Owner/Artistic Director

Ms. Saad began her dance training at Pofahl Dance Studios (Official School of Dance Alive National Ballet) in Florida and in South Carolina with Rhonda Alperin (National Ballet) and Thierry and Martine Dorado (Paris Opera Ballet).Her performance highlights include Piccolo Spoleto Festival and summer studies with Edward Villella (Director Miami City Ballet). She has appeared in numerous summer theatre and University Playhouse productions with East Carolina University including “Carousel”, “Destry Rides Again”, and “The Sound of Music”. After teaching and directing productions throughout eastern North Carolina, she founded The Greenville Civic Ballet as a training facility for the pre-professional dance company – The Dance Collective.  Her choreography is in residence throughout the state and region and has been presented at University of North Carolina School of the Arts and with Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association in Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Her students have become professional dancers with Tokyo Disney (Ron Smith), Atlanta Ballet (Tabatha Kennedy-Hubbard), Charlotte Ballet(Nicole Shank), Ballet Magnificat! (Rebecca Colenda), Joffrey Ballet (Mary Leigh Bryant), Oregon Ballet (Matthew Pippin) Kings Dominion (Jade Ross) and Fort Wayne Ballet (Hayley McRoy.)

Many have gone on to become dance educators and notable choreographers and have won over $100,000 of summer and year-round dance scholarships throughout the country.

Married to her husband George for 25 years, she is also the parent of Logan (18) and Ryan (12) and enjoys international travel with her family. She is so grateful to her family – the Grays and Saads for their overwhelming love, support, patience and inspiration. 

Most importantly, she thanks her supporters for allowing her to help create a new generation of children who appreciate classical ballet. Her personal and dance philosophy is one that empowers young people to be self-empowered, to excel and become confident and successful in whatever they choose to do.

Studio Manager/Instructor

Cherita graduated from East Carolina University in 2002 with a BFA in Dance Education, later earning her teaching certification in elementary education in 2007. She developed the Oakwood School’s dance program beginning in 2014 and is currently the Fine Arts Department Chair. During her time as a student at East Carolina, Cherita performed with the East Carolina Dance Team(1997-2000) and ECU’s Theater and Dance-Dance 2001 production. She continues professional development and training each year by attending workshops and conferences around the country. Among many she has attended the Dance Teacher’s Web Conference and Expo(Las Vegas), the Broadway Dance Center (New York), Gus Giordano Summer Workshops (New York), the Boulder Jazz Dance Conference (Colorado), and Arizona Jazz Festival (Tucson). In addition to teaching at The Greenville Civic Ballet since 2001, Cherita continues to choreograph and judge various competitions and pageants throughout eastern NC. Cherita is entering her 19th season with the pre-professional company, the Dance Collective and serving as it’s company manager.

Social Media/Instructor

Anna Whitlow Brown earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from East Carolina University.  While teaching in Greensboro, she was a member of Sidelong Dance Company based in Winston-Salem. She has performed in several festivals including RDA/SERBA, American Dance Festival, NC School of the Arts and the Fringe Festival of Greensboro. She has choreographed for Farmville Community Theatre in Farmville, NC. She continues her training by attending various workshops and classes across the country including Boulder Jazz Festival in Boulder Colorado, Dance Teacher Web Expo in Las Vegas, and Dance Teachers Summit in New York.   As a once certified Pilates instructor, she incorporates Pilates into some of her dance classes.  She teaches ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, & musical theater at the studio.  Anna has also had the opportunity to work as a  choreographer with The GCB’s Dance Collective.  This will be her 20th year as a dance instructor.

Instructor

Jeanne Williams graduated from East Carolina University with a B.A. in Elementary Education and a concentration in Early Childhood Development. She began her dance career as a young girl in Baton Rouge, LA. Most of her training comes from Oceanside Dance Academy in Oceanside, CA, where she focused mainly on ballet. When she and her family moved to North Carolina, she continued to dance at Down East Dance in New Bern, where she later became a dance instructor. She was a cheerleader, drill team member, and dance team member at New Bern High School. She has danced competitively in high school and college and has competed in both UDA and NDA Nationals. She was also a member of the ECU Dance Team for four years and was elected captain her senior year. Jeanne has taught all levels of jazz, hip-hop, ballet, and creative movement, with both Down East Dance and Terpsichore A Moving Experience in Southern Pines, NC. Her unique choreography has been used for high school cheerleaders, high school and college dance teams, the Arts Council of Moore County, Pitt County Schools, and local dance studios in North Carolina. Jeanne will be teaching ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop at Greenville Civic Ballet this year. She is also a first grade teacher at Wintergreen Primary School. Jeanne resides in Greenville with her husband, Taylor and daughters, Kenley and Kherington. She loves teaching at GCB and can’t wait to share her love of dance with her new and old dancers this year!

Instructor

Born in San Diego, CA and raised in Saratoga Springs, NY, Shaina began her serious dance training at the age of 8 years old with the Ballet Regent School in Saratoga Springs, NY. Under the direction of former New York City Ballet dancer, the late R. Michael Steele, she performed various works by George Balanchine including Sylvia, Emeralds, Apollo, The Four Temperaments, Sleeping Beauty, and Divertimento No. 15, among others. At the age of 14, Shaina also joined the Saratoga City Ballet Company, a pre-professional company, where she danced featured roles in such ballets as The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Paquita, and Cinderella. She began teaching at the age of 15 and at 18 was choreographing and staging performances for the school. Professional roles included work with the Save the Ballet Benefit in Saratoga Springs, NY, as well as freelance work around the city of Saratoga. Throughout college, she continued to teach and train. Passionate about passing on the teachings and knowledge she has gained, Shaina loves working with the dancers and has worked in various capacities for The Greenville Civic Ballet, The Dance Collective, and The Eastern North Carolina Dance Foundation since 2007.

Instructor

Lexi Lozner

Instructor

Rachel Lanham Kitto received her earliest training from her parents, who are both professional dancers and performers. She went on to study at Jacqueline’s School of Ballet in Utah, under the direction of Jacqueline P. Colledge. Rachel began performing with the school’s professional company, Utah Metropolitan Ballet, at age 15, and became a formal company member at age 17. During her early training Rachel worked with notable teachers such as Yi-Qi Cheng, Darla Hoover, Pamela Robinson-Harris, Alan Hineline, Attila Ficzere, Laura Alonso, Gilles Maidon and David Howard. While with UMB Rachel had the opportunity to perform locally, regionally, and internationally, in repertoire such as Nutcracker, Coppelia, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Balanchine’s Serenade, The Legend of Timpanogos, La Coquette, and seasonal contemporary ballet performances. Rachel later attended Brigham Young University, where she received a degree in Ballet and Contemporary Dance Performance. While at BYU she received the Gary Hopkinson Dance Scholarship as well as the Distinguished Graduating Senior and Outstanding Female Performer awards. Rachel performed and toured with BYU’s contemporary dance group, The Dancers’ Company, for two seasons; performing in works by notable choreographers such as Carl Flink, Carley Conder, and Amy Markgraf Jacobson. Rachel has over 10 years of teaching experience; most recently as a member of the dance faculty at both Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University where she has taught various levels of ballet, pointe, and contemporary technique. She has also taught at many prominent dance studios in Utah Valley, such as Ballet West Academy, Jacqueline’s School of Ballet, Barlow Arts Conservatory, Center Stage Performing Arts Studio, and The Pointe Academy. Rachel currently spends the majority of her time as mom to her three children. She is also a 200hr Certified Yoga Instructor. Rachel enjoys nature, bicycling, yoga, and spending time with her family.

Instructor

Laci Lozner

Instructor

Kara Schillo is currently a student at East ​Carolina University where she is majoring in Nursing and just completed a year on the ECU Dance Team. She is from Harrisburg, NC and received most of her dance training at Showcase Dance Centre in Mint Hill, NC where her mother is the studio owner and director. Dance is definitely in her blood! Kara began dancing at the age of three and has competed regionally and nationally for 14 years. She has won numerous awards and titles throughout her competitive years. Kara continues to further her training by attending various regional conventions and master classes under well known professional dancers and choreographers. She is trained in the styles of tap, ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and pom. Kara is excited to share her passion for dance while teaching the students at Greenville Civic Ballet!

Instructor

Caroline graduated from Florida State University with a degree in neuroscience and a minor in child development. She began dancing at the age of 3 in Indialantic, Florida at The Dance Zone. Through the years of dance training, she attended workshops and master classes with people such as Suzanne Ferrell and Patrick VanBuren. Caroline was welcomed into the pre-professional company, Serenade, at her home studio at 15. Upon entering the company, she also began teaching ballet, tap and musical theater. Throughout high school and college, Caroline directed, choreographed and played featured roles in musicals and straight plays. Upon entering into Florida State University, she auditioned and was admitted as a performer and act captain in the Florida State University Flying High Circus. She was an active member in the circus for the duration of her college degree. After graduating, Caroline was hired by Teach For America and relocated to Eastern North Carolina. Caroline has taught various levels of ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater, and contemporary. She is also a special education teacher at Lakeforest Elementary. Caroline is thrilled to have found her new dance home at GCB!

Instructor

Karen began dance training at the age of 4, studying in Burlington, Rocky Mount, and Greenville NC, and continuing dance studies at UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Chapel Hill. From 2000 – 2003 she performed with Rejoice Dance Company in Raleigh and taught ballet at Starpoints Performing Arts Center. Karen continued dancing in Virginia Beach and Salisbury MD before returning to Greenville in 2007 and joining Greenville Civic Ballet.

Instructor

Hayley McRoy grew up in Greenville, North Carolina and danced at Greenville Civic Ballet. She later trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), performing in Paquita, Les Sylphide, Ethan Stiefel’s The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Serenade. Upon graduating and receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts, Hayley began dancing professionally with Fort Wayne Ballet, performing in Karen Gibbons Brown’s The Nutcracker, Darren McIntyre’s Phantom of the Opera, and as Winter Fairy in Fort Wayne Ballet’s Cinderella. While dancing in Indiana, Hayley received certifications in levels one through five of American Ballet Theater’s National Training Curriculum, and began teaching at Fort Wayne Ballet’s Auer Academy. Hayley had the pleasure of teaching ballet at local elementary schools and head start programs in Fort Wayne with the help of grant money gifted by the city for two consecutive years. Hayley is so excited to teach at Greenville Civic Ballet and looks forward to an excellent year.

Instructor

Rheece Burr is a current student at East Carolina University, majoring in Special Education, and a prior ECU Dance Team member. Beginning at the age of 3, she has been dancing for 16 years at various studios down the East Coast due to being a military daughter. She has performed solos in many ballets, such as Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, and The Firebird. Rheece has also experienced performing in the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC, the Nutcracker four times with the Moscow Ballet, attending ballet intensives with Orlando City Ballet, and being her high school Dance Team Captain in Florida. She enjoys working with children with her goal of being a teacher for Special Education in the Elementary grade levels. Rheece is super excited to be teaching at Greenville Civic Ballet!

Office Administrator

Office Assistant