AROVA Company Members 

Lisa Gibbs (Apprentice Program Coordinator) BA Dance Birmingham-Southern, MA Education UAB: Lisa is the Coordinator of Dance and Office Administrator for the Department of Theatre and Dance at Samford University. Ms. Gibbs, in association with the Alabama Ballet, established a minor in dance at the University in 2007. Since 1995, she has performed with regional companies such as Southern Danceworks and Sanspointe of Birmingham, AL.

Michelle Imhoff was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She has diverse performance and educational experience. Her early training was received in Birmingham at Fine Arts East (Susan Marsh) and Exclusively Ballet (Monica Barnett Smith. Having graduated high school at age 15, she left home to attend college at The Boston Conservatory. There she studied on scholarship, including receiving the AnaMarie Sarazin Award twice. In 2004 she received her BFA in Ballet and Modern. She has danced with Boston Dance Theatre, Winchester Ballet, Alabama Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego, American Contemporary Ballet, and presently Arova Contemporary Ballet. Summers were spent on scholarship with American Ballet Theatre, Paul Taylor, Boston Ballet, and International Ballet Academy (London) to name a few. She has performed on all the major television networks (ABC, CBS, NBC). Most recently she performed with Stiletto Entertainment on Holland America Cruise Lines in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and Alaska. Through out the years she has won 15 first place trophies from competitions across the U.S. She would like to thank all her friends, family, and fellow dancers for their support and inspiration, especially her parents and sister, who helped her through the hard times, provided endless opportunities, and showered her with undying love.

Jamie Kilgore (Ballet Mistress) is a founding company member of the AROVA Contemporary Ballet. Jamie has been featured in works by international choreographers, such as Thor Sutowski, Jorden Morris, and Kenet Oberly in AROVA productions. She began her ballet training under the guidance of Margaret Galloway. Later she continued to train at the Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) under Dame Sonia Arova, Thor Sutowski and Therese Laeger. As a student, Jamie had the opportunity to work professionally with the Alabama Ballet in productions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet. She also performed with the Alabama Dance Theatre as a soloist in La Bayadere, Cinderella, and Crystal Edge. She graduated from ASFA with the Prix D’Excellence de Danse Award in 1998 and immediately joined the San Diego Ballet. There she was best known for her role as lead Arabian in The Nutcracker and as a soloist in many of Javier Velasco’s contemporary works. Jamie is an adjunct faculty member of the ASFA Dance Department (ASFA) and oversees ASFA’s Preparatory Dance Program.

Kristin Marrs received her early ballet training with Christine Hughes in London, England. She studied dance at SUNY-Purchase and London Studio Centre; her teachers have included Francoise Martinet, Margaret Barbieri, and Richard Colton. Ms. Marrs has performed in Europe and the United States, appearing in works by Balanchine and Frederick Ashton, as well as Alun Jones, Simone Ferro, Kennet Oberly, Penny Askew, Kim Robards, Kristina Isabelle, Maria Glimcher, Stella Kane, and Tim Veach. Her credits include Images of Dance, Ballet Quad Cities, Northern Ballet Theatre, Paradise Ballet Theatre, and Columbus Dance Theatre. Ms. Marrs has served on the faculty of the School of Columbus Dance Theatre, the University of Illinois Department of Dance, and guest taught at the Shenyang Conservatory in Shenyang, China.

Carleton Meadows began her early classical training with Ballet South in Savannah, GA. She then attended the Virginia School of the Arts. After graduating from the VSA, Carleton was a trainee with the Nashville Ballet for two years. She is currently enrolled at Samford University where she is majoring in Dietetics, with a minor in Dance. This is Carleton’s third season with AROVA.

Melissa Smith began ballet and jazz training at the age of three with Julie Heckman. She later trained with CDF, Alabama Dance Academy, and BDT. In 2003, she was accepted to Birmingham-Southern College where she studied on scholarship with Mira Popovich and Ruth Henry. While at BSC, Melissa received several honors, including the academic Dean’s List, the Fine Arts Society Award for Excellence in Dance, Faculty Dance Honors Award for Choreography and was the initial recipient of the Mira Popovich Scholarship and Award for Excellence in Dance. She was also proud to be elected by her peers to serve as student coordinator for the Dance Department. Melissa graduated in May with a double major in Business Administration and Dance.

Davey Wofford studied at the Alabama School of Fine Arts until his senior year under the tutelage of Therese Laeger and Fabrice Lemire. He attended North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied under Ethan Stiefel on full scholarship. Mr. Wofford also attended Orlando Ballet and Kaatsbaan International Dance Center on scholarshiop. This is his second season with AROVA.

AROVA Apprentices

Holly Joy Cash graduated as a Dance major from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in 2005. After graduation, Holly was a trainee with Ballet Magnificat in Jackson, MS for two years. She is currently a foreign languages major at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Caroline Fortson began her classical ballet training with Charlotte City Ballet Company under Melissa Hale Coyle and Lisa Leone. She is now an interior design major at Samford University and is an apprentice with Arova Contemporary Ballet.

Megan Howland is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and spent three years dancing with the Alabama Ballet. After taking time off to finish her Bachelor of Arts in HIstory from UAB, Megan is excted to be dancing again with Arova.

Karan Jones attends Shades Valley High School where she is a part of the theatre academy. She was a participant in the 2007 Novi-Sad School of Dance workshop. This is Karen’s second time on stage with AROVA Contemporary Ballet.