Marianna Riley Jarrett - Owner & Instructor at Spotlight Dance Company
Marianna Riley Jarrett started Spotlight Dance Company in 2013. She attended UNCC and majored in Dance Education.Marianna danced all her life
starting at age 2 due to her Mother who owned Donna’s School of Dance in
Statesville and Donna’s Dancers Studio in Salisbury. She also studied
ballet, jazz, and tap dancing at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City on
long weekends, since she was 10 years old. Marianna studied tap dancing with
the Rockettes of New York City at Radio City Music Hall when a Freshman in High
School. During her dancing career, she has lead her students to winning
numerous awards such as: Regional and National Showstopper Champion in
Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Baton since 2013. She was the lead in the Sleeping Beauty
Ballet, Peter Pan Ballet & the Beauty & the Beast Ballet. Since opening Spotlight
Dance Company, Marianna has taken interest in her students and been invited to
perform for many functions in the Southeast such as Royal Caribbean Ecstasy of the SeaCruise Ship
in 2014, Disney World in 2016, Globetrotters halftime entertainment at Catawba College and UNCC in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and was
invited to be the Studio Host for the amazing Moscow Ballet in the Nutcracker each December in Durham. She has taken her dancers to New York City where they danced on Times Square with Corbin Bleu and on the famous stage of St James Theater. She has choreographed 1st
Overall Winning Competition dances and many award winning routines. She absolutely loves teaching and is excited to continue to grow with Spotlight.
Miss Katie began her dance training in Cape Cod at the age of 4, training in Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Lyrical til the age of 18. During her training she was in many dance competitions and held leading rolls. She went on to further her education in dance at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts where she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop. In addition, she studied Pedagogy, Dance History, Dance composition and Kinesiology to further her knowledge in the art of teaching dance. Miss Katie graduated as a double major from Dean College in 2010 with a Bachelors in Dance and an Associates in Health sciences.
While still in school she started an after school enrichment program at a local elementary school where she taught kindergarteners through 5th graders Jazz and Hip Hop.
Since graduation Miss Katie continues her training in various styles of dance. She has been teaching for the past ten years choreographing award winning solos, as well as small group, large group and production numbers.
She is excited to begin her new journey in North Carolina and here at Spotlight Dance Company. She looks forward to continuing to pass on her knowledge and love for dance.
Miss Emily-Instructor at Spotlight Dance Company
Emily Baty Siharath (SEE-hah-rahth) started dance classes at age 5 with Ms. Marianna’s aunt, then was a student at Donna’s Dancers Studio in Salisbury before it became Spotlight Dance Company under Marianna’s leadership. She performed in the halftime show with the Doobie Brothers at the 2009 Orange Bowl, took dance classes at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, and performed in the halftime show for the Harlem Globetrotters. She participated in regional and national dance competitions, played lead roles in several recitals, and was an instructor at Spotlight from 2014-2017.
Emily earned her Associates degree from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in 2017 before attending UNC Charlotte and earning her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a Spanish minor in 2020.
Emily taught dance at the Harrisburg YMCA 2018-19 while in school and is currently a hula and Polynesian dance performer with the production company Hula Carolina. She welcomed her first child in February 2021 and is very excited to return to Spotlight and renew her love of teaching dance to young children!
Emily’s favorite dance styles are lyrical and ballet, but she loves to have fun silly dancing too!
