Pamela Merkel
Pamela Merkel (Ballet, Pointe, Pre-ballet & Tap) is the founder and director of Alabama Dance Academy. A highly accomplished teacher, Ms. Merkel's dancers have performed across the globe in Europe and as featured performers at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. A native of Trenton, NJ, she began her training at the Royal Ballet Centre and continued studying with Harkness House for Ballet Arts and the School of American Ballet in New York City. Ms. Merkel began dancing professionally at the age of 16. She enjoyed a lengthy career with the State of Alabama Ballet and also danced with Atlantic Contemporary Ballet Theatre, Hartford Ballet, and Connecticut Ballet Theatre. Prior to founding the Alabama Dance Academy in 1995, Ms. Merkel taught for the State of Alabama Ballet and the Alabama School of Fine Arts.
Tammi Carr (Ballet, Pre-pointe, Jazz) has been teaching at Alabama Dance Academy since 1997. She is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College with a B.A. in Dance with an emphasis in pedagogy and a B.S. in Elementary and Special Education grades K-6. She is currently working on a Master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in teaching English as a Second Language. A Florida native, Tammi attended the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg. She has also trained with the Atlanta Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Southern Ballet Theatre in Orlando. Tammi has danced with the Atlanta Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Florida West Ballet. In addition to teaching at Alabama Dance Academy, Ms. Carr is a fifth grade teacher at Oak Mountain Intermediate School in Shelby County.
Jamie Hinson (Ballet, Pointe, Pre-ballet & Tap, Jazz, Lyrical/Contemporary) began her dance training in Huntsville, Alabama at North Alabama Dance Center. Jamie attended the University of Alabama where she majored in Political Science and Dance, and graduated magna cum laude in 2006. While at UA, Jamie was a member of the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre and was a performer and choreographer for Dance Alabama. Jamie’s choreography was twice recognized in the Panoply Choreography Competition. Jamie's choreography was also the University of Alabama's 2006 selection to the American College Dance Festival. In 2006, Jamie was awarded the Lou Wall Award from the Department of Dance for outstanding contributions to the Department. In 2009, Jamie was selected by audition to attend Robert Battle's choreography intensive. Jamie began teaching and choreographing at the Alabama Dance Academy in 2006, and teaches all levels of Ballet, Pointe, Jazz and Lyrical/ Contemporary. She is a company choreographer for the Jazz and Lyrical Ensembles, and has had her choreography performed at the Alabama Dance Festival, Joffrey Elite Dance Tournament, Universal Ballet Competition, Youth America Grand Prix as well as numerous community events and television programs. In addition to teaching and choreographing, Jamie received her Juris Doctor degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in 2009, and has her own estate planning law practice.
Stephanie Davidson (Ballet, Pre-ballet, Tap & Jazz) is starting her sixth year with Alabama Dance Academy. She received her dance training from Conyers School of Ballet in Georgia where she took classes in ballet, pointe, tap, and jazz. She also attended summer intensives at the Conyers School of Ballet, Atlanta School of Ballet, and Joffrey Ballet School in New York. After graduating high school, Stephanie attended Young Harris College. Upon graduating, she joined the faculty at Conyers School of Ballet for ten years. She also has a Bachelors in Music Education from Reinhardt University. Along with teaching classes for Alabama Dance Academy, she is a 4K teacher at Riverchase Day School and elementary choir director at Bluff Park United Methodist Church. Stephanie loves to dance and wants to not only train strong dancers but also instill that love of dance into her students.
Bryn Davis (Ballet, Pointe) is from Hoover, AL and began her training at Alabama Dance Academy under the direction of Pamela Merkel. During the time she attended several summer intensives on scholarship including Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (New York), and School of American Ballet. At the age of 17, she moved to Philadelphia to train on full scholarship at The Rock School for Dance Education. The following year she accepted a position with the Professional Division of Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle under the direction of Peter Boal. During her two years dancing with PNB, Bryn performed with the corps de ballet in ballets such as Christopher Wheldon's “Carousel: A Dance,” George Balanchine's “Coppelia,” Balanchine's “The Nutcracker,” and Balanchine's “Symphony in C.” She also originated roles in NEXT STEP pieces choreographed by Steven Loch and Kyle Davis in addition to performing Balanchine's “Valse Fantasie” with the PNB School. Since joining Alabama Ballet, Bryn's favorite roles have included Lilac Fairy in “The Sleeping Beauty” and Arabian Coffee and Demi Flower Soloist in Balanchine's “The Nutcracker.” She is excited for her second year of teaching at Alabama Dance Academy and the opportunity to pour back into the studio where she began. Bryn and faculty memberJourny Davis were married in August 2022.
Journy Davis (Ballet, Pointe) Born in Fort Hood, TX, and currently dancing with Alabama Ballet, Journy Wilkes Davis began his training under Shannon Greenberg and Dagoberto Nieves in Savannah, GA. Journy joined the Columbia Classical Ballet under the direction of Radenko Pavlovich and in 2010, moved to the Columbia City Ballet under the direction of William Starrett where he was promoted to Principal Dancer. While in Columbia, SC, Journy has danced roles in Mark Diamond’s A Streetcar Named Desire, Paul Taylor’s Company B, Balanchine’s Serenade, Donizetti Variations, Allegro Brilliante, and Stars and Stripes Forever, Lynn Taylor Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk, as well as classics such as Albrecht in Giselle, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty, and Sugarplum Cavalier in the Nutcracker. Journy co-directed, choreographed, and danced in the H.E.R.O. Dance Benefit which partnered with Columbia Music Festival Association to bring professional dancers together for an evening of dance to support and honor our nation’s military and was awarded the South Carolina Art’s Commission Fellowship for Dance Performance. Journy and Bryn Davis, ADA alum and faculty member, were married in August of 2022.
Caroline Bagwell (Hip Hop) is a proud product of Alabama Dance Academy and its teachers and is so excited to get to be a part of your children’s dance life at ADA. She has been dancing since 2002 and is trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical and hip hop. In high school, she was on the dance team at Spain Park High School and went on to be on the dance team at the University of North Alabama where she danced primarily jazz and hip hop. She has a passion for students and learning as she is an English teacher at Clay Chalkville Middle School, and she is thrilled to get to combine her passions for dance and for students by teaching hip hop the remainder of this school year!
Jessica Nicholson (Ballet, Pointe) received her ballet training at the Akhmedova Ballet Academy in Silver Spring, MD, under the direction of Jaqueline Akhmedova. In 2014 she attended the Tanzolymp Dance Competition in Germany, and won gold in her age category. For several years Jessica competed in the Youth America Grand Prix. She won second place in the senior classical category in Austin, TX and attended the New York City Finals each year. Following her graduation she danced professionally with in Charleston, SC under the direction of Alexandre Proia and Ballet Magnificat. Jessica joined Alabama Ballet in 2019 and will be returning for her 5th season. Her favorite roles thus far include Green Girl in George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, Lead Hot Chocolate (Spanish) In George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, the Summer Fairy in Roger Van Fleteren’s Cinderella, and Prayer in Roger Van Fleteren’s Coppelia. Jessica joined ADA Faculty this summer (2023) and is excited to be a part of our year round staff!
Katie Drozd’s (Classic Pilates) passion for dance was sparked at a young age when she began ballet classes at a local dance studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She continued her training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for both their high school and college program. She worked extensively with Susan Jaffe, Jennet Zerbe, Jared Redick, Laura Martin, and Eva Draw before dancing with Alabama Ballet. In 2021 Katie completed her Classical Pilates Mat certification, and is currently working on the rest of her comprehensive certification. Her eager curiosity to grow both as an artist and a human propel Katie to keep learning and gaining new experiences
Lyndsi Brown (Hip Hop) is from Huntsville, Al and receiving her training at Heidi Knight School of Dance. Lyndsi began dancing at the age of 7 and is trained in ballet, contemporary, lyrical, tap, jazz, and hip hop, and was a member of their competition team for several years. Lyndsi graduated from UAB with a bachelors in Kinesiology. While at UAB, she was a member of the Blazerettes Dance Line. She served as the 2021 Assistant Captain and 2022 Head Captain. Lyndsi was also a 2022 USFL cheerleader. Lyndsi is currently obtaining her Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies at UAB.
Ally Mavar (Acro) is from Fairhope, AL, and has trained in dance and gymnastics for over 16 years. She began her dance training at Gulf Coast Dance Alliance in Acro, ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and modern. While part of their competition team she contributed to multiple regional and national titles. As a gymnast, she trained at Bay City Gymnastics. Ally is a coach at Bay City Gymnastics and JamJav Gymnastics, training children ages 3-12. As she grew up in Bay City, she loved spending time with children who had the same eagerness to learn as she did. She loves giving back to local gyms and dance studios. Ally currently attends UAB and is a member of their cheerleading team.
Ariana (Air-E-ana) (Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Pre-Ballet/Tap) is a army brat who grew an appreciation for traveling at an early age. Her foundation was paved at Alabama Dance Academy under the direction of Pamela Merkel where she was exposed to the magic of the theater and performing arts world. She attended The Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Nashville Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet on scholarship to further her early education. A graduate of Birmingham-Southern College with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance, she divulged in contemporary and classical dance forms and practices. Before transferring, she had the pleasure of training with Columbia College of Chicago where she began her professional career as a freelance artist. She is a former 2nd Company artist of the premier Philadelphia Dance company; enthusiastically known as Philadanco!. There she expanded her technique to include Horton under the mentorship of Milton Myers, Graham under Pat Thomas and classical ballet with the late Deloris Brown. During her studies at Philadanco!, she had the immense opportunity of working alongside of Matthew Rushing, Rennie Harris, Ronald K Brown, Jeroboam Bozeman, and others to further hone her artistry. In 2014, Ariana accepted the invitation to perform with Philadanco! at The Kennedy Center. Since her return to Alabama, she has received her certification in Progressive Ballet Technique and is an active dance educator throughout the city of Birmingham. Most recently, she partnered with UABs ArtPlay to moderate a special lecture with AAADT leaders for their 65th anniversary season. Ariana has performed principle roles with Arova Contemporary Ballet and Sanspointe Dance Company, served as a freelance artist performing repertoire with Alabama Ballet dancers and was a featured performer in the 2022 opening and closing World Games. As the proud owner of LUMI; a wedding and events venue located in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Ariana’s passion for dance has pioneered her dedication to creating a space for celebrating and eclectic creative events in the Magic City.
Abby Hudgins (Ballet) began dancing at Cullman Ballet Theatre School in Cullman, AL, under the direction of Elaine Willingham. She joined the Alabama Ballet School under the direction of Wes Chapman and Roger Van Fleteren, before joining the Alabama Ballet as an apprentice. She attended the University of Oklahoma on dance and academic scholarships, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English and her Master’s of Library and Information Studies. She married Dr. David Hudgins, and they trained in ballroom and flamenco including traveling to Jerez de la Frontera, Spain to study flamenco. Together, they opened Awen Academy of Ballet and Ballroom in Norman, OK, which they operated together before moving to Corpus Christi, TX. While in South Texas, Abby taught ballet and fitness for numerous dance studios. She coached individuals and group pieces for competitions, with many students achieving top placements and passing to finals. Abby has successfully completed the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She is thrilled to be home in Alabama and teaching at Alabama Dance Academy, where she attended her first summer intensive.
Substitute Teachers
Asha Gangolli (Classic Pilates, Ballet) A native of Evanston IL, Asha began her dance training locally with Kerry Hubata and Bea Rashid. As a student she trained across the U.S. with Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, and as a trainee with The Joffrey Ballet under the tutelage of Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. During this time she worked and performed with the company in Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker, as well as Stanton Welch’s La Bayadere and Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet. Since joining the Alabama Ballet in 2014, Asha has performed soloist roles in Roger Van Fleteren’s Dracula and Cinderella, Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs as well as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Asha is a certified Pilates instructor and is on faculty at Aero Joe Pilates. She teaches group and private lessons in Pilates and Ballet.
