Courtney Foshee
Owner/Teacher
Mrs. Courtney’s love for dance began as early as age 3 when she attended her very first Ballet and Tap class at the Cullman Civic Center. Soon after, she became a competition dancer and grew up participating in competitions and conventions throughout the Southeast, allowing her the opportunity to learn from award-winning choreographers.
After graduating from Cullman High School, Mrs. Courtney went on to study the Art of Dance and Business at Troy University. While in Troy, she was accepted, by audition, into Troy's Dance Repertory Ensemble (TDRE). With TDRE, Courtney studied ballet and modern contemporary under the direction of Tracy Gilland Shillabeer (Master's in Fine Arts from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU), contemporary and jazz from former Bad Boy of Dance, Patrick Pugh, and the art of ballet from world-renowned Director and Ballet Master, Elie Lazar. Along with many other dance and theatre performances in various genres, she was chosen by John Mark Owns to perform a Pas De Deux in the TDRE Winter Showcase and honored by Elie Lazar to perform a solo to a poem in TDRE's Juxdeposed Concert.
As Owner and Director of Courtney’s Dance Artistry, Mrs. Courtney has received awards for her choreography, as well as creative concept, costume, and prop designs, among other special recognitions and platinum adjudication awards, as have her Elite Dancers.
Mrs. Courtney is married to Army Sergeant Kyle Wester Foshee, who is also a police officer with the Cullman Police Department and a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Spartan Shield. They have two beautiful daughters, Clara and Evelyn.
Allie Killette
Student Hip Hop Teacher/Choreographer
Allie Killette has danced at CDA for 5 years, where she is currently on the competition team and performs as a soloist. She began teaching hip-hop in September 2024 and has continued to do so ever since. She currently goes to Cullman High School, where she is the captain of the CHS Dance Team. As captain, she showcases her technique through performances at basketball games and other school-related functions. Even though she started dancing later in her life, she has found a passion and desire to grow to become a better mentor and dancer each and every day!
Shanna Livengood
Teacher
Shanna began dancing at the age of 5, and the art of dance has always been her happy place. Growing up, she took dance at Robin’s Dance Studio and Kelley’s Dance Academy in Mobile, Alabama. Her mother also owned a clogging studio called the “One Step Ahead Cloggers." Over the years, she danced at countless festivals, parties, city functions, and National Championships all over the United States. She also had the honor of dancing on the Grand Ole Opry. Eventually, she transitioned from dancing to teaching. She has taught Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Acroflex, along with overseeing the clogging competition team at Miss Kelley’s School of Dance in Trussville, Alabama. After a few times moving, she and her husband Matt Livengood, along with their children Skylar and Blaine, are happy to be back in Cullman, Alabama.
Elise Stanfield
Teacher/Choreographer
Elise Stanfield is a Cullman native who has danced since the age of four. She graduated from the University of North Alabama in 2024 with a B.S. in English. Her dance journey with Courtney
began with her taking classes from her at the age of five, then becoming a member of her competition team at the age of 9, and then continuing to dance at her studio until she graduated high school. Elise is extremely grateful for the growth she has experienced while being a part of CDA, and for witnessing the growth of her students. She hopes to inspire dancers to tap into their passion for dance and to chase that dream wherever God takes them.
Brianna Carroll
Teacher/Choreographer
Brianna Carroll is a CDA alumni who is currently getting her Bachelor’s degree in dance at The University of Alabama. Along with dance, she is double-majoring in Communicative Disorders in hopes of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist. She has been dancing for fifteen years and has competed competitively with CDA for ten of those years. Through competition dance, she was able to take classes from highly acclaimed dancers throughout the southeast. She has a passion for teaching dance, especially preschool dancers. One of Brianna’s favorite experiences at CDA was teaching classes for multiple years. At the University of Alabama, she is the class representative for her dance program. She is involved in dance organizations at the university that perform for the community. Through one of the organizations, Dance Alabama, she teaches dance to young children with autism. She also spends her time raising funds for Children’s of Alabama Hospital through the University of Alabama Dance Marathon.