Michele Lee, Studio owner and Performing Company Director, is a native of Fairfield, CT. She received her early training with Russell Fratto of Ballet Etude and Jean Sturrock-Mead where she studied the Checetti method. As a teenager, she was one of the first out-of-state recipients of a scholarship to North Carolina School of the Arts. Michele moved to Asheville to attend Warren Wilson College where she received a B.A. in Early Childhood Education and fell in love with the mountains and people of Western North Carolina. She began teaching children’s dance classes as part of a community arts program after receiving a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Michele continued to teach at the college and community level at Warren Wilson from 1979 to 1990. (cont)...

Gregor Lee, a native of Asheville, NC graduated Magna Cum Laude from Sweet Briar College in Virginia where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in History, a minor in Dance Performance and an Arts Management Certificate. She was awarded the Anne Gary Pannell Taylor Prize in History and was named an Alpha Lambda Delta Scholar. Lee studied at Oxford University in England during the summer of 1998. In her early years, Gregor attended Asheville Catholic School and graduated with honors as a North Carolina Scholar from T.C. Roberson High School.

Gregor teaches and choreographs for Center Stage Dance Studio, operated by her mother Michele Lee. She encourages the studio's youngest stars as director of the Petite and Mini Performing Companies. (cont)...

Heather Maloy teaches ballet for Center Stage. She began her career as a choreographer shortly after joining the North Carolina Dance Theatre as a dancer in 1989. Sensing her potential, Salvatore Aiello gave her the amazing opportunity to create an original work for the company when she was only nineteen, propelling her as a talented up and coming choreographer. Since then she has been given the opportunity to create ballets for many incredible dancers, including artists of such stature as Mel Tomlinson who commissioned her to create a solo for himself. She was awarded the 1998 NCASC Regional Artist Project Grant and has created five more pieces for NCDT which have been received with great enthusiasm by the community and critics alike. NCDT brought her work, Couch Potatoes, to the Joyce Theatre in New York City this April, where it was received with great success. Along with her success at NCDT, Ms. Maloy created two premieres for the Chautauqua Ballet and two ballets for the Nashville Ballet, including Harvest Home which was performed with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. (cont)...

Gretchen Kelly has been at Center Stage for 6 years. She currently teaches Creative Movement and Yoga. She is a graduate of UNC-G with a B.F.A. in dance and has studied modern dance at several studios in NYC and performed with Kaleidoscope Childrens Theatre and Washington Square Dance Company, in NY; and Salience Dance Company in New Haven, CT. She has taught ballet, modern dance and creative movement at various schools for the past 20 years.

Jodie Taylor has recently relocated from South Florida to the Asheville area. Although well educated in all styles of dance, Jodie has specialized in Rhythm Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop and Ballet. Jodie has trained with Tap greats such as Gil Stroming, Jack Bloeser, Edwin Holland, as well as a master class from Michael Miner. Jodie has performed professionally for over 20 years in the South Florida area in commercials, television performances, cruise lines and the prestigious Tropigala Showroom at The Fountainbleau Hilton. Jodie's teaching credits include The Arts Academy of Downtown Hollywood, The Emerald Hills Studio of the Performing Arts, and Dynasty Academy of Dance, which is renowned for training National Title holders at dance competitions in he Florida area.

Tim Hubert instructs our acrobatics at Center Stage. He was with Asheville Gymnastics for 5 years, during which time he coached boys, facilitated "open gyms", and personally trained his talented daughter, Whitney. Tim brings the combined love of acrobatics and the appreciation of athleticism of dance to his instruction.

Sandra S. Miller was the owner of Balance Pointe, the Dance & Holistic Fitness Studio, for eight years and Director of Ballet at the Asheville Arts Center before joining Center Stage. With nearly 20 years of teaching experience, Ms. Sandi has placed students in prestigious programs such as Juilliard, the Joffrey School, American Ballet Theatre School, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Washington Ballet School, Pennsylvania Ballet School, Ballet Austin, Contemporary Dance Theatre of New York, Sensedance, Smithdance and Kansas City Ballet.

Miss Sandi is a former principal dancer with the Ft. Worth Ballet and, during her professional career, worked with world renowned choreographers/dancers such as James Clouser, Eric Bruhn and Fernando Bujones. (cont)...

Stephanie Taylor is one of our ballet instructors. Stephanie has been dancing since the age of 4. She trained at Center Stage for 9 years and danced with the Center Stage Performing Company for 5 years. Stephanie has also trained under David Norwood, Elliot Bradley and Amber Maier. She is currently in college in Asheville persuing a degree in Business Management. This is Miss Stephanie's second year teaching pre-ballet at Center Stage.

Whitney Hubert