Category: Team

Taylor Benion  (Office & Program Coordinator)

Chantal Bartley (Staff Associate) first came to Ballethnic in 2007 when she enrolled her daughter for Ballet VI. As a trained elementary educator with no dance background, she immediately saw the well thought out teaching process at Ballethnic. Ballethnic has been home ever since. Although she came to Ballethnic because of her daughter, she has consistently stayed and donated her time because she believes and has seen evidence of Ballethnic’s commitment to the whole child and the greater community. 

“I had the pleasure to be the academy administrator from 2014-2018. I left to return to full time teaching, continuing to volunteer for productions and other events. My wish was to be able to return in a more active capacity once I ended my teaching career. My wish has come true.” …..Chantal Bartley

Willie Anderson  (Staff Associate/Instructor) Mr. Anderson is a highly accomplished and multi-talented ballet teacher and choreographer with an impressive 20 years of professional performance experience. His dedication to the art form is evident in the versatility and passion he brings to every aspect of his work.

Mr. Anderson’s ballet training began at the D.M. Therrell High School, where he honed his technical skills. He later furthered his ballet education at the renowned Ballethnic Academy of Dance, where he refined and redefined his technique to an exceptional level.

After his extensive training, Mr. Anderson joined the esteemed Ballethnic Dance Company, where he gained invaluable professional experience performing classical ballet. He excelled in numerous principal roles, showcasing his artistry and technical prowess. Mr. Anderson’s talents were further recognized when he was invited to dance with the renowned Cleveland San Jose Ballet and Ballet San Jose, where he continued to captivate audiences with his mesmerizing performances.

Following his illustrious performance career, Mr. Anderson transitioned into the role of educator, sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience with aspiring dancers. He ventured abroad, accepting a position as a ballet instructor at Guangxi University in Nanning, China. Mr. Anderson’s expertise and leadership skills were further recognized when he was appointed as the Ballet Master for the prestigious Chongqing Ballet Company in Chongqing, China, where he honed the skills of the company’s dancers for seven successful years.

Driven by his passion for nurturing the next generation of ballet artists, Mr. Anderson eventually returned to his roots at the Ballethnic Dance Company. At Ballethnic, he is dedicated to imparting all that he has learned throughout his illustrious career, inspiring and guiding the talented dancers within the Ballethnic community.

Theresa Freeman-Howard (Guest Artist) is a native of New York and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Theatre Education and a Master of Science degree in Dance-Movement Therapy.  Mrs. Howard is currently an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University (KSU) and an instructor of African Dance at Emory University. She has instructed dance workshops at Georgia Tech, Gwinnett Technical College and Swarthmore College. She has studied Modern, jazz, ballet, African, Balinese, and belly dancing at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, Charles Weideman School of Dance, Martha Graham School of Dance, Olatunji School of Dance, and the Dinizulu Dance Studio.  She has performed with Chuck Davis African American Dance Theatre, Joan Miller and the Chambers Arts Players, Eleo Pomare, Rod Rodgers Dance Company, and performed Alvin Ailey’s Revelationsat Herbert H. Lehman College.  Mrs. Howard directs ‘Edeliegba” the H.J.C Bowden Senior Dance Ensemble and instructs children and adults in various dance forms. She is an accredited Yoga instructor and currently teaches at Ballethnic Academy of Dance. She is a recipient of the 2008 Pinnacle Leadership Award, 2007 Winterfest Volunteer Angel Award and the 2006 W.O.M.E.N. Award. This is Mrs. Howard’s 27^th season as a guest artist with Ballethnic Dance Company.

Ms. Abarca Mitchell has danced leading roles in Agon, Bugaku, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante (George Balanchine), Afternoon of a Faun (Jerome Robbins), Carmen and Jose (Ruth Page), Le Combat (William Dollar), and Rhythmetron, Holberg Suite, Biosfera (Arthur Mitchell) as well as the Swan Queen in the second act of Swan Lake and the lead role of Zobiede in Scheherezade. She appeared as Juliet in Gabrielle Taub-Darvash’s Romeo and Juliet balcony scene at the Delacorte Theater in New York’s Central Park, performed Le Corsaire pas de deux for Marion Anderson’s 75th Birthday at Carnegie Hall, and guested as the Sugar Plum Fairy with the Chicago Ballet’sproduction of Nutcracker Suite.

With a captivating personality, unyielding stage presence, and an incredible voiceAdam L. McKnight opens his heart and soul in song! Performing all styles of music, from R&B to Gospel, Pop, and even Opera, Adam amazes and astounds audiences with his natural ability to sing. Performing on-stage in bands since age 13, Adam has settled in comfortably not only as a vocalist but also an entertainer, putting his heart and soul into every song he sings and enjoying the experience.

This is an exciting time for Adam musically. He, along with his gospel choir Voice of Atlanta, was recently selected to record 2 songs and appear in the upcoming MGM/Orion movie “Till”. The legendary Whoopi Goldberg is executive producer and stars as Emmitt Till’s grandmother, in this long-awaited film shooting in Atlanta. In addition, Adam was recently selected to perform his original music during the Club Hertz Series for the Alliance Theater.

As a testament to Adam’s musical ability & vocal talents, he had the extreme pleasure of arranging background vocals & recording with the legendary Sir Elton John, on music for the Broadway musical “Lestat” and his critically acclaimed CD “Peachtree Road.” In addition, Adam along with members of his choir, Voice of Atlanta, completed a yearlong tour with Sir Elton nationally and internationally, including performances at Madison Square Garden for Katrina victims’ relief and Live 8 in London.

An additional milestone in Adam’s career featured him and Voice of Atlanta in the 2019 Super Bowl half-time show with Maroon 5. Today Adam continues to arrange music to inspire and entertain audiences across the spectrum.

He has also lent his vocal and arranging talents to such national recording artists as Coy Bowles, Randall Bramblett, Diane Durrett, Scooter Lee & Cee-Lo. Adam has recorded with Grammy award winners Train and producers Ed Roland & Phil Tan. He has performed on stage with such noted celebrities as Stevie Wonder, B.B.King, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, Bonnie Raitt, Zack Brown Band, Lou Gossett Jr., Robert Wagner, Faith Hill, Aaron Neville, Kelly Price, the Pointer Sisters, and The Temptations. He has performed countless live shows in party bands; Party Nation, Livin’ Large, Emerald Empire, and Party on the Moon.

 He has recorded commercial spots for the Georgia Lottery, TNT Sports, ESPN Radio, Black & Decker, and Cellular One. He also arranged and performed on a special song for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  

Doing what he loves, when possible Adam enjoys spot live performances with Randall Bramblett, Diane Durrett, and performing shows in venues around the southeast with Noel Friedline and Maria Howell; very respected artists in their own right.

As a solo artist, he has released 3 CDs, “Determination”, “Life: Work In Progress” & his latest release, “Working On Me”, all available on Apple Music, Google Play, YouTube Music, and all other major music outlets. 

In addition to devoting his daily efforts to writing and producing new music, Adam is giving back to the community by sharing his technical and artistic skills as Associate Artistic Director & Board member for Ballethnic Dance Company. As a past Board member of the Atlanta Chapter of the Recording Academy, Adam continues to enjoy the respect of the music arts community.

Mr. Lucas attended Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, where he conceived the concept and name for Ballethnic Dance Company. After careers with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Atlanta Ballet, he joined The Heartstrings National Tour.    Mr. Lucas created more than 40 ballets, including four full-length ballets. “Urban Nutcracker”, “The Leopard Tale”, “A Jazzy Sleeping Beauty” and” Flyin’ West …the ballet” based off the Pearl Cleage play, and an Opera: “Aida” for the Atlanta Opera. After co-founding BDC with his wife Nena Gilreath in 1990.  Mr. Lucas’ choreography and projects consists of the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival, 1997 Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Concert Series, the National Black Arts Festival, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Outreach Program, Dance Africa (Brooklyn Academy of Music and Chicago Theater 2001), the Danseur Development Project, (a dance-training program for young males) and, he is the creator of Ballethnicize, an evolving dance/fitness discipline that combines African dance styles with classical ballet. His international experience consists of performing and/or teaching in USSR, West Africa, South America, and the West Indies. Performed, taught, and choreographed works for the University of Georgia as Artist in Residence. His awards include Princess Grace Scholarship, McPheeter’s Medallion Award, National Choreographers Award, TBS Trumpet Award as Dancer/Choreographer, *2006 Lexus Leaders of the Arts by Georgia Public Broadcasting, and *2007 Charles Loridans Award (*with wife, Nena). He completed his M.A. in Ethnochoreology at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance of the University of Limerick in Ireland in September 2020. He choreographed two works during the shut-in from the COVID 19 Pandemic, “Opposites Attract and Distract: From Bare Feet to Pointe Shoes” a multimedia dance and drumming project, and “Jazzing: Memoirs in Jazz” a collaboration with The Bremen Museum based on the photos of Photojournalist Herb Snitzer of the great Black Jazz musicians. Both will be presented as part of Ballethnic’s 2021/2022 season.

Mrs. Gilreath is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. She began her career by moving to Atlanta and joining the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre.  She later joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem, touring nationally and internationally.  In 1988, Ms. Gilreath returned to Atlanta to dance with the Atlanta Ballet.  Finally, on January 15, 1990, along with husband and choreographer Waverly T. Lucas, II they created Ballethnic Dance Company. She has implemented numerous outreach programs including the BUDDY Project through the Atlanta Project, which served as a model for the existing Danseur Development Project.  Ms. Gilreath currently serves as co-founder and co-artistic director of Ballethnic Dance Company and Ballethnic Academy of Dance. She continues her original role as a dance artist and mentor for many young dancers as well as assisting Mr. Lucas in creating Ballethnic’s unique style. Ms. Gilreath was creative Loafing’s 2000 Best of Atlanta Critics Pick-Best Dancer; she received Atlanta Business League’s Success Against the Odds Award in 2001. She, along with Mr. Lucas, received the 2002 Global Diversity Business Exchange Atlanta Entrepreneur Award. In addition, Ms. Gilreath is a recipient of the 2003 Pinnacle Leadership Award. Nena and Waverly were recently selected as the December 2006 Lexus Leaders of the Artsby Georgia Public Broadcasting. Nena was also recognized in Atlanta Magazine’s December 2006 issue as one of the “Top Twenty Women in Business”. She is also the recipient of the 2007 Charles Loridans Award. She also received the 2008 Atlanta NAACP President’s Award for their positive influence on today’s youth.