About Us

There are dance studios everywhere - it seems they are on every street corner these days, giving parents many options. So why us? The fact is there is only one Pulse Performing Arts Center. Many studios call themselves “performing arts” schools, but are in fact mediocre dance studios. At Pulse, a child truly gets a well-rounded arts education, including dance, music, and acting. If a child wishes to focus on a specific area, that is fine too, but the students are encouraged to learn how to be legitimate “triple-threat” performers. At Pulse, creativity, artistry, and individuality are celebrated. At Pulse, fun and laughter can co-exist with discipline and work ethic. We aren’t just committed to having everything – we are committed to having the best of everything. From classical ballet to hip-hop and from musical theater to singing and songwriting, Pulse is making it happen. Join the ever-growing family at Pulse, where children gain self-esteem, learn about teamwork, and feel the joy of accomplishment. It’s been proven that participation in the arts enhances learning and enriches all other areas of life. Give your child something that lasts a lifetime – start making memories at Pulse Performing Arts Center.

Our Instructors

KC Cherie Bennett - Owner/Dance Director/PPT Artistic Director/DMA Certified Instuctor
Ballet, Pointe/Variations, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Turns & Progressions, Let's Sing, & Triple Threat

During a time when mediocrity reigns supreme, KC Cherie Bennett stands out as a rare exception, for this Atlanta native was a born entertainer - a natural.  She possesses in excess every necessary skill to be an outstanding performer, choreographer, and instructor.  Her students across the country have enjoyed having a teacher who is not only a dynamo in class, but who has also had tremendous success in the professional world of dance.  Her credits include being a 5-year Radio City Rockette  Miss StarPower 1997, Teen Miss Dance of Tennessee 1993, and NYC Star Search Finalist, just to name a few. So how did this story begin?

Already a national ice-skating champion and no stranger to long hours or hard work, KC left the rink behind at age 8 in pursuit of a new form of expression.  It didn't take her long to realize it was to be dance.  Even as a child, KC gained a reputation as an electrifying performer who wasn't afraid to give all she had, understanding intuitively how to engage her audiences.  Along her way, she won countless awards, such as numerous "1st overall" awards as a soloist in major competitions like Showstoppers and StarPower.  She won the Miss DEA (Dance Educators of America) title in 1992.  KC was fortunate to train with some of the greatest names in the industry, including tap king Gregory Hines, Barry Lather (choreographer for Janet Jackson), Tony Selznick (Star Search), Russell Clark (Michael Jackson), and Melita Brock Warner (film Stayin' Alive).  In addition, KC earned scholarships to travel and train with Gus Giordano in Chicago, Joe Tremaine in LA, and at Broadway Dance Center in NYC.  She took another giant step when she managed to earn an enviable spot at 17 as the youngest dancer for the Radio City Rockettes in history.

Besides dancing, KC had begun working professionally in film, television, and theater as an actor and a singer, proving she had a variety of different talents.  For a while, she was a news anchor on Real News for Kids, appeared twice on Dawson's Creek, landed several film roles, and appeared on CNN Live, plus many other commercials and lots of print work.  Through her work in the various performing arts, KC appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Donny & Marie.  She has also had the opportunity to perform for many celebrities, such as Natalie Cole, Dustin Hoffman, and Leann Rimes.

As a choreographer, KC has worked on commercials (American Lung Association and others), and industrial shows and has also choreographed routines that won top awards at major competitions. In addition, she has made a name for herself working on original musicals for The Atlanta Workshop Players, a company that tours throughout the southeast. She also released a CD of original material entitled Fallen Angel in April 2003.  KC is a certified DMA instructor (Dance Masters of America), scoring higher than all other prospects on the final exam.  She is elated to be in her fifth season as an owner and the dance director of Pulse PAC.  She currently lives in Flowery Branch with her husband/business partner, Erik and their two children, Landon and Rio.

Erik Grant Bennett - Owner/Music Director
Private Voice, Ensemble Singing, General Music, Advanced Songwriting/Theory, Triple Threat, Piano & Guitar

Erik Grant Bennett, a prolific Emmy-nominated composer, recording artist, and producer, teaches voice, instruments, theory, ear training, and songwriting at PPAC.  An accomplished singer, bassist, and pianist, (he also plays guitar and drums), Erik’s reputation as a musician and instructor is as solid as the education he provides for his students. 

As a teenager, Erik was known as one of the best choral singers in Georgia, attending All State 6 years straight (with several perfect 10s and never a score higher than 12) and Governor’s Honors as a rising junior, which is quite rare.  Erik sang in a quartet, received countless county and state medals, and acted in stage productions throughout his school years.  Despite his classical training and choral background, Erik soon realized he wanted to make a career of singing and writing in more commercial styles.  He began writing original songs in high school and then earned a scholarship to the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he would go on to earn a degree in Film Scoring, becoming one of just 15% of entering students who were able to complete the rigorous 4-year program and pass every level of proficiency.  He graduated with honors in 1992.

Erik’s career, propelled by a long stint in LA, has seen him working in many areas of the country before happily settling in hometown Atlanta.  He has had his music played on Star94, made television appearances on shows like “Good Day Atlanta” and “Peachtree Morning,” and written music for global companies like Coca-Cola, UPS, Fox, and Brainy Baby.  Erik has performed the National Anthem at Braves, Falcons, and Yellow Jackets games and launched a successful record label called HoneyBee Records, where several artists have recorded album projects and received radio airplay across the country.  He wrote a song for the feature film Light Years Away and has written songs for seven stage musicals and scores for films and documentaries.  But despite his career accolades, both past and present, his greatest joy (not counting raising his own two little ones) has been passing his knowledge, expertise, and passion on to his students, who remind him over and over of the beauty and healing power of learning the arts.  Erik and his family live in Flowery Branch, but consider themselves also a proud part of the Suwanee community.

Stacey Harrison - Combo Classes, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, & Hip-Hop

As little, two-year-old Stacey Harrison watched her older sister's dancing feet through the cracks of the studio door, she was instantly hooked.  Since those early days, Stacey has beeen fortunate to study professionally under the instruction of world-renowned choreographers such as Karen Hebert, David Howard, Joe Tremaine, Wade Robson, Dan Karaty, Gregory Hines, and many others.  At age nine, Stacey joined the Dearborn Ballet Theater and the Michigan Ballet Theater, where she participated in many prfessional ballet productions.  Having become accustomed to hard work and long hours of training, Stacey was allowed to attend classes in New York at the Broadway Dance Center, and by the age of twelve she had already accomplished more than dshe had dreamed possible.  A parallel passion emerged when Stacey discovered her aptitude and talent for choreography, as she won her first choreography award at age 10.  Although many dancers with such ballet-focused trainng find it difficult to excel in other styles of dance, Stacey found that, to the contrary, she was quite adept at Hip-Hop, putting her heart into it as she torued through Las Vegas and Hollywood with a Hip-Hop performing team for ESPN.

Miss Stacey has gone on to choreograph for many performing arts studios and has led her students to countless top awards with her choreography.  Miss Stacey is looking forward to sharing her love and knowledge of dance and her creative spirit with the special group of boys and girls at Pulse Performing Arts Center.

Waylon Jones - Ballet & Partnering (Vaganova Method)

Waylon Jones began his dance career in Tennessee at the age of 10.  He received his training with Children's Dance Theatre in Springfield before receiving several performance opportunities with The Nashville Ballet.  After high school he was awarded a dance scholarship to study at North Carolina School of the Arts.  Waylon was also a dancer with The  Pasadena Ballet in Pasadena California and The Jofrrey Ballet in NYC.  After retiring from professional ballet, he started training in ballroom and latin dance.  He has won several regional competitions in both American Rhythm and Ballroom along with the theatrical style of dance called Theatre Arts.  It was in this division where he placed 4th in the world.  Waylon owned and operated his own successful 8,000 square foot studio in Knoxville , TN where he trained students in ballroom, latin, ballet, and hip-hop.  He has won numerous top teacher and top studio awards.  Knoxville is where he met his wife, Tara.  Wanting to be near her family, he sold the studio to move to Atlanta where they now reside and have just welcomed their new daughter, Skylar to their family.

Elise O'banion - Private Vocal Instruction

What's in a name?  Well consider Beethoven's widely revered piece "Fur Elise."  And then there's the exquisite Lotus Elise sports car.  So it's fair to say there's something to the name.  Living up to hers in Ms. Elise O'Banion, the newest addition to PPAC's reputable music department faculty.  A graduate from long-respected Georgia State University's music program, Elise received a Cum Laude degree in vocal performance, studying vice and piano along the way with Dwight Coleman and Goeffrey Haydyn, respectively.

A bloodline thick with music, Elise was born to a father who is a virtuosic pianist.  Both her talent and her love for it were seeds planted early and deeply.  But as a student of classical music, talent was not a substitute for discipline.  Elise worked feverishly to accomplish greatness at her craft, learning to sing in foreign languages, play the piano, and master the skill of sight singing.  As a professional, she is a featured soloist for several major churches, an active member of the Atlanta Opera Chorus (coached by mainstay Walter Huff), and a singer for the "Like the Dickens" caroling company.  Elise makes it a point to constantly enhance her education, attending vocal clinics and workshops of all kinds.

After nearly fifteen years of teaching voice and piano, Elise has seen countless students grow into fine singers and musicians, some receiving scholarships to major universities like Florida, Florida State, Alabama, UGA, New England Conservatory, and others.  Other students enjoy success in community and school theater productions and even find representation with established talent agencies.  A member of the National Federation of Music Clubs, her students can expect superior ratings at vocal competitions and other events. 

Despite her classical, technical background, Elise is fresh in her approach and understands and appreciates a vast array of musical styles and interests and is committed to exploring the uniqe talents of each individual student, whatever they may be.  She welcomes each and every challenge with enthusiasm ad humor, and if patience is truly a virtue, she is virtuous.  Ms. Elise is thrilled to be joining the Pulse faculty and is excited to help arm the next generation of performing artists with the tools they need to not only survive, but to thrive.  Elise is also in the process of receiving her SLS (Speech Level Singing) certification.
 

Stephenie Davis - Acrobatics

Marion Compton - Private Piano Instruction

Maggie Hudson - Combo Classes

Maggie started dancing at age 11 with West Germany's Stadtgarde Kassel where she danced competitively for over ten years, and won the title of German Champion numerous times.  With that dance company, she also participated in hundreds of performances throughout Europe.  Because of her love of dance and children, Maggie studied to receive a kid's fitness certification in 2005 so that she could begin teaching fitness as well as dance classes.  Her goal is to instill the love of dance and exercise in children by making the classes energetic and fun.  Her experience comes from 18 years of teaching group fitness and personal training, as well as teaching dance classes to children ages 2 through 6 for the past 4 years exclusively for Pulse PAC and Creative Movement and Dance.  She has been featured on local TV, in fitness magazines, and has provided numerous lextures and seminars on fitness, and has even held her own workshops for fitness instructors. 

Maggie resides in Suwanee, Georgia with her husband Darrell and their three children.

Hart Hoeffner - Special Needs Jazz

Miss Hart is currently a Level 5 student at Pulse Performing Arts Center and a Pulse Performing Team member.  She began dancing at the young age of three and has studied all areas of classical dance at Pulse PAC since it’s doors opened in 2004.  Hart has won numerous top awards and scholarships for her excellence in dance.  In addition to her dedication to Pulse, Hart is also a straight A junior at North Gwinnett High School where she is a member of Dance North.  Miss Hart is known at Pulse and beyond for her positive attitude and leadership qualities.  She has been recognized for her good sportsmanship at various competitions and pageants and was even on the North Gwinnett Homecoming Court this year.  It’s safe to say that most of Pulse’s young dancers want to grow up to be just like Miss Hart!  While Hart continues to be an excellent student and role model, she looks forward to her 3rd consecutive year teaching Jazz to Pulse’s Special Needs class.