Success Beyond the Studio
Meet Our Alumni
*Now known as RCB, the studio was formerly AYBT until July 2026, when the organization officially adopted its new name. While our name has changed, our commitment to excellence in dance education and performance remains the same. To learn more about our history and this transition, please visit our About page.
Morgan Holder- Class of 2020
After graduating from AYBT, Morgan pursued a BA with honors in Dance and English from The University of Alabama. While at UA, she was a member of Dance Alabama, Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre, the inaugural cohort of the Emerging Choreographers' Showcase, and Yonder Contemporary Dance Company. With Yonder, Morgan developed and performed in the original dance work Unstuck With You, which toured across the Southeast and internationally, including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest international arts festival.
In 2024, Morgan was awarded a Fulbright Postgraduate Grant to continue her education in the United Kingdom. She recently completed her MFA in Dance and Embodied Practice at the University of Roehampton in London. During her time at Roehampton, Morgan has been an active member of the Roehampton dance community, serving as the Rehearsal Director for Third Row Dance Company, a dance program representative, and a student ambassador. She was recently awarded the Roehampton Futures Award for Community Building in recognition of her efforts toward "leading peer initiatives, supporting international students, and fostering collaboration, wellbeing, and inclusive artistic practices through sustained, empathetic engagement."
Leanne Denman Livingston- Class of 2021
Leanne Livingston recently graduated from Belhaven University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. She is currently a first grade teacher and dance teacher in the Little Rock, Arkansas area. She aims to combine kinesthetic movement and dance into the traditional classroom setting as well as foster creativity, confidence, and self-expression through dance education.
Eona Sae Bae Carey- Class of 2013
Eona attended Butler University on a full-ride dance scholarship, is currently dancing with Winifred Haun & Dancers, and has been a guest dancer in dance shows nationally and internationally. Rocket City Ballet helped foster these opportunities and gave the necessary skills to thrive. They learned team-work, community outreach, a wide range of movement practices, and even behind the scenes production work - all important to the life Eona lives now.
Emma Lang- Class of 2022
After attending AYBT, I continued my dance career at George Washington University on the Corcoran Dance Scholarship. At GW, I expanded my repertoire to include postmodern techniques and choreography, which informed my senior honors thesis, “In the Movement of Many”, a work exploring the movement possibilities and collaborative behaviors of leafcutter ants which was performed at the Next Festival in April 2026. During this time, I also had the privilege of performing in the repertoire work of the Bill T. Jones Company and performing at the National Gallery of Art. I received the Maida Withers Impact award from the Theater and Dance Department in May 2026 and graduated with a BA in Dance and a BS in Biology with an Anthropology minor. Beyond the dance department, I was an active member of GW Balance, the university's largest dance organization, ultimately serving as Co-President in my senior year. Also during my senior year I was my school’s mascot. I am thankful to my instructors and people that I met while dancing at AYBT for cultivating my love of dance!
Michael Driessnack- Class of 2015
Michael’s dance journey has taken him across the country and through multiple careers. He danced on the hip-hop team at Auburn University, taught preschool and elementary dance classes in Birmingham, and worked at Agile Physical Therapy Clinic, where he specialized in dance injury prevention and recovery. He then attended physical therapy school in Colorado—where he even discussed the proprioceptive benefits of dance during his admissions interview—while also learning how to shuffle dance. Along the way, he studied house dance in Los Angeles and later explored line dancing and contra dancing for fun.
Today, Michael works in the Pacific Northwest, focusing on the intersections of Indigenous ecosystem health, wildfire prevention, and farm soil health. He credits dance with helping him develop the strength, body awareness, and discipline needed to perform physically demanding work while avoiding injury.
As he has moved across the country and transitioned between careers, dance has remained a source of balance and flexibility—both literally and figuratively. Through dance, Michael has found community, hope, mental health support, consistent exercise, and meaningful connections with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
Michael believes that the skills developed through dance—rhythm, footwork, creative thinking, and dedication to practice—can open doors anywhere. If you can learn choreography and move to a beat, you can explore any style of dance and find common ground with people wherever you go.
Charlotte Bellingrath- Class of 2021
Hi my name is Charlotte Bellingrath! I started dancing a little bit later than you would expect; I took my first dance class when I was 14 and I absolutely fell in love with it. With the help of the amazing teachers at AYBT I was able to learn so much and advance quickly.
During my time dancing I attended Physical Therapy for a knee injury. The first clinic didn’t realize how important it was to be able to straighten my knee. When I went to the second clinic they were attentive and asked so many questions on where I needed to be for dance.
After I graduated from physical therapy, I knew how important it is to know what muscle groups you’re using when you’re dancing. We had a Kinesiology class for a little bit at AYBT and that further peaked my interest in Physical Therapy as a career path.
After years of shadowing and teaching while I was at Calhoun, I transferred to UNA where I graduated 12/13/2025 with my Bachelor’s in Kinesiology with a clinical concentration.
While at UNA I had the incredible opportunity to teach a Barre work out class which would have never been possible without AYB.
I’m currently working as an Exercise Specialist post grad and I constantly remember little tricks the teachers at AYBT would say. I absolutely love getting to work with people and help them get better and I have the honor to work closely with dancers and my experience at AYBT helps me relate on a deeper level with patients
