Camilla BullardSchool Director, Artistic Director & Instructor
Camilla Bullard discovered her passion for dance at the age of nine. She trained for eight years under the direction of Pat Wall at Gaston Dance Theatre, studying Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Tap. During this time, she danced featured roles in many well-known Ballets; the Coffee Arabian Princess in The Nutcracker and the Lead Gypsy in Don Quixote proved to be favorites. Camilla also attended multiple intensive programs offered at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) and performed as a featured Soloist in the selected Group Assemble entered by The GDT Company.
After graduating high school, Camilla trained and performed under the direction of Anne Blackwell at the York County Ballet, becoming a part of the Featured Company within the school. She continued her education at Gaston College, receiving her N.C. Early Childhood Credentials. This led her to many years working in a pre-school, an experience that taught her how much she loved working with children.
In 2015, Camilla returned to her roots as a Ballet instructor at Gaston Dance Theatre. She teaches all levels of Classical Ballet, from our youngest dancers through our most advanced students. Since 2017, she has served as the Rehearsal Director of GDT’s holiday classic The Nutcracker. Under her tutelage, many students have gone on to successful dance intensive and college dance programs. Over the years, her love and passion for dance has continued to grow and she looks forward to educating the next generation of GDT students. Camilla is dedicated to holding the highest standard of dance education and serves as the School & Artistic Director for GDT.
Anna EdwardsBusiness Director & Instructor
Zoe CharlesInstructor
Zoe Charles is a North Carolina native with over 20 years of dance training in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, musical theatre, hip hop, modern, and pom. She began dancing at the age of three and has performed in numerous productions, including The Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum Fairy, as well as The Wizard of Oz and Evita. She was also honored to be selected as a Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Semi-Finalist, reflecting her dedication to classical ballet and artistic excellence.
Zoe studied dance at both Oklahoma City University and the University of Oklahoma. While at Oklahoma City University, she was a member of the nationally recognized Oklahoma City University Pom Squad and helped the team earn an NDA Collegiate National Championship. She later earned a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science from the University of Oklahoma, where she continued her dance studies.
As an instructor, Zoe is passionate about helping dancers develop strong technique, confidence, and a lifelong love for dance. She strives to create a positive, encouraging classroom where students feel supported while being challenged to reach their fullest potential. Zoe is excited to join the Gaston Dance Theatre family and looks forward to inspiring the next generation of dancers through her passion for both performance and education.
Shonda EvansProduction Coordinator & Instructor
Shonda Evans began her dance training at Gaston Dance Theatre. Under the direction of Pat Wall, she studied Ballet, Tap, and Modern from 1993-2003. She also attended several summer intensives including University of the Arts in Philadelphia and American Dance Festival.
Shonda continued her training as a dance major at UNC Charlotte, where she was trained in the styles of Ballet and Modern under the direction of Kim Jones (former Graham company member), Delia Neil, E.E. Balcos, Sybil Huskey and Pamela Sofras. During these years, she was granted several noteworthy opportunities including performing in a dance choreographed by Claire Porter; performing in the restaging of “Steps in the Street”; participating in a dance that was funded by NSF as a research project with technology and dance; touring with Kim Jones in her piece “Mauri” for the North Carolina Dance Festival; and performing original choreography for the informal concert at American College Dance Festival.
Shonda earned a BA in dance and a BS in Public Health. Since graduating, she has taught various styles of dance including Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, and Ballet, and is a certified Zumba instructor.
Emily JohnsonInstructor
Emily Johnson started her dance journey at age 2 and has danced ever since. She has trained in tap, ballet, and clogging. She has studied under some of the best in the industry, including Alex Miner, Stacy Austell, and Brooke Paulsen.
Emily attends many tap festivals including the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival, Wing It Tap Intensive, and the Rhythmatic Experience.
Emily is a Gaston College and Gardner-Webb University graduate, recently earning a Bachelors in Elementary Education. She is an instructor and the Recreational Program Director at Beyond Dance Project while also teaching 5th grade at a local elementary school. With a huge passion for youth and tap dancing, Emily is excited to continue sharing her love of making music with GDT students!
Bethany LondonInstructor
Bethany London began dancing at the age of 3. She found her love for dance & teaching throughout her years of ballet company performances, student teaching, competition & conventions. She now owns & operates her own dance studio, Fine Line Dance Company, as well as teaching at studios in the surrounding area. Bethany is looking forward to returning for another season with GDT & working with all of its young artists.
Jennie NicholsInstructor
Jennie Nichols discovered her love for dance at the age of five when she began training at Betty’s School of Dance. Throughout her training, she studied ballet, tap, jazz, modern, acrobatics, hip-hop, musical theatre, pointe, and lyrical, developing a well-rounded foundation in a variety of dance styles. From an early age, dance became a lifelong passion that inspired both her artistic and educational pursuits. She continued her dance education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she earned a BA in Elementary Education and a BA in Applied Dance.
Jennie has combined her passion for education and the performing arts throughout her career. As an educator and choreographer, she enjoys creating a positive, encouraging environment where dancers can build confidence, develop strong technique, and express themselves through movement. In recent years, she has choreographed productions of Annie, Mean Girls, and Into the Woods, bringing stories to life through dance and musical theatre.
Jennie is excited to join the faculty at Gaston Dance Theatre, where she will be teaching the Beginner Jazz and Modern class. She looks forward to sharing her love of dance with each student while helping them grow in confidence, creativity, and artistry.
Reaghan NicholsInstructor
Reaghan began dancing at the age of two and has been training at Bonita’s School of Ballet, now Monroe City Dance Academy, since 2010. Throughout her years as a student, she performed in numerous productions with Bonita’s School of Ballet and Union County Youth Ballet, including two of her favorites, The Nutcracker and Coppélia. She also trained with the pre-professional Monroe City Ballet to further develop her technical and artistic abilities. In addition to ballet and pointe, Reaghan has trained in tap, jazz, modern, and contemporary dance. Reaghan currently teaches with Monroe City Dance Academy. She believes that everything we do should glorify God and views dance as a beautiful expression of worship. Outside of the studio, Reaghan serves her community as an emergency room nurse. Reaghan is excited to share her passion with GDT.
Amelia HarrelsonInstructor
Amelia Harrelson is a recent graduate of the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance with a concentration in Ballet. Amelia began ballet at two years old, and it has remained her favorite form of dance ever since. Her training included Royal Academy of Dance, Cecchetti, and American Ballet Theatre curricula and took her to summer intensive programs at Atlanta Ballet, UNCSA, BalletMet, and ABT. Her love of performing extends to singing and acting in local theatre productions. Most recently, she created choreography for Legacy Theater & Music Company’s Alice by Heart and performed as “Talia” in USF’s Ride the Cyclone. Her studies at USF carried an emphasis on choreography and kinesiology, resulting in her staging of two original contemporary ballet works and completion of the Dance Medicine and Science Certificate. In her third year, she traveled with a cohort of her classmates to Paris for a semester-long study abroad program, where she trained with French instructors and choreographers while learning about the language and culture. Amelia is thrilled to be back in the Carolinas and following her passion for performing arts.
Carmella ShindlerInstructor
Carmella Shindler began dancing at four years old at Gaston Dance Theatre. In 2009, she started dancing full-time at GDT by participating in shows and performances like Peter and the Wolf, The Lion King, and Peter Pan until graduating in 2018. Her favorite role was being Snow Queen in The Nutcracker 2017. Carmella has been trained in classical ballet, modern, and contemporary dance styles.
After graduating high school in 2018, she continued her education by pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and then a Master’s in Health Administration at Belmont Abbey College. She continued to show her love for dance and Gaston Dance Theatre by volunteering backstage and stepping into the classroom as an instructor. Carmella enjoys teaching young dancers in Intro to Ballet/Ballet 1 and is eager to share the GDT difference with the next generation.
Teagan TaylorInstructor
Teagan Taylor is originally from Delaware where she trained in classical ballet, modern, and jazz from a young age at Delaware Dance Company (DDC) under the direction of Sunshine Latshaw. While at DDC, Teagan was a senior member in their Performing Company, dancing numerous roles in their annual shows and concerts such as Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Daniel Catanach’s Peter Rabbit and Other Tales.
During her later years at DDC, Teagan was on the teaching staff working her way up to eventually become Co-Director of DDC’s Youth Dance Ensemble (YDE). As Co-Director, Teagan taught all styles of dance during the school year, directed summer workshops, and choreographed for yearly showcases and outreach programs.
Teagan attended the University of Delaware (UD) as an Elementary Education major, continued her dance training by taking UD’s dance minor classes, and was an undergraduate researcher for UD’s ArtsBridge program where she helped design lessons for local Boys & Girls Clubs, integrating dance into their curriculum. She also joined the professional adult dance company, Ignite, performing place-based repertoire at art-centered locations in Delaware communities. After graduating from UD and teaching middle school science for a couple years, Teagan moved to Spokane, WA to earn her Masters of Arts in Teaching in Gifted Education at Whitworth University. 9 years ago she moved to North Carolina and taught for a number of years at Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, establishing the school’s first after school dance program. Teagan also worked in Gaston County Schools for 5 years as an AIG teacher and as Program Manager for the district’s Gifted & Talented Academy. While teaching at Hawks Nest TEAM Academy, she was the choreographer for their annual musical performances. Teagan currently works as an Instructional Designer and as teaching faculty at Gaston College. Teagan is very excited to re-join the GDT staff and looks forward to a great year of dance.
Bonnie WestbrookInstructor
Bonnie is a Junior at Crest High School and this is her ninth year at GDT. Her favorite genre of dance is ballet, and her favorite roles have been Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland and Spanish in The Nutcracker. Bonnie is apart of our Studio Company here at GDT. She is so excited to be able to give back to the next generation of dancers as this is her first year teaching with us.
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Dr. Meghan Gearhart, PT, DPT, MS, CMTPTDance Physical Therapist
Dr. Meghan Gearhart owns and operates Charlotte Dance Medicine, providing physical therapy, performance, and wellness services throughout Charlotte, NC. She graduated with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Emory University, M.S. in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences (Sports Medicine concentration) from the University of Pittsburgh, and B.A. in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She had received Pilates training through Balanced Body and dance medicine training through the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone.
In addition to working with dancers one-on-one, Dr. Meghan also provides backstage coverage for local performances and touring shows, presents at regional and international dance medicine conferences, and guest lectures for collegiate dance programs, conventions, and continuing education courses for dance medicine healthcare professionals. Committed to the health and wellness of local dancers, she facilitates dancer screenings, pop-up clinics, conditioning and cross-training classes, and injury prevention and performance improvement workshops for dancers, parents, and teachers throughout the Charlotte region. She also consults with training programs to help create safe learning environments in which dancers can thrive.
Her passion for helping dancers recover from and prevent injuries stems from her personal experience as an injured dancer with no real guidance or support. With the belief that dancers should have access to the same quality of healthcare and education as other athletes, she strives to provide an inclusive environment for all dancers while helping them develop body confidence and a sense of empowerment when making decisions related to their health and performance goals. Her mission is to keep dancers safe and performing at their best so they can do what they love for as long as they want, while setting themselves up for lifelong health.
