Director
Patty Ogden, Owner & Artistic Director
Patty Ogden holds a BA in dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. She has dedicated over 35 years to educating children and adults in various forms of dance. Patty also studied voice and performed in musicals including Carousel with the Civic Light Opera. She started teaching when she was only 14 to help pay for her classes, and found a gift that became her passion. By the time she was 25 she was opening a dance studio of her own. In the 9 years that followed she had built a successful business. She developed competition teams and trained other teachers. She also choreographed and directed many productions including the epic play, “The Promise” at the Texas Amphitheater in Glen Rose, TX. It was after all of this experience that she decided to finish her dance degree at Point Park University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2000. Immediately following she moved to Raleigh, NC and began teaching dance clinics for the Kerr Family YMCA after school programs. This soon progressed to her starting a dance education program for the students in Durant Elementary After-School Program. Patty’s love for children combined with her passion for educating in the area of fine arts has been the driving force behind the creation of Destiny Dance Institute.
Instructors
Brianna Melendez, Co-Director
Brianna Cooper was raised in Durham, NC. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from East Carolina University. Her training also includes time at the American Dance Festival, Giordano Dance
Erika Marschke, Assistant Director
Erika Marschke graduated with her BA in Dance from Stephen F. Austin State University, where she was a member of the SFA Repertory Dance Company. Through being a part of the
Terry Lehman, Ballet Director
Terry Lehman was born “on the road”…and stayed there. Her father, John R. Lehman, was the founder & artistic director of the first state-chartered ballet company in the US –
Mariya Dashkina Maddux
Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux is a professional concert dance performer and a dance educator. A native of Kiev, Ukraine she was first introduced to dance through the classical Vaganova ballet
Shimon Ito
Shimon Ito began his dance training at the age of 4 at his mother’s dance academy, Asako Ballet New York. At 8 years old he was accepted into the School
Carrie Mostoller
Carrie Mostoller holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro along with a B.A. in Biology. Before transferring to UNCG, Carrie studied at Point Park
Kerry Dallin
Kerry Dallin has a Bachelors of Arts in Theatre from DeSales University. Her career in musical theatre consisted of national and international touring companies, dancing and singing on a cruise
Tama Guerra Rivero
Tama Guerra began her ballet training in Brazil with Mrs. Aracy Evans, who is best known in Brazil as the teacher of the teachers. Mrs. Tama received a scholarship to
Sarah Learned, Preschool Director
Sarah Learned has been teaching Jazz/Contemporary, Ballet and pre-dance for 20 years. Growing up, Sarah studied and competed in ballet, tap, jazz and lyrical, and attended conventions annually such as
Kayla Grinnell
Kayla Grinnell is a 2013 graduate of Meredith College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Studies. She will performed Eleanor Smith’s choreography in the North Carolina Dance Festival Tour.
Rachel Edwards
Rachel Edwards – Hip-hop, Jazz/Contemporary instructor. Rachel has 15 years teaching experience. She studied at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA during her teenage years. Later, Rachel studied ballet with Ruth
Lauren Lockhart Collins
Lauren Lockhart began her dance training at age four at En Pointe School of Dance under the direction of Kathy Thomas-Law. Throughout her years at En Pointe, she trained in
Lisa Larson
Lisa Larson holds a BS in Elementary Education with a minor in Dance from Brigham Young University-Idaho. While a student at Brigham Young University, Lisa trained in modern dance and
Alyssa “Skye” Tapp
Alyssa “Skye” Tapp has been dancing for as long as she can remember. At age 10 she started to take dance very seriously after falling in love with musical theater.
Jennifer Kirby
Jennifer Kirby began her dance journey as a young child in southern Virginia. She trained with Denise Wall in Virginia Beach during middle and high school. She then went on
Ashley Gorczynski
Ashley Gorczynski grew up dancing with Destiny Dance Institute, beginning when she was only 2! She started assisting Ms. Patty when she was 10 years old. She has performed as
Jeanette Whalen
Jeanette Whalen is a retired nurse with a passion for tap dancing! She started out dabbling in dance classes to help her with her figure skating. But when she started
Sofia Colvin
Sofia Colvin started dancing at Destiny Dance Institute when she was six years old. She has been a member of DDI’s Hip-Hop and Jazz Companies as well as the Wake
Office Staff
Robin Miller
Robin Miller has worked as office manager with DDI since 2004. She previously worked at a charter school as an assistant and preschool teacher. She has two children and loves
Guest Instructors
Pablo Javier Perez
Pablo Javier Perez, born in Uruguay, graduated with the highest honors from the National School of Dance. In 1994 he won a silver medal at an international dance competition in
Geo Hubela
With over 28 years experience in the Entertainment Industry, GEO Hubela is a Choreographer, Artistic Director, Dancer & Teacher. He is Co-owner and Director of one of New Jerseys leading
Alyssa Pilger
Alyssa Pilger is currently a principal ballerina with the Carolina ballet. She began her training at age 2, as a jazz dancer. At age 15 she went on to receive
Mia Domini
Mia Domini began training at the School of Ballet Arizona with Nancy Crowley. She later continued her training at Ballet Etudes in Gilbert, Arizona before being invited to the winter
Nicholas Fokine
Nicholas Fokine is currently in the Corps de Ballet with the Carolina Ballet. He began his ballet training with the renowned Olga Kostritzky at the School of American Ballet. Mr. Fokine
Laurel Dorn
Laurel grew up training at Destiny Dance Institute. She was a member of DDI’s Jazz & Contemporary and Hip Hop Companies as well as the Wake Forest Civic Ballet. Through
Stazia Ritch
Stazia was raised in Apex, North Carolina and trained pre-professionally for many years at the Academy for the Performing Arts, with a focus on contemporary dance. Since 2020, she has
Luke Potgieter
Luke Potgieter began his ballet training at The School of American Ballet at age 9 under Olga Kostritzky, Jock Soto, Johnathan Stafford and Andrei Kramarevsky. Upon graduating, he joined the
Jonas Godwin
Jonas Godwin began dancing at age 9 in his hometown Saint Petersburg, Florida at the Academy of Ballet Arts. In 2016 He joined Charlotte Ballet II under the direction of
Quest Intensive
Our Jazz, Contemporary, and Hip-Hop Company dancers have had the amazing opportunity to train with Quest Intensive at the studio since 2023. Highly renowned guest instructors from Quest have included: