About
Us
Dance is not about perfection—it’s about passion, expression, and the resilience to keep showing up. At our core, we believe in the beauty of the process: building confidence, cultivating inner grace, and creating a safe, inclusive space where all dancers can thrive. Here, growth is measured not by trophies, but by transformation.
Rooted in nearly five decades of cherished tradition, we step into a new chapter with fresh energy and a deep respect for the legacy that shaped us. This year marks the beginning of our own story—a story fueled by a love of dance, a love of learning, and a love of performing. Guided by our dedicated teaching team, we’re committed to offering something truly special for dancers of every age and style.
From preschoolers to adults, ballerinas, tappers, and hip hoppers alike, this is a place where familiar faces bring comfort, new experiences spark excitement, and every dancer finds a place to grow. A space brought to life by the belief in what dance can do for the soul.
Teaching Staff
Liza Craig
Director/Choreographer
Liza began dancing at the age of three, beginning at Lockport City Ballet in 2004 and performing in their yearly production of the Nutcracker and spring recitals until 2010. In 2011, she transferred to Sylvia’s School of Dance– which became her dance home for the next twelve years and allowed her to expand and learn all different styles under Sylvia MacDonald and Maren Pochatko. Liza was also a part of Sylvia’s Disney Dance Team traveling to Orlando, Florida to perform in 2017. Leading up to her senior year, she continued to train and take masterclasses and workshops in Buffalo out of Nickel City Dance Center in musical theatre, contemporary, jazz, technique, etc. That summer she had the privilege of attending the Rockette’s Summer Intensive at Radio City Music Hall, learning their precision technique and repertoire.
After recovering from foot surgery in 2018, she was the lead choreographer for Chesko Summer Theatre Program and began working as a tumbling coach at Flip’s Gymnastics & Sport. In 2021, she joined local contemporary dance company Donegan Dance Exploration and completed the Dancer Strong Program out of LA, which focuses on anatomy and correct alignment for dancers cross training and rehab, a concentration that has become a personal passion. Liza returned to dancing at Sylvia’s in 2022 and began her teaching career. Her favorite classes to teach are jazz, technique, acro, and lyrical! She has enjoyed teaching, choreographing, and connecting with young dancers for the past five years and her main goal is to inspire them to love and appreciate dance as much as she does. With an overwhelming desire to build strong relationships with her students and see them learn and succeed in the art of dance, she opened Avant Dance in July 2025 following the closure of Sylvia’s School of Dance after 48 years.
Since traveling to Broadway Dance Center in New York City for their dance teacher workshop, where she had the opportunity to connect with dance educators from all over the world and learn hands on from some impeccable artists, Liza is ready to dive in and bring these dancers to a whole new level.
Ayla Davis
Ballet Master/Choreographer
Ayla began her ballet journey at Lockport City Ballet, where she was technically trained in Ballet & Pointe along with being accepted into multiple dance programs during that time including Chautauqua Institution and NYSSSA - New York State Summer School of the Arts. She then began dancing with Matthew Clark at Clark Academy in Buffalo where her skills excelled in multiple forms of dance including Contemporary Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theatre, and more! After graduating High School, she competed in the IMTA (International Model & Talent Agency) Competition where she won Dancer of the year in 2013. She was featured on the cover of Buffalo magazine and began teaching Ballet among other styles at West Side Academy in Medina from 2012 to 2023. To now, back out of retirement, sharing her knowledge/skill to any individual who shares that similar passion we all possess for dance & the art of movement itself.
Katie Moen
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Katie's journey with dance began at the age of five and blossomed into a lifelong passion spanning over 25 years. She trained extensively at Sylvia's School of Dance, mastering a variety of styles and performing in countless recitals- including memorable showcases at Walt Disney World. In 2006, Katie brought her creativity and energy to Amazing Grace where she taught for five years and introduced hip hop to the studio's curriculum. Her talent and charisma eventually lead her to the NFL, where she became a professional cheerleader for the Buffalo Bills in 2011. During her three seasons on the squad Katie performed at high profile events including shows with The Beach Boys and PSY in Toronto. Katie has continued to refine her craft through master classes at the All-Pro Convention in Atlanta, where she trained with some of the top choreographers from the NFL and NBA. Even after retiring from her professional career, she remained active with Sylvia's Alumni program up until the studio's recent closing. Now Katie is thrilled to join the Avant Dance family to teach hip hop and tap. To her dance has always meant community, expression, and joy- and she's excited to share her love of choreographing and performing with both new and returning dancers.
Abbey Young
Dance Instructor
With over 37 years of dance experience under her belt, Abbey has decided to share her love and joy for the art of dance with students of all ages. She brings a diverse skill set to the studio, creating an inclusive environment for learning. Abbey has always had a love for children. She was an assistant teacher for ages 3-7 for many years with Sylvia at our former dance home SSOD. Every summer Abbey looked forward to dance starting back up. She danced with the same group of girls every year, they went to many competitions together as well as performing at Walt Disney World twice! To this day she holds those friendships near and dear to her heart. She took a break from dancing when she had children but quickly realized how much she missed it. She then joined the SSOD Alumni class with her daughters following in her footsteps and found their love of dancing too! Ms. Abbey is very excited to continue sharing the magic of dance with the next generation of performers.
Salena Melody
Dance Instructor/Choreographer
Bio coming soon!
Alex Fox
Dance Instructor
Bio coming soon!