Birmingham Dance Theatre

OUR FOUNDATION

Meet

The Directors

From Left To Right

McCall Scofield - Assistant Studio Director

Joni Scofield - Studio Director

Ally Packard - Assistant Studio Director

Betts Packard - Future Director

Nora Leigh Packard - Future  Director



JONI SCOFIELD

OWNER / STUDIO DIRECTOR

Birmingham Dance Theatre, Inc., was formed to offer students an environment where they are capable of
receiving personal attention in a demanding yet enjoyable atmosphere.

Joni Scofield is the owner and artistic director of BDT. She took over the studio from her mother, Nora Nash, and has even further developed a tradition of disciplined hard work with a family atmosphere.

From the instructors we hire to our facilities, we want you to have many possibilities to learn and grow in the world of dance. BDT has a state of the art building with 6 spacious studios. Each studio has a suspended floor with marley flooring, viewing windows & updated lighting and sound system.

Founded in 1962

Nora first began teaching at Miss Beverly’s in Midfield in 1962. Then she went
out on her own in 1966 and opened Nora Nash Dance Studio.
“When Mom was a little girl, she would always go to the Mickey Mouse Club
every Saturday out at the Alabama Theatre,” Joni said. “That sparked her love for
dancing, and she took tap – she’s a tapper – from Jack Saxon, and at some point
she decided to start teaching.”

Nora Nash Dance Studio was in Vinesville from 1966-71 and then moved to
Central Park until 1974 before moving to Vestavia Hills. It was on Park South
Place, Olde Towne Road and now, renamed in 1984- Nora Nash Dance Studio
became “Birmingham Dance Theatre” in our beautiful state-of-the-art 6-Studio
location in Hoover, Alabama!

“We were one of the first in Birmingham to do that,” Joni said. “That became
something huge. We thought we were good back then, but we’ve really taken it to
the next level.”

Although much has changed since Joni’s mother began teaching some 50 years
ago, much has truly stayed the same. BDT remains a family business, and while
now they offer classes to toddlers and have added hip hop dance, they also still
have the classics, like ballet, pointe and tap.

“It’s really just been so much fun,” Joni said. “Through the years, we’ve probably
had about 10,000 students. I have a lot of former students come back and say,
‘Oh I had you. Many are coming back with their children.
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