Anita Ashley
Founder and Artistic Director
Anita Ashley founded Columbia Ballet School in 1980. With over 50 years’ teaching experience, she has served as founder and director of the state’s first professional ballet company, South Carolina Ballet Theatre, and is one of the founders of Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet. She has taught classical ballet, jazz and theatre dance at USC, USC Aiken, Columbia College, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Eglevsky Ballet, and North Carolina School for the Arts. Her students have gone on to successful careers in ballet companies such as Louisville Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Bebe Miller, Boston Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Other students have found success in film, television, music, and Tony Award winning Broadway productions. Her students have been National Finalists at Youth America Grand Prix five times.
Ms. Ashley’s choreography has been performed throughout the Southeast, Michigan, Ohio and Canada, as well as by Ann Brodie’s Carolina Ballet, Columbia Classical Ballet, Artists for Africa, Town Theatre, Workshop Theatre and Trustus Theatre, where she was a company member. Her choreography has received positive reviews in Dance magazine and she was featured in Dance Teacher magazine. She was awarded the Maria Tallchief Award for Excellence by the Eastern Cherokee Nation.
Joy Alexander
Joy Tworzyanski Alexander has been part of the dance fabric of Columbia since she began her training at Calvert-Brodie. She attended AMDA (The American Musical and Dramatic Academy) in New York, where she studied for both stage and film, and she has numerous acting, dancing, and choreography credits. She returned to South Carolina in 2006, and she has been teaching and performing ever since. Her specialties include tap and musical theatre.
Nicole Millwood
Nicole Carrion, a native of Columbia, started her ballet training at the age of four at the Columbia Conservatory of Dance under the instruction of William Starrett and Mariclare Miranda, and her connection to Columbia City Ballet continues; she now is a demi-soloist with the company. Nicole’s emphasis on classical ballet contributes to her teaching excellence and to her work with developing young dancers. She is an integral part of the CBS production of The Nutcracker through setting pieces and coaching dancers. Nicole is a CBS Artist-In-Residence, in recognition of her many contributions to the studio.
Ashley Concannon
Ashley Concannon is a multi-faceted artist. She is a demi-soloist with Columbia City Ballet, and she is also a professional photographer, specializing in dance photography. She is the photographer of the Facebook page “Through the Dancer’s Eyes,” which highlights a behind-the-scenes look at the life of professional dancers, and she took many of the photos on this website. Ashley’s dedication to the art of dance shows in her coaching and her choreography. This is Ashley’s fourth year with CBS, teaching ballet.
Anne Plowden
Anne Plowden is a successful Columbia Ballet School alumna whose career has included dancing, modeling, and social media manager. Anne trained at the Rock School, Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School. She was an apprentice with Eglevsky Ballet. She has also worked at Heathwood Hall School, her alma mater. Anne is the Associate Ballet Mistress.
Kiyomi Mercadante Ramirez
Kiomi Ramirez is a dance educator with more than 28 years of experience, and she is a professional dancer with more than 19 years of performance experience. She is a fellow with the Cecchetti Council of America –one of only 50 in the United States. Her dance styles include ballet, contemporary, and jazz, and she is a renowned choreographer as well as teacher and dancer. She is married to her dance partner, Eduardo Ramirez, and together they have four beautiful children and yes, the whole family dances. She continues to teach, choreograph, and dance throughout the area.
Stephanie Reeves
Stephanie Reeves is a CBS alumna who has returned to teach adult ballet. She also has worked with our Nutcracker productions both as a choreographer and as a production manager. Stephanie also is the office manager. She has worked with CBS for six years.
Madeline Rick
Madeline Rick, a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, joins our faculty to teach ballet and contemporary. She attended the pre-professional program at Toledo Ballet and trained in summer ballet programs with American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet. She most recently was a trainee with the New Orleans Ballet Theatre.
James Velasco
James Velasco, another Columbia native, is dancing with Columbia City Ballet. But his background is far more than dance. He has a background in musical theatre, performing in a variety of stage productions and music videos. He was the leading actor in Cody Webb’s “Peaches.” He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), training in both New York and Los Angeles. He has a passion for songwriting, and his original music can be heard on streaming services.
Cindy Flach
Cindy Flach is a fixture in the Columbia theatre and dance community, and she has a strong following with her Saturday morning adult tap classes. Cindy teaches at the University of South Carolina. She has choreographed countless musicals in Columbia.