Faculty + Staff
With over 100 years of combined teaching experience.
VIRGINIA DUPONT
Artistic Director
Virginia Freeman Dupont is a professional dancer, choreographer and educator from North Carolina. She holds both BFA and MFA degrees in Dance Performance and Choreography as well as a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A former Greensboro Ballet company member, Dupont has had the good fortune of participating as a performing artist in works by various choreographers including Gerri Houlihan, Eluza Santos, Rick McCullough, Pegge Vissicaro, Melissa Hayden, Thom Clower and Maryhelen Mayfield. Having first been a company member of the Gamble/Van Dyke Dance Company since 1995, she has continued her work as a company member of both John Gamble Dance Theater and the Van Dyke Dance Group since that time. She currently teaches ballet as an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; is the Artistic Director and owner of Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts; serves as a trustee of the Van Dyke Dance Group; and continues to explore her crafts by performing, creating and teaching throughout North Carolina.
DREW DUPONT
Associate Director
Drew Dupont is a professional actor/dancer/singer who holds a BA in Theater Studies from Guilford College. He has worked with various professional performing companies and continues to work as a guest artist in North Carolina. Drew’s professional credits include John Gamble Dance Theater, Win-Win Resolutions and Touring Theatre of NC.
He began his relationship with Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts in 1999 and has performed as a guest artist in the following BADA ballets: Joseph in Unto Us A Son, the Prince in Snow White as well as in Cinderella, the Beast in Beauty & the Beast, Bert in Mary Poppins, Professor Marvel/The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, Von Rothbart in Swan Lake and Captain Hook/Mr. Darling in Peter Pan. Drew served as the Theatrical Director for BADA’s ballet Into The Woods as well as the voice of Max Detweiler in BADA’s ballet The Sound of Music.
Drew is currently the Theatre teacher at Eastern Guildford High School; Theater faculty at BADA; and resides in Greensboro with his wife, Virginia Dupont, and their three children.
KELLY CARTER
Dance Faculty
Kelly Carter began dancing at BADA in 1988 and has been teaching since 2003. She was a member of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble where she had the good fortune of performing in Helsinki, Finland; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Vienna, Austria; New York, NY among others. Kelly has studied and performed with such inspiring choreographers as Gene Medler, Savion Glover, Brenda Buffalino, Barbara Duffy, Michelle Dorrance, Mike Minery and Sam Weber. While at UNC Chapel Hill, Kelly was tap director for the Carolina Style dance company. Kelly has a doctorate degree in physical therapy and currently works in both outpatient and home health. Ms. Kelly lives in Burlington with her husband Mitch, daughter Avery (also a BADA dancer) and son Aiden.
MAEVE DELTANO
Dance Faculty
Maeve’s love for the arts started at BADA where she danced for 13 years. During that time, she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. She also was a member of KARIZMA, BADA’s performing company. Maeve has a passion for teaching the younger generation of dancers and enjoys watching them fall in love with dance like she once did.
EVELYN EALEY
Dance Faculty
Evelyn Ealey is a second year student at Elon University pursuing a double major in Dance Performance & Choreography and Strategic Communications. She is from Fort Mill, South Carolina and is so excited to be joining BADA this year. Her time at Elon has included many performances in student and faculty pieces as well as working with guest choreographers such as Maurice Watson and Robin Gee. This year, she has performed in Dancing in the Landscape and the Fall Dance Concert, and is eager for the upcoming Black History Month Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert. Additionally, she is a member of Elon’s Black Student Union, an Honors Fellow, Presidential Scholar, and the recipient of the E.C Hunt Jr. Performing Arts Scholarship. Evelyn has a passion for writing and creating multimedia content, and can’t wait to learn more through joining the BADA Faculty alongside her Social Media/Communications internship with BADA!
CHRISTINE FISHER
Dance Faculty
Christine Kiernan Fisher has been teaching dance for more than 20 years in public schools, private dancer academies, colleges and universities
She holds a BFA in ballet from Columbia College and an MFA in performance and choreography from UNC Greensboro. She is currently a Graduate Research Assistant and PhD student at the UNCG School of Education.
A choreographer, performer, sometimes-lighting designer and stage manager... Christine co-founded Random Dance Company, and has performed with 2B Tribe Dance Theater, Jan Van Dyke Dance Group, Informall Theater Company, and John Gamble Dance Theater. She has served on the faculties of Columbia College, UNC-Greensboro, Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts, Burlington Academy Of Dance & Arts, and Durham School of the Arts, where she directed the Honors Dance Company. She is an active choreographer and performer through out the southeast, notably in The Greensboro Fringe Festival, The American Dance Festival’s “Acts To Follow,” The NC Dance Festival, NC Dances and as a guest with Blank Slate Dance. Her work has been commissioned by The Sun Valley Ballet in Idaho and the Power Company in SC. She co-facilitated a bi-monthly contact improvisation class and jam with her husband.
Christine is the past president and board member of NC Dance Alliance, and was Lead Dance Teacher for Durham Public Schools from 2010-2015. In May of 2014, Christine was one of only 450 teachers across the state selected to conduct research as part of the Governor's Teacher Network. Some of her awards include the 2020 National Dance Education Teacher of the Year and the 2022 NDEO Presidential Award for JDEI service.
TALISE GABRIEL
Dance Faculty
Talise Gabriel started out as a gymnast, winning the gold medal at a state competition when she was six years old. She continued in competitive gymnastics for several years until her interest turned to dance and she became a student at BADA in 2012, focusing on ballet but also enjoying modern, lyrical and acro.
Her roles have included the lead in the Hallelujah Chorus in Unto Us A Son and the principal role of Cinderella in the spring ballet of her senior year.
After auditioning for and being accepted at Light of the World Ballet in Syracuse, New York, she had a change of heart and decided to stay in Burlington, continuing classes at BADA as well as remaining as a teaching assistant. She advanced to a co-teaching position and then became a full member of the BADA faculty for the 2019-2020 dance year.
Talise is certified in the Preschool Acrodance program and Module 1 of Acrobatic Arts. Talise received her (CiDE) through the National Dance Education Organization.
She enjoys sharing her love of dance with the children in her classes.
JOHN GARDNER
Dance Faculty
John Gardner started dancing at the age of eleven at Greensboro Performing Arts. He studied at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary on the Male Scholership program. He has now graduated with a BFA from North Carolina School of the Arts. John has performed Cavalier, Snow King and Drosselmeyer in Ethan Stiefel’s The Nutcracker, Siegfried in Act 2 of Swan Lake, Black Swan Pas de Deux in Alexei Kremnev's Carnival of the Animals, Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty, and Kai in The Snow Queen in his debut season with Spartanburg Ballet. He has guested up and down the east coast, especially in the Carolinas where the people sound like home.
ANGIE GREENE
Dance Faculty
JOSHUA “LINK” LANNING
Dance Faculty
Joshua Link Lanning, a local b-boy and street dance artist, hails from San Diego, California, but spent his formative years in the small towns of Burlington and Graham, North Carolina. Link proudly represents the Greensboro area, thanks to the countless opportunities it has offered him. He's an integral part of the Endo Fx crew, originally founded in the Graham and Burlington regions, and a key member of Rogue Artistry, a crew dedicated to bridging the gap between art and dance.
Link's journey into breakin started earnestly after high school, as he battled with his original crew, Endo Fx, at local jams throughout North Carolina. His skills soon took him beyond state borders, leading to participation in jams in Virginia, DC, Maryland, and even Philly. Over time, Link ventured into performing at local festivals in NC with various groups, halftime shows for athletic teams, and the exciting opportunity to dance alongside Big Daddy Kane during a concert in Wilmington.
To this day, Link continues to engage in freelance dance work while actively contributing to the breakin and street dance scene, from large-scale jams to smaller local events. In addition to his ongoing practice, Link has also taken on the role of a teacher, imparting his breakin and street dance knowledge in the Greensboro and Burlington areas.
Currently, Link's primary goals are to elevate his breakin style to new artistic heights, share the foundational elements of breakin with diverse dance communities, and, most importantly, inspire individuals to fearlessly forge their own unique paths within the world of dance.
Angie Greene has been teaching and choreographing for 25 years. She began her teaching career as a studio teacher and later received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Art degrees in Dance Education from UNCG in order to teach dance in the public school system. Angie loves teaching jazz, contemporary, and West African. She has studied West African dance from world renowned teachers both here in the states and in Mali, West Africa. Angie was a performing member of Kambankofo, West African Dance Company under the direction of Mohammed DaCosta. Angie continues to teach in the private studio and public school settings. This is her 24th year teaching at Burlington Academy and her 23rd at Eastern Guilford High School.
Angie has been Teacher of the Year at Eastern Guilford High School; was honored by UNCG with the Excellence in Dance Education award; and was accepted into the Dance for Parkinson’s certification program!
ANNA MILLER
Dance Faculty
Anna is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where she earned her BFA in Dance, concentrating on choreography. She started her training at the age of 3, at Burlington Academy of Dance and Arts (BADA) in Burlington, NC. Under studio owner Virginia Dupont, she studied many different forms of dance from BADA’s large faculty including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Lyrical, African, and Hip Hop. She was part of Karizma and also Karizma II a pre-preprofessional company with whom she performed at the Greensboro Fringe Festival, NC Triad Choreography Showcase, and UNCSA Winter Gala. She was also fortunate to perform “Woof” by the late Jan Van Dyke with this company. In High School, she traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to dance with Ballet Magnificat in their 2014 Summer Intensive. During her time at UNCG, she studied with Janet Lilly, Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and B.J. Sullivan, to name a few. In college, Anna performed in a work by Francine Ott which was selected for the ACDA 2018 Gala. She also performed in works by Maurice Watson, Clarice Young, and was selected by many UNCG student choreographers to perform their works as well. During her time at UNCG, Anna took many teaching classes where she continued to pursue her passion for teaching and helping her students on and off the dance floor. After graduation, she moved to Washington State with her Husband and sweet pup “Saint”, where they were stationed with the United States Army. There she was the Jazz Company Competition Team Director at Freedom Dance Center. After moving back home, she is honored and thrilled to be part of BADAs Faculty and work as their Enrollment Coordinator!
TAYLOR ROBERSON
Dance Faculty
Taylor Roberson is currently the Dance Teacher at Ragsdale High School. Taylor received her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography with a K-12 Teaching License from UNCG. While there, she was the Associate Choreographer for Pippin: The Musical and had the pleasure of studying under BADA faculty members Angie Greene and Virginia Dupont.
LANIYA SMITH
Dance Faculty
Laniya Smith is a student, choreographer, performer and well-rounded artist currently studying to get her bachelor's at UNCG School of Dance in performance and choreography. Laniya has trained in multiple styles such as ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, tap, African and so on. In her three years since being at The School of Dance she has performed in multiple works from guest artists, faculty and students. Outside of UNCG she has worked with local choreographers and performers in Greensboro to further her dance knowledge. Laniya has been featured in dance films and paid performances throughout her time in college and has also had the opportunity to not only perform, but choreograph as well. In 2022 her piece, “Somebody,” was selected to perform in a student choreographed show, Prime Movers, along with her piece “reciprocity” which was performed in November of 2023. Laniya has shown tremendous leadership in The School of Dance by being a student ambassador, Prime Movers president and has been the social media coordinator for The School of Dance instagram. After college she hopes to venture out of North Carolina to continue her dance career.
CORA CHASE
Vocal Music Faculty
Cora S. Chase is a highly knowledgeable voice and vocal performance expert with a deep appreciation for creativity in music. Holding a Voice and Vocal Performance certificate from the Weaver Academy for Performing and Visual Arts, Cora also boasts current experience and training in musical theater.
Cora is known for her outstanding work ethic, strong interpersonal skills, and a natural talent for teaching a music. In 2022, she achieved a leadership role as the worship leader and vocal director at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Raleigh/Durham, NC.
With over 16 years of experience in choral teaching, vocal coaching across various vocal parts, and music directing, Cora is confident, energetic, compassionate, and exceptionally creative. Her passion for musical theater and Broadway shines through in every performance, inspiring both herself and those around her. In her world, living is performing, and performing is living.
LIZ ANDERSON
Guest Dance Faculty
Liz Stillerman Anderson is a dancer, choreographer, and educator from Covington, GA. Liz holds a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Elon University in North Carolina. As a student, Liz studied with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, Atlanta Ballet, Visceral Dance Chicago, and was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program, a six-week dance intensive in Valdosta, GA. As an undergraduate student at Elon University, Liz was invited to study at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, Israel where she performed works by Jacopo Godani, Barack Marshall, and Crystal Pite. In her professional career, Liz has been a guest artist with Chicago Repertory Ballet and the Chicago Civic Ballet, as well as a full company member with Atlanta-based contemporary company Kit Modus and Chicago-based ballet company Elements Ballet. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Liz served as Artistic Director for Georgia-based pre-professional company Covington Regional Ballet. Currently, Liz is an MFA student and Graduate Assistant in the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Liz is excited to join BADA’s team as a Saturday instructor!
CHELSEA HILDING
Guest Dance Faculty
Chelsea Hilding graduated with her MFA in Choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Associate award for the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Cone Award for Special Projects in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. At UNCG Chelsea performed works by B.J. Sullivan, Janet Lilly, and Teresa Heiland and worked extensively with Dr. Ana Paula Höfling and Gretchen Alterowitz at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Chelsea served as the Director of Adult Programming at Greensboro Performing Arts, Resident Choreographer for the St. Augustine Ballet and Conservatory under Luis Abella, Company Member and Rehearsal Director at Jacksonville Dance Theatre under Rebecca Levy, Artistic Director for Braided Light Dance Project, and owner of Screen Door Dance Room, a studio she founded for adult dancers in Jacksonville, FL. Chelsea is the former Company Manager of the Gibney Company in New York City where she participated in the company's inaugural tour across the U.S. and Israel. She is certified in Pilates from Balanced Body University, Progressing Ballet Technique, and is an RYT-200 yoga instructor. She is currently in the Ph.D. Dance ’22 Cohort at Texas Woman’s University under Dr. Adesola Akinleye where she received the [Wo]Mentoring in Graduate Education two-year grant for her work in abolitionist pedagogy in ballet and is on the Board of Directors for Jacksonville Dance Theatre.
ELIZABETH BAILEY
Costume Mistress
Elizabeth Bailey is a talented craftswoman, fitter, organizer and seamstress, but her headpiece creations are out of this world! Not only that, but she is a loving mother, wife, community volunteer and dear friend to all the children, parents, faculty and staff at BADA. Elizabeth received her BS in Home Economics from East Carolina University, which helped to cultivate her variety of skills that serve the BADA family on a daily basis. Aside from her talents in costuming, she serves as the quintessential “dance mom” amongst all of the BADA dancers at the studio.
RACHEL DIAZ
Office Manager
Rachel is a wife, mother, and teacher. She is married to Steven Diaz. Together they have six daughters and three sons. Although not a dancer herself, she was brought into the dance world by her oldest daughter’s love for dance. During the day she home schools her children, and in the afternoon she enjoys helping out at BADA where two of her daughters now dance and one serves as a faculty member.
“Let them praise his name with dancing” Psalm 149:3
KAT KUZKOWSKI
KARIZMA Interim Executive Director
P. Katharine Kuczkowski is the Interim Executive Director of KARIZMA and is originally from Lubbock, Texas. A proud military dependent, she has travelled the world, living in Okinawa Japan, Texas, Georgia, The Netherlands, Arizona and upstate New York. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from SUNY Binghamton (now Binghamton University). She moved to Burlington in 1994 with her husband, David and infant son and is proud to call Alamance County home. She is mother to Chris Kuczkowski (28) and Marissa Kuczkowski (24). Marissa is a BADA/Karizma alumni/employee. Kat is a full time Certified Paralegal at a local law firm and has worked in that field for 24 years. She started training in Ballet and Tap at age 8 and studied ballet until High School where she transitioned into studying Modern Dance and Jazz. Kat has been taking adult ballet and tap at BADA since the classes started being offered. She is a strong proponent of body positivity, personal empowerment, self determination and personal responsibility.
MARISSA KUZKOWSKI
KARIZMA Programming & Development Coordinator
Marissa is a dancer and arts administrator who received her first 16 years of dance training right here at Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts. She then continued her dance studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, graduating in 2019 with a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography and a minor in Anthropology. During her undergraduate studies, Marissa also studied at London Contemporary Dance School and fulfilled internships with non-profit companies across the US including Dance Exchange (Takoma Park, MD), and Dance Project (Greensboro, NC), Margaret Jenkins Dance Company (San Francisco, CA), and Zaccho Dance Theater (San Francisco, CA).
Through the post-graduation pandemic, Marissa enjoyed opportunities to continue exploring her artistic and personal practices on a farm in Athens, GA, in a U-Haul Box Truck traveling across the United States, and in the lush sands and sea of Hawaii while continuing to work remotely for BADA. She now lives in the Bay Area and is currently dancing with the Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble & independent choreographer, Lydia Feuerhelm. Marissa is also serving as the Archivist at Deborah Slater Dance Theatre and recently became KARIZMA’s Programming and Development Coordinator.