Who is RMDT?
The faculty and staff of Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre believe that it's no coincidence our graduates are also outstanding outside of the dance studio.
Our Graduates
We believe that, in some small way, the focus and discipline required of them as students of dance have contributed to their development into the accomplished young adults they have become.
2010Katie Zion
2009Amanda Northcutt Taylor Marie Weber
2008Keri Mooney Meg Morrissey Chryssy Oseni Nicole Perkins Amanda Claire Rives
2007Aly Bolton Joanna Hardy Christina Spilker Leslie Trammell Tory Turello Emily Wanserski
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2006Kate Rapp
2005Kaitlin Benedict Claire Layman Ashley Lazenby Hilary Ruffner Mekelle Johnson Nicole Crews
2004Alex Tremblay
2003Ashleigh Whitworth
2002Jenna Wolf |
Margaret Nanette Rambo
Margaret started ballet with Ruth Mitchell at the age of three. She has danced in many Nutcracker performances and has had the roles of Spanish, Angel Soloist, Ballerina Doll, Snow, and Waltz of the Flowers. Her spring performances have included Circle of Life, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella. This year she will be performing the role of Dragonfly Fairy in Cinderella. She has performed in RMDT’s fall repertoires for three years and recitals for fourteen years. In 2007, Margaret participated in SERBA and RDA’s National Festival.
Margaret is currently a student at Hillgrove High School, and is graduating one year early with a dual diploma, distinction, and honors. She has been the president of Beta Club since her sophomore year, and she also received the school-wide Engineering Drafting Honors Award. Margaret has received a dance scholarship from the University of South Carolina. She plans to double major in Dance Education and Biology.
Victoria (Tory) Turello
Tory Turello graduated in 2007 from South Cobb High School 17th in her class. She was active in National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Students Against Violence Everywhere. She was on the Board of Directors of Boggs Doggs, an animal rescue association. Tory was involved with broadcasting, as a writer, editor, producer and co-anchor of the weekly news at South Cobb. Her senior year she helped create and starred in a Public Service Announcement discussing drinking and driving that won first place in a contest for the state of Georgia.
Tory began dancing at Cobb Academy of Performing Arts in Powder Springs when she was two. She came to Georgia Dance Conservatory when she was nine years old. Some of her favorite roles with Ruth Mitchell Dance Theater included Clara, Candy Cane Soloist, Snow Queen, and Dew Drop Fairy in the Nutcracker. She also performed as The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland and Tinkerbell in Peter Pan. During her senior year, she danced the role of Cinderella.
Tory is attending the University of Alabama majoring in dance. As a freshman, she has performed as The Finger Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and The Italian Princess in Swan Lake excerpts. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and is on the President’s List.
Emily Wanserski
Emily attended her first ballet class at age four. Since her first performance in pointe shoes at age eleven, Emily has danced in 88 shows and been in the Nutcracker during six seasons. Although loving the holiday classic, her favorite roles with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre include Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland and Wallflower in By George.
During a hiatus from dance after an injury, Emily pursued her passion for the stage in other venues. She accepted the offer to assist with the choreography of the Westminster high school musical Hello Dolly! In Spring ’07, she choreographed for the school’s production of As You Like It. As one of the senior captains of the school’s Step Team, Emily was also challenged to develop a very different style of movement, where bodies are used as instruments.
Emily graduated from The Westminster Schools where she served as head photographer for the yearbook and as a Peer Leader in her senior year.
The time Emily spent with RMDT and the opportunities she received shaped her dance knowledge and experience.
Now at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Emily is pursuing a dual degree between the School of Music, Theater and Dance (as a Dance Major) and the College of Literature, Arts and Science (undecided).
Ashleigh Whitworth
Ashleigh Whitworth began her performing arts career at age four with a singing role in Rhymes, an original musical written and composed by father John Whitworth. From there she continued performing in musical theatre under the guidance of her parents, musicians John and Debra Whitworth, at The Whitworth Center for the Performing Arts. Ashleigh discovered a love for dance during her early years as a performing artist and began formal training at age seven when she started taking classes with Ms. Ruth at the Ruth Mitchell Dance Studio in Marietta, GA.
At Ruth Mitchell Dance Studio, currently known as Georgia Dance Conservatory, Ashleigh studied dance for a total of 13 years under the instruction of extremely gifted and influential teachers such as Ruth Mitchell, Lisa Toups, Mandy Stanley, Gaynor Grange, Tony Parks, Romazon Bapov, Dudley Davies, Kathryn McBeth, Antonio Sisk, and Candess Giyan. Her dance training was also supplemented by summer stints at the Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre in New York City, and The Rock School of Philadelphia.
Ashleigh showcased her strong roots in classical ballet training, as well as her passion and love for dance, through performance opportunities with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre. Over the span of 13 years, she danced lead roles in such classical ballets as The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop, Snow Queen, Clara), Cinderella (Autumn Fairy), Coppelia (Prayer soloist), Don Quixote (Amore), and Swan Lake (Big Swan). During her performance career with RMDT, Ashleigh was also exposed to a variety of modern and contemporary dance styles and choreographers and thrived as a performing artist in works by Tom Pazik (Ashes, Touch and Go, By George!, Scherzo) Jeff Hancock (I(s)land) and Sam Watson (Hi Jinx!), as well as original works by Lisa Toups (Uninterrupted), Antonio Sisk (The Promise of Shadows), and Waverly Lucas/Milton Tatum (An Evening With Ellington).
More highlights of Ashleigh’s dance career include her participation in the Youth America Grand Prix in 2002, where she placed 3rd in both classical and contemporary categories at the regional level. At SERBA in 2005, she received a full scholarship to attend Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography Conference. Ashleigh also danced as an artist for Young Audiences of Atlanta from 2003 to 2007, and has done guest work for Pebblebrook High School, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and most recently, New Horizon’s Dance Alliance in Pennsylvania. In addition to her career as a performing artist, Ashleigh had the unique opportunity to see her lifelong dedication and passion for dance come full circle when she began teaching young dancers at Georgia Dance Conservatory from 2003 to 2007.
Ashleigh graduated with honors from Sprayberry High School in 2003 at the age of 16. Currently, Ashleigh is following her heart and pursuing a BFA in Modern Dance at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA where she received the Presidential Scholarship for academic achievement, talent, and potential for success.
