Our story:
“As told by Owner, Shon Taylor-Keaton”
Although cheer has changed a lot over the years, I fell in love with it as a young girl. I have always said at a young age that I was going to coach and own my cheer gym to be able to give young girls and men the opportunity to be a part of a family oriented organization.
I've been to several cheer competitions with All-star team as well Middle and High School Competitive Teams. After high school and attending Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, VA where I cheered, I loved the sport even more because of the different style of cheer (HBCU).
Since moving to Durham, North Carolina I was able to be employed by Durham Public Schools in 2001. I was hired as the Assistant Cheer Coach at Neal Middle School then took over the program as the Head Coach in August of 2002. In my 16 years of coaching I was able to win a couple of regional and local titles.
I wanted to start out small and begin my first business in Durham, NC. It was a great learning experience to start out and I loved every minute of it! Although I loved the small-town life I still believed that there was more for me to learn about the business.
I've enjoyed coaching all ages and skills levels. I opened EPIC Cheer & Dance Academy in 2015, and officially established in 2016, which for the first two years I held my practices at Neal Middle School. There were so many people that played a part in my continued success and saw the LOVE I had for other children.
We have been in the Westgate Shopping Center since 2025. When not coaching I LOVE spending a lot of time with my husband, Preston, my son Picasso, my daughter Mahogany, our dog Kimbo, ACE, and Family. I love the beach, tropical places and seafood. I also wish I could hibernate in the winter because I despise the cold weather.