Cheryl Whitworth

Owner / Director of Dancing Gems / Instructor

Cheryl started dancing at the age of 3, started assisting classes in 1992, and began teaching in 1994. In 2000 she became owner of ADT.

She has studied and taught jazz, lyrical, ballet, hip hop and tap and is a certified member of Carolina Dance Masters and Dance Masters of America.

Her work has received numerous "Best Choreography," "Most Entertaining," and "Judges Choice" awards as well as many overall high score awards.

Cheryl received her B.S. degree in management from UNC-Asheville. She is proud and honored to own the studio she has always called home.

Madisyn Ballard

Instructor

Madisyn Ballard was a member of the Dancing Gems for 10 of her 16 years at Asheville Dance Theater.

She attended Mars Hill University for a year and was on their dance team. She then transferred to Blue Ridge Community College to study cosmetology and business. She will be graduating December 2025.

She started teaching hip hop and jazz at ADT in 2024 and loves teaching dancers her love of dance at her home studio!

Jaime Head

Instructor

Began studying dance at the age of 3 and has been part of the Asheville Dance Theater family most of her life.

She has over 15 years teaching experience in such subjects as ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and pointe and is a certified member of Carolina Dance Masters and Dance Masters of America.

Jaime has a master's degree in human resource development and works at UNC-Asheville.

Aubry Good

Tumble Instructor

Aubry Good began dancing at age 4 and transferred to Asheville Dance Theater when she was 5. She continued dancing at Asheville Dance Theater for 13 more years until she graduated in 2002.

In 2010, Aubry returned to Asheville Dance Theater as an instructor and has overseen the acrobatic/tumble program since 2016.

When she is not working at Asheville Dance Theater, Aubry grows and builds homeschool communities throughout Western North Carolina. Within each homeschool community she ensures that the classroom is a positive space to learn and grow. Aubry applies the same principles of a healthy classroom environment into her tumble classes with the goal for students to strive for understanding in physical ability and education within the tumble program. Aubry understands the importance of education in every form and seeks to keep the tumble program fresh, approachable, and enjoyable.

Corine Rhom

Instructor

Corine danced at Asheville Dance Theater for 15 years where she was a teachers assistant and substitute teacher for 2 years.

She competed regionally and nationally for 10 of those years with the Dancing Gems and even performed with one of the Gems top 10 nationally ranked groups at Showstopper Nationals.

Corine graduated from Appalachian State University in 2013, and currently works in digital sales. She has been teaching level 1 at ADT since 2014.

Penney Russell

Office Manager

Penney has been a part of our ADT family since 2002 when her family moved to Asheville from Houston, Texas and her daughter chose to continue her dance career at ADT.

Penney received her B.S. degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and enjoys working in the office and watching all the children grow through dance.

She is happy to call Asheville Dance Theater home.

Megan Jones Medford

Instructor

Megan grew up training with Asheville Dance Theater where she first fell in love with this magical art form! She received a BA in dance education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

She spent six years living in NYC as a professional dancer and teacher. Along with free-lance work Megan was a company member with Periapsis Music & Dance, Link! The Movement, and Shauna Sorensen and Dancers. Some of her performances include SummerStage, Jazz at the Lincoln Center, American Dance Guild Festival, Symphony Space, New York Moves, Carnival, and Choreographers Canvas.

Megan trained with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Martha Graham School, and American Dance Festival. She was on faculty for the Children & Teen Program at Broadway Dance Center and All Star Studios in NYC. She has guest taught and choreographed for studios and conventions around the states.

Megan and her husband Jay moved back to their hometown of Asheville, NC in 2016 to start a family. They are the proud parents of their son Baxter Hayes. Since her return she has performed with Stewart/Owen Dance, Lindsey Kelly Dance, and the Asheville Ballet. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance by continuing to perform and teach.

Photo courtesy of Stewart/Owen Dance.

Lacy Gill

Instructor

Lacy Gill is a Michigan native who moved to Asheville in 2021. She began her performance training at the age of seven in musical theater. She quickly fell in love with dance and began training at the pre-professional level at the age of 13 with Hearts in Step Dance Academy. She trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, jazz, and hip hop.

She went on to get her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance at Wayne State University. At Wayne, she was able to study choreography, performance, dance pedagogy, Pilates, and African dance in addition continuing her training in other dance styles. She was also a member of two student dance companies and performed in several musical theater productions.

After graduation, she moved to Asheville and has been dancing professionally with Asheville Ballet Company since 2022. Lacy has been a dance instructor for over three years and has taught all ages and abilities. She loves being a part of the ADT team!

Claire Condrey

Instructor

Claire Condrey has been trained in several different styles of dance since she was about 3 years old. She trained in various dance studios growing up (including two years with Asheville Dance Theater before graduating!), and she continued that training in college.

She graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Dance and a Business Minor from Anderson University in South Carolina. While at college, she heavily trained in tap, jazz, ballet, and modern. She had the opportunity to create and choreograph 3 different tap pieces that were performed in the main stage Dance Concerts that happened each semester. She also choreographed, directed, and performed in her own show for her Senior Project that included 8 dances in the styles of tap, jazz, ballet en pointe, hip hop, and contemporary/modern.

Claire has been teaching dance since 2024, and she is very happy to call Asheville Dance Theater her dance family!