Meet Our Instructors
Cara Richter
A Pennsylvania native, Cara began her dance training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet at the age of 3. In 2004, she received a scholarship to complete the summer intensive program through her ballet company. She competed with her high school dance team to win states her senior year. She continued her love for dance in college, dancing with InMotion Dance Team at Temple University. After college, Cara began instructing dance before moving to Florence in 2017. Once in Florence, she began teaching all genres of dance for CROW. Cara and her husband Joshua have three young boys. She is absolutely ecstatic she gets to share her love for dance with her students and thanks you for choosing her studio!
Elyse Stewart
Elyse was born in Billings, Montana and moved to Florence in 2010, where her family has well established roots. In 2014, Elyse has soaked up every bit of training available to her, always giving her all. Elyse has training in many areas from silks, Lyra (aerial hoops), tap, contemporary, jazz, hip hop, and her favorite ballet/pointe, and she recently went to New York to train with the Joffrey Ballet School through the summer of 2024. She has worked with a multitude of instructors over the last 10 years in Oregon, California, New York and many other places. She is excited to share her passion for dance with her students.
Lexi
Lexi, a Southern California native, is bringing over two decades of dance experience to the studio. She started studio classes at just 3 years old and transitioned to competitive cheer & dance throughout high school and college. Despite taking a few breaks along the way, she has always found her way back to her first love, dance. Her favorite styles are tap, jazz, and hip hop.
She’s been here in Florence for a couple of years and is excited to share her love of dance with a new community. Whether you’re stepping into your very first class or diving back in after a break, Lexi brings a welcoming, joyful energy that invites everyone dancers of all backgrounds to grow, express themselves, and hopefully, fall in love with dance.
Kritzia
Kritzia started dancing at a young age with Carlsbad Parks & Recreation in Southern California. Dancing helped her express herself and build confidence. She joined the Varsity Dance Team at Vista High School and excelled for all four years. Kritzia then earned two scholarships to study dance in college. In college, she joined a Touring Performance Dance Team, where she inspired high school students in North County San Diego to pursue dance. She represented MiraCosta College at The American College Dance Festival for two years in a row.
Kritzia trained with Ooh La La Dance Company in La Jolla, California. Under the guidance of world champion Susie Nguyen, she became a core member of the Latin ladies’ styling team, Cosabellas, while also working as the head administrator at the academy. Kritzia toured internationally as a Napa Girl, representing the National Soccer Team of Mexico, and performed overseas in French Polynesia at the Intercontinental Bora Bora. Kritzia embraces every opportunity in dance with enthusiasm. Whether it’s taking classes, teaching, creating and learning new choreography, or performing, she finds immense joy in every aspect of her dance journey!