● Divas Only
Meet the Team
Our RECITAL Team is tiny but powerful.
That being said, if you want to help us out — just say the word!
We love to delegate a task.
We currently pay $15/hour for admin support, and have a goal of paying Durham’s 2026 Living Wage ($21.90/hour) for our 2026 season.
● Divas Only
On Stage Talent
Ms. Victoria (she/her)
Marketing Witch, Timeless Beauty, Always RightMs. Victoria would like to dedicate this bio to her parents for naming her so she could be alphabetically first on this website. You might be surprised to learn that Ms. V has parents and that she is not a direct descendant of a literal shooting star. While the news may be hard to stomach, know that it will help you tone your abs, and as we all know, a strong core is the foundation of dance training that lasts.
Ms. Victoria used to be Miss Victoria, but she has really gone through it this year! [Hold for sympathy] Her longtime friend and studio co-founder, Miss Vikki, has been on sabbatical in Tennessee and left Ms. V to run the Miss Vikki and Miss Victoria School of Dance by herself. A proficient and sought-after solo artist, Ms. Victoria (then Miss) stepped into the starring role with no difficulty. But as time went on, she began to miss (ironic) her dear Miss Vikki, and found that the “Miss” in her own name reminded her of the gaping, star-shaped hole in her heart. Ms. V went on to legally change her name to Ms. Victoria, adding allure, mystery, and (dare we say) increased star power to her already powerful and palpable presence on and off stage.
Since making this change, Ms. V’s career has really exploded and she has been impossible to pin down. At the time of publication, she could not be reached for comment.
Miss Vikki (she/her)
Actual Witch, Aging Quickly, Right-HandedMiss Vikki began her rigorous dance training at Sparkle Baby Toes, a world-class training facility in Oklahoma. After quickly becoming more proficient than her teachers, she enrolled full time at A Ballet Academy, but Somewhere in the Midwest, one of the most notable pre-professional training programs in the country. At A Ballet Academy, but Somewhere in the Midwest, she had the privilege of working directly with her mentor and lifetime friend (after a brief marriage that didn’t pan out), Mr. Viktor. Because of Mr. Viktor’s dedication to ballet pedagogy, a dedication that he pursued instead of any actual work as a professional ballet dancer, Miss Vikki became the dancer and technician she is today.
While second alphabetically, Miss Vikki has always been the first performer audience members notice when she is on stage. She has performed on so many stages, probably over 10 different stages, and every time she performs audience members are captivated. In 2022, she founded the Miss Vikki and Miss Victoria School of Dance, putting her name first and Miss Victoria’s name second. Since its founding, this school has showcased the talent of performers in North Carolina to sold out audiences.
Mr. Viktor (he/him)
Ex-husband of Miss Vicki, cancelled manMr. Viktor blah blah blah who cares.
RECITAL Leadership
Alyssa Noble (she/her)
Founder, C0-Director, Miss VictoriaAlyssa Noble is a dance artist, marketing consultant, and community builder based in Durham, NC. She earned her BFA in Dance and MS in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010 and 2011.
Originally from the Chicago area, Alyssa has been creating and performing in the Triangle since 2011. Since moving to NC, Alyssa has built evening-length dance productions as one half of A+A Dance Company, performed in works by local & nationally renowned dance and theatre artists, and choreographed & improvised solo performances across Durham. From 2016-2020, Alyssa co-organized Durham Independent Dance Artists (DIDA), an organization that curated and marketed seasons of independent dance in Durham.
In 2023, Alyssa founded A. Noble Creative Solutions, which proudly provides marketing support to small businesses and artists in the Triangle. Alyssa is a passionate advocate for artist welfare and loves to partner with organizations that center community building, creativity, and equity.
Chris Strauss (he/they)
Founder, C0-Director, Miss Vicki, Mr. VictorChris is a dance artist and pianist currently based in Nashville, TN. Chris attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Psychology and Mathematics, while performing and touring with Hartel Dance Group under the direction of Austin Hartel.
Upon graduation, he relocated to Durham, NC to pursue a PhD in quantitative psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There, Chris performed repertoire by Merce Cunningham, danced on the main stage at the American Dance Festival with COMPANY, directed by Justin Tornow, and collaborated with many local artists.
Currently, Chris is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt and is dancing with Nashville-based company PYDANCE.
Megan Ross (she/her)
RECITAL AdminMegan joined the RECITAL team in 2023 and continues to try to help make all of Miss Vikki and Ms. Victoria's dreams come true.
Megan is a member of KT Collective, a Durham-based dance company under the direction of Kristin Taylor Duncan. As a choreographer, Megan has presented work at festivals including the North Carolina Dance Festival and the Richmond Dance Festival. Megan served as the School Director at Barriskill Dance Theatre School for eight years, where she also taught youth contemporary and ballet classes.
In addition to her dance career, Megan completed The Pilates Center’s 950-hour Advanced Teacher Training Program in 2020 and is a Pilates instructor at InsideOut Body Therapies.
Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, Megan graduated from the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA), where she received the Dance Achievement Award. She continued her education at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, earning a B.A. in Dance Performance and French & Francophone Studies, magna cum laude.
Megan has had the honor of performing works by Teri Weksler of the Mark Morris Dance Group; répétiteur Randall Anthony Smith for the Donald McKayle repertory; and Germaul Barnes, répétiteur for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.
Amy Blakely (she/her)
RECITAL AdminBio coming soon!
