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Victoria Toms
Victoria was born in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Hialeah and took her first dance classes at Carl Fogle’s Fountain of Youth Dance School. At age nine she was registered for a summer workshop at Jack Stanly’s Coral Gables studio where she began ballet lessons with Russian Master Alexander Nigodoff. She received a scholarship and was selected by Nigodoff to dance with the Miami Junior Ballet Theatre. She trained under his direction for nine years, performing many divertissements as well as lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Etudes and Walpurgis Night. Ms. Toms began her professional career in 1973 as a featured dancer with the Florida Family Opera and member of a company of six dancer-singers called “The Lemon Twist”. The ensemble toured for five years, performing with many legendary entertainers, including Bob Hope and Tony Bennett. In 1978 she moved to New York City and continued her training. Her many instructors include ballet teachers David Howard, Vladimir Dokoudovsky and Madame Gabriela Darvash. She studied jazz with Luigi and also Phil Black at the famed Phil Black Studio on 50th and Broadway. Victoria founded Atlantic Dance in 1995 after moving to the Outer Banks from South Florida. She enjoys boasting that she has over 50 years of dance experience and has been teaching all levels of dance for 27 years.
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Mila Smith
Mila was born and raised in Smithfield, Virginia where she began her dance training with Leslie McGinn who was a protégée and member of the original Eglevsky Ballet Company. Under Ms. McGinn’s guidance Mila had her first taste of teaching and knew instantly what her own career choice would be. She attended Radford University receiving a BFA degree in dance. From day one of Mila’s college experience she became immersed in the world of classical ballet. She studied under Yugoslavian born Franco Jelencic, renowned as a strict disciplinarian and one of the most esteemed ballet masters in the professional ballet world. Throughout her undergraduate studies Mila performed many lead roles and was coached by Jelencic’s wife, prima ballerina Dagmar Kessler. Naturally Mila’s love for the Outer Banks brought her to perform in The Lost Colony, America’s oldest and longest running outdoor drama. She worked with the Lost Colony for two seasons and was promoted to dance captain the third season. Ms. Smith began her teaching career contributing to the ballet and jazz program at Golden Slippers a large studio in the Virginia Beach area. In 2005 Mila began teaching at Atlantic Dance where she is now co-owner and director. Her two greatest pleasures in life are sharing her passion for dance along with the joy of being a wife and mother.
Thanks for reading our bios! What we especially want you to know is that we believe the key ingredient to a successful dance program is a strong emphasis on classical ballet. Our primary teaching mission is to inform and promote the fact that skilled ballet training is necessary for a student to achieve their full potential.
Before we became teachers we were first proficient dancers classically trained in the Russian Vagonava style. This style fused with knowledge of Cecchetti methodology offers each of our students the opportunity to pursue dance at the college level with the confidence of a strong basic classical technique. We offer a balanced program that allows recreational as well as the more serious dance student an optimal opportunity to grow as dancers and creative individuals. We pride ourselves in an experienced and effective approach. It starts with preschool and elementary students who we help develop into well-rounded young adults. Our students are introduced to many styles and trends in dance while maintaining a commitment to the essential principles of a good dance education. We teach that dedication and discipline cultivate the poise and self-confidence that will be life-long attributes for all of our students.
As Mila enthusiastically exclaims when prompted for more details about our credentials and mission statement, “Come to our annual recital and see the dancing speak for it self!”
