Our Mission

Nancy has been working in the field of movement education for over 20 years. She began her dance training at the age of three and continued to train classically.  Nancy studied at Meredith College where she completed a B.A. in dance education along with K-12 NC certification in dance. After completing her M.A. degree at New York University’s Steinhardt School for Education, Culture & Human Development, she began working in both dance administration and education in New York City’s public and private institutions. Nancy is proud to serve on faculty of Dreams of Wilmington as a teaching artist as well as the Leland Cultural Arts Center where she instructs classes to both adults and children.

Jameka Wrisbon Purdie is a native of Wilmington and an alumnus of New Hanover High School. Since the age of 8, she has always been fascinated by the design and creation of wearable art. After becoming a wife and mother, she rekindled her love for jewelry creation. In 2009, she began creating custom and one-of-a-kind jewelry designs under the name Alter Ego Designs. She started teaching jewelry-making classes at DREAMS in the Summer of 2021 and has thoroughly enjoyed sharing her craft with the DREAMers. When not teaching at DREAMS, she can be found in her studio, at local art festivals, or as a featured artist at Art in Bloom Gallery.

Angela Fernot is a graduate of the Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art. Her experience ranges from drawing portraits to illustrating full comic books. Angela is an “all over” artist who loves to explore new projects, techniques, and tools. Working with children is her greatest honor. She believes they not only keep her on her toes, but they always show her new ways to see the world as we learn and grow together.

Anne Firmender has taught dance in both public and private schools to students of backgrounds, and abilities since 1982. She has trained at a number of prestigious schools including The School of American Ballet, California Institute of the Arts, and Cornish College of the Arts (where she received her BFA in Dance summa cum laude).  Anne’s choreography has been performed in a wide range of venues, including the North Carolina Dance Festival and Dance-a-lorus. She is a founding member of The Dance Cooperative, where she served as School Director for many years.

Over the past four decades, Roger Davis has provided the Port City with a sensational serving of musical talent. Whether performing for a crowd of weekend brunch-goers, a public gallery event, or the occasional night venue, Roger “Rog” Davis holds his melodic roots in the Wilmington area and remains a well-respected performer/composer within the local jazz community. A founding teaching artist of DREAMS, Rog still loves sharing his gift with new generations of musicians.

Anne McCombie, Ceramics Artist/Instructor since 2007 is a Wilmington native. She has been inspiring the Northside community with ceramics, gardening and mixed media since 2015. She helps her children and students see beauty in their unique perspectives through the use of discarded items, by turning muddy mounds of clay into sculpture or functional forms, or sowing seeds to nourish both the body and mind.  She sees beauty and inspiration everywhere.

Renato Abbate is a Wilmington NC potter who works primarily in functional stoneware but also enjoys exploring different mediums.  Most recently metal and concrete. His work reflects life in Wilmington and life on the water. He is inspired by the chance of learning something new, and the pursuit of the perfect ceramic cup. His work has been enjoyed by many as he continues to refine his technique.

Director, choreographer, and community arts educator, Kevin is a native of Bolivia, North Carolina and a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied contemporary dance and ballet.

Over a 15-year career, he has worked with acclaimed dance artists including: Rosie Herrera, Sidra Bell, Camille A. Brown, David Parsons, In 2008, he founded Techmoja Dance and Theater Company as an inclusive and diverse dance and theatre company. Founded as an inclusive and diverse theater and dance company in 2009, Techmoja was born from the multi-year partnership between choreographer Kevin Lee-Y Green and his mother, Donna Joyner Green, an arts administrator and culture bearer. Kevin is among the three Dance Theatre of DREAMS founding Teaching Artists and has been teaching at DREAMS since 2014.

A native of Charlotte currently living in Wilmington, N.C., Batanides is an international fine artist and children’s book author/illustrator. Predominately working with acrylics, watercolor, and charcoal, her works have been featured across the United States and throughout Jamaica. Batanides’s use of rich, vibrant colors brings the art of music to life and invites the viewer to lose themselves in the rhythm of the moment. At DREAMS Batanides enjoys watching her students explore new ways of expressing their creativity. She believes in building community within the classroom and hopes to provide each DREAMER with the tools they need to continue to thrive.

Ms. Reyes entered the Wilmington artistic community in 2015, when she served as the administrative assistant to the Director of the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County.. She went on to become the Director of Arts Engagement for UNCW’s Office of the Arts where she curated and managed the performing arts series UNCW Presents and Lumina Festival of the Arts.

Ms. Reyes holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts Management from Herbert H. Lehman College and a Masters in Public Administration from UNCW. Before coming to Wilmington, she worked as a Program Manager for Artsconnection, a non-profit arts organization where she managed teaching artists, assisted in the production and facilitation of in-school programming, family workshops and performances.

Outside of the workplace, Fidias likes to spend time with her husband, Virgil, her son, Santana (who is also a DREAMER) and her 2 dogs, Kingston and Kurry. She loves refinishing and repurposing furniture, photography and just recently started to explore painting.

Nydheri Brown is a contemporary multidisciplinary artist and a DREAMS alumni. Nydheri is a graduate of Cape Fear Community College with an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts and is poised to attend a four-year university in the fall, focusing on Arts and Design. She’s exhibited work throughout our community, teaches printmaking, works at a local gallery, and runs her own graphic design business. Nydheri states “As an artist, I endeavor to capture the beauty of everyday life. Most people miss the spectacular because they do not slow down to appreciate the beauty surrounding them in real-time; at the moment. I have found that photography is the most accessible way to capture and share the spectacular beauty that draws my eye.”