom, Hip Hop, and Jazz.
Summer is thrilled to be joining the staff at Elite Dance Academy and can’t wait to share her passion and experience with the next generation of dancers!
