Inspire Equip Express
Pursuit School of Dance was founded in 2019 and is currently located in Farragut, TN, offering affordable, quality dance instruction in ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz and tap.
Our vision is to inspire dancers to pursue their dreams, equip them with a quality dance education and give them a platform to express all that is on the inside of them. This is accomplished through weekly classes, annual performance opportunities, dance conventions and the opportunity to audition for our Company.
Michaela & Brandon McAlpine
Owner / Director & Instructor
Michaela started dancing at the age 9 and she quickly fell in love with the art of ballet. After studying ballet and performing for 10 years she took an opportunity at a local dance studio and discovered her passion to teach. She now has over 12 years experience teaching, choreographing and directing. As her love for the performing arts grew over the years, a dream to open a studio of her own was birthed. Pursuit began in 2019 with only a dream and 3 dancers. Pursuit exists to inspire dancers to pursue their dreams, equip them with a quality dance education and to give them a platform to express all that is on the inside of them.
Brandon is a vital part of Pursuit. He grew up on the stage singing and acting; he loved musical theater and attended a performing arts school during his middle school years. Over the years his love for the arts also expanded into music and media production. He led worship, played bass and guitar as well as ran camera, sound and lighting for several ministries. He is incredibly talented at developing and inspiring individuals and has an infectious joy that follows him.
Michaela and Brandon met at ministry school where they studied ministry and performing arts. They fell in love and relocated to Knoxville in 2017 to help launch Resting Place Church. Brandon is on staff as the Kids Pastor and they both serve on the leadership team. Both Michaela and Brandon live with a passion to help individuals discover their God given purpose and empower them to pursue it with excellence. Their ultimate goal for Pursuit is to create an encouraging environment where students and adults of all ages can purse their dreams and become everything they were created to be.
Ameilya Hundley
Instructor
Ameilya will be teaching Adv Contemporary and Jazz this Spring and we are thrilled for her to be joining the Pursuit team! She has danced for over 15 years and is trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip hop and contemporary. Contemporary is her favorite style of dance because of the intersection between skill and emotion within the art. She grew up dancing most days out of the week and taught at her studio as an instructor assistant for dancers ages 3-5. When attending the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for her business undergrad, she was a part of a student dance organization called BOSS. While in the organization, she participated as a dancer and student choreographer while working with eighty other dancers. Dance is an art form she has had in her life since she was a child and has found the community to be an integral part of her life as a source of expression and fulfillment.
Addison Smith
Instructor & Company Soloist
Addison Smith is from Knoxville, TN, and has been dancing for over 13 years. She has a passion for the arts, and desires to help students grow not only in their technique, but also in their confidence and their love for dance. Addison began dancing in 2010 and has been at Pursuit for five years. She has also trained with Unity Dance, Dance Revolution, and Ballet Magnificat. You may recognize her from several roles she performed in our productions including, the Sugar Plum Fairy in "Christmas in the City," Chinese in “the Nutcracker” and the White Rabbit in "Alice in Wonderland."She desires to honor the Lord with everything she does, and believes that dance is just one of the amazing ways to glorify Him. Psalm 149:3 says, "Let them praise His name with dance!"
Shelby Davenport
Instructor & Company Soloist
Shelby will be teaching Beg/Int and Int Jazz, Int Contemporary and Beg/Int Ballet this Spring! She started dancing at the age of nine and her passion for the art form has grown immensely since then. Shelby has trained in various styles of dance including ballet, lyrical/contemporary, jazz and tap. She has been dancing at Pursuit since 2021 and you may recognize her from the several roles she performed in past productions, including Alice (Alice in Wonderland), the Enchantress/Rose Soloist (Beauty and the Beast), the Ghost of Christmas Present (A Christmas Carol), and Tiger Lily (Peter Pan). In 2023, she also took classes and performed at Dance Revolution’s Convention in Winston Salem, NC. Through teaching, Shelby desires to help students discover and develop their God-given talents.
Charli Black
Admin Assistant & Photographer
Charli has over 12 years of photography experience and lives with a passion for the arts. Charli’s journey began with dance at the young age of four, continuing through college. Her love for the arts expanded in her teen years to include music, and she later fell in love with photography during high school. Today, Charli combines her love of creativity with her first passion—dance—by supporting new dancers as they discover their own love for the art. Charli moved to Knoxville in 2017 after studying for three years at The Ramp Ministry School in Alabama, where she helped launch Resting Place Church. She remains deeply involved in the church’s production department. Alongside her role at Pursuit School of Dance, Charli is a full-time office manager at a real estate brokerage and also runs her own photography business. Balancing her talents and passions, she thrives on creating, supporting others, and fostering growth in every community she serves.