Meet the PowerTaps Instructor Crew!
MARCI RICKARD
★ Owner, Founder & Instructor
Marci is the mother of PowerTaps and the heartbeat of the studio! She started PowerTaps in 2003 shortly after moving to Cherokee County and the birth of her first daughter Riley. It all began with recreational clogging classes in the first studio location in Canton on Marietta Highway. It quickly grew to include performance clogging and within a few short years the team attended their first competition. The studio continues to grow, is now in our 5th location, and has 100+ cloggers and 6 competition level teams. PowerTaps is known locally, nationally and internationally and it all began with Marci’s desire to teach a little clogging in Cherokee County, GA!
Marci Rickard has been clogging since 1981 and in addition to dancing has 30 years of teaching and studio management experience! She began clogging as a child and danced with numerous teams including PowerTaps, Unlimited Power, Leather ‘n Lace, Bailey Mountain Cloggers, Southland Express, Mountain Echoes, and Chattahoochee Cloggers. Throughout her clogging career, she has had the privilege of dancing with and directing numerous National Championship clogging teams across multiple states. She was awarded a clogging scholarship to attend Mars Hill College, home of the National Championship Bailey Mountain Cloggers. As a sophomore at Mars Hill she helped Bailey Mountain earn its first national champion title. Marci is a graduate and Salutatorian of Mars Hill University with a Bachelor in Business Administration. Marci has traveled domestically and internationally performing and teaching clogging. A few highlights include clogging in the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, Walt Disney World’s televised Easter Parade, Australian National Clogging Convention, and Ecuador’s International Fruit and Flower Festival. She performed at the very first National CLOG Convention. She has been recognized with the CCA Cup of Honor, a member of both the NCHC Hall of Fame and GA State Hall of Fame, and CCA All Pro Director. Marci is a founding Board Member of Clogging Champions of America (CCA) who established the renowned Showdown of Champions national championships. Together with her husband Ryan they organize and run America’s Clogging All*Stars which brings dancers from across the country together to perform in large events such as the London New Year’s Day Parade, Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nashville Christmas Parade and the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade to name a few. Professionally, Marci works for Southeast Restoration in Canton. Marci is married to Ryan Rickard and has two daughters, Bailey and Riley, who both enjoy clogging and now teach at PowerTaps. When not dancing and working she enjoys reading, running and spending time with family!
RYAN RICKARD
★ Owner & Managing Director
Ryan is the guy behind the scenes that makes clogging at PowerTaps possible. He manages it all – from marketing and social media, to accounting and finances, event/trip planning and coordination, facility management, music and sound, and much much more. After a long and nationally acclaimed career of dancing, Ryan retired at the end of 2021 and now focuses on bringing his passion of dance to others “behind the scenes”.
Ryan began dancing in 1982 and competed with many well-known competition clogging teams growing up including the PowerTaps, Power N Precision, Unlimited Power, Bailey Mountain, Leather ‘n Lace, Melody Hoedown, Buckshot and Georgia Pineywood Cloggers. He has forty plus years of clogging experience as a dancer, choreographer, team director, workshop instructor, event organizer, organization founder, studio owner and judge. He began teaching clogging at the age of fourteen and directed the Buckshot Mountain Dancers while he was in junior high and high school. He also was the director/choreographer of Unlimited Power, an Atlanta team, from 1995 until 2001. Ryan was awarded a clogging scholarship to Mars Hill College in 1991, and he danced with the college’s award winning Bailey Mountain Cloggers from 1991 until 1995. He served as captain of the BMC team and also choreographed routines for the group leading them to BMC’s first national title. He has won numerous awards and national titles in individual, duo, and duet competition, and he has been a member of ACHF’s All American Team, NCHC’s All Star Team, and CCA’s All Pro Team; as well as the CCA All-Pro Team Director and NCHC Hall of Fame Inductee. Ryan was one of the founding board members of Clogging Champions of America in 1997 which created the Showdown of Champions to bring the “best of the best”’ under one roof. He has performed on the Hee Haw television show, at the Grand Ole Opry, in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, and at Walt Disney World. He has traveled internationally numerous times dancing and teaching. He was a guest instructor at the 5th National Australian Clogging Convention in 2000 with Missy Shinoski, performed in Ecuador’s International Fruit and Flower Festival in 2004 and the London New Year’s Day Parade in both 2017 and 2019. Ryan is married to Marci Rickard and together they run America’s Clogging All*Stars which brings cloggers together from across the country to perform in large events like the London New Year’s Day Parade, Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, Washington DC National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade and Hawaii Memorial Parade. Professionally Ryan is a Director at Argano focused on Supply Chain Management and SAP sales, implementation and process optimization. Ryan is the proud father of his two clogging daughters Riley and Bailey.
BAILEY CLAYTON
★ Instructor
Bailey has been clogging for over 21 years and has been a member of multiple teams throughout his career. He has proudly danced with the Orange County Cloggers, Rhythmic Alliance, Hickory Flat Hoedowners, the Bailey Mountain Cloggers, and is currently on our Young Adult team. While on these teams he has been a part of multiple National Title winning dances and has personally won 8 National Champion Solo Titles. Because of his vast experience and championship talent Bailey has been asked to teach at regional workshops as well as other studios. One of his favorite accomplishments is dancing alongside the all male clogging group AllThat at the Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach, SC. He has traveled and performed across the United States and internationally to Ireland, Portugal, Columbia, and the Netherlands. Bailey attended Mars Hill University where he danced with the renowned college team the Bailey Mountain Cloggers. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in History. Bailey is engaged to Riley Rickard, who he met while clogging at their university. When Bailey is not clogging you can often find him building a lego, playing with his dog, or with his family and friends.
SAMANTHA FERRELL
★ Instructor
Samantha was literally born dancing! She began with Irish at the age of 3 and transitioned to clogging in 2013 after watching all of her church friends enjoying it! Clogging came naturally to Sam given her background in Irish and within a year she was competing at a national level with PowerTaps. To name just a few of her favorite places, Samantha has performed at Silver Dollar City (Brandon, MO). London’s New Year’s Parade and BMC Concert “A Million Dreams.” Samantha has taught clogging at PowerTaps for many years now and has a passion for teaching our youth! She loves teaching children, and the kids love Ms. Sam, which shows when the kids are on stage and in class. Clogging has earned her recognition on the CCA All Pro and NCHC All Star Teams and she is an accomplished National Champion Duo and Solo title holder. After high school Samantha became a professional clogger performing at the Comedy Barn, the family comedy show theater, in Pigeon Forge, TN. She returned to Cherokee County to continue her education, focus on family, teach and dance again at PowerTaps. A 2020 Graduate of Creekview High School she is currently studying dental hygiene at Lanier Technical College and working at a veterinarian clinic. Samantha is happily engaged to Tyler Wade, a long time PowerTaps member and alumni who is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. When not clogging Sam loves spending time with her family, her fiance Tyler, and all of her dogs.
CYNDI LILES
★ Instructor
Cyndi Liles began dancing with PowerTaps in 2012 and became a part of our instructor team in 2020. She has danced with many teams since she began clogging in 1978 which include the Snellville Stompers, Country Class, Mountain Echoes, Southern Tradition, Golden Edge Cloggers,competition Leather N Lace, Clog ‘N Fx, and Special Edition. She was a member of our Young Adult team here at PowerTaps and now teaches recreational classes at the studio each week. Cyndi has many remarkable accomplishments and some of her favorite experiences include Performing for Kirk Cameron and the Attendees of Camp Firefly (which is run by his charitable organization – The Firefly Foundation), teaching workshops in Brisbane Australia, and performing at St. John’s Theatre in Listowel, Ireland. When she is not clogging she is spending time with family, attending her son’s soccer games, and enjoying other forms of dance such as country western, swing and line dancing. Cyndi has a 45 year long passion for clogging, something she will always enjoy. She loves the friendships she has obtained and the wonderful feeling of helping others through clogging!
TORI O’BRYANT
★ Instructor
Tori began clogging in 1989 and is a national champion solo, duo and team clogger who also loves to perform and teach. Throughout her career she has been a part of several competition teams such as Southern Motion, Southern Fusion, Toe Jam Time, Storm and most recently PowerTaps. She began instructing at Toe Jam Time at the age of 14 and took her talent to PowerTaps in 2009 and began teaching there in 2010. Tori has won 6 national champion traditional duo titles with her partner and instructor colleague Jana Rickard, and multiple national champion solo titles in the CCA and NCHC organizations. Her talent has earned her recognition as an CCA All Pro Legend and NCHC Hall of Fame Inductee. She has had the opportunity to use her talents near and far! Tori traveled to France in 1998 to participate in an International Children’s Folk Festival. Just a few years later she traveled to London to dance in the New Year’s Day Parade, later returning with PowerTaps (2017) and America’s Clogging All*Stars (2019). Additionally she’s performed at Disney World, Universal Studios, Philadelphia and Washington DC parades, and Silver Dollar City. You may have seen Tori in the movie “Trouble With The Curve” or music video “Dance Like Your Mama Ain’t Proud”. Outside of dancing she works at Northside Hospital as the Manager of Operations and enjoys running, travel, and spending time with family, friends and her dog Barleigh.
BETH PETRUNICH
★ Instructor
Beth began her dance career in 1991 at the young age of 5 in ballet and tap. It did not take long for her to discover her passion instead lay in clogging. The next 17 years were dedicated to three national champion clogging teams, Southern Belles, Dynamic Edition, and Synergy. Between these three teams, she earned numerous regional and national titles in team, duo/duet, and solo categories, including the 2002 CCA Senior National Champions, 2007 & 2008 CCA Short Duet Champion, 2009 NCHC D1 Master Champions, and 2011 CCA Junior National Champions. She has performed all over the US and competed on national television on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew (2009), The Ellen Degeneres Show (2009), and ABC Family’s Dance Fever (2003). Her dance experience also includes Irish step dance, jazz, hip hop, step, tap, and West coast swing dancing. She graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in Exercise and Health Science, from Shorter University in 2012 with a Masters degree in Business Administration, and from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2016 with a Masters degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics. Beth led the choreography for America’s Clogging All*Stars in London, England and Chicago, Illinois.
ASHLEIGH PETTETT
★ Instructor
Ashleigh joined our instructor team in 2019, however she has been clogging since 1988. Before joining PowerTaps in 2010, she was a member of the Thunderbird Cloggers and Crossroad Cloggers (also known as Sudden Impact) in south Georgia. While Ashleigh serves as an instructor at PowerTaps she is also a member of the Young Adult and Adult competition teams. Her talent has provided her opportunities to travel and perform across the United States and internationally. Some of her most notable clogging accomplishments and performances include: London New Year’s Day Parade (2017 & 2019), Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World, Silver Springs, and Wild Adventures. When Ashleigh is not clogging she is working as a Financial Data Analyst, designing and making our amazing clogging costumes, spending time with her husband and dogs, and Irish Step Dancing.
BAILEY RICKARD
★ Instructor
Bailey Rickard started clogging in 2007 at the young age of 2 years old. In Bailey’s clogging career she has had many huge achievements such as numerous overall freestyle and choreographed solo titles, many team titles, being the youngest person to make the collegiate team Bailey Mountain Cloggers, has been featured multiple times on TV, has been apart of the CCA Youth Leadership Council, and the CCA All-Pro team. Due to her accomplishments she has been on trips to London, England; Branson, Missouri; and Rome, Italy. When Bailey is not clogging she is spending time studying at Kennesaw State University to obtain her Bachelors in Business Administration. She also works full-time working at Chick-fil-A where she is building her leadership and business skills. In her free time Bailey enjoys time with family and loves shopping for all the shoes and clothes one can imagine.
JANA RICKARD
★ Instructor
Jana began clogging at age four and learned from some of the great directors of the past including Chip Woodall, Shannon Lowery, and Jay Ledford. As she grew up, she danced with the Dixie Express Cloggers, the Golden Melody Cloggers, the Dixie Land Dolls, Leather ‘n Lace, and her brother’s two teams, the Buckshot Mountain Dancers and Unlimited Power. Jana took a break from clogging during college and graduate school, but she danced with her sorority’s step dancing team while studying at Valdosta State University. Jana has degrees in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training and Sport and Fitness Management. She worked as a teacher and athletic trainer in Savannah, GA, and Lexington, SC, before returning home to live. For the past 19 years Jana has worked as a certified athletic trainer at Resurgens Orthopedics and has been a dancer and instructor at PowerTaps. She has choreographed multiple duo, solo, competition, and performance routines while working at PowerTaps. Jana is an NCHC Hall of Fame inductee, and she and her traditional duo partner, Tori O’Bryant , have won six overall national duo titles. She has performed in the Opening Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games, at Walt Disney World, in London, at Silver Dollar City in Missouri, in the movie Trouble with the Curve, and in numerous parades with PowerTaps and America’s Clogging All-Stars.
RILEY RICKARD
★ Instructor
Riley began clogging over 18 years ago (at the age of 2), and learned to teach alongside her mom at the young age of 8 years old. Since then she has gone on to instruct two competition teams, numerous recreational classes, private lessons (solo, duos, choreographed solos), private choreography for other studios, regional workshops, and while attending college taught at a small dance studio in North Carolina. Throughout her clogging career Riley has obtained multiple National Champion team titles, and has personally won 3 Solo National Champion titles. As a result of her vast experience and accomplishments, she has had the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally performing and sharing her love for clogging. A few of her most memorable trips were to London, England; Chicago, IL; Rome, Italy: and Branson, MO. Riley also had the opportunity to be a part of and serve as captain of the Bailey Mountain Cloggers. While on the collegiate team she attended Mars Hill University where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Riley is engaged to Bailey Clayton, who she met through their mutual love for clogging. When she is not clogging she is spending time with family, friends, traveling, and studying for her Masters Degree. Riley currently dances with our Young Adult team and teaches many classes throughout the week.
FELISA VAZQUEZ
★ Instructor
Felisa Vazquez has been with PowerTaps since 2013 and joined our instructor team in 2021. She has been on many teams within our studio such as PowerChamps, PowerTaps Junior, and PowerTaps Young Adults. In Felisa’s clogging career she has had many recognizable accomplishments such as being a part of the Dollywood All-Star team, being selected for the CCA Youth Leadership Council, winning multiple team National Championship Titles, along with 2 National Champion Solo Titles. Felisa is not only an amazing asset to our studio, she also works hard at school, volunteers for a non-profit to help with cancer research, and serves in the youth ministry at Canton First Baptist Church. In addition to clogging, Felisa also takes Irish Step Dance classes and enjoys reading in her spare time.