Here at Beaufort Academy of Dance we strive to uphold a spirit of excellence. We employ only the best dance instructors, that are trained, and committed to teaching the art of dance. This ensures that your child receives only the very best of quality instruction in their dance lessons. This not only gives them new skills, but will improve the skills they already have. We invite you to meet and learn a little about our instructors & support staff.
Savannah Pender started her dance career at the age of five with Beaufort Academy of Dance under the direction of Aleisia Ashlaw. Savannah grew up dancing competitively with Beaufort Academy of Dance's Competition Team at the age of seven, until she graduated from the Thomas Heyward Academy. Savannah received a $100,000 Dance Scholarship from SCAD, where she chose to pursue a degree in dance and performing arts.
She recently graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she focused her studies on choreography, ballet, musical theater, and contemporary dance. Savannah studied and trained under The Joffrey Ballet. She has done choreography for several dance studios, student films and local productions, and worked full time on Fox Searchlights feature film "Gifted."
Savannah is also a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Marielle Richardson, Teacher (BIO Coming Soon).
William C. Rhem Jr, was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in the Gullah Islands Of Beaufort, South Carolina. Coming from a city of authentic African heritage and culture, stepping and dancing became a part of him at an early age! Growing up, William found love in music, allowing him to discover dance through being a Drum Major of his high school band and a member of the step teams from elementary to high school! His 10-year commitment to music eventually led him to receive a music scholarship to one of the top historically black colleges and universities music programs at Bethune-Cookman University. During his college career, William joined a south Florida style hip-hop group called "What's Next?" who were featured in BET’s Spring Bling 2009! Graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, from Bethune-Cookman University in 2012. Directly after graduation, William began his graduate career at Florida A&M University with a full academic scholarship to study Community Psychology.
In 2013, William moved to Atlanta, GA and began his technical dance training with the Atlanta Dance Connection under the direction of Leyvon Campbell & Allyne Gartrell and as a scholarship student at Gotta Dance Atlanta! With such a natural talent, William was able to hone in on his technical abilities and grow rapidly. After his first year of classical training, he was rewarded full scholarships to the Dallas Black Dance Theatre Summer Intensive, Bates Dance Festival, Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Joffrey Ballet. William took full advantage of the opportunities presented to him, leading him to study with amazing choreographers and companies such as Jennifer Archibald's ARCHCORE40 NYC, Anthony Burrell's: Breaking Barriers Elite, Grounded Aerial Dance Theatre & Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company. He has performed in productions such as Dance Africa, "Straight Outta Philly", Bravo's: Married to Medicine, America's Got Talent, American Idol Season 12 Winner: Candice Glover: Music Speaks Tour, 2018 ASC New York Fashion Week and Mido Swiss Watches. William has toured, taught and performed all around the U.S. as well as internationally in countries such as Japan, France, and Spain! William performed in the 2019 TOHO production, ENDLESS SHOCK in Tokyo, Japan and toured the show throughout Osaka, Japan .He is also an aerialist and certified bungee instructor!
William was able to be certified as a bungee aerial instructor through Grounded Aerial Dance Theatre, under the direction of Karen Fuhrman. William is currently assistant to Leyland Simmons, Director of Dance at Harlem School of the Arts and on faculty as Jazz, Contemporary and Hip Hop Instructor. William is certified in the National Training Curriculum for American Ballet Theatre, pre-primary-level 3. William also teaches in NYC DOE Schools through Dancewave Inc. As an outreach instructor, William is able to provide quality dance education to students who are not able to afford or access proper dance education. It is extremely rewarding to give back to the underprivileged communities of New York City. As a signed talent with New York's top talent agency, BLOC NYC, William can be seen in commercials for TARGET, DC LOTTERY, and YES WE CODE! along with shows like Saturday Night Live, and MTV's TRL.
Laura Dansky, Acrobatics Teacher (BIO Coming Soon).


Tess Salleme, Director's Assistant (BIO Coming Soon).
