DANCERS & STAFF | ballettheater Copy

COMPANY DANCERS

Alyssa Abbas

Alyssa is a seasoned, veteran TBT company dancer and choreographer since 2013. She has a passion for classical ballet, contemporary, ballroom, and musical theater. Some of her highlighted roles include: Dewdrop Fairy, Snow Queen, Arabian Princess, Cinderella, Giselle, and Princess Flourine. She has also appeared as a featured lead dancer in various musicals at Theatre Memphis and Harrell Theater. “Miss Alyssa” is also a beloved teacher for the Children’s Ballet Theater School since 2009 specializing in intermediate and advanced ballet and is the Artistic Director of Memphis Youth Musical Theater.

BRANDON KING

Brandon G. King, known simply as B.K., a native of Memphis, TN and a graduate from CBU with an Electrical engineering degree. This amazing Talent is known as one of the Premier JOOKERS in the Memphis Community and world-wide having shared the stage with such greats as Yolanda Adams, Tye Tribbet, Grizzlies NBA half-time entertainment and more.

He is a protege of Howard PHeelgooD who has personally trained and produced his staged performances such as Memphis MorphTWINS, More Than I Expected, and more.

Not only is BK an incredible Dancer/Jooker, but a busy choreographer and Tapper.

A well versed entertainer, BK, is thrilled to be joining the ranks of TBT's esteemed dancers!

LeAnthony Douglas

LeAnthony Douglas was born and raised in Orange Mound in Memphis, Tennessee. He began learning Memphis Jookin in third grade at Dunbar Elementary School. Under the guidance of Katie Smythe at New Ballet Ensemble & School (NBE), he became skilled in Ballet, Hip Hop, Jookin, Modern, Contemporary, West African Dance & Drumming, and Flamenco. After graduating from Melrose High School in 2017, he started working as a Teaching and Performing Artist at NBE. He has attended summer intensives at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts (2016), Orsolina 28 Dance Center Monferrato (2018), and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (2019). He has performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts among others. He also had guested in multiple different cities since 2019. He is now a company member at Tennessee Ballet Theater.

Olivia Bran

Olivia Bran (she/her) is a Memphis-based dancer. In her youth, Olivia began her dance training under Nancy Hargrove and New Ballet Ensemble. She moved to Chicago in 2020 to attend Loyola University Chicago where she graduated with a BA in Dance and a BA in Advertising/ Public Relations in 2024.

During her time at Loyola, Olivia immersed herself in contemporary ballet and post-modern studies. Throughout her training, she participated in various Loyola Dance Theatre productions as well as explored the Chicago dance scene, including performing in the 2023 EMERGENCE Dance Festival.

Now, she is excited to pursue a career in dance as both a performing artist and instructor with Children's Ballet Theater and Tennessee Ballet Theater.

Ashley Hannah Davis

Ashley Hannah, a native of Memphis Tennessee, began her training at Classical Ballet under Pat Gillespie at the age of 2. She then went on to train with Ballet Memphis for 6 years before joining the company and dancing professionally for 9 seasons. There she danced in classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Giselle. She also preformed in many contemporary works including Mark Godden’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Gabrielle Lamb’s I Am a Woman, and many others. Ashley Hannah also attended summer training programs with Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Charlotte Ballet. Ashley Hannah is in her third season with Tennessee Ballet Theater having starred in Clara and the Nutcracker as Sugarplum Fairy in 2024 and has also been a featured dancer and choreographer for various contemporary works in 901 Stories, TBT's spring performances.

Kara Montgomery-Burkeen is joining Tennessee Ballet Theatre for her first season. A former professional dancer in the Nashville area, she trained extensively with Nashville Ballet and performed with the Millennium Dance Complex Company, where she expanded into contemporary and commercial dance through assisting instructors, traveling, and concept videography. She began her training with Middle Tennessee Youth Ballet as a child and has been accepted into numerous programs with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and more. She holds multiple achievements and placements within competitive dance as well. Her performance experience includes The Nutcracker(Arabian, French, Spanish, Chinese, Snow Queen, and Sugar Plum variations), George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Walt Disney World’s Performing Arts Series, and a variety of other ballet, contemporary, musical theater, and jazz productions nationally.
In addition to performing, Kara is an award-winning choreographer whose works have received top placements at different competitions, conventions, and pageants. She has also earned multiple scholarships, including a full-ride acceptance to IAMT (Institute for American Musical Theatre) in New York City. She holds a bachelors degree in Cell and Molecular biology from Union University and is currently a Student Physician at Baptist University College of Osteopathic Medicine (BUCOM) here in Memphis. Kara is passionate about dancer wellness, versatility, and inclusivity in the arts, blending her medical training with her lifelong dedication to dance to create work that is both expressive and sustainable. She is incredibly excited to step back into the role of a professional dancer with TBT.

JD Bryant

With a background in all-star cheerleading and competitive dance, JD is Co-Owner and instructor at Esprit de Corps Dance Company. He is also a Certified Teacher with Southern Association of Dance Masters (SADM). This is his second year performing with Tennessee Ballet Theater. Memphis audiences will recognize him as the lead in 'Addiction' in TBT's '22 production, the Secret World of Jack Robinson.

Hannah Smith

Hannah Smith began dancing at the age of two and has since trained extensively in contemporary, tap, jazz, and acro. At age ten, she began focused ballet training with Nora and Camilla Curran, continuing with them for three years before studying for seven years under Michele LaMachio. Hannah went on to earn her degree in Dance from the University of Memphis, where she deepened her understanding of modern dance and refined her technique. In addition to teaching ballet, she is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, combining her passion for movement with a commitment to overall wellness. Hannah Joined Tennessee Ballet Theater in the fall of 2024.

Liliana McKenna

Liliana has danced with Tennessee Ballet Theater since 2021. She has performed the principle and soloist roles of the Arabian Princess, Snow queen, and Little Bo Peep in Clara and the Nutcracker at the Cannon center, as well as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and the lead in Cinderella as part of Children’s Ballet Theater’s Le Spectacle performances. She has attended the Sarasota Ballet International Intensive for the past 3 years and has been accepted to attend this upcoming summer as well. Liliana teaches at several dance schools in the area, including Children’s Ballet Theater, Tennessee Ballet Theater’s partner school. Liliana is also an ER nurse.

ARTISTIC STAFF

Arrielle Thompson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, acquiring her BFA in Dance Choreography and Performance and a BA in History. A multidisciplinary artist from Mississippi, Arrielle has trained in ballet, jazz, pointe, contemporary, release technique, and African Diasporic movement. She has also studied at Ballet Memphis, Garth Fagan Summer Intensive, and performed at the American College Dance Association Mid-Southeastern Conference. Passionate about teaching, she has performed in undergraduate, graduate, faculty works, while also working under Robin Gee, Janet Lilly, Elizabeth “B.J.” Sullivan, Maurice Watson, and Clarice Young.

CAMILLA CURRAN, INTERIM CLASSICAL DIRECTOR

Camilla Curran is a Vaganova trained ballet teacher and retired professional dancer. She completed all eight levels of the rigorous Russian methodology under the watchful eye of renowned master teacher, her mother, Nora Curran.

She currently serves as Rehearsal Mistress and Interim Classical Director for Tennessee Ballet Theater. Her performance credits include five seasons dancing as Sugarplum Fairy in Clara and the Nutcracker, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, the titular role in Giselle, as well as numerous original contemporary works where she starred in solos and pas de deuxs. She has coached advanced students in preparation for Youth America Grand Prix and is also on staff for the lauded Children's Ballet Theater School.

ASHLEY HANNAH DAVIS, INTERIM CONTEMPORARY DIRECTOR

ERIN WALTER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Erin Kenny Walter began her ballet training with Judy and Michael Tevlin at Memphis Ballet. As a teen, she performed with Youth Concert Ballet and Tennessee Ballet Company under the direction of Deena Laska. She attended intensive summer sessions at Ft. Wayne Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theater in Vermont and at the San Francisco Ballet School. Her lead ballet roles include Arabian, Bo Peep and the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, and solos in Les Sylphides, Raymonda and Laska's The Colors of Mozart. She earned a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame in 1993. Erin performed as a company dancer with Project: Motion and with Sharona Rubinstein's Performance Art Network in Memphis from 2008-2014. Erin has co-directed Tennessee Ballet Theater's evening-length shows with Jade Primicias at Earnestine & Hazel's (2017) and the Annesdale Mansion (2018). In 2019 she was commissioned by The Pink Palace to create "The Legacy," the story of America's first Black millionaire Robert Church, with co-choreographer Kelby Auten and score by Beale Street musician Adam Levin. She co-directed The Secret World of Jack Robinson with McKenzie Day in 2022 and is continuing to work with Ms. Day on the evening-length immersive show 901 Stories at The Medicine Factory in 2023. Erin taught ballet and creative dance at St. Mary's Episcopal School from 2008 to 2022. She was trained as a creative dance practitioner at Luna Dance Institute in Berkeley, CA in 2019 through 2021. In 2021, she became the Director of the Frayser Dance Project, sponsored by the Tennessee Arts Commission, Alliance Healthcare and Nike. Erin teaches ballet and contemporary dance at Children's Ballet Theater and co-directs Clara & the Nutcracker with CBT's Artistic Director and TBT Founder Mary Van Dyke. She has served on the board of Borderless Arts of Tennessee since 2021.

MARY VAN DYKE, FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Mary Van Dyke trained in classical ballet for 10 years with Pat German, Memphis Ballet under Michael and Judy Tevlin, and at the Alabama School of Fine Arts under Nureyev’s former dancer partner Dame Sonia Arova. Mary had extensive summer training in ballet, jazz and modern including four summers at the Boston Ballet School, at Joffery in NYC, Stanley Holden in LA, and in the Russian Vaganova training in Belgium with ballerina Irina Kolpakova. Mary danced professionally with Tennessee Ballet and Ballet Memphis. Her principal roles have included Tatiana in Midsummer's Nights Dream, the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker and the Swan Queen Odette in Swan Lake. During her years with the former Tennessee Ballet, Mary designed a ballet program for the Memphis City School’s for the visually impaired.