Dance Stop Studios

Lynette Grubb Strickland, Director, brings 25 years dance experience to the school. She is an outstanding and gifted teacher and a tap technician beyond words.

Since 1974 she has been director of one of Atlanta's largest dance schools. She is well known for her children's work and her loving ability to make dance fun for the student, at the same time developing them to their highest potential.

Ms. Strickland has assembled an outstanding staff of instructors and administrators to achieve continuing excellence in all disciplines of dance. She has served on the faculty of the Internationale Tanzwerkstatt Bonn, The Tanz Progekt in Aachen and Bielefeld, Germany, and the Festival Dance of the World in Gdansk, Poland.

She was the 1990 recipient of the professional achievement award from the Cobb Arts Council.

Dee Baskerville, has over 30years of dance experience. She credits her training to Frank Hatchett, studying both at the Frank Hatchett Center for the Performing Arts in Springfield, Massachusetts, and the Broadway Dance Studio in New York City.
She was a member of the Frank Hatchett Dance Company for more than 11 years, traveling through out New England, New York, and Canada.
She has studied under such notables as the late Gregory Hines, Maurice Hines, and Connie Brazelton (ER).
She has performed with entertainers Bill Cosby, Billy Daniels, The Jackson Five and many others.

Kathy Pickle, a former June Taylor Dancer, has danced in such films and TV Specials as "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Pennies from Heaven", "Annie" as Bernadette Peter's double, plus "The Sonny & Cher Show" and "Disney on Parade".

Her talents and training are of exceptional quality. She taught on the faculty of Showcase Studio, Inc. in Hollydale, California for 13 years.

While she has trained dancers of all ages and levels, she specializes in working with young students.

Ray Hall, a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor, has an extensive background in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. An Atlanta native, he began his professional training at The Atlanta School of Ballet and received full scholarships to several major dance institutions, including The School of American Ballet and The Ailey School in New York. Ray has performed throughout the United States and Germany with numerous choreographers such as Barry Vancura with Ballet Tennessee and Troy Powell with Ailey II.

Ray has received high honors for his performances, including a Gold Award from the Los Angeles Dance Force Competition, and he was awarded Best Jazz Choreography in the Panoply 2000 Choreography Competition. Ray was selected to choreograph both the Grand Opening of The Earl Smith Strand Theatre and the Cobb Energy Arts Centre Celebration.

Ray currently serves on the faculties of Dance Stop Studios in Marietta and Dance 101 in Atlanta.

Julia McElmoyle received her early training at Dance Stop and has danced more than twenty years. An alumnus of Dance Stop Company, Julia participated in the student assistant program and had the privilege to study with Debbie Bray and Jason Weiss. She continued her dance training during summer intensive programs at The Atlanta School of Ballet.

Julia graduated from Georgia State University with a BA in Sociology. We are pleased to have Julia return as part of the Dance Stop faculty.

Terrel Paulk, a premier dance master and well-respected teacher, has studied with Igor Schwezoff, Oleg Tupine, Edward Caton, Anatole Vilzak, Ludmilla Schollar, and Eugene Valukin.

Mr. Paulk has performed with The Washington Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada. A renowned ballet instructor, he has taught for all major dance teacher organizations.

Melanie Forsberg's more than 30 years of dance experience includes scholarship studies with National Ballet School of Canada (Toronto) and School of American et (NY).

After touring Italy as a principal dancer, she returned to the Southeast to dance professionally.

Melanie first came to Dance Stop Studios in 1983 and developed the ballet curriculum to provide the more serious student with an opportunity to intensify their training.

With 17 years as teacher/choreographer, she is delighted to have returned to the Dance Stop in 2002.

Bevin Newton has performed in ballet, modern, and jazz repertory with The Virginia Ballet Company, Center Dance Company, Duke Ballet Repertory Ensemble, Chapel Hill Ballet Company, and is currently a professional ensemble member of Decatur City Dance.

In addition to Dance Stop, Bevin currently teaches at Decatur School of Ballet and choreographs for Decatur City Dance and Cartersville City Ballet.

Bevin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University where she won the Julia Wray Memorial Dance Award and earned a BA in economics and minors in business and dance. She also has an MBA from The Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Michelle Dennis, an alumnus of Dance Stop Company, began her dance training at the age of five. During her nineteen years of dance experience, she has had the privilege to study with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York as well as participate in the student assistant program at Dance Stop.

A graduate of Kennesaw State University with
a BS in Exercise Physiology, Michelle is an exercise physiologist at WellStar Kennestone Hospital and is thrilled to be an instructor at Dance Stop Studios.