2010 Staff

Brenda Cranford is now proudly entering her 30th season as Owner and Artistic Director of BCSD where she serves as head instructor. She began her dance training at the age of three under the direction of Johnny Lawhon and Margie Watkins. She has studied with the dance department at Coker College and has also studied many summers at leading New York schools such as Steps and Broadway Dance Center. She has served as guest choreographer for many local pageants and events throughout the state. She has danced with the Duke Ellington Orchastra in the "SLIDE" tap intensive Finale which she has attended in NYC for three years. She has attented the NC Rythym Tap Festival the last four years and is the current director of the SC Tap Intensive. She has served as guest tap teacher at Coker College for the "SCAFORD" dance festival and is also choreographing and teaching tap at local studios in SC as a guest teacher. She is busy in her community by guest teaching and sharing her dance passion with local libraries, schools and camps. Her love for her students is what keeps her motivated and her desire to always strive for the best in a positive dance education. She believes Dance is a mountain that you can always keep climbing. Her motto is "When I stop learning, I will stop teaching".

Lynn Newsom has served as Instructor with our school for the complete 30 years. Lynn has over 30 years teaching experience and has many years of dance experience. Lynn has won numerous awards for baton and modeling over the years and was awarded the prestigious Cover Girl USA award in 1972. Lynn is currently the Branch manager at Bank of America in Hartsville as well as teaching at our studio. She is very dedicated to the purpose of BCSD which is to provide only the best for our studnets. She brings with her award winning dance and teaching expertise to our school for another great season.

Tracee Auman is a former student of BCSD who is a graduate of USC with a major in Marketing and a minor in Dance. We have so enjoyed her being back at BCSD and serving as a regular Instructor. She is a former dance competitor with the BCSD Jazz, Hip Hop and Tap Teams and is very versatile in all areas of dance and enjoys working with all ages of dance students. Tracee is also employed with the Guardian at Litem Program in Darlington County which she enjoys greatly. She will be a full time Instructor with BCSD this season where she is now entering her fourth year as part of our Staff and also serves as personal assistant and dance consultant to Brenda Cranford. We are looking forward to a great season with her!

Devin Jennings, from Amelia, Virginia, has been dancing for 19 years. She was trained in Midlothian, VA at Jessica Morgan School of Dance where she competed in various conventions across the country. She is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, pointe, contemporary, Irish, and musical theatre styles. Devin is currently a senior at Coker College where she is studying Dance Performance/Choreography & Movement Science as well as minoring in Business and Music. She has performed with The Wanda Project dance company in Charlotte, NC and recently started her own company, Collide Dance Collaborative in Richmond, VA. She loves teaching and is very excited to join the BCSD staff this year.

Amanda Wright is a native of Columbia, SC, who currently lives in Hartsville, SC. She is a graduate from Coker College with a BA in Dance, Performance and Choreography with a minor in Business. Amanda has been dancing for over 18 years and performed in NYC, Brussels, Belgium, and all over SC. She is trained in ballet, contemporary, modern, lyrical, and Jazz. She is a company member for Sapphire Moon Dance Company, and the Dance Director at the School of Discovery in Clio, SC.

Ali Nelson comes to us from a small town south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She has been dancing for the past 17 years and has performed all over the country in such places as: Las Vegas, New York City, and in front of Cinderella’s Castle in Orlando, Florida. Ali is currently a Junior at Coker College, majoring in Dance Performance/ Choreography and Movement Science. Ali has been trained extensively in Ballet, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, and Musical Theater, but she excels in Hip Hop, Jazz, and Acrobatics. Ali recently became a company member to the professional dance company, The Wanda Project. Ali is so excited to be a part of the BCSD team for her second season and looks forward to an amazing year.

Christopher Robbins is a native of South Carolina, presently residing in Myrtle Beach. Chris has worked for television, Radio,Magazine, and stage shows throughout the south. He has worked for companies such as Opryland, Gaylord Productions, Hardrive, Cruise Lines, NBC, ABC, CBS, Walt Disney and Tokyo Disney Productions. He has performed in The Alabama Theatre and Legends Theatre in Myrtle Beach as a professional dancer. He has choreographed for many leading studios across America and also judges for many national dance competitions. He has won many national and regional awards for his choreography and many of his students have gone on to perform on Broadway, Radio City Rockettes, BadBoys of Dance and assistants to the faculty of NYCDA and Jump. He currently works with Dance Masters of America as judge and instructor and also teaches/coaches swimming for the city of Myrtle Beach. Chris is also a member of "Unbound" company owned by Caroline Lewis Jones. Chris will be entering his seventh season at BCSD and his second year as Director of the BCSD "EXtreme" Dance Competition and Performing Teams. He looks forward to another great year at BCSD!

LeNora Harley will be returning to our studio for her eighth season this fall. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Masters in Social Work, and Coker College with a BA in Dance. She has much experience in all phases of tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, modern, and specializes in hip-hop. LeNora is from Chesterfield, VA, where she began her formal dance training and competing at the age of 12. She is also a dance instructor in Florence and has been a guest choreographer for Johnson C. Smith University’s Dance Department. LeNora is currently stationed at Fort Jackson, SC, where she is the PSNCO for the 2nd Battalion, 108th Regiment (Military Police). LeNora is dedicated to her students and will continue to reach higher heights in her goal of teaching others. Her goal is to eventually combine both her passion of helping people and dance together.