Grace Bagwell Adams is the founding director of The Modern Pin-Ups, Normaltown Tap Company, and Speakeasy. She taught with Dancefx Athens for 14 years and enjoys teaching tap, jazz, modern, and hip hop. Grace is originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. An alumna of Converse College, she is a proud supporter of empowering women through creative energy, dance, and performance.
Grace believes in continuing education and annually attends workshops such as the Pulse NYC. She contributes her talents to community organizations including Project Safe’s Dancing With the Athens Stars event and Stomp Out Domestic Violence. Grace is an Associate Professor at the UGA College of Public Health.
Lindsay Giedl is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer. She was a founding member of CADE:NCE – Contemporary African Dance Ensemble: New Conscious Explorations. A graduate of The University of Georgia with a BFA in Dance, she can be seen in the indie film “The Last of Robin Hood,” “Honey 4,” and Corey Smith’s music video “Honky Tonkin’ in My Blood.” She is also on faculty with Ignite Dance Competition, a 500 Registered Yoga Teacher, and an Adjunct Professor at UGA in Dance.
Lindsay was the 2020 recipient for the PANDEMIC ATLANTA Choreographer search with the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She is in her ninth season with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, serving as Administrative Director/Faculty of the Summer Programs. Her work has been nominated for a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Award. www.lindsaygiedl.com | @lindsgiedl
Cathy Rumfelt, better known as Miss Cathy, holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education from UGA and a master’s degree in English from Georgia State University, with more than 20 years of experience as an educator. From 2000–2011, she taught English and Technical Theatre at Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, where she was awarded Teacher of the Year.
In 2014, Cathy moved to Athens and opened Allegro: Lively Music for Children. When she opened The Studio, she launched and now directs the Triple Threat Musical Theater program. Cathy discovered her love of dance in 2019 and has been a proud member of The Modern Pin-Ups ever since.
Hope Brown is an award-winning choreographer and teacher from Atlanta, GA. She began her dance journey at Dan & Company Studios and was a member of The Atlanta Jazz Theatre Company. She has studied under Kenneth Green, Dan Youmans, Mia Michaels, and Lori Ann Gibson, and received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia.
At UGA, Hope co-founded Counterpoint Dance Company and danced in Pamoja Dance Company. She was promoted to Studio Manager of The Studio Athens in 2023 and leads the Cedar Shoals High School Dance Collaboration Program. Her recent work includes “Carmen” for the UGA Opera Department and the Kennedy-nominated “Little Shop of Horrors” for UGA Theatre.
Caroline Blanks was born in LaGrange, GA where she began dancing and competing at age 2. At 14, she trained at The Lafayette School of Ballet, competing throughout the Southeast and winning numerous titles. After graduating high school in 2019, she became a teacher and choreographer for the Royal Academy School of Dance, teaching styles ranging from ballet to hip hop.
Caroline is also a competitor in the Miss Georgia / Miss America Scholarship Competition, winning two talent awards for her dancing in 2024.
Carrie Bishop has been singing and playing music for her whole life. She started with piano lessons at age 5, and has continued singing and playing piano since, including musical theatre productions and various music programs and bands in Athens, GA. She has also been an aerial student at Canopy Studio since 2017.
When The Studio opened, Carrie took dance classes to support her sister Cathy and hasn’t stopped dancing since. She co-directs and dances with Boulevard Burlesque Company and serves as Assistant Director of Triple Threat Musical Theater Company. She also designed and maintains the Studio’s website. Carrie is a Triple Dawg, holding a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology, and an Ed.S. in Learning, Design and Technology, all from the University of Georgia. She is currently the Director of Learning Technologies at Digication, Inc.
Rylee has been dancing since the minute her feet hit the floor. Hailing from Toccoa, Georgia, she holds two state titles from her time as a competitive dancer. She has choreographed for high school dance teams, performed with the UGA Dance Department, is a member of the Modern Pin-Ups, and directs Workshop Groove. Rylee loves dancing at the Studio because joy is the priority whether you’re across the floor, on the stage, or in the audience!
Melissa Gogo is the director of Athens Swing Central and a member of both Athena Rhythm and The Modern Pin-Ups. She has been studying swing dancing for 16 years and teaching for 12, involved with the Athens swing dance community since 2011. She is in her second year on staff at Lindy Focus – one of the largest dance camps in the US.
Gogo has traveled all over the US to learn from world-class instructors. Lindy Hop is her favorite swing style, and she has also studied Vernacular Jazz, Charleston, Balboa, Blues, and West Coast Swing. In the classroom, she emphasizes fun, comfort, and safety while enthusiastically sharing her love of dance.
Ralph Hale has demonstrated a lifelong love of dance with over 20 years of experience and professional development. Although trained in ballet, jazz, and musical theater, Ralph has spent his professional career focused on tap and clogging as a teacher, choreographer, and production designer. Since 2005, Ralph has shared his talents through dance camps, workshops, and intensives nationwide.
“Dance is about bringing music to life visually and audibly. We dance to tell our audience a story and to make them feel something.”
Destiny Loyd grew up in McDonough, Georgia where she started her dance journey. For Destiny, dance isn’t just a hobby — it’s a lifelong devotion and her first love. She trained and competed with the Paris School of Performing Arts beginning at age five, performing ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, and Irish dances. Her passion for dance persisted through college, where she became a member of The Modern Pin-Ups in 2014.
Waverly Noble grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She began performing as a competitive Scottish highland dancer at 5 and found her love for musical theatre and solo voice in high school. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.M. in Music Therapy with a concentration in voice. Waverly is a board-certified music therapist (MT-BC) and owner of Classic City Music Therapy, LLC. She also teaches youth voice lessons in the Athens area.
At the Studio, you can find her directing Triple Threat Musical Theater Company, teaching parent-child music classes at Allegro, and performing in The Modern Pin-Ups!
Liz Osborn is a dance educator, dance maker, and dance researcher originally from Rochester, NY. She has trained in Contemporary Modern, Rhythm Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. Liz holds a BA in Dance and History from the University at Buffalo and an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from SUNY Brockport. She has taught at SUNY Brockport, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Georgia. Liz is currently a PhD Candidate in the UGA College of Education researching the future of dance education and is also the Director of Dance at the Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy.
Tabitha Robbins has over twenty years of dance training, assisting, teaching, and choreography across tap, ballet, jazz, hip hop, and more. She spent much of her early career at her childhood studios in Winder and Loganville, Georgia, and in 2005 toured the U.S. assisting at leading industry dance camps. In 2024, she completed the iTap Teacher Certificate Program Level 1, and Level 2 in spring 2025.
Tabitha teaches tap for Athens Dance Collective, Triple Threat Musical Theatre Company, and adult drop-in classes, and directs Speakeasy, an adult movement company at The Studio.
Abby Schulze is an Atlanta-based dancer and choreographer with a passion for increasing the accessibility of dance. With nearly a decade instructing in tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, and children’s dance across Atlanta and Athens, she has published interviews in the Journal of Dance Education on mindfulness and creative exploration in dance scholarship.
Abby graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in Dance and is currently pursuing an MA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership there. From 2021–2023, she was Marketing Coordinator for the Atlanta Contemporary Dance Company. She is now in her second season with Kitmodus, and most notably opened for the Martha Graham Dance Company in 2021 at the Athens Performing Arts Center.
Maryn Whitmore is a movement artist, choreographer, and teacher who delights in the intersections of dance, improvisation, storytelling, and play. A 2001 graduate of the University of Georgia’s Department of Dance, she has spent the last two decades crafting a creative life through performance, teaching, and community-rooted artmaking. Her work includes Skwhirlhaus, a backyard performance space she founded in Atlanta hosting site-specific works and creative gatherings.
Maryn is also a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor, which deepens her understanding of movement, alignment, and embodied awareness. Whether guiding technique, composition, or improvisation, she cultivates spaces where students can move with wonder, artistry, and a sense of belonging.
Bethany Barner is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a double major in Dance and Advertising. She began dancing at age 4, and at 11 began training at Studio D School of Dance in Griffin, Georgia, in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and tap. That same year, she joined Griffin Ballet Theatre, performing in productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Coppélia, and more. Bethany began assisting classes in 9th grade and started teaching in her junior year of high school.
Sarah was born in LaGrange, GA where she began dancing at age two. She later trained at Techniques School of Dance & Gymnastics, specializing in acrobatics, while also competing as a gymnast at Newnan School of Gymnastics, where she placed 4th in the state of Georgia and top 10 in the Southeast region. Sarah is currently a UGA student and a member of her sorority’s dance team.
Kayla is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a major in computer science and a minor in dance. She began her dance career at Classical Ballet Theater in Reston, Virginia at age nine, and later trained at Skye Ballet Center, performing in productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Paquita. She competed at YAGP, earning a YAGP finals invitation and second place at the Étolie Dance Competition. At UGA, she joined the Club Dance Team. Kayla loves to share her passion with others!
Amelia Cassidy is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a BBA in Marketing with a minor in Dance and a Master’s in Emerging Media. Her passion for ballet began at age six at Sugarloaf Performing Arts. At sixteen, she joined Gwinnett Ballet Theatre as a trainee company member. Amelia has competed at YAGP and Universal Ballet Competition, earning numerous awards and scholarships, and has trained at Nashville Ballet and Next Generation Ballet summer programs.
Megan Fitzgerald was born in Dunwoody, Georgia where she started dancing at age 2, then joined the Atlanta Jazz Theatre at 10. She graduated from AJT in 2023 after training and competing in multiple styles and is now attending the University of Georgia pursuing degrees in both Dance and Environmental Engineering. She has been choreographing for 4 years and hopes to continue throughout her career.
Heather M. Fletcher is a Georgia native who moved to Athens in 2002 to attend UGA. She began dancing Cuban-style salsa and Rueda de Casino in 2011 and became a certified instructor of Energetic Salsa for soUl°sa — a style created by Duane Wrenn of Energetic Soul® Studios. Her training focuses on Cuban-style footwork and partnerwork, Afro-Cuban body movement, and musicality as it relates to the clave. She also studies guaguancó, son cubano, and chachacha.
Heather is a local real estate broker at H.M. Fletcher Real Estate and director/lead instructor for TIMBAthens, a nonprofit dance organization that hosts Sunday classes at The Studio.
Ava Grau started dancing at Dan and Company at age 5 and joined the Atlanta Jazz Theatre at 9. She fell in love with teaching and choreographing through AJT’s leadership opportunities, graduating in 2023. Now she is attending the University of Georgia pursuing degrees in Dance and Marketing, dancing at DanceFX Athens, and choreographing at Dan and Company.
Ali is the founder of Pure Balance Pilates studio in Athens. Her love of movement started at a young age dancing with South Georgia Ballet, where she was classically trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and contemporary. Ali discovered Pilates as a form of physical therapy in high school and fell in love with how it connected the mind, body, and spirit. She is a graduate of Polestar Pilates Comprehensive instructor training and returned to the dance world in 2023 as a member of the Speakeasy adult dance company.
Brenna Hayes began training at age 3 at Southern Performing Arts Academy in Lawrenceville, Georgia, dancing with Southern Ballet Theatre for nine years. She transferred to UGA for their aerial dance program and K-12 teaching certification in 2019, earning a BFA in K-12 Dance Education alongside a Master’s in Nonprofit Management & Leadership through UGA’s DoubleDawg program in May 2023.
Brenna has taught in studios across metro-Atlanta and Athens, specializing in ballet, pointe, contemporary/modern, jazz, and tap for students ages 3 to 60+. She is also certified in yoga trapeze, barre fitness, and bungee fitness.
Lily Medlock is an Elementary Education student at the University of Georgia with a minor in dance. She started dancing at age three and trained at the Decatur School of Ballet in ballet, modern, and jazz, later dancing in the Decatur City Dance company and BareGrounds modern dance company. She is very passionate about teaching young children and students with disabilities. Lily is also a member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from the University of Georgia. She interned at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago before moving to New York City, where she performed improv comedy at Upright Citizens Brigade, the Magnet, and the People’s Improv Theater. She appeared on the Arty Need Show in Brooklyn and performed on the Canadian Fringe Circuit and New Orleans Fringe. She recently returned to Athens to raise her family.
Sophia Pigo started dancing at age 3. She moved to CK Danceworks in Dallas, GA in 4th grade and began competing shortly after, dancing at the highest level until she graduated in 2023. She is a student at the University of Georgia studying Biology on the Pre-Dental track, and has taught and assisted dance classes for over 5 years.
Paula has been passionate about music and dance since childhood. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, a culture rich in folklore and rhythm, she has over eight years of experience in Belly Dance. Paula studied at Estudio de Danzas y Arte “Danzart” in Santiago, Dominican Republic, exploring how to fuse traditional belly dance with her Latin American heritage.
Paula moved to the United States in 2023 and quickly found a new artistic home at The Studio Athens, where she is part of the Boulevard Burlesque Company. Professionally, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Auditing.
Alyssa Poulos is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a B.A. in Theatre. She grew up in Tucker, Georgia, performing from childhood through high school and earning her school’s Spotlight Award for her senior year roles in Our Town. She continues to perform with the Town and Gown Players and is a member of the UGA Ballroom Performance Group. Alyssa adores being part of the Triple Threat Musical Theater team.
Janet Robertson began formal ballet training at 11 and by senior year performed the lead in “Swan Lake.” She furthered her training at Sullins College with Valentina Belova of the Antwerp Ballet; after moving to Athens, she studied for ten years with Stanley Zompakos of NYCB and trained in tap and modern dance at UGA. She joined the UGA Department of Dance faculty in 1985 and retired as Senior Lecturer, Emerita, in 2017.
Robertson has created over 50 original works and has performed and choreographed with the Athens Ballet Theatre, UGA’s Concert Dance Company, and numerous other companies since 1980. She received the Dance Athens Award for Excellence in 2004. She holds an AFA in Dance, a BA in Art, and an MAT from Lynchburg College.
Kydae Scott is a UGA graduate with a B.S. in Psychology and a Personal Health & Well-Being minor from Columbus, GA. Since fall 2021, Kydae has choreographed and taught Hip Hop, Contemporary, Majorette, and Vogue pieces at UGA through Pamoja Dance Company. As a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., he has also choreographed, judged, and performed for Greek events across Georgia. Outside of dance, he works as a Registered Behavior Technician. Kydae welcomes all dancers with open arms!
After feeling the gentle pull toward yoga for many years, Tarin took her first class following the passing of her mother in 2022, determined to break a generational pattern of mobility challenges. Within the first 10 minutes, she knew she had found what she was looking for — and so much more. In June 2025 she earned her 200-hour yoga teaching certification, on top of many hours of trainings, workshops, and personal practice, and looks forward to sharing this lifelong journey one class at a time.
Julia Turner is a performer, choreographer, movement artist, and somatic enthusiast. She has been playing, performing, and choreographing with The Modern Pin-Ups since 2017. With roots in burlesque, pole, and somatic ritual, she teaches dance as both sacred self-seduction and sovereign self-expression. Her classes are a reclamation — of rhythm, of pleasure, of power — designed to awaken the parts of you that want to move freely and be seen. Julia welcomes dancers of all levels and backgrounds.
Outside the studio, Julia works as a Somatic Therapist and Mythic Guide at the crossroads of nervous system healing, quantum theory, and mystical tradition.
Haley Werner is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a double major in Dance and Animal and Dairy Science. She began dancing at age 5 in South Jersey and has trained in ballet, jazz, tap, West African, musical theater, hip-hop, and contemporary. Haley is an ACTION certified personal trainer and has been training in circus arts including aerial silks and lyra. She competed on a studio competition team for 10 years and has continued training at Broadway Dance Center and Flair Dance Company.
