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.
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.
Samantha Jo Boitnott
Community Outreach Coordinator
Samantha Jo Boitnott (Dunham) began dancing at her local community center in Lawrence, KS, at the age of 5. Growing up, she trained in a multitude of dance forms at the Lawrence Arts Center and Kansas City Ballet and performed with the pre-professional Regional Dance America Honor Company Lawrence Ballet Theatre. Professionally, Sam danced with Oklahoma City Ballet and Fort Wayne Ballet before joining Roanoke Ballet Theatre (RBT) in 2023, where she continues to perform and choreograph as a company member.
Outside of dance, Sam graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southern New Hampshire University in 2025 with a Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing and interned with RBT’s Director of Development to write grants, lead outreach events, and create new community participation roles in RBT’s The Nutcracker. She is delighted to be joining Rockbridge Ballet and cannot wait to work with the dancers and the Lexington community!
Emiley Harig
Dance Instructor
Emiley Harig began her dance training at the age of seven with Valley Dance Theatre, where she studied a wide range of dance styles and competed throughout her years as a student. During the 2018/2019 season, she was selected as a Company Member with World Class Talent Experience, where she had the opportunity to train under the direction of Lindsey LeDuc.
After graduating from high school, Emiley joined the faculty at Valley Dance Theatre, where she discovered a passion for mentoring young dancers and helping them grow both technically and artistically. She later earned certifications in Acrobatic Arts and Personal Training, expanding her knowledge of strength, conditioning, and safe movement practices.
Emiley returned to the stage as a Trainee with Charlottesville Ballet during the 2024/2025 season before being accepted as a Company Artist with Conflux Dance Theater, where she currently performs. She has also portrayed ballet roles with Listeso Music Group as a professional artist.
As an instructor, Emiley is passionate about fostering a positive, encouraging environment where dancers develop strong technical foundations, confidence, artistry, and a lifelong love of dance.
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.
Aaliyah Lehman
Dance Instructor
Aaliyah Lehman has been dancing for 16 years and loves sharing her passion for movement, creativity, and confidence with others. She is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology while serving as the Team Manager for the SVU Knights Dance Team.
Her goal is to help students express themselves through movement and music while building confidence both inside and outside the studio. She hopes to build meaningful connections with each of her students and to inspire a lifelong love and passion for dance. Outside of dance, she loves poetry and photography. She is excited for an amazing season!
Nancy Johnston
Dance Instructor
Nancy Johnston is a lifetime dancer and performer. She is an original member of both the Roanoke Ballet Theater and the Rockbridge Ballet. From her early days of dancing in the living room of her childhood home on Telegraph Road to frequent regional performances with these two companies as well as with the Augusta Academy of Ballet, Henry Street Playhouse, Community Dance Connection Theater, 540 Productions, and W&L Theater, Nancy has always found dance to be energizing and grounding. And it makes her happy!
Behind the dance and theater scenes, Nancy had a full-time career as a licensed mental health therapist for 48 years. She has retired from her private practice but continues work in the field by writing books, teaching clinicians, and offering online workshops. See nancyljohnston.com for more details.
Nancy always found dance to be one of her mental health therapies. She arranged her weekly clinical schedule around her dance classes, being clear with her clients about how therapeutic dance is for her. It still is.
These days Nancy has a writer’s studio at thunderbridge.my.canva.site. She offers a weekly class at The Studio – “Into Stillness: Mindfulness-Based Practices for Grounding, Centering, and Releasing.” Also, at The Studio she is a substitute teacher, an ongoing consultant for wellness, and a source of ideas for choreography and performance for herself and others. “It’s never too late to dance,” is a message she deeply believes, practices, and encourages, “even if it is in your own living room.”
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!