• Kim Bell, Director

Kimberly Bell, MS of Clarksburg, WV, has studied numerous phases of dance since 1986. Kim holds a Bachelors and Masters of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from West Virginia University’s School of Medicine with Minors in both Theatre and Dance, where she was honored as “Most Outstanding Masters of Science Student." She is also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor.

Kim began In Step in 2001 with 9 students. 19 years and 5 studios later, In Step has nearly 400 active dance and fitness participants that pass through our doors each week, as well as, hundreds of “In Steppers” throughout the region through In Step’s outreach programs at local schools, nursing homes, and Senior Centers.

In Step’s dancers have been awarded numerous awards, both regionally and nationally. Some of their most notable performances are halftime of the 2016 Outback Bowl, 2017 “Dance the World” at Walt Disney World with Dancing with the Stars Pro Whitney Carson, 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and 2019 Dance the World Holiday Edition Parade and Performance at Walt Disney World, 2021 stage performance at the Grand Ole Opry, and also in 2021. In Step’s Cloggers brought home a National Championship from Star Talent’s National Competition in Myrtle Beach!

Kim is currently the choreographer for three award winning groups, the RCBHS Theatre Department, the Notre Dame Performing Arts Conservatory “Shamrock” Show Choir, and the Robinson Grand Community Theatre, and has produced numerous dance recitals and concerts over the past 20 years, with many more to come with her #instepfam!

+ Heather Babcock

Heather Babcock, of Stonewood, West Virginia, is a Latent Print Examiner at Ideal Innovations, Inc. She’s originally from New Cumberland, WV- where she danced at Michelle’s Dance Studio from the age of 5 til her senior year of high school. She participated in tap, jazz, acrobat, ballet, lyrical, pointe, and competitive team, as well as performing in several solos/duets. She was a baton twirler with the New Cumberland Daisyettes until sixth grade.

She attended gymnastics at Brian’s Basics in Follansbee, WV throughout high school. Additionally, she was a cheerleader for the Golden Bears from the age of four on the preschool peewee team to her Senior year on the high school Varsity squad. She cheered for Mountain State University her sophomore year of college.

Today, Heather attends Zumba classes at In Step Dance and Fitness. She loves teaching tumbling to the students at In Step and is excited for the future!

+ Julie Knicely

Julie started her dance career at the age of 3 in ballet and jazz. She later added twirling to her dance experience and moved on to become Head Majorette in High School. After High School she provided baton lessons at the local YWCA. Julie joined In Step as the twirling instructor in 2009. She teaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of twirling and as well as fire twirling.

Julie is a member of the Spellbound Dance Company at In Step as well. She is currently providing choreography and coaching to the RCB High School Majorettes.Julie is married to Shawn Kniceley and has two kids, Ruby and Daniel. Ruby has been an In Stepper since 2008. Julie is also a Compliance Director at United Summit Center where she began her career in 2010.

+ Tomeeka Langer

I have danced at In Step since I was 13. I became a student assistant to Kim soon after. I continued to dance and teach (youth classes and Zumba) until I became pregnant with my first child in 2011. I realized it was very hard for me to leave him. I wanted to have him everywhere I was.

After I had my second child in 2015 I thought hard about how I could become healthier and stronger without having to leave my baby but at the same time be with other adults as a support system. I decided to create ROCK-N by Baby Babywearing fitness in order to be able to exercise while bonding with my little one. I am also certified to teach Urban Boot Camp, POUND and Zumba.

+ Kaylee Maholic

Kaylee Marie Maholic has been dancing at In Step since the age of two. Miss Kaylee has been lucky enough to perform at various places with In Step that include: Hershey Park, Disney World, Ron Jons Surf Shop, Busch Gardens, Virgina Beach, New Jersey Stomp, Myrtle Beach, Six Flags Maryland, Kennywood, and New York City.

Over the years Miss Kaylee has recieved many achievements including: a Pointe Park Intensive Scholarship, The Paige Pierce Smile Big Scholarship, Be Discovered Scholarship to attend 'The Carnival' Performance Intensive in NYC, JUMP Alternative Dance Convention and was awarded a Hip-Hop Scholarship to attend Dancerpalooza in Los Angelos, California, Star Talent Nationals Miss Kaylee was placed 9th in the Nation in her age group for her contempary solo choreographed by Jocelyn Spellman, WVMEA State Show Choir Competition in 2015 and was awarded Best Performer from Bridgeport Middle School, and last but not least she was also awarded the WVSSAC Academic Award for the Bridgeport Middle School Band.

Kaylee has also attended many dance workshops and competitions including: DTI, Extreme Talent Showcase, IDC, DMA, Star Talent, Star Systems, The Cheryl Cutlip Rockette Workshop, EJ Workshop, and JUMP. She has been a student at In Step while taking classes in Ballet Technique, Pointe, Tap, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Clogging, Acro, Tumbling, Modern, Contemporary, Twirling, Fire Baton, Musical Theater, Pom, and Zumba. Also at In Step Miss Kaylee teaches Jr. Hip-Hop, Private Lessons, and assists with Kid's Zumba and 3-4 & 5-7 ballet, tap, and jazz classes. Miss Kaylee also enjoys helping choreograph for the Bridgeport Middle School Show Choir and Danceline.

Outside of dance class, she has enjoyed performing in school plays, talent shows, Cheerleading Competitions, Harrison County Dance Line Competitions, Halftime shows at Cleveland Cavaliers Basketball Games, WVU and Bridgeport High School Football games. Kaylee is a 4.0 Honor Student at Bridgeport High School where she serves on the Freshman Student Council, Band, Frontline, and Key Club. In her spare time she likes to listen to music, read, play with her younger brother, dance, personal training with Kim Richison-Bell, and run 5k's. In the future she plans on attending college at the University of North Carolina while studying Marine Biology and Sports Medicine, while also continuing her dance education.

+ Stacie McCarty

Stacie McCarty grew up with a love for dance. In addition to regular dance classes, she had the opportunity to travel around the state with the Nicholas County Heritage Dancers, a folk dancing group, teaching and sharing the love. It seemed the natural next step to start teaching Zumba.

In 2010, Stacie got licensed and started a class with her sister in Summersville, WV. When she moved to Harrison County, she started teaching here at In Step as well as the local YMCA. In addition to Zumba, she teaches Aqua Zumba, dances with Spellbound Dance Company, and is a certified Urban Boot Camp Instructor.

She lives in Good Hope with her husband, two daughters (who are also In Steppers!) and son, Tobias (Toby, aka T-Baby, aka Papi).

+ Paige Pierce

Paige is a student at Fairmont State University. Upon completion of graduation, Paige plans to open an early learning child care center. Paige has been studying dance under the direction of Kim Richison-Bell at In Step since 2003. She participates in jazz, clogging, ballet, tap, hip-hop, modern & twirling. Paige has been instructing twirling and dance since 2008 at In Step.

Paige has performed at Disney World, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Kings Domion, Hershey Park, Busch Gardens, Virginia Beach, Cedar Point, and at the Statue of Liberty with the In Step School of Dance. Paige also competes with In Step and has been awarded numerous awards from many competitions for both dance and twirling.

Paige has attended numerous workshops in which Dance Professionals from around the country offer technique training, choreography, and instruction/lectures. Some of these guest artists are former dancer and assistant choreographer with the Radio City Rockettes, Cheryl Cutlip, "So You Think You Can Dance" finalist, EJ Ferencak, and Founder of the "Beginnings" Workshop, Peter Sklar. Paige attended Mr. Sklar's workshop in New York and was given the opportunity to perform at Manhattan's Union Square Theatre.

In 2013, Paige accepted the position of Liberty High School Show Choir choreographer. Also in 2013, Paige was selected to be a member of the Spellbound Dance Company. Paige’s family is also the sponsors of the annual Paige Pierce “Smile Big” Scholarship, awarded each year to a deserving In Stepper.

+ Marissa Shanholtz

Marissa Shanholtz graduated from Liberty High School in 2012. While there, she participated in student government, theater, and show choir. In 2011 and 2012 she was the dance captain for the Liberty One Voice Show Choir, and volunteered her time helping the WI Show Stoppin’ Toppers. She has been with In Step since 2009, and has worked her way up to being the Beginner Tumbling and Musical Theater Instructor. Miss Marissa also helps out with the Intermediate and Advanced Level Tumbling classes.

2014 was an exciting year for Miss Marissa here at In Step. For the spring recital she choreographed the instructor dance, “To This Day”. The piece was a tribute to those that have been affected by bullying in their lives - a topic very close to Miss Marissa’s heart. In July, “To This Day” received a Superior rating and won first place at the Star Talent National Dance Competition in Myrtle Beach.

Miss Marissa balances her life at the studio with school, as well. She attends Fairmont State University where she will graduate in May 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. While at FSU, Marissa helped to start a chapter of Active Minds, a national non-profit organization that works to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health on college campuses. Since its start in 2013, Marissa has served as the President, and has overseen and participated in multiple events on FSU’s campus. With Active Minds, she has been certified in QPR Suicide Training and SafeZone Training for the LGBTQIA community. She hopes to continue the work that she has done with Active Minds by extending her reach to eliminating the stigma that surrounds mental health in society. She wants to help make a community environment where people can speak up about their problems without fear of being made fun of, and that is a philosophy that extends into her teaching style in the classroom.

Marissa’s entire life has been dedicated to working with children and helping those that sometimes need a little more help or encouragement. After graduation, she plans on pursuing a Masters in Educational Psychology from WVU. The parents, students, and staff at In Step hold a very special place in Miss Marissa’s heart, and she looks forward to being a part of the In Step crew for at least a few more years… or the rest of her life.

+ Miranda Singleton

Miranda Singleton has been with In Step since the year of 2006. Miranda is currently an instructor at In Step School of Dance teaching the groups of Beginner Hiphop, Jazz, and Clogging. As well as, the beginner and intermediate Pom classes. She has studied a variety of genres in dance including: Clogging, Tap, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Contemporary/Modern.

While being with In Step she has performed in such places as New York City, Busch Gardens, Hersey Park, Disney World, and many more. She has also gotten the opportunity to compete in many different local and national competitions while at In Step and has also taken an extensive amount of workshops with well-known artists such as EJ Ferencak, Alex Wong, Cheryl Cutlip, and many others.

Outside of the studio, Miranda is a Licensed Practical nurse and a mother of two. She enjoys spending time with family and loves bringing a positive atmosphere into her class for her students. In Step to her, is more than a dance studio, but a family. She is excited and ready for the wonderful year of dance!

• Amanda Starkey

Amanda has been an instructor at In Step since 2015. She teaches many styles for all ages including tap, jazz, ballet, hip hop, and pom. She has also assisted in many of our travel performances, including Disney, Nashville,and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She began dancing at the age of 2.

Amanda studied at the Romona Rose Academy of Performing Arts for 16-yrs. She was also a member of the award winning Gore Middle School and Liberty High School Danceline where she also helped with choreography. Aside from dance, Amanda also studied singing for 8yrs from Pam Krall's Musical Studio and has been involved in various local musical theater productions.