Meet our owner!
Jamie Peeler Osteen
has spent most of her life either performing, teaching, coaching or choreographing dance and cheer. Dancing since the age of 5, Jamie has trained in all forms of dance including Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Ballet, Acrobatics, Gymnastics, Pointe and Musical Theater. A native of Hendersonville, NC, Jamie spent her early years, competing and performing in the area in both cheer and dance. At age 18, Jamie auditioned and was chosen as one of eight dancer from her studio to dance in the movie Dirty Dancing. She was featured as both a dancer and an extra.
Jamie is a 1994 graduate of UNC-Asheville with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama. While in college, Jamie continued her dance education taking dance classes, attending workshops and conventions. She was a cheerleader all four years and founded the UNCA Dance Team her senior year. She continued on as coach of both the Dance Team and Cheerleaders for 22 years before leaving to focus on her new dance studio.
After graduating from college, Jamie continued her dance training under some of the best known choreographers in the business including Napoleon & Tabitha D’umo, Mia Michaels, Wade Robson, Tyce Diorio, Mandy Moore, Dave Scott, Denise Wall, Twitch and Nick Bass. She continues to update her skills and attends conventions and workshops every year. Jamie is also a certified member of Dance Master of America and Carolina Dance Masters Chapter 15. She has been tested and certified in cheerleading safety though NCA and AACCA.
After teaching and coaching in the business for almost 30 year, Jamie, along with her business partner, opened Releve Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2010. Jamie has made a name for herself in the business for being a very creative and innovative choreographer and was also named “Choreographer of the Year” at Nationals for Kids Artistic Revue in 2012. She also has judged for Bravo Dance Competition for 4 years!
Artistic Staff
Katie Holbert
is Assistant Director of RPAC, directs our tap program and teaches our Competitive Company! She is a native of Hendersonville and began dancing at the age of 2. She's studied all forms of dance including ballet, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap, hip-hop, modern, and musical theatre. In both 2007 and 2008 she had the opportunity to travel on scholarship with Dance Masters of America to Buffalo, NY and participate in their S.H.I.P dance intensive.
In 2009, Katie was Hendersonville’s Outstanding Teen and went on to compete at the Miss North Carolina’s Outstanding Teen Pageant. There she won the preliminary award for “Best Fitness”.
Katie continued her dance education at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC from 2010-2014 as a Principal in the pre-professional company, Dance Converse. During her junior year she lived in New York City and completed two marketing and dance internships with The Brooklyn Ballet and Dance New Amsterdam. She has worked and hosted Joffrey Ballet’s summer intensives, choreographed for a series of dance performances on Wall Street, and trained at both Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. Katie has also taught musical theatre tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop at a number of dance studies in the southeast including Lawson Academy, Arts Academy of the Carolinas, Dance Dynamics – Pickens, Dance Dynamics – Tryon, and The Flat Rock Playhouse.
In 2019 she received her Master's Degree in Management and Leadership from Montreat College. Her most important role in life is now being called "Mom" by her two year old daughter, Polly! Katie is excited to be on staff at Releve Performing Arts and looks forward to meeting her new students every year!
Katia Bonessi
Katia has been dancing at Relevé Performing Arts Center since she was four years old, and she's loved every moment! Her passion for dance shines through her achievements, which include winning first overall with her debut solo at Kids Artistic Review at age nine. More recently, she earned third overall at Star Systems National Dance Competition during her senior year. Katia also expanded her performance skills with musical theater classes at Blue Ridge Community College and the Flat Rock Playhouse. She absolutely loves sharing her passion with all her students!
Madison Pierce
Miss Madison grew up dancing at Relevé and is now teaching students in both our recreational and competitive programs. She is a crucial member of our team and loves cheering on all the RPAC students!
Angelia Bender
grew up in Ft. Myers, FL, where she dedicated 14 years to the sport of cheerleading, including 5 years in All-Star Cheerleading. Notably, she was invited to perform at the Orange Bowl as part of the prestigious All American All Star team. Additionally, she competed on an Elite All-Star cheerleading travel team, achieving great success by winning a National championship in New York and Ohio. She even had the opportunity to be featured in the documentary "A Young American Cheer Team".
In her adult life, she spent 5 years as a cheerleading coach at various levels and age groups, consistently leading teams to National Championships. In 2008, she relocated to North Carolina and was offered the position of Assistant Coach for the Brevard cheerleading program.
Currently, Angelia has been actively involved in the medical field for the past 9 years. However, in July 2013, her life took a new direction as she became a mother to her daughter, who has been a dedicated dancer at Releve for 7 years. Observing her passion for dance reignited her own desire to teach, and she is thrilled to now be a member of the RPAC staff. She eagerly anticipates the opportunities and experiences that this upcoming year will bring!
Anna Wasserman
began her dance training at the age of four and her theater education at just six years old. She has received extensive training in Ballet, Contemporary, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop, Modern, Musical Theater, Acro, Piano, and Voice. Over the years, Anna has had the privilege of studying with renowned artists such as Peter Sabasino, Scott Alan, Lara Tinari, and Tyler McKenzie, and in 2019 was selected as part of a senior group that traveled to Rome, Italy to study dance on an international level.
Some of Anna’s favorite stage credits while performing with the Muse Theater Company include Spring Awakening, Chicago, Rent, Into the Woods, and The Wizard of Oz. As an educator, she specializes in teaching Ballet, Jazz, Musical Theater and Contemporary, and choreographs across those styles for competitive dance teams across the US. Her work has earned numerous choreography awards and national titles and her teaching style is known for its focus on classical technique while developing the artist in a 3 dimensional way.
In her college years Anna attended UNC Asheville, where she fell in love with Western North Carolina. After teaching in South Florida for five years at a pre-professional performing arts program, she is now continuing her work as a dance educator and choreographer in the Asheville area.
Office Staff
Stacey Whiddon
Stacey Whiddon is the Office Manager and often the first point of contact for our dancers and families. Outside the studio, Stacey is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her three children. She has two daughters who dance competitively with Releve, and one son who loves sports. She loves people, building connections, and supporting others any way she can.
Lisa Holbert
Lisa, also known as "Gigi", is our Office Administrator and handles all of the dance costume orders. She is Miss Katie's mom and can often be found at the studio taking care of her granddaughter, Polly June.