Our Team
The South Charlotte Ballet Company works with existing and emerging local talent to ensure ongoing growth and a successful legacy for our dancers.
Meghan Chaney
Artistic director
Meghan is a native of North Carolina and started her dance journey at the age of 2.5. She danced competitively growing up and had the opportunity train under amazing choreographers and instructors from around the world. Throughout her dance career Meghan preformed at dance festivals, college football and basketball games, and at Disney. Meghan danced throughout college and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and dramatic arts. She has been teaching dance for a decade and loves working with dancers of all ages and skill levels. Meghan has many years of training in ballet, pointe, lyrical, contemporary, and many other styles of dance. She loves the discipline and beauty of ballet and is excited to share her passion for dance with her students. Meghan strives to create a classroom environment that excites students to learn, grow, and challenge themselves in new ways, while prioritizing injury prevention and fostering a love and appreciation for the arts. She is excited to be a part of the South Charlotte Ballet Company Team!
Kelsey Smith
Resident choreographer
Kelsey began her ballet training at the age of four at St. Louis Ballet. At nine, she began training with Charlotte Ballet Academy, and at 17, she was invited to join Charlotte Ballet’s Pre-Professional Trainee Program under the direction of Laszlo Berdo, Kati Mayo, and Patricia McBride. During her two seasons as a trainee, Kelsey had the opportunity to perform in George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht Ballet from Faust and Union Jack as well as Alejandro Cerrudo’s Lickety Split. In addition to academy and trainee performances, she has danced numerous corps and soloist roles with Charlotte Ballet, including Chris Stuart’s Peter Pan, Matthew Hart’s The Sleeping Beauty, Mark Diamond’s The Little Mermaid, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s The Nutcracker and Peter Pan, and Sasha Janes’ Wuthering Heights. Additionally, Kelsey performed for a YAGP Alumni Fundraising Gala in 2023. She has spent summers training at the Chautauqua Institute, the HARID Conservatory, Next Generation Ballet, Indiana University, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Ballet Austin, BalletMet, and Philadelphia Ballet. For the 23/24 season, Kelsey will be joining the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago as a Contemporary Ballet Trainee. Kelsey is honored to choreograph and share her passion for creation with SCBC.
