Charlotte Foster Williamson

CEO/Director of Education

Charlotte Foster Williamson received a BA in dance from the University of Georgia in 2006. Three years later, she founded Atlanta Dance Central with the mission to offer students exceptional dance education in a non-competitive environment. Charlotte’s passions for inclusion and mentorship sculpted ADC into a flourishing community for dancers and their families. Her innovative approaches paid off, and in 2016, ADC was awarded the BULLDOG 100 Award for being one of the fastest-growing businesses owned by a UGA graduate. Charlotte is the co-founder of Foster-Schmidt Dance Company and the founder and artistic director of SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company. She meets weekly with studio owners worldwide, collaborating, educating, and learning. She loves helping her students create careers out of their passions, just like she did.

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.

Eli Coker

Senior Faculty/Operations Manager

Eli Coker is a Roswell native, first dancing with Charlotte Foster Williamson in 2006. She started at ADC in 2009 as a part of ART Company, and in 2014 she joined the faculty. Her experiences teaching at the studio inspired her to study child development and incorporate it into a dance curriculum. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2019 with a BS in Psychology. That same year, Eli took over as director of the Physio Jazz program and the Foster-Schmidt Dance Company. She loves sharing her unique perspective with the ADC community and looks for opportunities to continue her dance education. Eli performs with SIDEWAYS Contemporary Dance Company and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and Acrobatic Arts Preschool. She is excited to add to her training in the future.

Megan Long

FACULTY MEMBER/RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

Megan Long graduated Summa Cum Laude from Winthrop University with a BA in Dance and a minor in Psychology in 2017. She was awarded “Most Inspiring Junior and Senior Choreographer” during her undergraduate studies. After graduation, Megan grew as a dancer, choreographer, and person in New York City while working as an Intern and Training Fellow at Gibney. Megan specializes in contemporary, tap, and jazz, garnering numerous awards for her choreography work at competitive studios throughout the southeast. Outside of ADC, Megan performs in SIDEWAYS dance company and works backstage with Applause Talent connecting with dancers throughout the US. Megan is a dedicated teacher and finds inspiration and purpose in watching her students grow.

Semaj Johnson

FACULTY MEMBER/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.

Blayke Adkinson

Faculty Member

Blayke Adkinson is a native of Montgomery, Alabama. She grew up training at Centre for Performing Arts under the direction of Karen Jordan as a competitive dancer and teacher. Blayke attended Troy University’s dance department on a dance and academic scholarship. She went on to earn her BFA in dance training under Dominique Angel, James Boyd, Thang Dao, Dante Puleio, and Adrienne Hicks. Blayke also trained under Teddy Forance through his mentorship program with CLIstudios. She earned scholarships to numerous intensives, including Gus Giordano, Dance Theater of Harlem, Perry Mansfield, Peridance, and American Dance Festival. Blayke is now a company member of Fuerta Dance Company and a judge for Inspire National Dance Competition for their 2022-2023 season. Her choreography for competitions studios has won numerous awards over the past six years. Blayke loves sharing her talents and love of dance with her students.

Brooke Rogers

Faculty Member

Brooke Rogers is from Morehead City, North Carolina. She graduated in 2022 from the University of Georgia, with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Political Science. Through college, Brooke taught dance and group fitness as an AFAA-certified group fitness instructor. While Brooke has trained in jazz, musical theater, contemporary, modern, ballet, tap, and hip hop, she specializes in precision jazz technique and dance-based conditioning. In addition to performing with UGA’s Dance Company, she performed and choreographed in UGA’s Young Choreographer’s Series. She also competed at NDA Nationals with the UGA Red Hotz competitive dance team. Outside of her university experiences, Brooke has trained with former Rockettes, attended the Rockette Summer Intensive, and interned for Joffrey Ballet School. As a teacher, Brooke strives to cultivate a positive and collaborative class environment that allows dancers to reach their full potential. She is so excited to work with all of the dancers at ADC and share her love of dance with them!

Maya Van Wagenen

MARKETING AND GRAPHICS

Maya Van Wagenen is an award-winning author and Woodstock resident. Her first book, Popular, published by Penguin Random House, debuted on the New York Times Bestseller List when she was fifteen. Months before its official release, the book garnered critical acclaim earning her a spot on TIME Magazine’s “The Sixteen Most Influential Teens of 2013” and Huffington Post’s “The Thirteen Most Fearless Teens of 2013.” In 2015, Maya’s book won the American Library Association’s YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-fiction, making her the youngest author and first memoirist to receive this honor. Penguin Random House has secured the rights to her second book. Maya is excited to join the ADC team as a content creator and editor.