Anticipating approximately 75 students the first year, they were amazed at their grand opening registration to enroll over 350 students. It was truly great from the start. As the year progressed, Mrs. Yilmaz would teach as Mrs. Taylor would take registration from the non-stop telephone calls and vise-versa.

Over the years the dance school has seen tremendous growth. With  moving their studio in 1998 to their current location with over 12,000 square feet of studio space with five state of the art studio's with offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal space and studio space. With a current enrollment of over 900 students with 21 faculty and staff members.  Also the creation of their performing company in 1985, The Roswell Dance  was  founded.  To  give  the more  dedicated  and  gifted  dancers  an  opportunity  to  train  and  perform, in  a  more  professional  atmosphere.  The  dancers  are  now  selected  by annual  auditions,  those  that  are  chosen  exhibit  high  levels  of  proficiency  in ballet,  pointe  and  modern  dance.  The  young  men  and  women  of  the Roswell  Dance  Theatre  have  performed  for  audiences  all  over  the  world. They  begin  their  first  tour  when  they  were  selected  to  represented  the state  of  Georgia  in  1988  at  the  Young  Americans  Invitational  Dance Festival  in  Los  Angeles,  California. In  1992,  Roswell  Dance  Theatre completed  its  first  international  performing  tour  to  Australia,  Hawaii  and New  Zealand.  In  1994,  they  performed  and  toured  through out England. They  were  seen  on  world  television  for  the  opening  and  closing ceremonies for  the  1996  Centennial  Olympic  Games  in  Atlanta,  Georgia.  They  have also  performed  and  toured  in  Spain,  Mexico,  and  Austria, Italy and Germany for the Tanzsummer  Dance  Festival.  In  2008  Roswell  Dance Theatre  performed  in  the  halftime  performance  at  the  Orange  Bowl  in Miami,  Florida  with  Z Z Top.

Public  performances  in  North  Atlanta  include  the  annual  production  of "The  Nutcracker"  with  over  250  cast  members,  which  was  seen  by  over 5,000  audience  members  this  past  season.  As  well  as  past  performances Giselle, Sleeping  Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and Peter and the Wolf. 

The Roswell Dance Theatre is an Honor  Company member of the South Eastern Regional Ballet Association of Regional Dance America. They were one of only four performing  companies  selected  from  the  southeast  in  2007  to  perform for  the  Gala  Performance  at  the  National  Festival  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.

Members  of  the  Tolbert  Yilmaz  School of Dance  and  The  Roswell  Dance Theatre  have  been  accepted  into  and  received  scholarships  from  some  of the  finest  dance  programs,  performing  arts  schools  and  universities  in  the nation.  Among  these  are  American  Ballet  Theatre,  Joffrey  Ballet,  North Carolina  School  of  the  Arts,  Boston  Ballet,  Ballet  Hispanico,  Pointe  Park College,  Alfonso  Lines  Ballet,  Pacific  Northwest  Ballet,  Marymount  College, New  York  University  and  many  many  more.  There  are  approx.  100
members  of  the  Roswell  Dance  theatre.

The  faculty  of  the  Tolbert  Yilmaz  School of Dance  now  consists  of  over  25 instructors,  staff  members,  and  musicians.  The  instructors  are  very dedicated  and  gifted  professionals  with  a  vast  amount  of  experience  in teaching  in  the  USA  and  abroad.  They  teach  only  in  the  area's for which they have been trained.

As the dance school begins its 30th season,   Nancy  Tolbert  Yilmaz  and  Mary Lynn  Taylor are  still  at  the  studio  every  day,  overseeing  the  classes  and rehearsals,  and  as  they  see  the  accomplishments  of  not  only  other  peoples children,  but  they  have  enjoyed  seeing  the accomplishments  of  their  own. Mary  Lynn's  daughter  Kassandra  Taylor  is  an  accomplished  choreographer who  works  have  been  featured  on  many  performing  companies  and featured  at  the  Regional  Dance  America  Gala  last  year.  she  is  also  a graduate  of  Pointe  Park  College.  Nancy  Tolbert  Yilmaz  daughter  Elizabeth Yilmaz  recently  graduated  from  Marymount Manhattan  College  and  is now  a  member  of  Ballet Hispanico.  Both  daughters  received  scholarships  in dance  at  their  respective  college  programs.

Since Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance is now teaching the children of the children they  originally  began  teaching  30 31 years  ago,  their  goal  is to continue  to  do  what  they  started out doing in 1978. To provide a positive nurturing environment for each dancer to excel to his or her potential in the dance disciplines offered.

Submitted by:

Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz
Artistic Director
Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance
Roswell  Dance Theatre
(770)  998-0259

* For  additional  information  or  photographs  concerning  our  30th   season,  please  do  not  hesitate  to  contact  me.