Where Dreams Do Come True!

Our Instructors

Radenko Pavlovich, Founder

A native of Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Mr. Pavlovich began his ballet training at the age of eight, after being selected by Yugoslavian officials for his apparent potential.


He quickly advanced to the top of his class and earned the privilege of attending the prestigious Vaganova Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. It wasn't long before Mr. Pavlovich earned a full scholarship to attend the Royal Ballet School in London, England, becoming the only foreign student in a highly elite graduating class.


Mr. Pavlovich began his professional career under Grand Ballet Master Rudolf Nureyev, who coached him in matters of technique and character. He went on to earn highest honors at the Balkan Ballet Competition under Mr. Nureyev's tutelage.


Mr. Pavlovich danced with the Austrian National Ballet, was a soloist with the Croation National Theatre of Yugoslavia and London Festival Ballet, and later became principal dancer with the Munich State Opera Ballet, Ballet Casa Della Cultura in Ecuador, and Atlanta Ballet.


After an illustrious career, Mr. Pavlovich relocated to Columbia, where he opened the Pavlovich Dance School, now Palmetto Conservatory of Dance, in Forest Acres. A passionate believer that the quality classical training he received was key to his successful dancing career, Mr. Pavlovich has been training children and young adults of all ages and backgrounds in the Vaganova method for more than two decades to prepare them for their own distinguished accomplishments, awards, and careers. Mr. Pavlovich returned to Sarajevo and teaches and directs in Belgrade; however, PCD is fortunate to welcome Mr. Pavlovich back to the studio often to teach Master Classes.

Brianna Taylor, Owner & Artistic Director, and Principal Dancer with Columbia Classical Ballet

 

A Columbia, South Carolina native, Ms. Taylor began her ballet training at the age of 4 and began her training and professional career under the direction of Radenko Pavlovich. She also studied under the tutelage of Stanislav Issaev and Natalya Revich at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Ms. Taylor received training at American Ballet Theatre and was a performance soloist at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Ms. Taylor was a 2009 and 2013 Youth America Grand Prix finalist, a 2015 and 2018 semifinalist and 2017 finalist at the Valentina Koslova International Ballet Competition in New York City. 


Ms. Taylor received training in Musical Theatre and Tap under the direction of Dedra Daniels-Mount at Broadway Bound Musical Theatre Company where she has been the Ballet Mistress, Tap and Shag Instructor. During her time with Broadway Bound's competitive team, she won numerous overall Diamond and Platinum awards and titles including the coveted Triple Threat title for excellence in Singing, Dancing, and Acting. Ms. Taylor portrayed Bombalurina in the 2019 Vista Theatre Project's production of Cats. In addition, she received training at Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center.


Ms. Taylor received her contemporary and modern training from Terrance Henderson and was a guest artist with Vibrations contemporary dance company under his direction. She was a member and team captain of the North/South Carolina based Junior Shag Dance Team who were U.S. Open Champions and winners of the 2019 French Open Swing Dance Championships in Paris. Ms. Taylor is a French Open gold medal winner of the Pro-Am Division with partner Brennar Goree, national and international shag and swing dance champion. Ms. Taylor is also an accomplished choreographer with many of her pieces winning top honors at regional and national competitions.


Ms. Taylor is currently an artist and Principal Dancer with Columbia Classical Ballet under the direction of Artistic Director, Brooklyn Mack where she has performed roles such as Nutcracker's Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen, Myrtha in Giselle, Nikiya in LaBayadere, Medora and Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Cinderella, LifeChance, Dorothy and the Wicked Witch in Oz, and the featured dancer in Osmos choreographed by Andile Ndlovu as well as many other classical and contemporary works. Ms. Taylor just celebrated her 11th season with CCB. 


Dance inspires, engages, and empowers. Ms. Taylor's passion is dance, and combined with her love of children, she is committed to dance education where students are trained not only in technique but learn perseverance, artistry, and creativity in a positive environment. Ms. Taylor's passion also lies in bringing dance beyond the studio and into the community positively impacting children's lives through our Educational Outreach Program. This love for dance, children, and her community lead her to found Taylor Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit dedicated to dance education and outreach.  

                                         

                              "Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another."

Antonia Díaz García, Assistant Director, Ballet Instructor, Pilates


A native of Bogota, Colombia, Ms. Díaz García trained in Colombia as well as with The Joffrey Ballet School of New York's Trainee Program on scholarship. She has been a part of Columbia Classical Ballet's Corp De Ballet for four seasons. Ms. Díaz García has danced with the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, Oklahoma City Ballet as a trainee and has been a guest artist with Charleston Ballet, Inc. Her dance experience includes Classical Ballet, Character Dance, Jazz, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, and Physical Training such as PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique), Pilates, and Gyrokinesis. Ms. Díaz García is a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO. Ms. Diaz Garcia is currently an artist with Columbia Classical Ballet.

Lorenna Calheiros, Ballet Instructor, Adult 


Lorenna Calheiros was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she began taking ballet class at the age of twelve. She finished her studies at Balletarrj Escola de Dança where she also danced for three additional years with their young company, Cia Jovem Balletarrj. She won several awards in competitions in Brazil, as well as in international competitions such as WBC and Tanzolymp, 3rd and 2nd place in GPDD, and YAGP 1st place in the ensemble category, in addition to being a finalist in YAGP and top 10 in WBC. She also performed in several galas and as a guest dancer nationally and internationally. Ms. Calheiros developed her skills training with renowned artists such as Maria Vakhrusheva, Caridad Martínez, Elena Kunikova, César Lima, Lorena Boaventura, and many others. She was contracted by the Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro for the Coppelia season in 2018. In 2019, she became an apprentice at Atlantic City Ballet, where she was promoted as a company member until 2022. Ms. Calheiros joined Columbia Classical Ballet's Corps de Ballet in 2023. 

Jennifer Amrol, Adult Ballet Instructor


Dr. Amrol grew up dancing at the Rock Hill School of Ballet. She has been at the Pavlovich Ballet School/Palmetto Conservatory of Dance for 12+ years. She danced and performed with Columbia Classical Ballet for 3 years. Dr. Amrol has taught Levels 1, 2, and 3 along with the adult ballet class. She currently teaches PCD's Adult Ballet Classes. Dr. Amrol, is a pediatrics specialist in Columbia, SC and has over 24 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Columbia in 1998. Dr. Amrol also generously shares her talent and love of photography with the families of PCD.

Simone Cuttino, Resident Choreographer


Mrs. Cuttino, originally from Koblenz, Germany, studied Ballet at both the Acadamie of Dance in Cologne, Germany and the John Cranko Ballet School in Stuttgart. She studied under the tutelage of Ursula Bormann and Peter Vondruszka.

Over the course of her dancing career, Simone has performed well over 1,000 classical and modern ballets including Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer Night's Dream, Giselle, The Three Musketeers, Rite of Spring and Gershwins. Some of her favorite solo roles include Warenka in Anna Karenina and the lead in Carmina Burana.


Mrs. Cuttino's career has also included performing with the Columbia Classical Ballet and being the Director of the Ballet Department at Stepping Out Studio. Her choreographies have won gold and platinum awards. She has and continues to choreograph many pieces for the Columbia Classical Ballet and Palmetto Conservatory of Dance. Her most recent choreography of Cinderella for Palmetto Conservatory moved audience member with the dance's power and beauty. She is currently working with Palmetto Conservatory on her interpretation of Aladdin. 

Kimberly Langley, Contemporary Instructor, Choreographer, Adult Jazz


Ms. Langley is a native of Columbia, South Carolina. Upon graduating from high school, she received a Dance Scholarship to The University of South Carolina under the direction of Susan Anderson. Ms. Langley has a well rounded background in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, and modern. She has an extensive background in classical ballet with a main focus of Vaganova under the tutelage of Ann Brodie, Fina Suarez-More, Susan Anderson, Stanislav Issaev, Maya Plisetskaya of the Bolshoi Ballet, Vyacheslav Gordeyev of the Moscow Ballet, William Starrett, Mariclare Miranda, and Radenko Pavlovich. Training in New York with Michael Lland, Robert Denvers and David Howard. Ms. Langley brings with her over 30 years of teaching experience to all level students and in multiple dance genres. Her choreography has won awards for both groups and solos in multiple genres. She specializes in technical coaching for dancers looking to take their abilities to the professional level. She is the ballet technique coach for the Chapin Girls Dance Team, and currently on faculty with Palmetto Conservatory of Dance and Dreamworks in Sumter, SC. Ms. Langley is known for her enthusiastic and innovative teaching style. Students under her tutelage have achieved top honors as soloist and title winners at National Dance Competitions, scholarship recipients and top five at YAGP, Universal Ballet Competition top five, The Dance Awards, Grand Talent at the Miss SC Pageant, performed with the Rockettes, admissions to Point Park, Joffrey, AMDA, and New School NYC, performed on Broadway and cast member for Disney.