Meet Our Instructors

Welcome to Coastal Dance Fitness! Brittany is thrilled to share the joy of dance, fitness, and movement with the beautiful Coastal Carolinas.  Brittany and her husband recently move to the area, and they absolutely love the sense of community here. Brittany is beyond excited to focus on her love of dance fitness, and share it with others in our brand new Coastal Dance Fitness studio. With over 25 years of experience, she has certifications in both Jazzercise and Zumba  as well as sculpt and toning formats. Brittany is passionate about creating a fun and inclusive environment for everyone, regardless of their fitness level. Brittany's favorite formats to teach our strength based classes with a focus on technique that build stronger bodies, maintain bone density, and help with balance and core strength.  Every class is choreographed to some of your favorite music so that no matter what the format, you will have a blast! Join us in this vibrant community where we come together to celebrate dance and build strength through movement!

Shell Christian is an avid enthusiast for health through dance fitness. Having over 15 years of experience in the industry, she looks forward to now sharing her excitement with the people of Coastal Dance Fitness. She loves to combine this experience with her desire to help others improve their overall well being both physically and spiritually. She is a firm believer in how dance and music can improve ones overall state of being. She has watched transformations of clients through this form of exercise. She has had the opportunity to live in unique places around the world such as Hawaii and Brazil and sees first hand how music and dance brings people together regardless of cultural differences. She trusts in the unity group dance fitness brings regardless of age, race, shape, experience or circumstances. She believes true beauty blooms from the inside out and dance fitness has the ability to ignite our passion and  expose our unique strengths. She is happily married going on 26 years and has 6 children. Come join the party! She looks forward to working out with you soon! 

Sierra Autumn Christian is a dynamic, deeply empathetic instructor whose lifelong passion for dance is rooted in a unique history of leadership and nurturing. As the oldest of six children in a homeschooled family, Sierra quickly learned to lead and care for others, qualities that define her joyful and inclusive teaching style.

A lifelong dancer, she was first inspired by her mother, an early Zumba pioneer. Sierra's dedication to movement is also deeply personal: she actively incorporates CIRCL Mobility, Barre, Yoga, and Pilates to build the muscle strength necessary to manage pain from Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder. She strongly believes that movement is for every single body, regardless of shape, size, or fitness level, and that anyone can start right where they are.

With a rich professional background, Sierra specializes in creating warm, welcoming environments for all ages. Her experience includes teaching on American Cruise Lines and serving as a collaborative supervisor at Porters Neck Village retirement community. Drawing from her Brazilian heritage, Latin and Afrobeat rhythms, and Dunham Technique movement patterns, she strives to make her classes feel less like a workout and more like a joyful community celebration.

Sierra's ultimate goal at Coastal Dance Fitness is to connect mind and body through movement, using her own wellness journey as a guide. She is dedicated to her ongoing studies in traditional medicine and coaching science, viewing herself as a wellness advocate and a compassionate mentor for her community, both on and off the dance floor.

Kerry is an energetic fitness instructor who leads fun, high-energy classes!  She was a career Information Technology engineer with the Federal government, enjoying 7 of those years living in Germany, working in the health care environment.  Her passion for helping make, and keep, people well inspired her to lead group exercise classes, motivating people of all ages to take charge of their health by safely improving their cardiovascular fitness, energy, strength, flexibility and balance.  She holds certifications with the American Council on Exercise (ACE), Athletics & Fitness Association of America (AFAA), and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). For 15 years she instructed classes for Les Mills International (Body Pump, Body Balance, Body Combat and Body Step), & also has certifications with Silver Sneakers (Classic, Circuit & Yoga), Hula Hoop organizations (PowerHoopz, Hoopnotica Fit & Dance, Hooping Harmony, FXP Hoop Fitness & Hoopyasa, & Hooping with Kids!) Her Zumba certifications include Zumba Fitness, Toning, Aqua, Gold, Kids, Core, Step, and Strong.  Her passion is currently focused on Zumba/Country Zumba/Zumba Gold, 20/20/20 (low impact cardio for 20 minutes, weights for 20, then core), and hoop classes.  (The hoop class combines cardio, Barre, Pilates and yoga, all with a hoop!) She’s been teaching for many years and enjoys each class to the max! She gladly adjusts the moves in her classes to accommodate everyone, showing different levels and options when appropriate.  She enthusiastically looks forward to teaching with the team of instructors at Coastal Dance Fitness!

Annette Gratke brings a genuine love of Zumba to every class.  She believes exercise should be something you look forward to, not a chore.  Each class should be a fun filled space where you can move, get energized, and leave feeling great!  Her classes welcome participants of all levels, and no dance experience is necessary—just come ready to move and most importantly, have fun.

After an incredible 37 years in public service, Annette retired knowing she wanted her next chapter in life to be something meaningful—she wanted to do something that would her keep her active, inspired, and excited.  Zumba was it!

Having been a Zumba participant for 17 years, Annette experienced firsthand the positive impact Zumba had on her life, not just through movement and fitness, but though friendships, laughter, music, and a sense of community that comes with it.  She didn’t waste any time, just one week after retiring, she became a licensed Zumba instructor and jumped right into teaching at multiple locations. Now, five years later, she loves creating that same joyous experience for her students. 

When you walk into Annette’s class, expect infectious energy, great music, lots of smiles, and plenty of encouragement.  Her goal?  To have you walk out of class with sweat on your forehead, lots of calories burned, a smile on your face, and a little more joy in your step