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 a BADA instructor since 2003. She serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President for KARIZMA, BADA’s non profit performing company. For 8 years Kelly 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. She currently sits on the board of directors for NCYTE and enjoys performing with the company during regular alumni shows. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and double majored in Psychology and Exercise Sport Science. While at Carolina she was also the tap director for the Carolina Style dance company. Kelly holds a doctorate degree in physical therapy and currently works for CenterWell Home Health. Ms. Kelly lives in Burlington with her husband Mitch, daughter Avery (also a BADA dancer) and son Aiden.
Dance Faculty
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
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.
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!
ELIZABETH BAILEY
Costume Director
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
Rebecca White
Bio and Picture Coming Soon!
Linda-Jazmin Santiago Benitez
Bio and Picture Coming Soon!
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
Carrie Plew
Dance Faculty
Carrie Plew is a Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies. She earned her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from UNC-Greensboro, and also trained at the Western Australian Academy for Performing Arts in Perth, Australia. Carrie has choreographed site specific work and installations for several NYC organizations. Her musical theater choreography has been seen in the New York Fringe Festival, through Broadway Training Center (New York) and on stages across North Carolina. She founded Danceploration Expedition, a panoramic, improvisational, traveling, movement experience which was presented through the eFIGMENT Festival in New York and Washington, DC. Carrie performed as a singer and dancer Off-Broadway and was a featured actor in the award-winning independent film “The Fear Inside” (Director: Rick Hamilton). NY Dance credits: Maverick Dance Experience, INSPIRIT (Rehearsal Director and Company member), Malleable Dance Theater, Sydnie L Mosley Dances. NC Dance credits: Mark Haim (ADF), John Gamble Dance Theater, Jan Van Dyke Dance Group, Horn in the West, X Factor, Centennial Station Dinner Theater. Carrie is proud to have taught at Broadway Training Center, Dance Project: The School, Burlington Academy of Dance & Arts, UNC-Greensboro School of Dance, Appalachian State University and ADF Samuel H. Scripps Studios.
Susanna Sutton
Dance Faculty
Susanna Sutton has been dancing since the age of three. She is classically trained in the Cecchetti method of ballet and pointe and has been an instructor for fifteen years. She has traveled internationally to perform with Project Dance in Israel, Gathering of the Artisans Conference in Germany, and various other opportunities abroad. She has an undergraduate degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a minor in Business from UNCG. She is also a certified wedding coordinator. When she isn't teaching she enjoys spending time with her husband, three children, and two dogs.
Morgan Jones
Dance Faculty
Morgan Jones (Jamestown, NC) received her BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography with a k-12 licensure in Dance Education and a minor in African American Studies from UNC-Greensboro. She is currently the dance teacher and dance team coach at Mount Tabor High School. As an alumnus of the Pointe! Company & Technique Conservatory & Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, she has trained and choreographed in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, musical theater, hip-hop, lyrical, tap & West African dance. As a triple threat performer, Morgan has performed in many shows including Dreamgirls as Lorrell Robinson, Beehive as Jasmine, The Wiz as Dorothy, and The Color Purple as Church Lady Jarene. Ms. Morgan is excited to start this new season in excellence!
CHRISTINE FISHER
Guest 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.
Sophie David
Guest Dance Faculty
Sophie David grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts and has been dancing since the age of three. She trained at various studios near her hometown and has a strong foundation in ballet, contemporary, and modern techniques. She graduated from Elon University in May 2024 with a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography and had the opportunity to perform in pieces by Casey Avaunt, Courtney Liu, Jen Guy Metcalf, Ming Lung Yang, Jiwon Ha, Lee Edwards, and many others during her undergraduate career. Sophie is currently a Trainee at Charlottesville Ballet and teaches at Charlottesville Ballet Academy as well. She has experience teaching dance to all ages and skill levels and is excited to begin her first year as a BADA Faculty member! Sophie also serves as an Administrative Assistant in the office at BADA.
Summer Severin
Dance & Vocal Music Faculty
Summer Severin is a performer and creative currently in her final year of her BFA in Musical Theatre at Elon University. Since graduating high school in South Florida, she has been a teaching apprentice and then teacher at her home dance studio Taylor Made Dance and Theatre. At Elon, she has served as Dance Captain for a new work main stage musical “Movin’ On”, Associate Music Director under Chris Rayis for main stage musical “Head Over Heels”, and most recently Assistant Choreographer under Courtney Liu for main stage musical “A Chorus Line” where she also served as a swing and Cassie understudy. She has choreographed, directed, and music directed two numbers for Elon’s Grand Night. Also in her time at Elon, she has presented a reading of the first act of a new musical written by her and two classmates. She has worked as an assistant for The Broadway Artists Intensive Jr. at the Kravis Center, and most recently served as Assistant Choreographer under Courtney Liu and Chauntee Schuler Irving at Playmakers Repertory Company’s Summer Youth Conservatory doing “The Prom”! She is so excited to become a part of the BADA family!
Sandy Blocker
Dance Faculty & Accompanist
Sandy Blocker is a musician who plays world percussion instruments for modern, ballet and African dance classes. He has been on staff at UNCG, Elon and UNCSA as an accompanist for dance classes.
Blocker had been trained from an early age as a classical dancer. At age 18 he moved to Virginia to study ballet with the School of Norfolk Ballet before receiving a scholarship to move to New York to study with the Joffrey Ballet School. He studied in Virginia during the school years and spent his summers in New York during this two-year period of intense balletic training. After finishing his last summer in New York, he joined the Houston Ballet, where he danced for a year before electing to take a break from dance to give his body, and mind, a rest. This brought him to the decision to earn a college degree—something he had not previously had the chance to do.
In 1988, he moved to Greensboro, NC to attend UNCG, going back to the city where he was raised. After graduating with a BFA in Dance, Blocker remained on staff at UNCG to accompany the dance classes as he continued to learn more about the art of world percussion drumming.
Blocker's wife is fellow BADA faculty member, Angie Greene. He is a father of four: Buck, Joe (guest artist for BADA ballets), Sadie (BADA Alum) and Luc (former BADA student) and maintains a flourishing garden.
His character and spirit are some of his greatest trademarks, aside from his musical talents.
