FACULTY
Salvatore Messina
DIRECTOR: Tap / Jazz
SALVATORE MESSINA - Mr. Messina and his wife, Barbara, are the founders of King David Dance Company, a non-profit touring evangelistic ministry established in 1985. They are also Artistic Directors of King David Christian Conservatory, the performing arts center which integrates exceptional training with a distinctly Christian worldview. A graduate of Rhema Bible College, Sal was formerly on faculty at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He frequently traveled as a master class instructor and adjudicator throughout the United States and Canada. Widely remembered for capturing the first national Male Dancer of the Year Award for Dance Masters of America in 1979, Sal was also a principal performer for the Miss America Scholarship Pageant and for Am-Dance in Concert, a tap and jazz company belonging to the Northeast Association of Regional Ballet Companies. Mr. Messina’s choreography has been seen across the state, including staged works for the Charlotte Philharmonic and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce’s event with Dan Rather.
Barbara Messina
DIRECTOR: Pre-Ballet / Ballet / Pointe / Tap / Jazz / Contemporary
BARBARA MESSINA - Mrs. Messina received her fine arts degree as a summa cum laude graduate and full scholarship student, and is well noted for her versatility in the dance disciplines. She has performed with the Buffalo Regional Ballet Company and was a featured tap dancer in Maurice Hines' Performing Arts Showcase in New York City. Barbara was formerly on faculty at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where her choreography was set on their resident dance company. Like Sal, she also traveled as a master class instructor and adjudicator for organizations nationwide. With professional experience spanning nearly 50 years of teaching, performance, and choreography, Barbara partners with Sal in preparing, discipling, and mentoring others for a career in the arts. The couple’s students have gone on to dance in numerous venues, most notably with the New York City Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, the Young Americans, on cruise ships, at Disney World and Universal Studios. Married for 43 years, this husband and wife team take joy in their children and grandchildren.
Rebekah Abbuhl
INSTRUCTOR: Hip Hop
REBEKAH ABBUHL - Rebekah is enthusiastic about all things related to the performing arts! In addition to dance, her love for acting, singing, and musical theatre was evidenced through her participation in KidzAblaze Ministries, a traveling evangelistic group that uses the arts to minister to youth. Throughout middle school and high school, Mrs. Abbuhl was committed to the KidzAblaze team and often taught dance and drama workshops. She was also a recurring character actress in a Christian television program called Tween You and Me for several years before beginning work at Image Christian Preschool. She and husband Landon currently stay busy raising their own two children. Rebekah is deeply motivated to inspire her students to find creative expression through the arts and is equally passionate in helping them grow into close relationship with the Lord.
Kayla Haigler
INSTRUCTOR: Pre-Ballet, Tap
KAYLA HAIGLER - Kayla has been a dedicated student of dance since she was barely four years old. Over the years she has performed in countless recitals, worship concerts, musicals, and community events, honoring God and lifting up the name of Christ through every move she makes. Eager to help others shine in their love for dance and their love for the Lord, Ms. Haigler will be mentoring students in dance ministry, along with teaching in the preschool at her home church in the fall. In the coming years, she looks forward to trusting God's plan and direction in continuing to share the gospel through dance and pouring into the lives of others.
Abbey Martin
INSTRUCTOR: Pre-Ballet, Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz
ABBEY MARTIN - Abbey spent her early years studying at King David Christian Conservatory and the Resurrection Dance Ministry in Charlotte, NC. Throughout high school she trained at many different summer intensives including Ballet 5:8, Ballet Magnificat!, and Burklyn Ballet Theater. Upon graduating high school Abbey moved to Illinois to continue her studies at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts. The following year she joined Arrows International Dance Company in Oklahoma where she trained in body, soul, and spirit to be a more effective minister of the gospel through dance. Abbey loves teaching and has a desire to help all of her students grow in their technical skill and in their ability to fully worship the Lord through the gift of dance He has given them. Having recently married, Mrs. Martin has a passion to create meaningful and worshipful choreography that brings the audience, as well as the dancer, into a deeper place of worship and praise to the King.