Evelyn Branscome
Artist Director & Executive Director
Evelyn is a 2015 Rockbridge Ballet alumna and danced with the studio since its opening. She was a member of the company from 2009 to 2015.
She graduated from James Madison University in 2019 with a BA in Dance, and in 2020 she earned her MFA in Dance from Hollins University.
Evelyn has been trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, choreography, improvisation, acrobatics, and hip hop. She has been teaching dance professionally for nine years and is passionate about sharing her knowledge and love of dance with the students at The Studio.
In 2022, Evelyn became the Outreach Coordinator and began leading Community Outreach efforts for The Studio and The Rockbridge Ballet. She has prioritized bringing dance and the arts to the community through library storytime events, school visits, company performances for local retirement homes, and appearances at community events.
In 2024, Evelyn began a collaboration with Mountain Gateway Community College to offer dual enrollment dance classes for students interested in earning college credit.
This year, Evelyn will step into the role of Executive and Artistic Director, following in the footsteps of her mentor. She is deeply honored and excited to lead the organization that has played such a formative role in her life. As someone who grew up within The Rockbridge Ballet, she is committed to continuing its legacy while nurturing the next generation of dancers in the very place that helped shape who she is today.
Kitty Burke
Senior Assistant Director
Kitty is a Lexington native and former dancer with The Rockbridge Ballet with over 25 years of dance experience. In high school, she was selected to attend the Virginia Governor’s School Program for Visual and Performing Arts and served as the dance representative and speaker for the closing ceremonies.
Kitty graduated from Goucher College with a BA in Dance, with concentrations in Dance Therapy and Dance History and Criticism, and two minors in Psychology and Communications. While at Goucher, she trained and performed with an incredible selection of faculty, students, and guest artists, and performed professionally with a contemporary company based in Washington D.C. Following graduation, Kitty served a joint internship with the Development and Communications offices at Dance/USA.
In addition to serving as the Assistant Director, teaching all levels and styles of dance at TheStudio, and choreographing for The Rockbridge Ballet, Kitty works as a Realtor with eXp Realty. She holds years of teaching and mentoring experience in the Lexington community, and loves to read, travel, practice yoga, and spend time with her husband and retired racing greyhounds.
Meagan Herald
Ballet Mistress
Meagan has danced for over forty years, beginning her career as a child in Colorado under the guidance of Christina Noel, Eve Paris and Lisi Elsey at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. As a young dancer she rose to the rank of soloist performing in ballets such as Peter & the Wolf, Coppelia, Paquita, Pas de Quatre and Hansel & Gretel. During this time Meagan began to focus on teaching ballet and started apprentice teaching in 1988 under the watchful eye of Eve Paris. She was quickly elevated to teaching her own classes. Over her summers, she chose to train with James Clouser focusing on refining her training and which eventually led to a passion for working with beginning pointe students and nurturing an interest in injury prevention.
Throughout her training, she has studied many ballet styles including the Vaganova, Cecchetti and French methods. Although she uses all of these styles to benefit the unique needs of each student, she prefers to teach using the Vaganova method which focuses on empowering the students to learn from their mistakes. Meagan considers ballet to be an education for the mind as well as the body, reflective of the Vaganova style, spending time to discuss the intent behind the combinations given in class. She feels this is especially important in the years preceding a dancer being placed on pointe.
In addition to ballet, Meagan enjoys mathematics. The earned her doctorate from the University of Utah in 2007 and is a professor in the department of Applied Mathematics at the Virginia Military Institute. She has even been known to emphasize the importance of mathematics to her ballet students who have to learn to work within the realm of physics to create the illusion of defying gravity.
Caitlin McAvoy
Dance Instructor
Caitlin is a professional dancer and actress with a love of ballet and musical theatre styles. She graduated with her B.A. in Musical Theatre at James Madison University and got her first professional credit at Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia!
Caitlin has lived and worked in New York and California. She is thrilled to be back in her home state of Virginia while her partner attends law school at Washington and Lee University.
You can catch Caitlin on Hulu’s “Dopesick” and on The Hallmark Channel. Caitlin attributes any and all of her success to teachers who poured into her big dreams, and hopes to offer the same to the next generation of artists in Lexington!
Lorna Horres
Resident Choreographer
Lorna began her dance training at age 4 with Arlington Center for Dance (now BalletNova Center for Dance) in Arlington, VA, and she became a member of the pre-professional Center Dance Company in 2000. While her primary training is in Ballet and Pointe (Cecchetti, Royal Academy of Dance, and French methods) she has also trained in Modern, Jazz, Musical Theater, Character, and Contemporary dance. She has performed multiple corps and soloist roles, and her performance repertoire includes works by Bournonville, Fokine, Petipa, and Balanchine. She attended the Princeton Ballet School’s Advanced Summer Intensive and was a member of the Arlington Fine Arts Apprentice Program. She continued to perform, teach, and choreograph for the Rhapsody Ballet Ensemble at the University of Virginia, where she graduated in 2009 with a double B.A. in Foreign Affairs and History.
Lorna’s first passion has always been dance; to her, it is the most beautiful expression of the body and soul. She inspires her students to embrace their own personal artistry while honing their technique to the highest standards. Lorna has lived and worked in Boston, MA, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, CA. She moved to Lexington, VA, in 2020.
Catherine Balkey
Dance Instructor
Catherine is a 2024 Rockbridge Ballet alumna who has danced with the studio for 14 years. She was also a member of the pre-professional company throughout her middle and high school years. Catherine has performed as well-known characters such as “Ariel” in The Little Mermaid and the “Sugar Plum Fairy” in The Nutcracker during her time as a Rockbridge Ballet dancer.
Catherine has been trained in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Modern, and Hip Hop. She has also taken part in several community outreach performances and workshops during her time as a student at The Rockbridge Ballet.
Catherine is currently a nursing student at Mountain Gateway Community College. She plans to pursue an Associate’s Degree and work as an RN when she graduates.
Mya Phillips
Dance Instructor
Mya is a Fort Wayne, Indiana native with a lifelong passion for movement and expression.
She spent 8 years as a competitive gymnast before transitioning to classical ballet, where she trained in the Balanchine technique and repertoire. In addition to ballet, Mya also trained in lyrical/contemporary and acro. Mya spent three years sharing that passion as a ballet and acro instructor before moving to Virginia for undergrad and law school.
Now a law student at Washington and Lee, Mya continues to carry the discipline and artistry of dance with her.
Caroline Penfield
Dance Instructor
Caroline grew up dancing in Birmingham, Alabama. Since preschool, Caroline has trained in ballet, lyrical, and musical theater styles. In addition to her dance training, she performed with several theaters in Birmingham. At her high school, she assisted as dance captain for productions and served as an instructor for musical theater workshops.
Caroline graduated from Elon University in 2022 and is currently a third-year law student at Washington & Lee University. She is thrilled to pursue her passion for dance and arts education in Lexington, which has become home over the last few years. In addition to teaching dance and studying, Caroline spends her time walking on the Chessie Trail or through town, listening to new music, and watching college football.
Joanna Smith
Office Manager
When she took her daughter to her first ballet lesson over 25 years ago, Joanna never dreamed it would become such an integral part of her family. As a founding board member of The Rockbridge Ballet, Joanna was instrumental in securing its federal non-profit status as an organization independent from Fine Arts in Rockbridge (FAIR). She served in multiple positions of the fledgling organization from 2003-2006 including President. During her tenure, Joanna was integral in seeking out and receiving essential grant opportunities from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and Wells Fargo. In 2010, Joanna continued to work behind the scenes securing a space for what would become Rockbridge County’s first and only not-for-profit dance school, TheStudio.
After serving two more years as a board member, Joanna stepped down to serve as office manager in 2012. She shares a diverse skillset serving as bookkeeper, receptionist, registrar and marketing consultant for the sister organizations. With an eye for graphic and web design, Joanna has professionally designed programs, websites, brochures, and other promotional items for both TheStudio and The Rockbridge Ballet. As a parent and lifelong patron of the arts, Joanna takes pride in the opportunity to serve future generations of dancers. Joanna holds a BA in History from Mary Baldwin College and served in several capacities for over 18 years at the Stonewall Jackson House, including Museum Curator. In 2020, Joanna retired after over 20 years as a Records Specialist to the University Registrar at Washington & Lee University. She moved to Lynchburg with her husband John and enjoys her garden and being near her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.
Vicki Smith
Family Services Manager
Vicki Smith is a life long supporter of the Arts. After spending many years as a dance mom, then a dance teacher mom with The Rockbridge Ballet, Miss Vicki serves as Family Services Manager.
Vicki holds a BA from Bridgewater College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Mary Baldwin. She recently retired after teaching pre-school for 26 years. Vicki is a past member of the Rockbridge Choral Society, and is active in her church choir.
She resides in Fairfield with her husband, Dave, and their cat, Morel. In Vicki’s free time, she enjoys Antiquing, Traveling, Baking, and a good read with her toes in the sand!