Meet the Team!

Christina Hicks

Executive Artistic Director, Teaching Artist, Principal Dancer

Falin Williams

Director of Operations, Photographer, Content Creator

Christina is an Alabama native and graduated from Troy University BS in Communication Studies and Dance. She was a founding member of the Troy Dance Repertory Ensemble (TDRE). While with TDRE, she traveled to China on a dance concert tour in 2010. In 2011, she was awarded the Chicago Arts fellowship and worked with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago on their development team. She danced with The Lost Colony in Manteo, NC and is a Guest Artist with DraMAStic Dance Works in Onancock, VA. She has worked and performed with Patti Rutland Jazz since 2013 and proudly took on the role of Director in 2018.

Falin has been with ADW now for nine years. Her many roles include managing the ADW Studio in Dothan, working for the ADW professional company with photography and videography, and also providing the marketing and graphic design for ADW as a whole. Outside of work, Falin enjoys participating in community theatre with SEACT and also loves performing with the ADW company every now and then!

Kerry O'Brien Herring

Teaching Artist, Company Director, Principal Dancer

Kerry O’Brien Herring received a B.F.A. in dance from Marymount Manhattan College (now Northeastern University – New York City). As the result of a choreography and performance focused dance degree, Kerry’s own choreographic works have been presented in collaboration with the Alabama Dance Festival, Troy University, Pikes Peak Community College, The Confucius Institute, the Southeast Alabama Dance, Ormao Dance Company, Shachah Touring Company, and the Dance Theater Workshop. Kerry's more recent endeavors include teaching dance for the Young Actors Theatre, the South Georgia Ballet, Lucretia's School of Dance, and Alabama Dance Works as well as dancing with the ADW Professional Company. Currently, Kerry serves as faculty at The Southern Dance Collective as well as the ADW Studio and is honored to be performing for a 8th season with ADW Professional Company.

Madison McGriff

Teaching Artist, BEYONDance Teacher, Principal Dancer

Before joining the professional company in 2019, Madison danced as a student and competed with the ADW Performance Team at the dance center. She has been working as an ADW Company Dancer for four years now and also teaches for the ADW Dance Center and the BEYONDance outreach program. She recently choreographed a piece for our advanced performance team and won the Excellence in Choreography Award at the Dance Educators of America competition in Atlanta, GA. Other choreographic acknowledgments include being selected to perform at the Alabama Dance Festival. In addition to these recognitions, Madison is certified in Acrobatic Arts and utilizes this in her dancing and choreography. McGriff looks forward to more opportunities with the ADW company.

Elizabeth McGriff

Teaching Artist, Performance Team Director, Principal Dancer

Elizabeth is a 9th year instructor at ADW. From her first dance class at 4 years old until today, dance has been a part of her every day. During her teenage years she dedicated herself to competitive dance and enjoyed it immensely. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts module 1 and Alixa Flexibility modules 1, 2 and 3. In addition to teaching multiple styles of dance, she has spent the last 10 years dancing professionally with Alabama dance works including performances at Jazz on Tap, The Alabama Dance Festival, Catharsis Series, The Impact Project and guest performances with Troy University.

Kiser Olds

Development Coordinator, Principal Dancer, Content Creator

Kiser Olds obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Troy University. Training in dance and musical theatre most of her life, Kiser finds that her true home is onstage. Kiser’s choreography has been nominated and or showcased with organizations such as Drapinsky Company’s Catharsis Series, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Some of her recent credits include “Blanche” in “Bonnie and Clyde” at Spanish Trail Playhouse, and “Lead Singer” in “SplashDance!” at OWA Parks & Resort. As a fourth year company member with ADW, Olds is thankful for the opportunities she has been given and looks forward to her future with the company. Kiser is currently pursuing a career in physical therapy alongside her dance career, and hopes to work with dancers for the rest of her life!

Lauren Hart

Teaching Artist, Principal Dancer

Lauren is in her 10th season with the company. Lauren began her training in Owensboro, Kentucky with Owensboro Dance Theatre where she studied ballet, jazz, and tap. She received her professional training at Western Kentucky University where she was a dance major with a stage electrics minor. Lauren has worked as a counselor for Jazz on Tap on tour, with various color guards throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, and has performed throughout the country as well as in Costa Rica at Jazz Dance World Congress. She worked for a variety of touring Broadway shows including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Drowsy Chaperone”. Since moving to Dothan in 2011, Lauren has worked with several studios in the area teaching a variety of styles of dance. In 2014 Lauren choreographed a musical for the local community theatre. Lauren is very grateful to be with a company who has become her home.

Arianna Pruitt

Principal Dancer, Teaching Artist, Administrative Assistant

Arianna began dancing at the age of 9 and received her training at the Kelly School of Dance and Alabama Dance Works as a student, teacher and Performance Team member. During her time as a competition dancer, she received numerous scholarships and special judges’ awards for her passion, emotion and talent. Arianna is one four dancers chosen at Dance Educators of America Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada to be represented by Jim Keith at The Movement Talent Agency. Following her Apprentice and Intern years, Arianna became a principal dancer and anticipates her 2nd season with Alabama Dance Works. Arianna is extremely grateful for this opportunity and to be a part of ADW!

Ethan Tyler

Principal Dancer, BEYONDance Teacher, Teaching Artist, Administrative Assistant

Ethan Tyler started his dance training at the age of 17. He was trained at Panama City Dance Academy in Florida under the guidance of Lance Washington, Michelle Williams, and Troy alumni Kaitlyn Morgan. He was on Panama City Dance Academy's competition team and placed at many competitions, including Inferno, Masquerade, Platinum, and Applause. He has a Bachelors in Dance from Troy University from years of studying under James Boyd, Adrienne Hicks, and Dominique Angel. Currently, he has danced with multiple non profit dance organizations and choreographed a multiple of stylized works. Details and artistic narrative are major importance for his teaching and performing styles.

Julia Huskey

Principal Dancer, BEYONDance Teacher, Teaching Assistant

Julia Huskey is a professional dancer and choreographer who received her BFA in Dance, Summa Cum Laude, from Troy University in Alabama under the instruction of James Boyd, Dominique Angel, and Adrienne Hicks. She has worked with and

performed works by Take Ueyama, Eric Handman, Lindsey Maethis, Lloyd Culbreath, James Kinney, Kelsie Metz, Katie Breland, Dominique Angel and Brynt Beitman. Julia has been commissioned to travel to a number of schools and organizations to work as an educator and choreographer. She has had the honor to train and perform in multiple festivals including the DAP Festival in Pietrasanta, Italy, the Alabama Dance Festival in Birmingham, AL, the LINK Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Ballet Festival in Atlanta, Georgia. Julia is currently based in Dothan, Alabama and is a principal dancer with Alabama Dance Works.

Michaela Pearse

Teaching Artist, BEYONDance Teacher, Principal Dancer, Content Creator

Michaela Pearse is a graduate of Troy University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. In her time at Troy, she had the opportunity to choregraph and produce original work, as well as perform featured roles in many Troy Theatre and Dance productions including work from Marcus Allen Cobb. Michaela was one of ten dancers from the University to be chosen to study dance abroad in Pietrasanta, Italy. While in Italy, she took was chosen to perform original work by Alice Klock and Florian Lochner of Flockworks and received a summer scholarship to train with MNDance Company in Slovenia. Michaela has had the opportunity to teach, judge, and set work at various studios around Alabama the past several years. She is now apart of Alabama Dance Works in Dothan, AL, serving as a principal dancer in their professional company, teaching artist for their dance center, and is a dance educator in Dothan City Schools with ADW’s BEYONDance outreach program.

Crystal Dubose

Teaching Artist, Principal Dancer, BEYONDance Outreach Teacher, Content Creator

Crystal DuBose is from Panama City Beach and grew up dancing locally. She attended Troy University, where she received her BFA in Dance and was featured in various productions as a dancer and soloist. Her original works have been showcased at the IMPACT project and Alabama Dance Festival. She is currently a principal dancer and teacher at Alabama Dance Works.

Taylor Griffith

Principal Dancer, BEYONDance Teacher, Administrative Assistant

Originally from Madison, Alabama, Taylor Griffith began her dance training at the age of 3. She is trained in ballet, pointe, contemporary, lyrical, modern, jazz, tap, hiphop, and musical theatre. Taylor has had the pleasure of attending summer intensives including Nashville Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Elmhurst Ballet School in

Birmingham, England, and the DAP Festival in Pietrasanta, Italy. Taylor graduated from Troy University in May of 2024 with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Minor in Business. During her time at Troy, she had the opportunity to perform in a variety of student-choreographed works, as well as works choreographed by Dominque Angel, James Boyd, Adrienne Hicks, Jamal White, Marcus Allan Cobb, Lloyd Culbreath, Take

Ueyama, and Michael McBride. She also served as an Assistant Artistic Director, Choreographer, Sports Performance Assistant, and Liaison. Currently, Taylor is a Principal Dancer at Alabama Dance Works and looks forward to continuing to dance, teach, choreograph, and judge across the country!