Tina Deese
Ballet 2, 3, 4 and 5; GDT Artistic Director

Tina is a native of South Carolina and began her training at The School of Ballet in Rock Hill under the direction of Anne Blackwell. She continued her training on scholarship at the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as attending numerous summer programs such as Interlochen Arts Academy, The Washington Ballet and The Richmond Ballet. Tina has worked professionally with Columbia City Ballet, under the direction of William Starrett, and with North Carolina Dance Theatre, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. While pursuing her B.A. in dance performance at Winthrop University from 2006-2008, Tina was honored in making the President's List all four semesters. Tina still performs with the York County Ballet, affiliated with The School of Ballet in Rock Hill, SC, and teaches at the school when needed. She has extensive performance experience, performing such roles at the Sugar Plum Fairy and Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella, Swahnilda from Coppelia and Aurora from excerpts of The Sleeping Beauty. Tina has been acting artistic director of Gaston Dance Theatre since September 2007. In that time, she has directed several productions of The Nutcracker, and Peter and the Wolf, as well as staging other classical ballets. In February 2010, adjudicating faculty from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts selected Tina's first contemporary ballet choreographic work to be performed at the annual NC Festival of Dance held in Winston-Salem, NC. Currently, Tina continues to dedicate herself as ballet instructor and director of Gaston Dance Theatre's School of Dance.

Caroline Wheless
Creative Movement, Kinderdance, Introductory Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern I and III, Adult Class (Modern, Tap, Jazz), Ballroom Instructor

Caroline is currently the director and instructor of the lower school dance program at Gaston Day School. She was classically trained at Maryland Hall for the Performing Arts in Annapolis, MD until going off to college and then dancing with the Mary Washington College Dance Company and the Fredericksburg Dance Matrix.