Where we are

  • Academy of Performing Arts
  • 506 NC Hwy 581 South
  • Goldsboro, NC 27863
  • Owner/Artistic Director
  • Nikki Painter Munilla
  • 919-222-8748

About Us

Established in 1998, Academy Of Performing Arts provides a well rounded dance education and an opportunity for your child to discover the joys of dance. Whether dancing just for the fun of it, or training with a career of dance in mind, we do our best to help all of our students reach their goals, and their full potential. At Academy Of Performing Arts, we teach the art and enjoyment of dance in a positive, friendly atmosphere to all ages and abilities. We watch and enjoy the growth and development of our dancers from tiny tots right up through high school graduation. We call ourselves "the fun place to dance"! We believe that learning dance can be a pleasant activity and should be enjoyed, so one can develop a life-long interest in the art of dance no matter what their level of desire and ability!

A wonderful form of exercise, dance develops coordination, poise, body awareness and confidence. This confidence carries over into other areas of school and life. While not everyone will become a prima ballerina or a Broadway tap dancer, everyone can and should learn to move to the music! No one should be afraid to get on the dance floor at a school dance or a wedding! Dance can be a part of your entire life!

Our instruction is second to none in the area. We offer a wide range of classes for all ages and abilities, from Creative Movement for three year olds through professional-level training for teens. We offer recreational classes for all ages, along with the finest competition teams in the area that routinely win top honors.

Our instruction includes Ballet, Lyrical, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, CheerFunk!, Creative Movement and Tumbling. A Petite, Junior, and Senior Company.


Owner/Teacher/Artistic Director – Nikki Painter Munilla

  • Sixteen years of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap and Tumbling
  • Studied under Shamil Yogudin, former Principal Coach and Ballet Master of the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia
  • Studied at Joffrey Ballet in New York under scholarship
  • Studied under Frank Hatchett at Broadway Dance Center in New York
  • Miss Dance of North Carolina
  • Dance Masters scholarship recipient for Ballet, Jazz and Tumbling
  • American International Grand Champion in Nashville, Tennessee
  • Off Broadway solo performance at Kaufman Theatre in New York
  • Danced in the Showstoppers Telecast for 2 consecutive years
  • Solo Performance for the United Kingdom’s King of Arms
  • Ballet Major at the University Of Utah