MEET OUR FACULTY

Owner and Director of Callahan Dance Academy. I was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL. My father was the Owner and Director of Buddy Sherwood School of Dance for 70 years where I was brought up all my life around dance. I had the chance to travel all over to conventions and learned from some of the best dance  chorographers  in the U.S. I became a dance teacher at the age of 16, graduated high school and went on to be a cosmetologist. At the age of 19 I opened Callahan Dance Academy and continued to work on cosmetology. While teaching dance and getting my business started, I taught at the local high schools all around working on choreography for musicals, dance teams, beauty pageants and working with special needs students. After 36 years in business, my studio has grown to be a great success. I will continue to provide the best dance training to all ages and always carry on my father’s legacy. I thank each and every one of my staff and dance families that have come into my life and helped make my business a success. 

Nancy was raised in the life of dance at Buddy Sherwood School of Dance where she went from being a student at 3 years old! She became a student teacher, an assistant teacher and then became a teacher at the age of 17 for many years. While continuing to teach for Buddy Sherwood in Jacksonville and Hilliard  studios. Nancy continued her dance career when Terri opened Callahan Dance Academy working as a teacher alone side Terri from 1982-1997 

before taking a break to raise her boys. Nancy has attended  dance conventions and competitions throughout the years traveling with her dance team. Even though she has never left Terri as her family, in 2018 she was asked to return back to CDA as the studio manager. 

Nancy loves working with the parents, student and with the staff closely keeping the business going in the office. She is looking forward to many years of fun! 

Ashley has been with Callahan Dance Academy for over 30 years, she began taking dance classes at the age of 2.5. At 10 years old, Ashley became a student helper at CDA & continued on to be a student teacher, an assistant teacher and then became a teacher at the age of 16. Ashley was also a member of a competitive dance team for 4 years during High School and competed throughout the city of Jacksonville and Orlando. A number of dances that Ashley has choreographed have been performed for Christmas events, local vendor festivals, National Dance Week at the Jacksonville Landing and intermission entertainment for local talent shows, beauty pageants and Senior Citizen luncheons. Ashley, along with Jena, has also created and organized Summer Camps at CDA for children in Nassau County. Ashley has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and is a first grade teacher at Callahan Elementary School! Ashley’s daughter Kasidee is a student at Callahan Dance Academy as well! Ashley truly loves teaching & working with all of these kids! 

 Jena has been a part of the Callahan Dance Academy family for 24 years now. She began dancing at 3 years old, and over the years has taken tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, clogging, and acrobatics at the studio. Jena worked as a student helper and assistant teacher before getting a class of her own when she turned 16. She will be going into her 13th year as a teacher at CDA and is so excited to see all of her returning students and meet the new dancers coming in. Jena earned her bachelor’s degree in Management & Marketing, and her MBA from Jacksonville University. She now works full time as a Business Specialist for The Legal Department, where she assists small business owners with their legal needs. She also manages the marketing efforts for Callahan Dance Academy. At the studio, she loves getting to witness each dancer’s skills, confidence, and love of dance grow year after year. She can’t wait to get back in the dance room for another year of fun with her students!
 

 Shannon is a wife, mama of three, and teacher at Callahan Dance Academy. She has been with CDA since the year 2001. She learned tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and clogging for 9 years at CDA. In 2010, she left to further her education in dance at Brigham Young University. She continued her learning in jazz, clogging, and classical ballet during college and picked up contemporary and world dance. That is where her love for ballet started to grow. She competed in ballroom competitions and enjoyed learning various styles of swing dancing, quickstep, foxtrot, tango, and salsa. After ten months of dancing in Idaho she returned to CDA and started teaching. She says she teaches dance because it allows her to help each student find the beauty within themselves. Being able to watch the dancers’ self-confidence grow throughout the year is a wonderful experience to be a part of. She hopes that through her influence and love of dance, the students will be able to find the best in themselves. Her love of dance, and teaching dance, grows with each passing year. She looks forward to the continuing opportunity of teaching the art of dance at Callahan Dance Academy.  Her daughter, Ila, is now part of the CDA family. 

Tammy has been teaching acrobatics at Callahan Dance Academy for over 20 years. She has enjoyed being not only a teacher, but also a dance mom over the years. Her daughter and fellow teacher, Jena, has grown up at the studio and she has loved getting to share memories with her at CDA. You can also find her behind the desk during the year, helping in the office and assisting with anything else the studio may need done. She loves getting to know her students each year and watching them grow and develop their skills in class and putting on a show at recital. 

Meet Amber She has been a part of CDA for over 20 years now. She started dancing at the studio when she was 3 years old with her twin sister, Brittany. She continued dancing for 16 years. Her favorite classes throughout the years have always been hip hop and clogging. Amber also works as a firefighter for Jacksonville Fire and Rescue. She is so excited for this dance season and all the fun that is in store!

Michele’s has been a part of the Callahan Dance Academy family since her daughters, Caitlin and Faith, both started dancing at CDA as soon as they could. Over the years she has watched them grow into amazing dancers and take on the roles of student helpers, student teachers, and assistant teachers. When she isn’t cheering on her favorite girls as a proud dance mom, you can find Michele behind the desk in the office at CDA helping keep us all organized! 

 Lissley Maddox is an Acro teacher and a superhero dance mom at CDA! She has been a huge help at the studio for several years in any way she can before she joined the faculty team. She loves being able to help your little ones develop their skills and reach their goals! She is thankful to be a part of the CDA family as both a parent to a dancer, our very own Ellie Grace, and as a faculty member. She can't wait for the new year to begin and looks forward to seeing all of our dancers, new and returning!
 

Miss Faith has been dancing at Callahan Dance Academy since she was three years old! She’s taken every class the studio has offers over the years but her favorite style is hip-hop. Faith has been involved in band since 6th grade and loves performing on stage with her instrument or her dancing feet. After student teaching and assisting for many years, she is taking on her first class this year and is super excited to meet her students. She is looking forward to seeing all of the dancers and meeting new faces. Fun fact: Faith’s sister Caitlyn also danced with us for many years and her mom Michele works on staff as well! We love a CDA family!
 

Briana Boyd is the new POM dance teacher at CDA! Briana has been cheering and dancing since she was 5 years old. She has coached cheer for several years in the past and is super excited to take on this new endeavor as  a POM dance teacher. She also thoroughly enjoys her role as a dance Mom at CDA where her two little girls have been dancing at since they were both three years old. Outside of her dance life, she is also a wife, mother of four, and portraits and wedding photographer. Briana is so excited to get this new dance year started, meet all of her new students, and watch them grow more and more in love with the art of dance!