Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance
Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance, 601 Houze Way UNIT 800, Suite 100, Roswell, GA 30076
About
Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance offers classes in Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Tap, Musical Theatre, Acrobatics, and Aerial Silks. The school operates year-round with weekly classes, special events, camps, and rehearsals, and holds recitals and photos for all performing classes in May.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly classes from September–May, with holiday breaks following most Fulton County School dates; additional summer camps and intensives; RDT Company activities include an August Nutcracker Boot Camp, weekly and weekend rehearsals, and weekly classes September–May
Founded in 1979, Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance later established the resident performing company Roswell Dance Theatre in 1985, and after 38 years the studio has had over 1000 students. The school has 25 faculty members, 10 staff members, and several affiliated musicians, and offers over 130 classes each week taught by professional instructors with teaching experience across the USA and abroad. Its overarching mission for all open school classes and company programs is high quality dance instruction in a positive nurturing environment for each dancer to excel to his or her potential in the dance disciplines offered. The leadership team includes founders Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor, with Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz serving as Artistic Director and Mary Lynn Taylor as Associate Director.
Artistic Director Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz has extensive dance training centered on Ballet, Tap, and Jazz, and studied with Robert Joffrey of the Joffrey Ballet New York, David Howard, Pittman Corry, Igor Schwezoff, Gabriela Taub-Darvash, and others. Her performance and work history includes The Sid and Marty Krofft Productions, Walt Disney Productions, Southern Ballet of Atlanta, Cobb-Marietta Ballet, and performances with Donny and Marie Osmond, Peggy Fleming, Ernest Borgnine, Tina Turner, and Tony Orlando, as well as being a featured performer in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Gloria Estefan, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, and Gladys Knight. She founded the 501c3 resident performing company Roswell Dance Theatre, served a 5-year tenure as president of SERBA (the Southeast Regional Ballet Association), then served on the National board of Regional Dance America, and has been honored many times for her contributions to the arts at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
Associate Director Mary Lynn Taylor has been teaching ballet for over 40 years, including 38 years at Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance. She began her training at the Atlanta School of Ballet, studied for ten years at the Decatur School of Ballet, and was a member of the Decatur-Dekalb Civic Ballet Company for five years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in Ballet and minoring in Theatre Arts, with coursework in dance teaching, modern technique, acting, pas de deux, choreography, and pantomime. Her experience includes membership in the Fort Worth Ballet Company with performances in The Nutcracker Suite, Coppelia, Aurora’s Wedding, and other ballets, and teaching roles at the Lena Pope Children’s Home, Texas Christian University Ballet Department, and as director of the ballet division of the Redon Cudney Performing Arts Academy, as well as guest teaching at the Lilburn School of Ballet and Southern Ballet.
The school’s state-of-the-art dance facility includes studios with sprung floors and high ceilings. Unique features include the resident performing arts company Roswell Dance Theatre, over 130 weekly classes, and an annual holiday performance of The Nutcracker. Spring shows have included classical and original works such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Peter and the Wolf, Frozen, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, and Alice in Wonderland. Additional activities include a Modern Company concert performance, a dancer choreography showcase to benefit a local charity, participation in the RDA/SE Festival, Girl Scout events, studio rentals, and community outreach with public appearances and events at the studio. Roswell Dance Theatre operates as a non-profit resident dance company to which people can donate to contribute to the educational experience of young dancers.
Last updated April 23, 2026.
• Ages: 2–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly classes from September–May, with holiday breaks following most Fulton County School dates; additional summer camps and intensives; RDT Company activities include an August Nutcracker Boot Camp, weekly and weekend rehearsals, and weekly classes September–May
Founded in 1979, Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance later established the resident performing company Roswell Dance Theatre in 1985, and after 38 years the studio has had over 1000 students. The school has 25 faculty members, 10 staff members, and several affiliated musicians, and offers over 130 classes each week taught by professional instructors with teaching experience across the USA and abroad. Its overarching mission for all open school classes and company programs is high quality dance instruction in a positive nurturing environment for each dancer to excel to his or her potential in the dance disciplines offered. The leadership team includes founders Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor, with Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz serving as Artistic Director and Mary Lynn Taylor as Associate Director.
Artistic Director Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz has extensive dance training centered on Ballet, Tap, and Jazz, and studied with Robert Joffrey of the Joffrey Ballet New York, David Howard, Pittman Corry, Igor Schwezoff, Gabriela Taub-Darvash, and others. Her performance and work history includes The Sid and Marty Krofft Productions, Walt Disney Productions, Southern Ballet of Atlanta, Cobb-Marietta Ballet, and performances with Donny and Marie Osmond, Peggy Fleming, Ernest Borgnine, Tina Turner, and Tony Orlando, as well as being a featured performer in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Gloria Estefan, Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, and Gladys Knight. She founded the 501c3 resident performing company Roswell Dance Theatre, served a 5-year tenure as president of SERBA (the Southeast Regional Ballet Association), then served on the National board of Regional Dance America, and has been honored many times for her contributions to the arts at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
Associate Director Mary Lynn Taylor has been teaching ballet for over 40 years, including 38 years at Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance. She began her training at the Atlanta School of Ballet, studied for ten years at the Decatur School of Ballet, and was a member of the Decatur-Dekalb Civic Ballet Company for five years. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, majoring in Ballet and minoring in Theatre Arts, with coursework in dance teaching, modern technique, acting, pas de deux, choreography, and pantomime. Her experience includes membership in the Fort Worth Ballet Company with performances in The Nutcracker Suite, Coppelia, Aurora’s Wedding, and other ballets, and teaching roles at the Lena Pope Children’s Home, Texas Christian University Ballet Department, and as director of the ballet division of the Redon Cudney Performing Arts Academy, as well as guest teaching at the Lilburn School of Ballet and Southern Ballet.
The school’s state-of-the-art dance facility includes studios with sprung floors and high ceilings. Unique features include the resident performing arts company Roswell Dance Theatre, over 130 weekly classes, and an annual holiday performance of The Nutcracker. Spring shows have included classical and original works such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Peter and the Wolf, Frozen, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, and Alice in Wonderland. Additional activities include a Modern Company concert performance, a dancer choreography showcase to benefit a local charity, participation in the RDA/SE Festival, Girl Scout events, studio rentals, and community outreach with public appearances and events at the studio. Roswell Dance Theatre operates as a non-profit resident dance company to which people can donate to contribute to the educational experience of young dancers.
Last updated April 23, 2026.
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