Faculty & Staff
Allison Hertzberg, Youth Director, began her childhood training with Marilyn
Cloutier of Sylva, NC, and Walter, Linda, and Peggy Fletcher of Asheville, NC. She then spent her high school years training at the NC School of the Arts in Winston- Salem and the VA School of the Arts in Lynchburg. After graduating, Allison joined Allegro Dance Theater of Chattanooga, TN, as a principal dancer and soloist and toured both nationally and internationally. In 1996 she returned home to Asheville to start her lovely family and to teach and perform with the Asheville Ballet, ADDANCE, The Fletcher School of Dance, Wayne Burritt Dance, the Academy at Terpsicorps, and Angie's Dance Academy. Allison has now been training aspiring dancers of all ages and abilities for over 25 years. Some of the amazing teachers and coaches Allison has had the pleasure of working with include Melissa Hayden, Melinda Lawrence, Gina Vidal, Trish Casey, Dianne Markham, Joan Saunders, Duncan Noble, Frank Smith, Gyula Pandi, Richard Kutch, Richard Gain, Petrus Bosman, David Keener, Mark Schneider, Alexander Bennett, Gelsey Kirkland, Brynar Mehl, Valerie Concha, and Ann Dunn.
Fleming Lomax, Ballet Mistress, fell in love with ballet at age four and has been
dancing ever since. She was a high school ballet major at NC School of the Arts and earned her B.S. in Dance Education from UNC-Greensboro. She has been teaching for twenty-five years at institutions such as Dreyfoos School of the Arts (WPB, FL), Denver School of the Arts, and Colorado Conservatory of Dance. Her professional experience includes four seasons performing as a principal with Ballet Nouveau Colorado, two seasons touring with Kim Robards Modern Dance, and dancing with Asheville Ballet since 2010. Fleming currently teaches, performs, and choreographs in the Asheville area and has also been teaching Pilates in the region for eighteen years.
Rachel Taylor began her training with Brantly Shapiro at Wake Forest University’s Community Ballet program, later joining Ohio Dance Theatre’s Pre-Professional program in Oberlin, Ohio. Rachel graduated in 2016 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA in Dance Performance. While in Charlotte, she also became certified in Xtend Barre. Rachel then joined the Winston Salem Festival Ballet and was on staff for their schools in Winston Salem, Southern Pines, and High Point, North Carolina. In 2017, Rachel joined the US international Ballet under the artistic direction of Walter Angelini and Ines Albertini, where she performed and taught for six years. Rachel has taught for many other schools and performed as a guest artist in various productions, she holds PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique) and Flexistretcher certifications, and she is currently working on her ACE Personal Training Certification. Rachel has a classical but holistic approach to Ballet training, loves to further her knowledge and skills in dance training, and has a passion to share it with others.
Alisha Ear began dancing at age four and trained as a child at Ballet School of Chapel Hill, Asheville Center of Performing Arts, Charlotte Ballet, and NC Governor's School. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in Dance Performance from Ohio State University. While at OSU, she studied Cunningham technique with Karen Eliot, worked with Susan Hadley of Mark Morris Dance Group, performed various original works, and danced in Doug Varone's Rite of Spring with BalletMet. Following college she workshopped with Mark Morris Dance Group, Parsons Dance, studied under Marcus Schulkind, and performed with Andary Dance and Lorraine Chapman the Company. She took a step back from dance to tour the country with her husband as he served in the Navy and to grow her family with four children. But she has continued to teach, perform, and choreograph in various contexts – setting work on Regent University Dance Company, Asheville City Ballet, Asheville Ballet, Distinguished Young Women of NC, Highland Acting Company, and a variety of church and community performances. Alisha believes movement should be joyful and enjoys sharing movement in many forms to the whole community.
Zoe D’Astolfo began training under the guidance of her mother, Chelsea D’Astolfo, at The American Academy of Ballet in Buffalo, NY, and subsequently at Minnesota Dance Theatre. She attended Miami City Ballet’s pre-professional program and worked with faculty members such as Arantxa Ochoa and Francis Veyette. Additional training included NYSSSA, Chautauqua, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Carolina Ballet. From 2019 to 2023, Zoe performed with Carolina Ballet, engaging with a diverse repertoire, from contemporary pieces by artists like Lynne-Taylor Corbett and Robert Weiss, to great classics like Romeo and Juliet and Sleeping Beauty, and celebrated works by George Balanchine. With a desire to share her passion, Zoe is excited to join the faculty of the Asheville Academy of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Through teaching, she aims to inspire a love for dance and contribute to the art form that is such an integral part of her life.
Rachel Sanford began her training at the Ozsoy School of Ballet in Duncanville, TX, under Ballet Master Ceyhun Ozsoy. Rachel attended many summer intensives including the American Ballet Theatre Collegiate Program, the International Ballet Competition Intensive, the Joffrey Ballet, and Houston METdance Professional Intensive. In 2016, Rachel graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance and a Business Foundations Certificate from the McCombs School of Business. She has performed in professional pieces by artists including Sidra Bell, Merce Cunningham, Mark Morris, and Joe Celej. In 2019, Rachel moved to North Carolina and joined the Wilmington Ballet Company where she performed in works such as Giselle, Vampires, Alice in Wonderland, the Nutcracker, and The Little Mermaid. She has choreographed multiple works for the Dance program at UT Austin, the McCallum Fine Arts Academy in Austin, TX, the US International Ballet, the Wilmington Dance Festival, and the Cucalorus Film Festival. Rachel currently resides in Asheville, NC and teaches at Legacy Dance Center. Since moving to Asheville, she has performed and choreographed for the Asheville Ballet’s Fall into Dance performances, and she is excited to teach at the Asheville Academy of Ballet and Contemporary Dance for the summer!
Marcelo Martinez was born in Paraguay where he began his training at the former Academia de danza Bettina Ramos. He then continued his training in Brazil at the Centro de Dança Rio under the instruction of Maria Angelica Fiorani. At age 17 he was accepted into the Companhia Jovem do Teatro Municipal do Rio De Janeiro where he danced under the directions of Dalal Aschar and Mariza Estrella. Mr. Martinez accepted a position with The Washington Ballet where he danced lead roles including Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Stravinsky Violin Concerto by Balanchine, and The Rite of Spring by Trey MacIntyre. From 2007 to 2024, he performed with Carolina Ballet, where he danced many principal roles, captivating audiences for 17 seasons. Mr. Martinez has also appeared as a guest artist with Greensboro Ballet, Susan Farrell Ballet, Arka Ballet, The Raleigh Dance Theater, and The Asheville Ballet.
Megan Jones Medford received a BA in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She spent six years in NYC as a professional dancer and teacher. Along with freelance work Megan was a company member with Periapsis Music & Dance, LiNK! the movement, and Shauna Sorensen and Dancers. 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 at All Star Studios in NYC. She has guest taught and choreographed for studios and conventions around the States. Megan and her family moved back to her hometown of Asheville, NC, where she performed with Lindsey Kelley Dance and currently performs with The Asheville Ballet and with Stewart/Owen Dance. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance by teaching students throughout the area.
Tricia Renshaw, Assistant Director, has enjoyed dancing, choreographing, and teaching for many years. She began dancing in Delaware in her formative years, and continued her training at Shenandoah Conservatory, Temple University, The Professional School, The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Jeanne Ruddy Dance, and East Coast Ballet. She has danced with contemporary and ballet companies in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida, and also served as the artistic director for The Professional School’s Modern Company. She received her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Dance from Skidmore College, and went on to earn her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of North Florida. She currently enjoys teaching at the Asheville Academy of Ballet and Western Carolina University and practicing PT in her office in Asheville (restorative-pt.com).
Ann Dunn, Artistic Director, recently retired from an academic career teaching courses in The Medieval and Renaissance World. Her doctoral concentration was in Shakespearean Studies with a secondary focus on The Literature of the Italian Renaissance. She has presented and published widely in these fields and in Dance Philosophy, History, and Criticism. Her awards include Most Distinguished Teacher in Humanities at UNC-Asheville, Best Research Article published by the International Journal of Arts and Sciences, The North Carolina Artist of the Year Award, and most recently the UNC-Asheville Alumni Distinguished Faculty Award. She has won scholarships to such writing retreats as Breadloaf and Weymouth, and graduated from The Aspen Institute's 2015 WYE Faculty Seminar on Citizenship in the American and Global Polity, in Washington D.C. After professional training with New York City Ballet, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham, Dunn served as principal ballerina with The Hartford Ballet and The American Ballet. Over fifty years of choreography credits include “Turandot” for New York City Opera at Lincoln Center and “Amahl and the Night Visitors” for Menotti’s official U.S. tour. For 44 years, she has served as Artistic and Executive Director of The Asheville Ballet and as Owner and CEO of The Asheville Academy of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. Dunn has published three volumes of poetry, raised five children, and has twelve grandchildren so far. One of her greatest joys is to make it possible for other choreographers to showcase their work on professional dancers in a professional setting.
Dharma Richards, Operations Manager, is a native Ashevillian whose love for ballet began in the early 1970s at the Fletcher School of Dance and continued through her young adult years. She went on to earn a degree in business management at UNC-Greensboro, all while keeping ballet close to her heart — dancing well into adulthood. While raising two children in Cary, NC, Dharma owned and operated her own yoga studio and teacher training school, sharing movement and mindfulness with her community. She also stayed connected to the arts as a volunteer with Carolina Ballet, even gracing the stage in productions of 'Carmen' and 'Romeo and Juliet'. Now an empty-nester, Dharma has returned home to Asheville with renewed energy and a deep desire to give back to the ballet company where her journey began.
Eden Hughes is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Asheville, NC. She received a double BA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Dance Performance and Arts Administration, minoring in Therapeutic Recreation. While at UNCG, Eden trained under industry-renowned faculty and guest artists, performing in works including “James” by Francine Ott, presented at the American Collegiate Dance Association’s annual gala in Richmond, VA. Upon returning to Asheville in 2021, Eden joined the Asheville Ballet as a company dancer, and she has been choreographing work for the company since 2023. She loves to teach dance locally when she can, and has performed in the Black Mountain College Arts Conference, ReVIEWING, and the Lake Lure Dance Festival. Eden is also a comprehensively certified Balanced Body Pilates instructor, and teaches Pilates full-time at various local studios.
Kendall Teague was raised in the mountains of western North Carolina and attended the South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC. Teague began his career in the Bay Area in 2008 as a corps de ballet member of San Francisco Ballet. He has since worked with North Carolina Dance Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet under Dwight Rhoden, Ballet San Jose, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, ODC/Dance, and Kate Weare Company, and is working locally with NVD project and Stewart/Owen Dance.
Sam Sole, a native of Tallahassee Florida, started dancing at three years old. She began to pursue her dance career more seriously at age fifteen and attended and placed in prestigious competitions such as Youth American Grand Prix. During her studies she had the opportunity to train under the direction of Susan Farrell, Raymond Lukens, Dierdre Miles Burger, and other influential figures in the dance community. While studying studio art and art history at Florida State University she also danced as a soloist with The Tallahassee Ballet. Post-graduation Sam began her dance career with The Chattanooga Ballet and for five seasons acted as a principal dancer, choreographer, and instructor to ages three to adult. Presently, she is teaching Ballet and Contemporary to a variety of experience levels in Asheville, Black Mountain, and Hickory, NC, as well as performing and choreographing with the Asheville Ballet.
Nancy Zander received her professional training in NYC at the renowned New York School of Ballet under Richard Thomas and Barbara Fallis, dancing with their company U.S. Terpshicore in such classics as Giselle and Swan Lake. She taught for many years at various schools and arts institutions in New York; co-founded (as Director of Dance Education) a non-profit for experimental choreography; was a teaching artist at Dancing Classrooms, the organization made famous in the movie "Mad Hot Ballroom"; has been ballet mistress for the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker; and has been an artist in residence at prestigious New England prep schools. Image by Peter Zander.