MEET OUR STAFF
Your New Beginning starts with our award winning staff
Owner | Directer | Instructor
ZOPHIA BAUCOM
Zophia Baucom recently returned to North Carolina after achieving her goal of becoming a professional dancer in New York City. She is not only a professional dancer, but also an award-winning choreographer, instructor, and filmmaker.
While in New York, Zophia worked as a freelance dancer on numerous contemporary ballet projects, including a collaboration with world-renowned artist Reza Farkhondeh. In addition to performing, she has been a dedicated instructor for the past eight years, teaching a wide range of dance styles at various studios across North Carolina, New York, and New Jersey. Her students have gone on to perform professionally in national commercials and share the stage with artists such as Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey.
Before beginning her dance journey, Zophia was an accomplished competitive gymnast for 12 years, earning top overall placements in five state championships and three regional championships. At age 15, she discovered her passion for dance at West Johnston High School, where she led her team to three national championships. During this time, she trained under Cherri Crabtree at Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts and was a highly awarded member of their competition team.
Zophia graduated Summa Cum Laude from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, concentrating in Performance and Choreography. While at ECU, she performed in numerous works by faculty and guest artists and participated in esteemed dance intensives including Trinity Laban Conservatoire (UK), Jennifer Archibald’s ArchCore40, and Joffrey Ballet School, where she was selected to perform in a piece choreographed by Angelica Stiskin in New York City.
Zophia has a deep love for all styles of dance, and as an instructor, business owner and mentor, she strives to prepare her students technically for the professional world while helping them discover their unique passion and artistic voice.
Admin Assistant | NHSDA Sponsor
EMALEE CHAPMAN
Emalee Chapman is 25 years old and has been dancing since she was 3. In 2008, her family moved from Maryland to North Carolina. She continued her love for dance once she moved here and has since then been trained by multiple dance instructors. Over the years, she trained in jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, tap, clogging, acrobatics, lyrical, musical theater, and ballet. Emalee has been with Steps on Stage since its opening and has loved it ever since. She has received multiple top honors and scholarships at regional and national dance competitions since her start of competition dance at the age of 6, as well as attending numerous dance conventions and intensives to grow in dance until she graduated from high school. Emalee attended West Johnston and was apart of the dance team there for four years, winning regional & national honors, while also competing at Steps on Stage. She held the role of dance team captain and was an officer of the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA).
Emalee graduated from North Carolina State University, Summa Cum Laude, with a degree in Communication and completed her Master's degree in Integrated Marketing & Communication from The University of North Carolina Wilmington in under a year.
Emalee has been a part of the staff for 8 years now. Over the years, her pieces have received different judge's awards, as well as choreography acknowledgements at competitions. Most recently, her contemporary group won Elite Grand Champion at nationals. Emalee is also currently the official chapter sponsor for NHSDA at the studio. Even though she no longer lives in NC, she still works remotely with Steps & continues to push the importance of dance and arts eduction.
Tap Program Director | Instructor
KATIE PADGETT BROWN
A native of Lexington, KY, Katie Padgett Brown began her dance training at the Diana Evans School of Dance, performing at festivals, concerts, and competitions across the country. With over two decades of teaching experience in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Kentucky, and North Carolina, she is dedicated to rhythm tap education and believes every student can thrive with the right tools.
Katie has studied with legendary tap artist Dianne Walker for over 20 years and is part of the inaugural cohort of tap dancers and musicians in the Heather Cornell Legacy Project. She has also trained with Gene Medler, Brenda Bufalino, Josh Hilberman, Michelle Dorrance, Derick Grant, Lisa LaTouche, and many others. Performance credits include the Kennedy Center Gala hosted by Julie Andrews and Angela Lansbury with the NSO Pops conducted by Marvin Hamlisch, and Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic alongside Kristin Chenoweth and Raúl Esparza.
Her choreography and students have been featured at the DC Tap Festival, The Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art (as part of the Chicago Human Rhythm Project), Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and the Ernst Cultural Center.
In 2022, Katie earned the Level 1 Copasetic Canon Certification and a Tap Teacher Training Certificate from the American Tap Dance Foundation. In 2025, she established Rhythmic Potluck to foster collaboration and community among tap dancers, musicians, and rhythmic artists in the Raleigh area.
Her students have gone on to dance with M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Music from the Sole, Dorrance Dance, Chicago Tap Theatre, The Juilliard School, The Mark Morris Dance Group, Houston Ballet 2, The Richmond Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, The Boston Ballet, Ballet West, The School of American Ballet, numerous Broadway shows, national tours, regional theatre productions, and college and university dance programs across the United States.
An honors graduate of Elon University with a B.A. in Music, Katie now lives in Clayton, North Carolina, where she enjoys reading, kayaking, going to concerts, listening to podcasts, and spending time with her husband and their cats.
Instructor
EILEEN JURIC
Eileen Juric draws from a multi-layered history in the dance world. She began her career training on full scholarships at the Joffrey Ballet School and the School of American Ballet, afterwards dancing professionally as a soloist with the Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet.
After her performing career, Eileen shifted to teaching children and later opened her own studio in New Jersey. Recognizing first-hand how traditional approaches fell short in a mainstream setting, she came to understand the need for a fresh approach to technique.
Eileen began developing an innovative technique program called “BalletBarreNone”, and she produced the acclaimed 3-DVD series “The Children’s Hour of Power” for ages 3-9. The highly-rated, 5-star reviewed series is based on the Joffrey Ballet School’s pre-ballet curriculum, has sold in over 23 countries, and was hailed by Dance Teacher Magazine as “unique and inspirational”.
She has continued to refine and expand her progressive teaching methods for dancers of all ages and backgrounds. While creating her latest content, Eileen decided to rename her program "PowerDance Technique" to better reflect its essence and reach its audience. The “Elements” Series, for ages 9 and up, was sponsored by Revolution Dancewear.
Since that time, Eileen has taught locally and traveled internationally as a faculty member for CLI Studios and for such conferences as the Dance Teacher Summit, the DanceLife Teacher Conference, Dance Masters of America, and the Florence Summer Dance Intensive in Italy. Eileen most recently taught for US Figure Skating’s “Access to Excellence” camp at their Colorado Springs headquarters this year.
Instructor
TALIAH VANDERBEEK
Taliah Jade Vanderbeek, raised in Willow Spring, North Carolina, began her early training with Cheri Crabtree at Steps on Stage Academy of Performing Arts. She is a recent graduate of East Carolina University where she received her BFA in Dance Performance. While at ECU, she danced in works by Richard Smith, Danielle Lydia Sheather, Ji-Eun Lee and Emily Schoen, and trained under Galina Panova, Tommi Galaska, Teal Darkenwald and John Dixon. She also had the opportunity to work with guest artists such as Koresh company members, BodyTraffic, Parsons Dance and Tiffany Rae Fisher to name a few. In 2014, she attended the Joffrey Ballet School New York City Jazz and Contemporary Intensive on scholarship and performed at Symphony Space in works choreographed by Jeremy McQueen and Andre Tyson. Taliah choreographed many of her own works during her time at ECU and recently presented her senior thesis project "You plucked the darkness out of my soul. You saved me."
Instructor
MIKAH SIMMS
Mimi (Mikah Simms) is a 19-year-old professional dancer who was born in Fayetteville, NC. She has trained with the best at CLI Conservatory working with Robert Green, Teddy Forance, Akira Uchida, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Brian Nicholson, Codie Wiggins and Sienna Lyons. Mimi signed with Go2Talent Agency and is now teaching until her soon move to LA. Mimi has experience with teaching, Dancing on Camera, and performance quality. She loves to share her artistry with the dance community. Her goal as a teacher is to always create a space where students feel 100% themselves all while pushing them to be the best dancer they can be!
Instructor
SYDNEY MCLEOD
Sydney McLeod is 22 years old and has been dancing with Steps since she was 11. She was on the West Johnston High School dance team her senior year as well as the National Honors Society of Dance. She’s been in trained in hip hop, ballet, jazz, contemporary, modern, and musical theatre but hip hop and contemporary are her favorite. She graduated from West Johnston in 2022 and is now attending Campbell University double majoring in Business Management and Marketing with minors in Social Entrepreneurship and Sports Business. She has been on Step’s company team since she started at age 11 and has also attended multiple dance conventions with the studio. She loves the girls she teaches and danced with and can’t wait to continue to watch them grow every year.
Instructor
GABRIELLE STEPHENSON
Gabrielle Stephenson has been dancing for over thirteen years. She has danced with Steps recreationally and on the company team for nine years. Gabrielle has attended multiple competitions and conventions with Steps. She is a student at West Johnston High School, where she is involved in many clubs.
Gabrielle has been and continues to trai in many styles of dance She has attended many tap events, training with professionals such as Josh Hilberman, Michelle Dorrance, Elizabeth Burke, Luke Hickey, Derick Grant, Lisa LaTouche, Max Pollak, Mark Goodman, and many others. She loves to share her love for tap and is super excited to share it with even more students this year!
Office Manager
ROBIN WILSON
Robyn was introduced to the dance world when her daughter began taking dance at Steps on Stage seven years ago. Sydney has been a recreational and competitive dancer, so Robyn has learned all the ins and outs of dance and made invaluable friends at the studio. She has worked in the Johnston County school system for 11 years and has experience working with children and parents on a daily basis as well as working with an office staff.
As Sydney has now graduated, Robyn is so excited to be able to stay with the Steps family to encourage the other dancers and parents and continue to be a part of this wonderful studio.