Our Faculty
Jennifer Grinwis
Nan’s oldest daughter, Jennifer, has been here from the very beginning! Our owner and director attended the 1989 NC Governor’s School in dance and participated in the Guilford County Junior Miss Scholarship Program in 1990 winning scholarships for her dance performance. She studied dance at UNC-G, and continues to further her training by enrolling in conventions and seminars. Other experience includes being a homeschooling mom to 4 children. Jennifer’s dance teaching experience spans 22 years.
Lauren Stroud
Nan herself taught Lauren at our Yadkinville studio for fifteen years. She has her BA in dance from UNC-G. In high school and beyond, Lauren composed choreography, performed it, and won awards with her cheerleading team and show choir. At a competition in Atlanta, she was named All-Star dancer. This is Lauren’s 17th year teaching with Nan’s. When not dancing, her 4 children keep her busy.
Carly
I’ve been dancing for 20 years and 9 of those years I trained at Nan’s! I got my degree in Dance Studies from Appalachian State in 2015. I performed for Horn in the West in Boone, NC for the summers of 2014 and 2015. I’ve also performed small festivals over the past few years. My passion is performing and creating new work. I’ve been teaching dance since I graduated and I love every second of it. Currently in my dance life, I teach and I take classes and go to conventions as often as I can and I am continually looking for opportunities to perform! I love teaching at Nan’s and I am excited to see what the future brings.
Ashley Simmons
A dancer here at Nan’s since age three, Ashley has experienced many dance genres. She recently graduated from UNC-G majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Dance. She has many years of classroom management under her belt through helping at her church all her life and her full time position as a 4th grade teacher at Greensboro Academy. This year is Ashley’s 6th year as a Nan’s instructor.
Kayla McBane
Kayla started dancing with Jennifer at the Yadkinville studio when she was 3 years old. Now in her final year of a degree in kinesiology with a minor in dance at UNC-G, she is ready to share her knowledge. Through volunteering at church and training with us, she has experience with children of all ages. This is her 4th year teaching at Nan’s.
Krysta
Rebecca Ray
Rebecca Ray has danced since she was four years old through graduating high school in 2018. She started her dance journey at a studio in Elkin, NC called Dance Upstairs and was on a traveling competition team. The last two years of high school she transferred to Nan’s School of Dance in Yadkinville where she also competed and was taught by Lauren Stroud. She is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro and currently pursues her masters in public affairs. She has enjoyed teaching young children at Nan’s since fall 2017. She says, “I didn’t expect to continue my dance journey, but it has been a pleasure sharing my passion with children.”