Charlotte Foster Williamson
CEO/DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Jeremy Williamson
SENIOR FACULTY
Jeremy Williamson began dancing in college with UGA’s Ballroom Performance Group and performed with UGA Ballet Ensemble. After graduation, he joined Contact Dance Theatre and was a guest performer with SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company in their first major show. He joined SIDEWAYS the following season and trained in ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Jeremy’s childhood passion for sports migrated to a study of fitness, strength, and conditioning in college. He is now a CrossFit Level 2 and CrossFit Kids coach. Jeremy believes strength and conditioning were an integral part of his dance training and can benefit all dancers. As an intersection of dance and fitness, Jeremy introduced the aerial program to ADC in 2014. He loves helping students overcome obstacles in the classroom as they develop bravery and resilience.
Semaj Johnson
senior faculty/LOCATION MANAGER
Semaj Johnson first began studying hip-hop, tap, and capoeira in elementary school. Since then, he has built on his passion for dance and martial arts. In addition to studying Public Health Nutrition in college, Semaj has taught at Studio Arts, Austin-East High School, Breed Arts, The Good Guy Collective, The Appalachian Ballet Company, and The Carpet Theatre. He has choreographed and danced with the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Capoeira Fundo da Mata, and Southern Sole. Semaj also contributed to performances for the HoLa Festival and served as one of the lead choreographers for the theatrical production of What The Water Tells Me. As a member of the ADC team, Semaj is excited to share his expertise with his students, helping them see the arts as a pathway to self-expression and self-discovery.
Haley o'Kelly
FACULTY MEMBER
Haley O'Kelly was born and raised in Roswell, Georgia. She began her dance training as a student of Charlotte in 2006, later continuing her studies with Atlanta Rising Talent in 2009. A fun fact from her early years: Haley originated the role of Alice in Once Upon a Holiday in 2007! After graduating high school in 2015, she joined SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company and performed with the company through 2020.
Teaching has always been a passion of Haley's. While still in high school, she began assisting with primary classes at ADC and later became a lead teacher across multiple levels. In 2020, she graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in History Education and a minor in Dance. That same year, she began filming and editing dance films for ADC, and has created an annual ballet film for Atlanta Rising Talent every year since.
From 2020 to 2026, Haley taught 8th grade social studies at Northwestern Middle School. Now, she is thrilled to rejoin ADC and continue sharing her love of dance with the next generation of students.
Grace Burkhart
FACULTY MEMBER
Grace started dancing before she could even walk. However, her dance education began when she was two years old in Columbus, Ohio. From 2002 until her graduation in 2018, she was a student and teacher intern at Dublin Dance Center. Grace continued her dance education at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as a ballet-performance major then, danced professionally with Columbus Dance Theatre. She spent summers training with American Ballet Theater and Boca Ballet Theater. Grace was head choreographer of the Abbey Theater. She choreographed student and professional theater productions for 2 seasons. She is excited to share her passion with the students of Atlanta Dance Central!
Maria Caprio
FACULTY MEMBER
Maria Caprio, a native of Franklin, TN, fell in love with dance at the Franklin School of Performing Arts in 2011 and hasn't stopped dancing since then. She is a graduate of The University of Alabama (UA) Dance program, and while attending there, she performed in productions with the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre, the Emerging Choreographers’ Showcase, and Dance Alabama!. She was one of the choreographers and company members for Yonder Contemporary Dance Company which performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland this summer. She has trained with companies including Alvin Ailey, New Dialect, staibdance, Interlochen Arts Camp, and Joffrey South. She is also a certified yoga instructor through an RYT-200 Hour course and was the founder and president of UA’s yoga club. UA's Department of Theatre and Dance has recognized her over the years with the Lou Wall Award, Most Outstanding Sophomore, and Most Outstanding Freshman.
Jaylah Darlington
FACULTY MEMBER
Jaylah Darlington brings over fifteen years of dance experience to our studio. She is an Atlanta-based performing artist who began her formal dance training at 8 years old with Strathmore City Dance in North Bethesda, Maryland. There, she had the opportunity to perform for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Her extensive training includes Ballet, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, and Modern, with a special focus on Musical Theatre, which earned her a spot in the NYU Tisch Summer Music Theatre Program.
After returning to Georgia, Jaylah has channeled her passion into teaching, delighting in sharing her knowledge with the next generation of dancers. She is currently studying Human Biology and Kinesiology, where she is focusing on biomechanics and injury prevention to enhance dancer health and performance.