ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND FACULTY MEMBER

Margaret McPherson is an Atlanta native whose lifelong passion for dance began at the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education. She spent her summers training at some of the nation’s most prestigious institutions, including the School of American Ballet, the Kirov Academy, and Boston Ballet. After graduating from Marist High School, she joined the Atlanta Ballet Company, performing memorable roles such as the Spanish Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker and an Indian Maiden in Peter Pan.

Margaret’s professional journey took a thrilling turn when she booked her first major New York audition—landing a role in the original Broadway revival tour of West Side Story, which toured throughout Europe. She then went on to perform for nine seasons as a Radio City Rockette, dancing in The Radio City Christmas Spectacular in cities across the U.S. and at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In addition to performing, Margaret has always been passionate about sharing the joy of dance through teaching and choreography. She taught at studios in both New York and Atlanta and served as a dance instructor in the New York Public School system during her off-season from the Rockettes.

After a 15-year professional performance career, Margaret graduated summa cum laude with a BBA in Accounting from Georgia State University. She holds a provisional CPA and is currently pursuing her MBA at Georgia State. She now serves as the Executive Director of Rise City Dance, the nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to high-quality dance education and performance opportunities through Neighborhood Ballet.

Margaret has also played a key role in growing the Adult Dance Program at Neighborhood Ballet, creating an inspiring space where dancers of all ages can reconnect with movement and community. She is thrilled to be teaching jazz, musical theater, and ballet, and to share her deep love of dance with students—including her three daughters, who have been proud Neighborhood Ballet dancers for many years.

With a blend of professional experience, heartfelt enthusiasm, and a commitment to excellence, Margaret brings energy and purpose into every class. She is passionate about helping students discover their potential and hopes to inspire them with the same discipline, artistry, and joy that defined her own career.

LOWER COMPANY LIAISON AND FACULTY MEMBER

Ericka created Company Bound, an accelerated and invitation only program for dancers 5-10 years, to provide a pathway for students interested in a more focused classroom atmosphere. Dancers are provided with more challenging choreography and technique so that they can be the very best they can be.

Ericka received her dance training from Atlanta School of Ballet and Capital City Ballet with Tom Pazik and Kathy McBeth. She was a professional dancer for 10 years dancing with Nashville Ballet, Lexington Ballet, Augusta Ballet, and Ohio Dance Theatre.

Ericka teaches to create a love of dance and nurture dancers to become the best versions of themselves. She believes in creating a supporting critical thinkers by power of arts education. She is inspired by watching her students grow into who they are destined to be!

CO-DIRECTOR OF UNBOUND AND FACULTY MEMBER

Andie Knudson is a dance artist, videographer, educator, and arts administrator currently based in Atlanta, GA. Andie received her BFA in Dance with Summa Cum Laude and multiple accolades for her artistic achievements.

Throughout her freelance career, she’s had the privilege of performing the works of Bill T. Jones & José Limon in addition to working with a wide range of choreographers & improvisation artists such as Nancy Stark Smith, Elizabeth Dishman, George Staib, Sarah Hillmer, and Anna Bracewell Crowder. In 2022, Andie attended Oriantheatre’s Paris Summer Academy working with artists such as Toula Limnaios, Volmir Cordeiro, Olivier Gemser, and Mehdi Farajpour. She has also choreographed works for Fly On A Wall’s 2023 production of Excuse The Art, Fall for Fall Dance Festival, AM Collab, and Rise City Dance.

Apart from her performance career, Andie has worked for 10+ years as a Dance Educator and developed her BFA Thesis on her passion for empowering students through cultivating their creative agency within dance curriculum.

Andie’s favorite thing about teaching is watching students grow in their confidence and empowering them to explore their creativity and emotions through their movement!

CO-DIRECTOR OF UNBOUND

Katie’s dance training began in Lambertville, NJ with the Roxey Ballet and Mill Ballet School. Receiving predominantly ballet training, she attended intensives at Orlando Ballet and The Washington School of Ballet.

Katie then attended Emory University, studying a wide variety of contemporary styles and majored in Dance & Movement Studies and Linguistics. She attended the Bates Dance Festival, the Bates Dance/ADF Winter Intensive, and staibdance summer intensive. Post-grad, Katie continued training with Jillian Mitchell of Kit Modus, Countertechnique, Floorwork with Dual Rivet and Matthew James, and two choreographic labs with Core Dance. Katie danced with Kit Modus and performed works by several noteworthy choreographers. She also freelanced and danced for Atlanta choreographers including: Greg Catellier, George Staib, Core Dance, Patsy Collins, Jacque Pritz, Leo Briggs, and more.

In 2021, Katie moved to New York and began freelancing for artists including Yuki Ishiguro, Animus Movement, and Emmy Wildermuth.

Katie is the founder and director of her dance company, rogue wave, as well as Fall for Fall Dance Festival. During her time as a choreographer she has received many opportunities to create in Atlanta, NYC, and throughout the eastern seaboard.

For Katie, being a teacher is HIGH ENERGY! She loves seeing her students get excited when they master a new skill.

FACULTY MEMBER

Raised as a competition kid and musical theater nerd, Kalyn went on to study modern at the University of Georgia and commercial dance through Gotta Dance Atlanta’s esteem scholarship program. Today, their robust television and film career spans numerous platforms including Netflix, HBO, AppleTV+, Prime and more and has allowed them to work with renowned choreographers such as Debbie Allen (Fame), Ashley Wallen (Greatest Showman), and Aakomon Jones (Pitch Perfect, Usher). They continue to work as both an actor and dancer in the television and film industry.

With over 10 years of teaching and professional dance experience, Kalyn leads every class with magnetic passion and expertise. Whether they are teaching jazz, musical theater, or contemporary, they foster technical excellence while encouraging self expression.

FACULTY MEMBER

Mychal Vandell has over 10 years of dance experience in both Choreography and Dance Performance. His training includes Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Improvisation, Hip Hop and Tap while attending El Camino College in Torrance, California.

Mychal Vandell has professionally choreographed for 2 of the companies he was apart of, Funderburk Dance Artists(FDA) and Vicious Circle. Mychal Vandell was also selected as a soloist for Matthew Rushing’s (Alvin Ailey Dancer) Nina Simone Suite while in FDA. Mychal Vandell’s choreography also extends to known Dance Festivals such as ACDFA (American College Dance Festival Association) and Blaktina Dance Festival (Los Angeles and Arizona).

Mychal is inspired by all the growth that his students showcase to him every class!

FACULTY MEMBER

Devin began their classical training at Central Florida Ballet in their hometown of Orlando, FL. After high school Devin danced with these notable companies: Atlanta Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and City Ballet of San Diego. Through these companies they were able to perform lead roles in the Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, Carmina Burana, and Etudes. Devin also danced many corps de ballet roles in works such as Septime Weber’s Alice in Wonderland, La Sylphide, Beauty and the Beast, Balanchine’s Serenade, Balanchines Four Temperments and Don Quixote amongst other contemporary ballet works. Since moving back to Atlanta in 2020 they have been performing in the local art scene and focusing energy into teaching and choreographing for students.

FACULTY MEMBER

Madison Lee is a dancer and choreographer based in Atlanta, GA. Born in Michigan but raised in Dallas, Texas, they have been dancing their entire life. In Dallas, Madison trained intensively in hip hop and several other styles at Next Step Dance Performing Arts Center. There they performed with the Dallas Cowboys and Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Madison moved to Atlanta in 2020 to study Dance and Marketing at Emory University. They began training in contemporary and modern techniques and presented multiple works for the Emory Dance Program. They also performed professionally in the Atlanta dance area while still a student. When they graduated in 2024, they were awarded Highest Honors for their dance thesis, fellowship in the John H. Gordon Stipe Society, and The Pioneer Award. Madison was recently a Meli Kaye co-resident alongside Chi Rung Chan for Spring 2025. Currently, Madison is a company member with staibdance, Catching Mangoes Dance, led by Jacquelyn Pritz, and Excavate Body, led by Jacqui Hinkson. Outside of company work, they have had the opportunity to work with choreographers such as Graham Shelor, Page Yang, Leo Briggs, Julio Medina, Mychal Vandell, Annalee Traylor, Xan Burley, and Alex Springer.

FACULTY MEMBER

Spencer Wetherington is from Bridgeton, New Jersey, and began dancing at age four at his local studio. He continued his training at the School of Philadelphia Ballet, formerly the School of Pennsylvania Ballet. Upon graduation from St. Augustine College Preparatory School, Spencer went on to study at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, also known as the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. With the academy, he performed variations from Flames of Paris, Napoli and La Bayadere, as well as soloist roles in the school’s production of La Fille Mal Gardée. Additionally, he competed in the International Ballet Competition "Dance Moscow" and was awarded second place. From there, he joined Atlanta Ballet 2 where he danced for two seasons. His notable performances include “Gaston” in Bruce Wells' Beauty and the Beast, “Prince Siegfried” in Bruce Wells' The Swan Princess, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, and Russian in Yuri Possokhov’s The Nutcracker, among others. Spencer was promoted to apprentice with Atlanta Ballet in the 2020-21 season. Since joining, he has performed in roles such as “Igor Stravinsky” in Anabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Coco Chanel: Life of a Fashion Icon, “Gurn” in Johann Kobborg’s restaging of La Sylphide, Garret Smith’s Corridors, Sergio Masero’s Querencia, Blue Man in Helgi Tomasson’s Concerto Grosso, Snowblind by Cathy Marston and “Romeo” in Claudia Schreier’s Romeo and Juliette performed at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, to name a few.

FACULTY MEMBER

Michael Caye is a classically trained dancer originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with experience in various styles. Michael trained at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, was a finalist at YAGP and trained professionally at the Miami City Ballet School, under the direction of Arantxa Ochoa.

His career includes performing with both Nevada Ballet Theatre and the Atlanta Ballet. He has danced across the full spectrum of company ranks — Principal, Soloist, and Corps de Ballet — bringing versatility and depth to every role. His most notable performances include Frederick in Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, The White Rabbit in Septime Webre’s Alice in Wonderland, Melancholic in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Peasant Pas in Giselle, and the Principal Soloist in Justin Peck’s Increases. Michael has performed in multiple world premiers and has worked closely with a wide range of renowned choreographers including Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Garrett Smith, Septime Webre, Alexander Ekman, Cathy Marston, Kiyon Ross, Ben Stevenson, Nicolo Fonte, Juliano Nunes, Claudia Schreier, Remi Wörtmeyer, and Yuri Possokhov. In addition to his performance career, Michael has served as a Rehearsal Director for Atlanta Ballet’s second company and Point Park University, further showcasing his leadership and dedication to helping dancers reach their full potential.

FACULTY MEMBER — RISE CITY DANCE

Calvin Gentry, an Atlanta native, began his dance training at Atlanta DanceWorks in Stone Mountain Ga.

He furthered his studies on full scholarship at Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, School of American Ballet in Nyc and Houston Ballet Academy. Calvin began his professional career with Atlanta Ballet where he danced for two seasons.

In 2002, Calvin joined Ballethnic Dance Co. in East Point, Ga. dancing and bringing ballet to diverse audiences through out the metro area and the Us. In 2006 he joined Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo traveling through The states and abroad. In 2010 he returned to Ballethnic and embarked on teaching young dancers through out the metro area.

He has taught at Ballethnic, DanceMakers of Atlanta, Georgia Dance Conservatory, Phusion, and British Academy of Performing arts. In 2013 his choreography was chosen for the South East Regional Ballet Association gala performances. His choreography and teachings have reached dancers and audiences in NYC, Washington DC, and Akron, Ohio.

FACULTY MEMBER — RISE CITY DANCE & NEIGHBORHOOD BALLET

Aldawna Morrison, Jr. began his dance training at the age of nine. He has danced with the Atlanta Ballet, Donald Byrd the Group, Complexion Ballet, the Elisa Monte Dance Company and the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company. After many years of dancing and touring the world, Mr. Morrison decided to pursue a teaching career and further his education.

FACULTY MEMBER — RISE CITY DANCE

BROOKE GILLIAM is from Boulder, Colorado, and began her training at the Colorado Conservatory of Dance under the direction of Julia Wilkinson Manley. At 16, after attending the summer intensive, she was offered a merit scholarship to the Conservatory Program at Atlanta Ballet. From there, Gilliam was a part of Atlanta Ballet 2 for two seasons before her promotion to the main company in 2018. Since joining, some of her most noteworthy performances include The Sacrifice in Claudia Schreier’s Rite of Spring, The Shadow in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon, Orange Woman in Lar Lubovitch’ Elemental Brubeck, Russian Girls in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Dawn and War and Discord Principal in George Balanchine’s Coppelia, Garrett Smith's Corridors, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, and Juliano Nunes' Yellow. One of her most memorable moments with Atlanta Ballet has been touring and performing The Nutcracker at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This is Gilliam’s eighth season with Atlanta Ballet.