Academy of Performing Arts

The Academy of Performing Arts (APA) is a dance school at 1 North Lafayette Street in Shelby, North Carolina, run by owner and primary instructor Beth Mayo, who performed in Cats for two years, toured nationally and internationally in Broadway productions, appeared at Radio City Music Hall and the White House, and worked as a choreographer and actor in television. The studio aims to provide a warm, motivating environment, with teachers building a coordinated developmental syllabus that improves physical skills while building self-esteem and confidence. Class sizes are capped so instructors can give personal attention, and classes are paired with performance opportunities. APA is explicitly a non-competitive studio: in Beth Mayo's words, 'we dance for our love of the arts and our love for the children.' Staff teach ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, ballroom, lyrical, acrobatics, gymnastics and preschool classes, with adult tap taught since 2021. Summer camps and parties are also offered.