Leslie started her dance training at age six in Marietta and continued her dance studies in Mississippi and with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. At age 16 she came to study with Decatur School of Ballet. After graduating from Texas Christian University as a ballet major in 1986, Leslie returned to teach and dance with our school and company. In July of 2018, Leslie purchased Decatur School of Ballet and became Artistic Director of Decatur City Dance.

Heidi started her dance training at age six at Decatur School of Ballet and continued to dance in the company until she graduated from high school. In the summer of 1987, she participated in the Governor's Honors Dance program. She trained as a demonstrator and teacher in younger children's classes at our school. While earning a B.F.A. in Arts Management from Brenau Women's College, Heidi danced with the Gainesville Ballet Company.

Andre Lumpkin is an artist, educator and entrepreneur from Athens GA. Although immersed in different cultural dance forms from a young age, he started his formal training at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Under the guidance of the dance program, he worked with artists and companies such as Blake Beckham, Kyle Abraham, Jennifer Archibald, StaibDance and Catellier Dance projects. Majoring in Sociology and minoring in Dance and Theater Studies, Lumpkin’s focus and passion centers the integral nature of arts and creativity in community and everyday life.

As an alumnus of Emory, Lumpkin continued on to earn his M.F.A in Choreography and Performance from The Florida State University School of Dance in 2017. During his graduate studies, He had the chance to work with renowned artists such as Jawole Zollar, Rodger Belman (R.I.P.), Jaamil Kosoko and Joya Powell, and hone his unique artistic voice. Post Graduate School Lumpkin continues to create, educate and perform nationally and internationally. As a professional, Lumpkin has dedicated himself to a holistic approach to choreography, teaching, performing, production design and community engagement.

Caroline is an interdisciplinary movement artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her BFA in Dance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 2023. Caroline is a company member of Atlanta’s site-specific dance company, Bautanzt Here, and performed on the Atlanta BeltLine in the company’s work Avoiding Highways (2024). She has presented work at festivals including the Modern Atlanta Dance Festival (2024) and Fall for Fall (2024).

In Fall 2023, Caroline was awarded the Meli Kaye Artist Residency, where she debuted her choreographic work, Well, That Didn’t Work…, a research-based exploration of tragedy. Most recently, she collaborated with Atlanta-based artist Merryn McKeough on True Middle, presented by Beacon Dance in Spring 2026. Caroline has also performed in works by notable artists including Ashlee Jo Ramsey Borunov, Mara Flamm, Meg Gourley, Curt Haworth, Jesse Zaritt, and Nadya Zeitlin.

Sophia recently graduated from Agnes Scott College with a degree in Psychology. She began her dance training at the age of three in Springfield, Missouri, where she studied ballet, pointe, variations, modern, jazz, and Irish step dance. During her time at Agnes Scott, Sophia worked with the college’s New Student Orientation program and served as a performing member, rehearsal assistant, and communications director for Studio Dance Theatre. In addition to her passion for dance, she enjoys creative writing and continues to pursue dance training. Sophia plans to build a career as a counseling psychologist specializing in sports injury recovery and rehabilitation.