Emily Messer, Owner
Soul and Spirit owner Emily Messer is a graduate of NC State University. She has been a part of the Dance & Performing Arts industry for 22 years; 17 years as a student and 5 years as a teacher. She has had the pleasure of teaching dance at 3 different studios in the Raleigh-Durham area and directing her own program at a studio in North Raleigh. From the age of 3, she has been passionate about performing across multiple styles of dance, singing and acting.
Emily created Soul & Spirit School of Performing Arts to share her love of performing arts with her local community and create an environment to flourish and grow as a dancer and performer. Emily formed the non-profit Soul & Spirit Performance Company (SSPC) to support and nurture dancers and performers that want to take dance to the next level by performing in the community and competing.
Megan Norris
Megan Lynn Norris graduated with a BA in Dance Choreography and Science (magna cum laude) from Goucher College. Megan also studied at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, the Deborah Colker School in Brazil, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Point Park University. Professionally, she performed in NYC with Isabel Lewis and the Matthew Westerby Company.
In 2012, Megan founded her own professional company – Asterial Dance. She directed and produced over 40 different performances. Megan collaborated with her dancers to create works that mix elements of improvisation and athletic, technical movement that physicalized different human experiences. She also pushed the boundaries of established technique by experimenting with non-traditional props, scenic elements, lighting, and stage spaces. She has been teaching dance for 20 years throughout New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina. She is also Progressing Ballet Technique certified and her knowledge of the human body, from both studying Biology and working as a personal trainer, gives her students an opportunity to understand movement from an anatomically correct perspective. Megan is a busy adoptive mom of three and is excited for her new dance adventure with Soul & Spirit!
Lexi Everett
Lexi Everett was born and raised in Raleigh, NC, and is currently a student at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, studying entrepreneurship and dance. Lexi has been in the Dance Industry for over a decade, training for many years as a student and teaching and choreographing dance for 4 years. Lexi grew up as a dancer on a competitive dance team, and quickly found a love for the art form, as well as for teaching dance. She is well-trained in numerous styles of dance and hopes to one day pursue her passion by opening a dance studio of her own.
