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.

Tonia Freeman

Director of Dancing Gems / Instructor

Tapping since the age of 5. She has taken the different styles from such tappers as Walter Fletcher, Savion Glover and Debbie Dee and fused them into a style that is all her own.

Tonia 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.

She received her B.S. degree in business administration from UNC-Asheville and is proud 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.

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

Has been dancing since the age of 4. She spent 15 of those years at Asheville Dance Theater. Aubry attended Arkansas Tech University.

She has become certified as a fitness instructor through the YMCA and currently is an instructor at the YMCA at Reuter.

Aubry has been teaching at Asheville Dance Theater since 2010 and office administrator since 2012.

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.