Recitals mark long-awaited return to stage for Roswell dancers

ROSWELL, Ga. - When Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor opened the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance back in 1979, they never could have dreamed what 2020 would hold in store for the school and its dancers.

But you know what they say: The show must go on.  And now, after a long 14 months, the dancers are back in the theatre and ready to "wow" some crowds.

The Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance (home to resident performing company Roswell Dance Theatre) is currently back at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, hosting nearly 30 shows as part of its year-end recital series; this weekend’s performances will wrap up the busy week of recitals for the school’s more than 900 students. Due to the ongoing pandemic, tickets are limited to four per dancer (per show), and school staffers say attendees are being seated in socially-distanced pods of two to four seats. 

School founders say being back in the theatre is a "time to celebrate," considering the challenge of dance training during the pandemic. Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor first opened the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance in North Atlanta back in 1979 and created the Roswell Dance Theatre in 1985, which is an audition-based performance company known to many local audiences for its annual holiday performance of "The Nutcracker" (which has even featured our own Buck Lanford in the past!). More recently, the school moved into a new space at 601 Houze Way in Roswell.

Registration is also now open for the school’s 2021-2022 season; information for new and returning students may be found by clicking here.  And click on the video player in this article to check out our morning getting a preview of this weekend’s recitals (not to mention a dance lesson or two!) from the school’s talented students!

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