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Department of Theatre and Dance

Our Alumni

Graduates of the Betsy Blackmon Dance Program have gone on to enjoy successful careers on stage and in countless classrooms across the country.

Take a look at the many ways our dance program graduates put their educations to work.

Brienne Mizell (2018, Dance Performance)

Brienne is a freeland dancer living in Belgium who has performed in commercials, Bollywood movies, and live events throughout Europe.

Elaine Miller (2018, Dance Performance)

Elaine has accepted a position with the City Ballet of San Diego.

Lydia Taylor Sanders (2018, Dance Performance)

Lydia is now a company dancer at Virginia National Ballet.

Joanna Hardy (2012, Dance Education)

Joanna is a dancer with Moxie Contemporary Ballet in Portland, Oregon, and also serves as their outreach coordinator.

Carolyn Bolton (2011, Dance Performance)

Carolyn has danced with and choreographed for Rambert Dance Company, a touring contemporary company based in London, England, since 2014. She was selected from more than 150 candidates for one of two positions with the critically-lauded company, where she works with renowned choreographers Christopher Bruce and Mark Morris, as well as performing works by Merce Cunningham. 

Alyson Amato (2013) and Kelsey Crum (2013)

Alyson and Kelsey are co-founders of Carolina Dance Collaborative based in Greenville, SC. CDC is a mobile dance outreach company based on the principles they learned as dance education majors, and also builds on Alyson's certification in community dance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. 

Hannah Bailey 

Hannah has begun her masters in dance/movement therapy and counseling in Chicago. She completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training and has been teaching at CorePower Yoga around Chicagoland ever since. She is helping to lead her first yoga teacher training in 2015. She also has taught yoga at Columbia College Chicago and for the Epilepsy Foundation of Chicago.

Hannah Brown (2013)

Hannah is a company member of the Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in Carmel, Indiana.

Krista Burwell ('15)

Krista is teaching ballet at Upstate Carolina Dance Center in Anderson, South Carolina and Arts Academy of the Carolinas in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Kelsey Crum (2013) and Juliana Jordan (2011)

Kelsey and Juliana are dance artists with Naina Dewan Dance Company featured at TEDxGreenville.

Emily Anzalone (2015)

Emily is a dance teacher at Spring Hill High School in Chapin, South Carolina.

Taylor Ferguson (2012)

Taylor is a dancer and teacher at Ballethnic Dance Company and teacher with Atlanta Ballet in Atlanta, Georgia. She also teaches in the student division and creative movement division of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, and teaches company dancers at Dance Academy West in Georgia.

Sarah Gledhill (2015)

Sarah completed a summer internship with Jacob’s Pillow and is marketing associate for Boston Ballet.

Joanna Hardy (2011)

Joanna began a contemporary ballet company with two other dancers called PDX Contemporary Ballet in Portland, Oregon. She also is teaching at the Alberta Abbey as part of their dance faculty.

Garry Hilton (2012)

Garry is a dance teacher at River Bluff High School and coach of the Gatorettes in Lexington, South Carolina.

Juliana Jordan (2011)

Juliana was recently appointed director of artistic operations as well as resident contemporary choreographer for International Ballet of Greenville, South Carolina.

Ashley Mallory (’14)

Ashley is a soloist with Savannah Ballet Theatre and teacher with Carolina Ballet Center for Dance Education.

Paige Maxwell (2012)

Upon graduation, Paige became a freelance dancer and artist and moved to Orlando, Florida and performed in the 2013 and 2015 Orlando FRINGE Festivals (both as a dancer and actress) in collaborations with Red Right Return, PRT of Orlando, and Theatre Downtown. Also, she has traveled and performed for USC-grown choreographer Caitlin McCormack at Atlanta’s 2014 Dance Canvas and USC Alumni Show 2015. When she is not working on dance-related community centered projects with Red Right Return, Paige teaches yoga as a 200-hr RYT Certified Yoga Instructor. Additionally, she is completing her masters in exceptional student education and grant writing certificate at the University of Central Florida.

Caitlin McCormack (2012)

Caitlin continues to choreograph and has had her works featured with Dance Augusta and Atlanta's Dance Canvas.

Kathryn Miles (2013)

Kathryn is an M.A. candidate studying correlations between dance and ethnic cultures in China at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Nanjing, China.

McCree O'Kelley (2011)

McCree was recently named assistant professor of dance at Kennesaw State University after teaching at Converse College and graduating with an M.F.A. in Dance from University of California-Irvine.

Katie Owerbach (2012, Dance Performance and Choreography)

After graduation, Katie moved to Atlanta to dance with the Georgia Ballet. She also teaches all styles of dance at local studios.

Melinda Rawlinson (2013)

Melinda is pursuing her M.F.A. in Dance Program at Hollins University.

Camille Sellers (2014)

Camille is a company member and teacher at Gainesville Ballet in Gainesville, Virginia.

Mary Sigward (2015)

Mary is a company member at Spectrum Dance Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

Beth Smith (2013)

Beth is pursuing a doctorate in veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2018.

Jennifer Stephens (2013)

Jennifer is a dance teacher at Pleasant Hill Middle School.

Charlotte Stewart (2013)

After graduation, Charlotte moved to Orlando and began performing at Universal Orlando. and later took a 9-month contract performing with Disney Cruise Line. She is now working as the senior director of member services at Central Florida Community Arts, a nonprofit. In addition to her office job, she is the contracted choreographer and dance team director for their children and youth arts program.

Stephanie Tellus (2015)

Stephanie is studying at Indiana University working toward her Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

Kelsey Uhl (2013)

Kelsey is a performer at Walt Disney World.

Hillary Woodard (2013)

Hillary is attending Campbell Law School in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Caroline Poe (2012)

Carolina works in the membership/special events department of the New York City Ballet.

Danielle Wilson (2011, Dance Performance)

Danielle is an apprentice with Garth Fagan Dance in NYC. Fagan is the Tony-winning choreographer of Broadway's "The Lion King."


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