MARY MCGEHEE - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, FOUNDER SMYRNA DANCERS

MARY MCGEHEE WORKED AS A VOLUNTEER IN THE DOMESTIC PEACE CORPS WHEN SHE WAS ACTING DIRECTOR OF BALLET FOR THE THREE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS.

SHE HAD HER UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING AT THE ACCLAIMED BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN COLLEGE DANCE PROGRAM, WHERE SHE JOINED A PROFESSIONAL COMPANY, AND SHE EARNED HER MASTERS OF FINE ARTS IN DANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, GREENSBORO.  MARY RECALLS DANCING WITH MADONNA AT THE AMERICAN DANCE FESTIVAL BEFORE MADONNA BECAME FAMOUS.

MARY RECEIVED FURTHER INSTRUCTION IN NEW YORK WITH DAVID HOWARD (BALLET), LUIGI (JAZZ) AND MERCE CUNNINGHAM (MODERN DANCE). 

MARY LEARNED HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS BY BECOMING A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER AND TOP PRODUCER AT BANK OF AMERICA.  SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE EARLY RETIREMENT AND PURSUE HER DREAM OF BUILDING A DANCE COMPANY IN THE SUMMER OF 2000.  HER STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO PEBBLEBROOK, BROADWAY AND MAJOR DANCE COMPANIES.  MARY HAS TAUGHT FOR THE CITY OF SMYRNA AND SMYRNA SCHOOLS FOR THE PAST FIFTEEN YEARS.

MARY ENCOURAGES HER TEACHERS TO FOCUS ON THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR STUDENTS, AND CLASSES AIM TO ENHANCE SELF CONFIDENCE AND SELF ESTEEM IN STUDENTS.



JULIE SEGAL - DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTIONS

JULIE BEGAN DANCING AT THE AGE OF FOUR, AND HAS FOND MEMORIES OF HER TEACHER, KIP WATSON, BANGING THE FLOOR WITH HIS CANE TO KEEP TIME WITH THE LIVE PIANO MUSIC.  JULIE’S DANCE EDUCATION FOCUSED ON BALLET, POINTE, TAP AND JAZZ, AND SHE COMPETED AT DANCE MASTERS OF AMERICA AND DANCE EDUCATORS OF AMERICA.   

JULIE HAS PERFORMED AT THE FOX THEATER AND ALSO HAS EXPERIENCE IN FILM.  SHE CONNECTS AS A TEACHER WITH ALL AGES, INCLUDING ADULTS, AND HER ADULT CLASS JOINS HER CLASSES OF ALL AGES IN PERFORMING  IN THE ANNUAL SMYRNA DANCERS RECITAL.



NICHOLE JORDAN
 
NICOLE ATTENDED HORIZONS PERFORMING ARTS SCHHOL AND WAS TRAINED IN DANCE AT THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED BALLET ROTARU. SHE EXCELLED RAPIDLY AT BALLET ROTARU AND ADVANCED TO POINTE AFTER ONLY TWO YEARS OF TRAINING. 
 
NICHOLE HAS BEEN DANCING FOR 25 YEARS AND TEACHING DANCE FOR 12 YEARS.  SHE HAS PERFORMED IN THE NUTCRACKER AND DON QUIXOTE AT THE FOX THEATER.  AT HORIZON PERFORMING ARTS SHE STUDIED THEATER, AFRICAN DANCE, HAWAIIAN DANCE, CHOREOGRAPHY AND DRAMA.  
 
NICHOLE HOLDS A BACHELOR DEGREE IN MINISTRY AND WAS ORDAINED INTO THE MINISTRY IN 2009.

 

ANNEMARIE TAPP

ANNEMARIE, GRADUATE OF  PEBBLEBROOK (PERFORMING ARTS MAGNET SCHOOL) STARTED DANCE STUDY AT THE AGE OF EIGHT, WHEN HER TEACHER DISCOVERED THAT SHE HAD THE PERFECT FEET FOR BALLET AND POINTE TRAINING.

HER TRAINING AT PEBBLEBROOK COVERED THE RANGE OF PERFORMING ARTS:  SHE IS EQUALLY TALENTED IN DANCE, VOICE, AND DRAMA AND IS SKILLED AT SETTING CHOREOGRAPHY AND MUSICAL THEATER.

ANNEMARIE ENJOYS COACHING HIGHLY TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE, AND HAS COMPLETED HER BACCALAUREATE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION .

ANNEMARIE SPENT FIVE YEARS TRAINING AS A TEACHER AND IN SUMMER CAMPS WITH MARY MCGEHEE AND IS A FACULTY MEMBER OF SMYRNA COMMUNITY DANCERS SPECIALIZING IN BALLET AND MUSICAL THEATER.



OLIVIA ROWE

OLIVIA IS AN ATLANTA-BASED DANCER, CHOREOGRAPHER, TEACHER, AND STAGE MANAGER, AS WELL AS THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF NEW DANCE PROJECT, THE ESTHETE COLLECTIVE. SHE HAS ENJOYED PERFORMING FOR COMPANIES SUCH AS CITY GATE DANCE THEATER, BALLET SOUTHEAST, AND GOTTA DANCE CONTEMPORARY, WHERE SHE HAS PERFORMED BOTH CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY WORKS. SHE GRADUATED FROM KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS IN DANCE WHERE SHE WAS HONORED TO PERFORM WORKS BY CHRISTINE WINKLER, MARTHA GOODMAN, LISA LOCK, AND DR. IVAN PULINKALA.
 
IN HIGH SCHOOL, OLIVIA TRAINED AT ATLANTA ACADEMY OF BALLET AS A PROFESSIONAL TRAINEE, AS WELL AS BALLETMET COLUMBUS AND NASHVILLE BALLET. SHE RECEIVED HER EARLY DANCE EDUCATION AT IMPACT DANCE OF ATLANTA, WHERE SHE WAS CERTIFIED IN
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE TECHNIQUE. IN COLLEGE, SHE WAS PRIVILEGED TO STUDY GAGA DANCE TECHNIQUE AND REPERTOIRE AT THE BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY IN TEL AVIV, ISRAEL. AT KSU, SHE TRAINED UNDER ESTEEMED PROFESSORS SUCH AS CHRISTINE WINKLER, MCCREE O'KELLEY, MOMCHIL MLADENOV, AND MARA MANDRADJIEFF.
 
AS A CHOREOGRAPHER, OLIVIA SEEKS TO DISCOVER AND REFLECT THE BEAUTY OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH EXPRESSIONISM. SOME OF HER CHOREOGRAPHIC CREDITS INCLUDE "IS TIME PASSING, OR IS IT JUST ME?" PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE 2019 PALETTE PROJECT, A PROGRAM OF DANCE CANVAS. HER WORK, “MATUTINE,” WAS SET ON BALLET SOUTHEAST IN THEIR INAUGURAL MIXED REPERTORY SHOWCASE IN 2018. HER SENIOR CAPSTONE PROJECT, A CHOREOGRAPHIC WORK ENTITLED “DICHOTOMIC,” WAS ONE OF SIX WORKS SELECTED FROM TWENTY STUDENT PIECES TO BE PROFESSIONALLY PRODUCED AT THE 2018 KENNESAW STATE SPRING DANCE CONCERT.
 
SHE IS SO EXCITED TO BE TEACHING FOR SMYRNA COMMUNITY DANCERS AND LOOKS FORWARD TO SHARING HER LOVE OF DANCE WITH HER STUDENTS.



















Olivia Rowe is an Atlanta-based dancer, choreographer, teacher, and stage manager, as well as the Artistic Director of new dance project, The Esthete Collective. She has enjoyed performing for companies such as City Gate Dance Theater, Ballet Southeast, and Gotta Dance Contemporary, where she has performed both classical and contemporary works. She graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance in 2018, where she was honored to perform works by Christine Winkler, Martha Goodman, Lisa Lock, and Dr. Ivan Pulinkala.



In high school, Olivia trained at Atlanta Academy of Ballet as a professional trainee, as well as Balletmet Columbus and Nashville Ballet. She received her early dance education at Impact Dance of Atlanta, where she was certified in

American Ballet Theatre technique. In college, she was privileged to study Gaga dance technique and repertoire at the Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv, Israel. At KSU, she trained under esteemed professors such as Christine Winkler, McCree O'Kelley, Momchil Mladenov, and Mara Mandradjieff.


As a choreographer, Olivia seeks to discover and reflect the beauty of the human experience through expressionism. Some of her choreographic credits include "Is time passing, or is it just me?" presented in association with the 2019 Palette Project, a program of Dance Canvas. Her work, “Matutine,” was set on Ballet Southeast in their inaugural mixed repertory showcase in 2018. Her senior capstone project, a choreographic work entitled “Dichotomic,” was one of six works selected from twenty student pieces to be professionally produced at the 2018 Kennesaw State Spring Dance Concert.


She is so excited to be teaching for Smyrna Community Dancers and looks forward to sharing her love of dance with her students.