Tracey Varga

Tracey Varga has been an avid dance participant since the age of 5. Her performance, teaching and choreographic experience includes works with and for a variety of dance companies in Maryland, Washington, Idaho, Illinois and New York. Locally she has presented works at Dance-a-lorus, NC Dance Festival, Thalian Hall, City Stage and the Cameron Art Museum. Tracey teaches modern/jazz and tap dance at the YWCA and Wilmington School of Ballet and is a licensed Physical Therapist. She serves as program coordinator for Arts Sensation benefit concert and is director of Forward Motion Dance Company.

Tracie Rabalais

Tracie Rabalais began her training at Burlington Academy of Dance and Arts at the age of five, where she worked under such choreographers as Sherome Price and Paula Stone.  She has her bachelor of arts in Communication Studies at UNCW, where she performed with the UNCW dance team.  She is the former coach and choreographer of the Wilmington Hammerheads Professional Dance Team, where she performed for 6 years.  Tracie has been with Tracey Varga since 2004, performing with Forward Motion and other local choreographers in such works as the Dancelorus and the NC Dance Festival.  Along with Forward Motion Dance, Tracie also teaches ballet at the Dance Cooperative of Wilmington where she is on the board of directors.  Tracie is excited to be a part of another season with Tracey and the Company dancers.      

Jeneen Cleare

From Brooklyn, NY, Jeneen is a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts, and has a BFA from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Jeneen has studied on scholarship at The Dance Theater of Harlem and the Martha Graham Conservatory, and has danced professionally with several NYC companies. Here in Wilmington, she has been dancing with Forward  Motion Dance for two years.

Kristin Tait

Kristin Tait, a Florida native, reconnected with her love of dancing when she moved to Wilmington and met Tracey.  Kristin was a Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s Cheerleader for five seasons and represented the NFL in Germany, Egypt, Turkey and Uzbekistan, as well as Pro-Bowl 2000 and Super Bowl XXXVII.  Kristin clogged professionally for six years at Dollywood in Tennessee.  She graduated from the University of South Florida and is honored to be dancing with the talented members of Forward Motion Dance.

Susan Turner

Susan Turner, a North Carolina native, fell in love with dancing when she started taking ballet, jazz, and tap classes, as well as performing, at the age of five. She added gymnastics, point, and contemporary dance to her repertoire by the time she graduated from UNCW. Moving to Telluride, CO after college opened her eyes and heart to a spiritual whelm of movement as she explored yoga ( became Bikram Yoga Certified), tai chi, and qi gong, in addition to African, Persian, Temple, and belly dancing. She also has experienced Dances of Universal Peace. Once she moved back “home” to Wilmington, Susan was inspired to start taking jazz and tap classes with Tracey Varga at the YWCA in 2006. Since then she has enjoyed performing at various venues around town and looks forward to many more. She was honored when asked to be a guest dancer with Forward Motion Dance in 2008 and really feels blessed to now be a member. Susan stays busy teaching 1st and 2nd graders at Friends School of Wilmington. Namaste’.

Ashley Barnes

Ashley Barnes trained with the Goldsboro Ballet for thirteen years, and the Artistic Dance Academy of Goldsboro and Kinston for four years, performing at the Senior Company level with both studios.  She was accepted to the NC Governor's School for Dance in the summer of 1998, and the Charlotte City Ballet summer intensive program in 1999.  She earned a BFA from East Carolina University in 2007.
Ashley founded the Goldsboro Silver Tappers Senior Citizen dance troupe, and won both Regional and State awards in the NC Senior Games, for choreography and performance.  She served as Dance Instructor and Choreographer for Stage Struck and Center Stage Theatre of Goldsboro, for a total of nine musical productions and was the winner of the NC Herman Award for Outstanding Choreography in Musical Theatre six times from 1998-2007.   Locally, Ashley had the opportunity to choreograph Act II of the Nutcracker for the 2008 Wilmington Ballet performance at Thalian Hall.
Ashley has held several National Preliminary pageant titles, and has performed in such lead roles as "Clara" and "The Mouse King" in The Nutcracker, "Anastasia" in Cinderella, "Louise" in Carousel, "Red Fairy" in Sleeping Beauty, and "Eliza" in The King and I.   She is currently a full time instructor at The Dance Element of Wilmington.
Ashley is thrilled to have been welcomed to the Wilmington dance community, and is truly honored to have been selected as one of the core dancers for Forward Motion Dance Company.