All instructors and staff members have been selected because of their commitment to the Lord, heart of excellence displayed through their special abilities, and their dedication to the vision of Spirit Wings.

Company/Studio Assistant Artistic Director - Chandini Gilchrist has been apart of Spirit Wings since 1999 where she has traveled across the United States and abroad with the company.  She is a magna cum laude graduate of Towson University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance where she performed works by noted and nationally acclaimed choreographers such as Nai-Ni Chin, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Stephanie Powell, Matthew Rushing, Paul Taylor, Dion Wilson, and Michael Utoff. She is also the recipient of the Washington Post Music and Dance Award. Chandini is trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical, pointe and African dance. She was an inaugural member of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Apprentice Company under the direction of Kevin Iega Jeff and Gary Abbott. Chandini’s passion for God fuels her passion for the arts and her continual desire for growth. She is committed to the vision of Spirit Wings and continues to support the ministry and the standard by which God has set.

Nakia Talley, a Washingtonian by birth, calls Maryland home. Her training in modern, jazz, ballet, and tap began at the age of nine at a local dance studio. Since then, she has gone on to work and train with various schools and companies like: The Ailey School, Artistic Dance Academy, Spirit Wings Dance Company, and Ad Deum Dance Company. She has been an active member of the esteemed Spirit Wings Dance Company (in Laurel, Maryland) for over 11 years and has been afforded the opportunity to travel throughout the the country as well as abroad dancing unto the Lord in places such as South Africa, London, Scotland, Whales, Ireland, Bahamas, and Bermuda to name a few. As a graduate of Bowie State University, Nakia has used her Bachelors degree in psychology to teach general education in the public school arena. She believes in giving back to the community and teaches both academics and dance with a heart full of passion, compassion, and a desire for excellence in all that she does.

Rian Matthews is currently a member of Spirit Wings Dance Company. She has taken ballet, modern, and tap since the age of 5. She has been training with Spirit Wings since 1999. She lives in the Washington, DC area and is currently attending Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. Rian has traveled with the company in places across the United States and abroad. Rian has a passion for dance and a passion for sharing what God has given her.