Zion Center for Worship and the Arts
Resurrection Dance Ministry Teaching Faculty
Teresa Gardner
RDM Director / Artistic Director
In addition to her role as Director for The Resurrection Dance Ministry and Zion Center for Worship and the Arts, Teresa continues to oversee, teach, and choreograph for all of the Worship Dance Classes.
Linda Sloan
Ministry Assistant
In addition to her role as Ministry Assistant to The Resurrection Dance Ministry and Zion Center for Worship and the Arts, Linda also teaches worship dance to our youngest students on a weekly basis.
Cathy Lash
Ballet, Core Conditioning
Cathy began her training under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Dancing from her mother, Marion S. Mills, a former professional ballet dancer at the Saddler's Wells in London. Cathy performed professionally in a variety of theatre productions and was a founding member of the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet Company in Louisiana. She served on the company's Board of Directors, while her husband, Mike, served as company president for several years. While in Louisiana, she earned her B.A. in Communication from LSU. She has studied under teachers such as Robert Joffrey, David Howard, Gus Giordano and Joe Tremaine. And, while living in Madrid, Spain, she studied Flamenco dance. Through the years, Cathy has trained many students for their Royal Academy of Dancing exams.
Her studies at the world-renowned Cooper Clinic in Dallas, TX began a lifelong desire to greater understand the anatomy and biomechanics of movement, which she enjoys sharing with her students. Cathy teaches the Core Conditioning class, designed for the dancer and everyone desiring a healthy body and strength for life's journey. Her interest in movement goes beyond the dance studio. After five years of study, Cathy, Mike and their three children, Christa, Michael and Sarah, received their black belts in American Mixed Martial Arts. Cathy and Mike, who is now third-degree, helped to train U.S. Naval Sea Cadets, from throughout the country, in self-defense. Cathy and her children also compete in trail-running races throughout North Carolina.
Over the past 30 years, she has graciously shared her technical expertise in a variety of venues throughout the Charlotte, NC area. A beautiful servant's heart and uncompromising expectations for each student's technical best, mark this woman of God.
Cathy and her husband operate Lash Engineering in Matthews, NC and love spending time with their three children and their families!
Abbey Koenig
Abbey Koenig has danced with the Resurrection Dance Ministry (RDM) since 2007. In 2015, she began teaching and choreographing for the ministry, which sparked a love for both that has stayed with her to this day. Abbey has had the unique opportunity of traveling with the ministry both nationally and internationally, including five trips to Israel. These mission trips to Israel instilled a deep love in her heart to minister to the people there, and she hopes and prays for another opportunity to do so in the future.
In addition to dancing with RDM, Abbey also trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, contemporary, hip-hop, and tap at King David Christian Conservatory in Charlotte, NC. She has had the wonderful opportunity of attending several summer dance programs that propelled her along in her technical training including Ballet Magnificat!, Burklyn Ballet Theater, Charlotte School of Ballet, and Ballet 5:8. She continued her ballet training in 2019 after acceptance into the conservatory program at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts, a Christian ballet company and school located near Chicago, IL. Last year Abbey joined Arrows International Dance Company for a season where she grew both technically and spiritually, using the gift of dance to minister to the United States and the world.
Abbey is excited to return to Resurrection and pour into the students in the ministry. She has a heart to worship and praise the one true King through dance, and she hopes to inspire that same love in the students she teaches.
Amy Ray
Guest Teacher
Amy has been associated with The Resurrection Dance Ministry and Zion Center for Worship and the Arts, for the past 22 years (since she was 3 years old!). During that time she has been a student, choreographer, and teacher. Amy has also participated in several of RDM/ZCWA’s Dance Missions Trips to Israel. In addition to her work with RDM/ZCWA, she has also learned from various artists including former professionals from Ad Deum Dance Company, Doug Varone Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cirque Du Soleil, New York Ballet, Jose Limón Dance Company, and Betsheva Dance Company. Amy has continued to regularly study modern techniques and teaches Horton, Graham, and Duncan based modern, in addition to incorporating Bartenieff Fundamentals Patterns of Total Body Connectivity. She also studies ballroom, Latin dance, and other fusion styles. Last year, Amy successfully completed her Graduate Studies and is now a Certified Public Accountant working with a prestegious Charlotte firm.
Lizzie Hoff
Class and Teacher Assistant
Lizzie has been dancing with RDM/ZCWA since 2018. She is a high school freshman homeschool student. She loves Jesus with all of her heart and strives to live for Him. Lizzie hopes to be an encouragement and shine God’s light through everything she does.
(Note from the Director: She does! And she does an excellent job!)