Our Teachers
Christen E. McCuiston
Founder & Director
Ballet - Lyrical/Jazz - Worship & International
Christen McCuiston was born and raised in Roane County, Tennessee. Her dance experience began in 1991 when she was six years old, and she quickly fell in love with the joy and beauty of dancing with the heart and purpose of worshiping and glorifying her Savior. She grew up performing with the Knoxville-based Christian dance company, For Zion's Sake, where she had the opportunity to perform locally, nationally, and internationally on a regular basis. In 2004 she was invited to begin teaching for the same dance school she had grown up in (Bezalel School), and a passion for sharing the gift of dance with others was ignited within her that continues today. Since 2004 Christen has taught dance classes for all age groups for various dance studios and homeschool cooperatives in Knox, Blount, Loudon, and Cumberland Counties. She also filled the role as assistant director for the For Zion's Sake Christian dance company from 2004-2018, served as the assistant director of Lighthouse Artistic Ministries from 2011-2012, and was the director of Bezalel School of International Dance & Pageantry from 2017-2019. She is trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, and international styles of folk dancing. She has received training through Ballet Magnificat's Summer Teacher Intensives and regularly continues her education as a dance instructor throughout the year. Because Christen is passionate about injury prevention, she traveled to Colorado in 2016 and completed multiple levels of injury-prevention training intensives taught by the well-known Australian Dance Physiotherapist, Lisa Howell. Her degree includes a concentration in Exercise Science as a continuation of her education and interest in anatomy, physiology, strength training/conditioning, and injury prevention. In 2020, she was given the opportunity to teach dance locally, and after three years of teaching in Roane County, she felt the Lord leading her to open her own studio after nearly two decades of teaching dance--and Sanctuary Dance Academy began. The name "Sanctuary" was chosen because a sanctuary is a place of worship, and we desire to teach others to use dance as a means of worshiping, rejoicing in, and glorifying our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (as mentioned in Psalm 149 and 150). Additionally, a sanctuary is a place of refuge, and it is our goal that every student who enters the classroom at Sanctuary Dance Academy will feel encouraged, safe, and loved. We are passionate about using dance to honor God and sharing this gift with children and adults alike!
Mrs. Sarah Borum
Ballet - Pre-Pointe - Pointe - Contemporary
Mrs. Sarah Borum is a Roane County native who began her ballet training at an early age under the instruction of the late Lila Valieva at the Arts in Motion studio in Kingston, Tennessee. She is now a Radford University graduate who holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance with a concentration in Classical Ballet/Performance. While there, her ballet training came from Inessa Plekhanova. Throughout college, Sarah also studied modern, jazz, tap, musical theatre, choreography, and methods of teaching. She has had the opportunity to perform in New York City for the Choreographer’s Canvas, as well as
the New York Jazz Choreography Project. While living in Memphis, TN, she performed with Project: Motion Modern Dance Collective, and then became a
company member of Tennessee Ballet Theatre. Here she continued her extensive Vaganova [Russian ballet style] ballet training and was a featured soloist in the ballet "Les Sylphides," and also was a soloist as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and the Harlequin Doll in the ballet, "The Nutcracker." While with this company, she also had exciting opportunities to perform at several different historical landmarks across the city, bringing the stories of these buildings to life through various styles of dance. After moving back to East Tennessee, Sarah taught ballet, pointe, and tap for a year at Studio Arts for Dancers in Knoxville. While with this studio, she also performed with their company, "Go! Contemporary Dance Works." After this, she stepped into her favorite role yet--motherhood! After a few years off the dance
floor, Sarah is thrilled to step back into teaching with Sanctuary Dance Academy. She has always felt a calling to combine her love for the Lord with her love for dance. Sanctuary provides the perfect environment to follow God’s leading to fulfill this dream.
Miracle Finchum
Ballet - Contemporary - Worship & International - Hip Hop
Miracle Finchum is a passionate and dedicated dance teacher with a lifelong love for the art of dance. As a child, she fell in love with the movement, rhythm, and expression that dance provides, leading her to pursue a career where she can share her enthusiasm with young students. Miracle has a diverse background in various dance styles, including ballet, contemporary, jazz, worship and international, and pointe, allowing her to offer a well-rounded approach to her teaching. Miracle prioritizes creating a supportive and encouraging environment in her classes, where students feel comfortable exploring their creativity and pushing their boundaries. Her teaching philosophy centers on building confidence, fostering a love for dance, and praising God. When she’s not teaching, Miracle continues to pursue her passion by attending classes and workshops, as well as intensive weekly dance training in her intern position with Enoch Contemporary Ballet Company. Her personal and professional growth commitment ensures that her students receive the best possible instruction. Miss Miracle is excited to inspire the next generation of dancers and looks forward to welcoming you to her dance classes!
Mrs. Lauren Brasel
Tumbling
With over thirteen years of cheerleading experience—including four years at the competitive level—and more than a decade of training in gymnastics and tumbling, Lauren Brasel has spent the majority of her life immersed in the sport she loves! Mrs. Lauren brings a strong foundation in performance, technique, and athleticism to her teaching philosophy. She has spent over nine years coaching both cheerleading and tumbling, including two years as the coach for the Rockwood Middle School cheerleaders and as the owner of her own tumbling studio.
A native of Rockwood, Tennessee, Mrs. Lauren combines her professional expertise with a deep commitment to family and faith. Married for 16 years and a devoted mother of three, Lauren’s life is full and fast-paced, but it’s grounded in love, faith, and the joy of family. She believes in showing up with heart—whether cheering from the sidelines, guiding her children, or coaching athletes to reach their full potential.
To Mrs. Lauren, cheerleading & tumbling is more than just a sport—it’s a calling. It’s about energy, discipline, teamwork, and joy. And it’s her mission to pass on that same passion to the next generation!
Sensei Mike Farren
Sensei Michael A. Farren began his training in martial arts as young man in his early teenage years. He and his brother John studied the art of Taekwondo. As life went on Sensei Mike found that on and off training was not benefiting his active lifestyle. Sensei Mike would find himself in Colorado as a head chef for a large campus and campground. It was here that he would find both the end to one career and a start for two. For several years Sensei Mike and his children would study at Cedaredge Seidokan Karate under the instruction of Sensei Rodney Grantham. Sensei Mike had found his perfect fit in the Seidokan style. During his time learning With Sensei Grantham he participated in numerous tournaments either as a contestant or a judge, which he continues this participation even till this day. While no longer the case, Sensei Mike was Director of the Western Colorado Karate League (WCKL) for several years. He completed multiple Masters and Doctorates after having heard his call to serve the Lord. He was called to move away to a town in Southwest Colorado. Here Sensei Mike would preach the word of God at a large Baptist Church for nearly ten years. He would utilize his skills in both fields; Karate and Evangelism to open his first dojo in 2004. During his time as an instructor Sensei Mike would teach anywhere from ages 6 to 60+ years old. He enjoyed teaching the younger crowds and children as they had high spirits. However, Sensei Mike also anticipated teaching and practicing with the older and more knowledgeable students so he too could refine his skills. He would utilize programs like Little Dragons to promote learning for younger students. He was able put together fundraisers and create a team of people that would travel from the local community across the states and demonstrate our style for different causes, cancer patients, boys and girls clubs, 4H Programs and women's self defense classes. With the widespread reach of Sensei Mike's Dove Creek Karate Dojo he was able to host and sponsor multiple club attendee's Tournaments and Seminars. Sensei Mike taught as a guest in other dojos across the United States and was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2008. Late in 2010 Sensei Mike had not finished his mission for the Lord, or his country. Sensei Mike joined the military as an officer Chaplain. He is still serving in this capacity and would often teach both the gospel and karate while on deployments to the Middle East. Sensei Mike after all of his accolades and achievements was able to obtain his fifth degree Black-Belt "Godan" and is well on his way to test for his sixth degree. To this day several of Sensei Mikes students are national champions and world invitees. However, he will only tell you that it was their hard work, dedication, and, the secret to everything in life, practice.
Karate
