Our Mission
To create a positive, encouraging environment where all ages will develop foundational skills, grow spiritually, and above all, praise our Heavenly Father. As followers of Jesus, our desire is to share our lives, our faith, and our art with our community, for the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 | Ecclesiastes 3:4-5
Our Director
Christine Peterson is the Founder and Director of A Time to Dance. She has an Associates of Arts with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with honors from Dean College and Jacksonville University. She has studied under Barbara Hines (Royal Danish Ballet), Danny Sloan (Danny Sloan Dance Company), and Donlin Forman (Martha Graham Dance Company).
Christine’s greatest blessings are her relationship with Jesus Christ, her husband, Christopher (Student Pastor at Legacy Church), her children, and grandchildren. She loves working along side her daughters and the teachers who have grown up in the ministry.
Our Teachers
Marcie White
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary Instructor:
Level II, Level III, Level IV
Marcie has been with a Time To Dance Ministry for 23 years, and began teaching 8 years ago. Throughout her years dancing Marcie has also attended Buford school of ballet where she trained for 8 years and the North Georgia Ballet Conservatory where she studied under Andrea Pell. Marcie now teaches technique class for Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary. Her love for dance is birthed out from the place of her love for the Lord. Her main desire for teaching is to help the younger generation learn how to offer the art of dance as worship to the Lord. The heartbeat of her class room is to bring God the praise He is so worthy of.
Mollie Peterson
Tap Instructor:
Level II, Level III, Level IV
I have been apart of A Time to Dance Ministry from a young age. I started dancing at the age of 3 and took on a teaching role at the age of 16. We’ve had changes over the years whether it be the building, staff, and/or students but the heart of ministry has always stayed the same - We offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the One who gave us the passion to dance. Having the opportunity to continue cultivating a culture of glorifying the Lord through the gifts He has given us is truly an honor. Each year I look forward to seeing new and returning students as we learn and grow together.
Erin O’Riley
Instructor:
Pre-Ballet / Tap
Erin began dancing at the studio in 2009, growing up within its community and developing a lifelong love for dance. She has spent numerous years teaching pre-ballet and tap, where she is passionate about building strong foundations in technique while creating a joyful and encouraging environment for young dancers.
At the heart of her teaching is a desire to use dance as an act of worship. Erin hopes to encourage her students to glorify God through movement, helping them understand that dance can be both an art form and an expression of faith. She strives to cultivate confidence, creativity, and a sense of purpose in each dancer, creating a classroom where students feel supported, inspired, and free to grow.
Samantha Starnes
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary Instructor:
Level II, Level III, Level IV
Samantha has been dancing at A Time To Dance since 2016 and began teaching in 2021. She teaches Level 2 and Level 3 ballet, as well as jazz and contemporary, and loves pouring into her students as they grow in both skill and confidence. Samantha is especially passionate about using dance to glorify the Lord and hopes to encourage her students to do the same, both in and out of the studio.
Emma Starnes
Ballet, Tap Instructor:
Pre-Ballet/Tap, Level I, Level II
Emma Starnes began dancing when she was four years old. She joined A Time To Dance at nine, where her passion continued to grow, especially as a way to worship.
For Emma, dance is more than just performing - it’s how she connects with her faith and experiences freedom in worship. She loves teaching kids how to worship the Lord through dance and helping them grow in confidence.
Emma enjoys both dancing and teaching and is passionate about using her gifts to encourage and inspire others.
Teacher’s Assistants:
Autumn Smith
Jadyn Lambert
Lily Fisher