Tori JoLayne Nahouse, is a West Virginia University graduate
with degrees in Psychology and Dance. A proud West Virginia native from Greenbrier County,
she has been dancing since 2010; receiving the bulk of her pre-collegiate training from Valley
Dance Studio. Tori has studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Modern, Acro, Contemporary and Tap
techniques, as well as extensive psychological studies in areas of Early Childhood Development
and more. In college, Tori was an active member of the WVU Dance Program and performed in
many peer and faculty-choreographed pieces. She was also student choreographer for their
concerts and assisted the program when hosting the Mid-Atlantic South ACDA conference in
Morgantown. She is very proud to have had the opportunity to teach Special-Needs Dance
Classes while studying abroad in France in 2016. Her senior year, she taught dance/movement
classes in most of the schools in the Morgantown area; students ranging from elementary after-
school programs to high school dance teams. She has taught and choreographed locally, both for
competitive and recreational dance, receiving multiple awards for choreography and more.
Throughout her dance career, Tori has had the opportunity to travel and take many classes
and workshops all across the East Coast, including completing teacher training in 2019 with the
Dance Masters of America in Buffalo, New York. Tori is continuously moving forward with her
dance education in order to best-share her passion of the arts for the next generation of young
movers.
Tori believes in the importance of blending both of her degrees when teaching her
classes, building confidence inside and outside of the studio for all ages: from toddlers to adults.
She enjoys sharing her love of movement through teaching, choreographing and helping each
student reach their individual goals, finding their true potential. In Tori’s eyes, “Everyone is a Dancer"
TORI NAHOUSE
(STUDIO MANAGER, TEACHER, CHOREOGRAPHER)
ELEANOR LUCE (HIP HOP + ASSISTANT EXTRAORDINAIRE)
Eleanor Luce grew up in the Greenbrier Valley and has always loved dance. She started dancing at the age of 3 with Valley Dance. She enjoys all dance styles and has trained and has attended multiple dance camps and performed on various platforms. Eleanor graduated high school in 2023 and is excited for the opportunity to be able to continue to have dance in her life with Valley Dance and to be able to share her love of dance with the students there.
Eleanor adds, ”I love dance so much! I have been dancing for 15 years and I can’t wait to keep dancing my heart out.”
Julie cepec (TAP)
Julie Cepec is from Freeport, PA, where she danced competitively through high school with Lisa Marie's School of Dance. She graduated from Allegheny College in 2021, with a BS in Biology and double minored in Educational Studies and Dance & Movement Studies, where she choreographed for student groups. Julie also taught a spread of ballet, tap, and modern for K-12 in her college town, and she is trained in jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary, waltz, fox trot, tango, cha cha, rumba, and swing. She has been in Lewisburg for a year, and she has fallen in love with the town! Julie is excited to join Valley Dance as a tap teacher, which is one of her favorite styles!
Cate has studied Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Pointe, Lyrical and Tap techniques for over twenty years. She traveled and competed extensively as a young adult with Tari Jo’s Dance Company of Inwood, WV. She has received national recognition through Dance Masters of America for her hip-hop choreography in Las Vegas, NV. She graduated from West Virginia University in 2008 with degrees in Broadcast News and Dance. During her time at WVU, she was a 4 year West Virginia University Dance Company member and a 3 year Dance Company Choreographer. While at WVU, she received extensive training in Ballet technique with a concentration in the Cecchetti method, Jazz, and Modern techniques with concentrations in Graham, Limon and Horton techniques and Choreography Concepts.
Cate has worked with renowned choreographers such as: Frank Hatchett: Broadway Dance Center, Ginger Cox, Bob Durkin, Teresa Chapman, and Jenny Rocha: Rocha Dance Theatre. She is certified in Zumba Basics 1 and 2 and is a certified Pilates Mat I and II Instructor. She was the Director for the Greenbrier Valley Junior Cotillion, a youth program that teaches etiquette and social protocols to children. She is a graduate of the prestigious Protocol School of Washington in Washington, D.C. Cate has completed grades 1, 2 and 3 of Dance Masters of America Teachers Training School at SUNY Buffalo in NY. She hopes to teach many years of classical, creative dance and grow the next generation of healthy, intelligent dancers!