Our Instructors
Kim Bridges
Executive Director and Dance Instructor
Educated in Dance & Recreation Management. Danced with Russell School of Ballet, Chantilly, VA; In Motion Dance Studio, Warrenton, VA; Shenandoah University Conservatory of Dance, Winchester, VA; Halestone Dance Studio, Lexington, VA; and Brigham Young University Dance Department, Provo, Utah. Accomplished in Ballet, Modern, Lyrical, Jazz, and Tap. Co-founded Excell Dance Studio in 2008. From a very young age, Kim remembers learning from her mother, Connie Davies, who taught dance lessons at their residence in Herndon, Virginia. Later, she attended the Russell School of Ballet in Chantilly before moving to Warrenton, where she joined In Motion Dance Studio under the direction of Laura Crowne. During her teen years, Kim performed in various stage productions throughout Northern Virginia. Summer Master classes at Shenandoah University Conservatory of Dance were a great asset in enhancing technique, while attending countless ballets, dance performances, and theatre productions in DC and Northern Virginia sparked her creativity.
Favorite performances by Paul Taylor, Alvin Ailey, and Dance Theater of Harlem, as well as the Bolshoi Ballet, and a solo performance by Mikhail Baryshnikov, contributed to Kim's choreographic style and future compositions.
During her college years, Kim was founder and president of the Southern Virginia University Dance Club where she taught ballet, modern, and tap lessons to fellow students, as well as children of faculty members. She attended the Halestone Dance Studio in Lexington, Virginia under Nancy Saylor. Later, she transferred to BYU to pursue a degree in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Therapeutic Recreation and danced with the BYU dance department. Kim's passion for dance, love of teaching, and dedication to community service is what ultimately motivated her to establish Excell Dance in 2008. Now a mother of five, Kim is grateful to share the love of music and dance with her children, students, and the Fauquier Community.
Megan Werkema
Program Director and Dance Instructor
Megan began dancing at the age of 8 under the direction of Kim Bridges and Claire Rosenberger at Excell Dance. There, she received extensive training in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, pointe, hip-hop, and performance. She began teaching dance at Excell in 2015 and has taught nearly every style she has studied! After graduating high school, she attended the University of Mary Washington where she was involved with UMW’s Performing Arts Company, Praise Dance Team, and Dance Team. After returning to Warrenton to continue her college education online in 2020, she continued teaching dance locally and graduated from Liberty University in December of 2022 with a bachelor's in English and Writing. Megan believes dance is for everyone, and loves to share her passion for the art form through engaging and expressive classes. She is excited to be involved with a place that expresses her personal values through dance.
Claire Rosenberger
Ballet Instructor
With over 5 decades of teaching, Claire Rosenberger has helped hundreds of students learn to love and appreciate the art of ballet. Trained initially from the age of 9 at the Falls Church School of Ballet under former prima ballerina Elisabeth Graetze and continuing her education through college and beyond, Ms. Rosenberger has taught and mentored students of all levels from Pre-Ballet to Advanced Pointe Including adult students at studios in Northern Virginia, Fauquier, and Culpeper. She is committed to taking every student to their maximum potential.
Rachel Sippert
Dance Instructor
Rachel grew up in Utah and began dancing at the age of seven. In high school, she auditioned for and became a member of the color guard team, led by Nancy Cannon, and Ballroom dance team, coached by Shawn Mortensen. On the color guard team, Rachel learned flag work combined with Jazz and Modern dance movement and competed in a number of events throughout Utah and Las Vegas, including taking part in the street entertainment for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The team received many recognitions, including ranking first in the state of Utah. While on the Ballroom dance team, Rachel studied most major forms of Ballroom and participated in dance invitationals at Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, along with other performances in the area. She later attended Utah Valley University where she continued to study and practice Ballroom dance. Rachel began teaching in 2011 with Excell Dance and has been teaching ever since. She is so excited to bring her love of dance to Grace in Motion! Rachel also loves to cook, read, and spend time with family and friends. She lives in Warrenton with her husband, Steven, and three children.
Steven Sippert
Dance Instructor
Bio coming soon.
Lissa King
Ballet Instructor
Lissa has enjoyed dancing ever since she was introduced to it at age 6. She began dancing at Excell Dance under the direction of Claire Rosenberger and Kim Bridges and received a strong background in various dance styles, including ballet, jazz, performance, pointe, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. She taught at Excell Dance for four years and has been sharing her love of movement and music with students of all ages. Lissa attended college at Brigham Young University- Idaho and took ballet and jazz/hip hop classes while she worked to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Marketing. Throughout her teaching journey, She has had the privilege of working with younger students, fostering a supportive and encouraging environment that promotes creativity, confidence, and technical growth. With a focus on building strong relationships with her students, she strives to inspire a lifelong love of dance and physical expression in each of them.
Clare Ashby
Dance Instructor
Clare Ashby has been dancing for 13 years and has received training in ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, jazz, and modern. The studio is her home, and she is honored to play a role in her students' dance journeys.
Emma Carrico
Dance Instructor
Emma Carrico developed a passion for dance when she was three years old and has been dancing ever since! She was trained in ballet, pointe, hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical at Excell Dance and In Motion in Warrenton, VA. In May 2021, Emma graduated magna cum laude from Randolph College with a bachelor's degree in both psychology and dance. While pursuing her dance degree, she worked closely with some of the legends in modern dance through the historically renowned Randolph College dance department, created by the late principal dancer for the Martha Graham company, Helen McGehee. All of her instructors at Randolph College received their terminal degree in dance from The Juilliard School in NYC. During her time in college, Emma had the opportunity to demonstrate for a master class presented by the Taylor 2 Company and was chosen to perform a duet with a member of New York's Take Dance Company set by Takehiro Uyama. She organized and set several entire dance productions for the school and performed in choreographic works created by Jill Echo, Takehiro Uyama, Walter Kennedy, Brynt Beitman, Gentry George, Seyong Kim, and several others. Emma began teaching her first dance class at Excell Dance at the age of 15 and has continued teaching ever since. She has a strong passion for educating, choreographing, and performing. She strives to impart excellence in technique while also nurturing students physically, mentally, and emotionally. Her goal is to create classes where students feel safe to express themselves in a structured environment where they know they are loved. Emma is so excited to bring all of these values with her to Grace In Motion Dance.