Instructors

Native of Mobile, Alabama, Zoey Banell developed a growing passion for the art of dance as a young girl. She first began lessons just at the age of 3 with the Carol Graham Dance Center in Mobile, Alabama. Throughout her dance career, Zoey has attended dance festivals and intensives which include Ballet Fest Atlanta, Mississippi Dance Festival, Alabama Dance Festival, Mobile Ballet Summer Intensive and more. At the age of 14, Zoey had the honor of performing her first solo; the Sugar Plum Fairy variation from “The Nutcracker” with Synergy Dance Company. Zoey has been a part of various productions and performances with the dance community in Alabama and Georgia. After graduating high school and completing her season with the Mobile Ballet Company in 2019, Zoey traveled to Atlanta, Georgia where she danced with Watershed Dance Theatre for the company’s season and now, an independent artist and dance instructor at the Gulf Coast School of Performing Arts and the Bayshore Ballet Academy near her hometown. Moving forward in her dance career, Zoey hopes to share her love and passion for the art of dance with the help of the surrounding dance community. “Just like the butterfly, I too will awaken in my own time”.

Abby Kate Long serves as the Assistant Director and Co-Owner of Bay Shore Ballet Academy. Having trained at the academy for a decade under the guidance of Janet Carole, Linda Taylor, Tracy Peters, and Zoey Banell, she developed a deep passion for teaching. Teaching at the academy for four years now, Abby Kate and her family took ownership of the studio in 2023. As a dancer at the Academy, she has portrayed various iconic roles such as The Rose Queen and the Arabian Princess in “The Nutcracker,” Princess Aurora in “The Sleeping Beauty,”and the Chinese Doll in “Coppelia.” Last year, she was a Semi-finalist in the Pointe Shop’s Annual Model Competition in California. Abby Kate is excited to continue her dance education in order to better her students. She attends Grace Fellowship Church, is a small group leader at 3Circle Church, and enjoys spending time with her friends and family. 

Sylvia Hagan is a highly accomplished dancer from Foley, AL, who began her training at Linda Taylor Dance Studios before being accepted into the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She studied under Rio Cordy, preparing for rigorous ballet training with Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski. Sylvia went on to become a principal dancer with the Alabama Ballet, performing lead roles in classical and contemporary ballets, including works by George Balanchine. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Dance from UAB and has danced with Southern Danceworks. Sylvia was awarded the Outstanding Female Performer by the Alabama State Council on the Arts for her role in The Miraculous Mandarin.