Meet Our Faculty

Anna has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2001. Anna grew up dancing and found her home at ASD with Miss Brenda Oehmig at the age of 8.  After graduating from T.L. Hanna and attending the College of Charleston, where she danced with the late Robert Ivey, Anna moved back to Anderson to work at ASD. Judy Rice, David Howard, Finis Jhung, Dorit Koppel, Janice Barringer, Jeff Amsden, Frank Hatchett, Alton Adams, Tommy Alexander, Germaine Salsberg, Debbie Dee, and Lainie Munro are a few of the teachers she has studied under.

Anna has choreographed ASD recitals, Anderson University Dance Concerts and Dancing for our Heroes dances. She enjoys teaching all ages and all styles of dance at ASD.

Kathryn has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2005.  She began her dance training at the age of 4 and her formal training began in Beaumont, TX where she studied ballet and tap with Miss Bonnie Cokinos. Kathryn danced with Augusta Ballet (now Colton Ballet Company) under the direction of Ron Colton. Kathryn studied in summer intensives with The Joffrey Ballet and The San Francisco Ballet.
Kathryn attended the College of Charleston earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. After college, she was a Principal Dancer with Charleston Ballet Theatre. Kathryn performed the Sugar Plum Fairy in "The Nutcracker", the Swan Queen in "Swan Lake", and Kitri in "Don Quixote".  She was a guest artist dancing the lead role in Cinderella. Kathryn toured extensively with the Augusta Ballet and Charleston Ballet Theater.

Kathryn lives in Anderson and is currently adjunct faculty at Anderson University in the Department of Theater and Dance.

She enjoys teaching ballet, pointe, tap, jazz and contemporary at ASD.

Skylar has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2022. She began dancing when she was two and a half years old. Skyler danced at Anderson School of Dance from first grade through her senior year of high school. Skylar is currently in college pursuing a degree in business while teaching jazz, ballet, tap, and hip hop at ASD. It is her joy and honor to teach dance to children while they create friendships, have fun, and discover their talents.

Madeline has been teaching dance for five years and began teaching at Anderson School of Dance in 2021. She currently works with the GEMS competition teams on technique, strength, and conditioning, as well as choreography.

Madeline danced competitively at Bluffton School of Dance for 15 years in tap, ballet, jazz, musical theater, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. She is currently a sophomore at Anderson University where she is majoring in both Kinesiology and Dance.

Jayna has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2021. She began dancing at three years old and trained in tap, jazz, contemporary, ballet, pointe, hip hop and lyrical at Stepping Out Dance Studio in Lexington, SC. Jayna was a member of the River Bluff Varsity Dance Company in high school and was Dance Captain her senior year. Jayna has been teaching and choreographing for 7 years. Her choreography has been featured in South Carolina School of the Arts Dance Concerts and in ASD annual recitals. She is currently pursuing a BA Dance degree at Anderson University with a minor in Marketing. Jayna is thrilled to be a part of the ASD family and loves being able to work with and build strong bonds with her students. 

Ruthie has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2022. She began her dance training at three years old and studied in Charlotte, NC at the Harris YMCA School for Dance. Ruthie furthered her dance training at Charlotte Ballet Academy where she trained intensely in ballet, pointe and contemporary. She pursued a Classical Ballet Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC for two years. Ruthie changed her collegiate focus in 2021 and is currently a student at Anderson University majoring in Kinesiology. She plans to attend Physical Therapy school and would like to specialize in dance rehab and injury prevention. Ruthie enjoys teaching the advanced ballet students at Anderson School of Dance.

Matt Fortner is a native Andersonian and has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2022. He teaches all levels of clogging at ASD and choreographs clogging solos for competitions. Matt grew up clogging at Upstate Carolina Dance Center in Easley training there for 18 years. In 2010, he won a National Title for freestyle solo clogging. Matt graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Biology Education and is an 8th grade science teacher at Robert Anderson Middle School. He is happy to be a part of the creative process at ASD that allows students to express themselves while sharing Matt's passion for clogging.

Allison is the Director of Operations at Anderson School of Dance. Her precise organizational and planning skills along with her eye for detail are essential for the efficient management of a busy dance studio. Allison’s role includes customer service activities, accounts receivable, billing and communication with ASD families. Allison’s daughter has danced with ASD for over five years and is a member of the ASD GEMS competition team. Allison lives in Anderson with her husband and two children.

Addison has been teaching for 6 years and has been a part of the Anderson School of Dance family since 2022.  She is from Knoxville, Tennessee and began dancing when she was three years old, training in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical at Angela Floyd Schools. Addison is a sophomore at Anderson University studying dance and marketing. She teaches hip hop, tap, and contemporary, and works with the ASD GEMS competition teams. Addison is grateful that the Lord has placed her at Anderson School of Dance and that He gave her the gift of dance. Her ultimate joy is getting to share that with her students. 

Hannah began dancing at age five with Barbara English in Greenville, SC. She attended Winthrop University and graduated in 2018 with a BA in Dance with Emphasis in K-12 education. She spent four years as the dance teacher at Cyril B. Busbee Creative Arts Academy in Cayce, SC before moving to RJ Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, NC. This year, she is excited to be back in her home state as the high school dance teacher at Southwood Academy and on faculty at Anderson School of Dance!

Chloe has been assisting with and teaching dance for five years. She is from Waynesboro, GA, where she started dancing at six years old. She trained and danced competitively in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and musical theater. She is currently pursuing a BA dance degree at Anderson University. Chloe enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students. She is excited to be teaching at ASD and watching the dancers’ grow.

Hannah has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2015.  She trained at ASD from 2000-2015 and she graduated from T.L. Hanna in 2015. Hannah received her Bachelors Degree in Communications from Anderson University in 2019. She is currently a CareNet agent at Investinet. Hannah assists with our Hip Hop competition team.

Catherine is a native of Anderson and started taking dance from Miss Brenda at the age of 4. She has been teaching at Anderson School of Dance since 2005. Catherine has trained in ballet, pointe, tap and jazz. She has worked with our ASD younger dancers and team GEMS dancers. Catherine has her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Clemson University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. She is the Family Nurse Practitioner at Sandy Springs Family Practice in Pendleton. She functions as our ASD team doctor! Catherine loves sharing her passion for dance with our ASD students.