Mrs. Laurel Masso - Owner, Director, Instructor, Choreographer
Laurel Masso starting dancing at the age of four. It has been her passion her entire life. She danced at her hometown studio of Bay City, Texas. While attending, she received many awards and accomplishments. She was also an assistant and instructor who choreographed for recital and competitive numbers.
Laurel's dance background is very well-rounded. She has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and musical theater. Laurel was also a gymnast and trained in tumbling for over a decade.
Mrs. Laurel went on to pursue her love for dance at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. While attending, she auditioned and was chosen for the college dance department's Merge Dance Company. She was also awarded several dance scholarships for academic and performance excellence. In 2016, Laurel graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Studies and a minor in Business Administration.
After graduation, Laurel went back to her original, hometown studio and had the opportunity of being the studio's Director. During her time at the studio, Laurel expanded the classes and created more opportunities for her students. It was a bitter-sweet decision to leave her hometown again, but has always dreamed of opening her own studio to share her skills and love for dance for her very own students.
Laurel believes in teaching her students through respect and positive reinforcement. It is her goal that her studio be an inviting and warm learning environment. She believes dance class teaches way beyond the the art dance itself, it encourages creativity, instills discipline, ignites self-confidence, and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Laurel thanks dance and her wonderful teachers for shaping her childhood.
Ms. Cait Nixon - Instructor, Choreographer
Cait Nixon is a native Texan, born and raised in Houston. She has been dancing since she was eight years old and has always loved to perform. Her dance training was rooted in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary at Abbotts Performing Arts Center. She performed and competed with this studio for many years, receiving multiple awards and achievements along the way.
Her freshman year, Cait secured a spot on the high school drill team for the next 4 years. A team that instilled determination, integrity, positivity and leadership skills; additionally, making friendships that would last a lifetime. She believes that sharing a love for dance makes connections that cannot be forgotten. During her high school career she also taught ages 5-12 at another local studio in hopes to share these same ideals with her little ones.
After high school Cait went on to continue her dance career at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. There she learned the basics of Modern dance and Kinesiology. She was invited by her professors to audition for the college’s dance company, Merge. She was also an officer in the student run dance company, Orchesis, where she choreographed and performed many pieces at the end of the year shows. In 2016, Cait graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Studies and a minor in Education.
A year after graduation, Cait moved to Los Angeles, California to grow her dance education in Hip Hop and Jazz Funk. There she performed professionally for different artists at several venues. She lived in Los Angeles for three years and decided that home was where she wanted to be.
She believes in creating a warm and welcoming dance space in order to make learning fun and exciting. She is so excited to continue sharing her love for dance with her students!
Mrs. Sarah Brashear - Instructor, Choreographer
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Sarah Brashear is originally from the Gulf Coast area in Bay City, Texas. She has been dancing since she was four years old at a studio in Bay City where she discovered her true passion, care, and excellence for dance. Sarah danced competitively and received many awards. She was the Salutatorian of her graduating class of 2014.
Sarah is a Texas State University Bobcat Alumni. She accomplished the honors of graduating Cum Laude and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Business in 2017. She is trained and knowledgeable in jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tap, acro-dance, modern, and contemporary. She was invited by her professors to join the CIMTEYA dance company for three semesters. CIMTYA gave Sarah the opportunity to teach elementary-age students, dance at Texas State University performances, and study in New York City.
After Graduating, Sarah worked at a dance studio and fitness gym. Sarah believes that dance and fitness are a great way to build friendships, while developing a fun and trusting environment. She improved her teaching techniques as she helped others to conquer challenging movements. Sarah was given the opportunity and honor of becoming the Director at her hometown studio. She taught many classes, choreographed for the competition groups, and traveled with the team in various locations across Texas!
Mrs. Sarah has always loved working with children of different age groups. She will continue to live her dream of teaching dance and inspiring her students. Her favorite dance quote is “Dance like no one is watching.” She cannot wait to meet new faces, keep growing with her students, and build trust to help them accomplish their goals.
Ms. Olivia Boone - Assistant, Instructor, Choreographer
Olivia Boone started dancing at the age of three. She grew up in McKinney, Texas. She tried out for her first competitive dance team at the age of twelve, and made the team. She totally fell in love with all aspects of dance and competing. Olivia performed in numerous national dance competitions around the state of Texas! Olivia competed in group numbers and also as a soloist. She
earned many top awards.
In high school, Olivia danced with the high school dance team. She was elected the dance team captain and lead the team to the National TAPPS State Competition. At TAPPS she earned the highest honor competition award!
After graduating high school, Olivia embarked on an overseas mission trip. She used the art of dance as a form of worship and as an outreach to teach others about Jesus.
In addition to teaching dance, Olivia is also a licensed Esthetician and currently works in the New Braunfels area. She is passionate about helping others look and feel their best! Olivia also teaches Sunday School to little ones at a local church.
Olivia excels in Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, and Acro Dance. In addition to the artistic expression of dance, Olivia believes the confidence and discipline it instills is a life long valuable skill. She is gifted in teaching children. Nothing brings her more joy than to help children learn one of her greatest passions!
Ms. Madison Fogle - Assistant Instructor
Madison Fogle grew up dancing in Southern California, she started dancing when she was three years old. Dancing and performing quickly became one of her favorite things to do! She found her belonging in ballet, jazz, and lyrical classes. She went on to compete for several years throughout middle school, earning many awards and growing in her technique.
In high school, Madison moved to Colorado Springs, CO. She took dance technique classes for three years with her high school dance program and was an elite member of the Liberty Dance Team. This is where she found her love for musical theater and contemporary. She was also able to travel and perform with Liberty, this included a performance at the Disneyland California Adventure Park! Additionally, this is where she was first an assistant teacher in a beginner level dance class and choreographed her first couple of dances that were performed at various shows.
After high school her first two years of college were spent at Pikes Peak Community College, she took many dance courses here and was a member of the college dance company, High Altitude Dance Ensemble (HADE). This is where she learned a lot about dance history and challenged her technique with the art of modern dance.
Now, she is furthering her education at Western Governors University (remote), she has plans to graduate with her Bachelors in Elementary Education in early 2024. Teaching dance is something Madison has always wanted to pursue; she is excited to begin her journey. She wants to create a safe place for littles to learn and enjoy dancing!
Ms. Meghan Gray - Instructor, Choreographer
Meghan Gray began dancing at the age four. Growing up in San Antonio, TX, she trained and competed in numerous styles including, ballet, tap, jazz, clogging, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop at TJ’s Dance Factory. During high school, Meghan became a member of the National Title Winning Taft Highstepper Dance Team. She served as Lt. Colonel from 2014-2015 and Colonel from 2015-2016.
Meghan attended Texas A&M University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in motor behavior. During her college career, she joined Dance Arts Society, an organization that allowed her to continue to dance, perform, and choreograph. She served as Secretary for the organization from 2018-2019 and Vice President from 2019-2020 giving her experience in stage production and management.
Since graduating in 2020, Meghan has continued to teach dance to studios and high school dance teams across San Antonio and surrounding areas. She is experienced in choreographing routines for all ages/levels. She has been the recipient of 5 choreography awards in 2023 in lyrical and jazz routines.
Meghan is ecstatic to meet new faces and continue to share the love of dance. It is important to her to create a safe and supportive environment, so that each dancer thrives in class. She is driven to continue growing as a teacher and as a dancer alongside her students.
Ms. Molly Cortez - Instructor, Choreographer
Molly grew up as a competitive dancer in San Antonio, TX. She danced at various studios (Barbara & Tammy’s, TJ’s Dance Factory, and Earl Cobbe) from age 4-13 and was trained in Ballet, Modern, Tap, Clogging, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Jazz.
She continued training throughout high school, being named Technique Officer her junior year and took convention classes with renowned choreographers across the country including Brian Friedman, Mia Michaels, Lori Reynolds, and others.
She attended Texas State University, where she danced for the NBA G-League team the Austin Spurs and simultaneously earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition & Psychology.
She continued on to become a professional dancer for the Rampage Hockey team and WNBA Stars post graduating. She wrapped up her years with Spurs Sports & Entertainment by dancing for the NBA San Antonio Spurs as a Silver Dancer 2012-2013.
Molly founded Moonlight Dance Entertainment in 2019 with a vision to provide professional training to adult dancers & give them opportunities to get paid for their art. She also continues to professionally dance in other local entertainment companies and hopes to bring her experiences and knowledge to young dancers, helping them find their unique “spark” and utilize it to achieve their dance goals.