Meet The evolution dance center faculty
Owner & Director
Madison McCray
Madison has been dancing since she could walk and she developed a deep passion for dance at an early age. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, modern, and contemporary. Madison has spent most of her hours in the studio but even when she isn't in the studio, you can find her dancing just about anywhere. She has danced on competition dance teams both locally and as a Junior Washington Redskins Dancer. During her time at Matoaca High School she was the Dance Team Captain and was named an All American Dancer by the Universal Dance Association. After High School, Madison went on to become an NFL cheerleader as a First Lady of Football for the Washington Football Team! Her experience with the NFL introduced her to new styles and techniques that pushed her even further as a dancer and performer. Owning a dance studio has been a lifelong dream of Madison’s. She values the great impact that dance has had on her life and she is honored to give dancers a second home and a place to be themselves. Students will find that her classes are a place where they will encourage each other and where they will evolve together.
Instructors
Cecilia Cook
Cecilia began training in Chesterfield, Virginia at a young age in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, and hip hop. She attended Thomas Dale’s specialty center for performing arts during the beginning of her high school career. She studied choreography, technique, and the works of our beloved Pioneers of dance like Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. Her passion for teaching and choreography developed when she had taken classes at conventions hosted by professional teachers in the industry. Cecilia’s classes are a blend of musicality and technique. She creates a fun and energetic class for her students to feel comfortable to dance like nobody is watching and encourages them to reach past their limits. Her favorite part of teaching is watching her dancers attain new skills throughout the season and evolve into well rounded students!
Lauren Breeden
Lauren began her dance training at 3 years old in the Metro Richmond Area. She is trained in ballet, tap, modern, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, and jazz. She has attended various dance conventions such as Dance Makers, NUVO, NYCDA, and JUMP. She attended Thomas Dale High School’s Specialty Center for the Performing Arts as a member of the Specialty Center Dance Company for all four years. In this company, she learned the teaching and technique styles of dance pioneers such as Martha Graham, Isadora Duncan, and Merce Cunningham. She has traveled to dance in New York City, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles while in SCDC. She was also a member of Thomas Dale’s Dance Team. Lauren’s classes are built together by high energy, positive attitudes, technique, musicality, but also letting loose and having fun. Her classes are exciting and upbeat, and she is guaranteed to put a smile on her dancers faces. She pushes her students to be a better version of themselves each day, in the studio and out of the studio, as well as making sure their dance abilities never stay stagnant. Outside of teaching, Lauren is a full time student in college, aiming towards her Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree, and she loves to spend quality time with her family, her dog, and her friends. She is super excited to be a member of the EDC team and can’t wait for what the future holds for her here!
Abby Farrow
Abby has been dancing since the young age of 2. She has trained in jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, modern, musical theater, and hip hop. She has attended a variety of dance conventions including Velocity, Radix, DanceMakers Inc, West Coast Dance Explosion, Revel, and Hollywood Vibe. She has attended many classes from many well-known instructors/choreographers, some of which include, Valerie Rockey, Kent Boyd, Caitlin Kinney, Kathryn McCormick, Ade Obayomi, Anthony Morigerato, and Artem Chigvintsev. She was also a part of Thomas Dale's Dance Team during her senior year and participated in their dance competitions. She has danced competitively since the age of 10. She found her true love for choreography after being a student at EDC during her senior year. Her favorite part about teaching is getting to share her passion with the next generation of dancers. She loves when students have that "light bulb" moment when learning new things. She has always been recognized for dancing "full out" and hopes to instill that energy to her students. When not in the studio, she loves spending quality time with her family. She also enjoys crafting for her "One Sunflower Lane" macrame business on Facebook/Instagram.
Megan Vasquez
Megan Vasquez began her dance training at the age of four in Colonial Heights, VA. She has studied several styles of dance throughout her years; ballet, tap, lyrical, jazz, and acrobatics. Megan started her passion for teaching dance as an assistant instructor at her beloved childhood dance studio at the age of 14. As her love, dedication, and knowledge for instructing grew, she later became a lead instructor and assistant director. With 15 years of instructing experience in the dance industry, she brings further diversity to the unique learning experience for our evolving dancers. Outside the studio, she is a Reading Specialist for Chesterfield County Public Schools, a wife, and a mom. Megan studied early and elementary education and received her Masters of Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University. She strives to provide a welcoming, engaging, and fun dance class while emphasizing technique. She is looking forward to joining the Evolution Dance Center family!