Kim Yarborough

From the time Ms. Kim stepped into her first dance class at the age of seven, it has been her lifetime goal to make dance a career.  She was first inspired by Ms. Barbara James of the Barbara James School of Dance in Camden, SC and went on to dance at numerous studios throughout her home state of South Carolina.  As a teenager and in college, she danced as a principal dancer in the Florence Ballet Company in Florence, SC where she had opportunities to study with teachers from the famed Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Buffalo City Ballet, and Ballet West.  After teaching at several studios in the Raleigh, NC area, Ms. Kim had the opportunity to open her own studio in 1996.  Step Ahead Dance Studio was born from a dream and a great desire to dance and share the passion of dance with students of all ages.  Ms. Kim loves seeing the faces of her students light up with joy, and enthusiasm when they enter the classroom and eventually the stage! When not in the studio, Ms. Kim loves spending time with her family, going to the beach, and scrapbooking. Ms. Kim has 2 cats that require a lot of love and attention. Simon, now 5 years old, is a lovable fur-ball and So-So, the newest addition, is just 3 and still quite a playful kitten!

Ashley Yarborough Luckett

Ms. Ashley spent 7 years dancing at Step Ahead before going off to college in 2002.  She spent 3 years at Brenau University in Dance Education training.  While in college, Ashley danced with the Brenau Dance Ensemble and Praise in Motion Dance Company.  She taught dance at NE Georgia School of Ballet, and 5-6-7-8 Dance.  She also worked as technical director and master electrician for many shows at Brenau and in the Atlanta area.  After returning to NC, Ms. Ashley graduated from Johnston Community College in 2011 with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing. When not dancing, she works as a nurse in the Emergency Department of Betsy Johnson Hospital in Dunn, NC. Ms. Ashley enjoys spending her “off” time with her husband Jason and daughter Anna. 

Horatio

Horatio joined Step Ahead’s staff in 2010 after meeting Ms. Ashley at Johnston Community College. He has proven to be an invaluable assistant and enjoys helping teach students about bones and how they move to help us dance. Horatio possesses many surprising talents as displayed when he served as Master of Ceremonies for our 2012 production of “Portraits in Dance.”