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.
A Columbia, South Carolina native, Ms. Taylor Kelly began her ballet training at the age of 3 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 Kelly received training at American Ballet Theatre and was a performance soloist at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Ms. Taylor Kelly 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 Kelly 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 Kelly 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 Kelly 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 Kelly 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 Kelly is a former artist and Principal Dancer with Columbia Classical Ballet for 12 seasons where she has performed roles such as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, 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 Kelly just completed her 12th and final season with CCB. She is now the Artistic Director and Principal Dancer with the newly formed professional company Palmetto Ballet Theatre, which will begin its inaugural season in 2025-2026.
Dance inspires, engages, and empowers. Ms. Taylor Kelly'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 also learn perseverance, artistry, and creativity in a positive environment. Ms. Taylor Kelly'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 led her to found the Brianna 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."
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 was a previous artist with Columbia Classical Ballet and will be joining Palmetto Ballet Theatre's Inaugural 2025-2026 season.
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 for two seasons. She will be joining Palmetto Ballet Theatre's Inaugural 2025-2026 season as Principal Dancer.
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, Aladdin, The Wizard of Oz, and most recently Carabosse and The Curse of Sleeping Beauty.
Isa (they/she) was born in Ithaca, New York and grew up in Rockville, Maryland. They began their training at American Dance Institute, as well as Maryland School of Dance, and was a trainee with American Repertory Ballet for two seasons. Isa attended summer intensives including Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet, and Central School of Ballet London (Ballet Central). Her professional includes contracts with Neville Dance Theatre, Ballet Fantastique, and 3 season with Columbia Classical Ballet. Isa has also held guesting contracts with Nevada Ballet and Virginia National Ballet.
She currently loves teaching contemporary at Palmetto Conservatory of Dance. Isa is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of ABT National Training Curriculum. Isa recently had the opportunity to release their first choreographic piece "Her/Them/Us" for Palmetto Ballet Theatre and is very excited for future creations. Isa will be joining Palmetto Ballet Theatre for its inagural 2025-2026 season.
Evan, originally from Huntsville, Alabama, started his ballet training at Huntsville Ballet School at the age of 18, in 2015.
Evan furthered his dance training when he joined Charlotte Ballet's Trainee Program 2017 - 2018. The following year he continued at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for their 2018-1019 school year.
Evan spent two seasons with Alabama Ballet as a Company Artist before moving cross country to the Bay Area to dance with Ballet22 where he performed as “Lucien” in Paquita Pas De Deux, “Ali” in Le Corsaire Pas De Deux, Ramon Ollers’s Carmen as Don Jose, Joshua Staton’s, Juntos, and originated works by Myles Thatcher’s, Heartbeats, Durante Verzola’s, La Liberta, and worked with choreographers Annabel Lopez Ochoa and Omar Roman de Jesus. While dancing in the Bay Area, Evan was also a company artist with both Oakland Ballet and San Jose Dance Theatre. He was most recently seen with Dzul Dance in New York City. Evan will be an Artist in Residence with Palmetto Ballet Theatre this season.
