By Anna Grace Moore

Photos Contributed

The most powerful force on Earth is love. Hate nor fear could ever hold a light to the impact love has, especially in the upbringing of a child.

Birmingham Dance Theatre (BDT), which was founded in 1962 by Nora Nash, began as the Nora Nash School of Dance in Midfield, Alabama. Nora, whose granddaughters Ally Packard and McCall Scofield describe as a pioneer of dance, was far beyond her time.

Nora was known for her exceptional talent and drive to foster a community of self-expression–a place where dancers of all walks of life are welcome. She ran the dance school and a costume shop down the road from the studio for 23 years.

In 1985, Nora’s daughter Joni Nash Scofield took over the school and relocated it to Vestavia Hills, where it stayed until 2001 before relocating across the street to a bigger space. Finally in 2017, BDT moved yet again to Hoover to its biggest location.

“We have really loved being in Hoover,” McCall says. “We feel like our location is great. We’ve had so many new students, who are so hungry to dance. There’s so many kids in Hoover.”

Boasting a roster of more than 500 students, BDT has seven on-site dance studios, 23 employees and even an in-house costume shop–a nod to Nora’s entrepreneurial endeavors. In its 62 years, BDT has won more than 10 national dance competitions, including hundreds of group and individual awards, too.

Ally, who was named “Little Miss Dance,” “Petite Miss Dance” and “Teen Miss Dance” of Dance Masters of America Chapter 33, is a third-generation dance instructor with 32 years of dance experience. A graduate of the University of Alabama (UA), Ally always knew she wanted to be a dance teacher–it was in her blood, she says.

Ally, who along with McCall is one of the Company Assistant Directors at BDT, has been teaching dance since she was 16 years old in her mother’s studio. Her choreography has won multiple awards at national competitions such as DMA, 24seven, Hollywood Vibe, Radix, West Coast Dance Explosion, Hollywood Dance Jamz, NRG and more.

Now married to her high school sweetheart, Adam Packard, Ally’s daughters Nora Leigh and Betts are following in her footsteps, taking company dance at BDT.

“I feel very blessed that I get to share my passion for dance with my girls and continue the legacy my grandmother created more than 60 years ago,” Ally says.

McCall, on the other hand, grew up dancing in her mother’s studio and did not foresee dance influencing the trajectory of her life’s course. After graduating from UA, McCall went on to become the executive producer and lifestyle reporter for Talk of Alabama, where she worked for six and a half years before returning to teach full-time at BDT.

McCall returned to her stomping grounds in August 2012. For the past 12 years, she has traveled across the country teaching choreography, earning numerous awards including the 2022 Hollywood Invitational Best Choreography Award for her co-choreographed team dance, “The California Dream.”

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Both BDT instructor Chandler Brown and McCall’s co-choreography earned them a nomination for the 2024 Industry Dance Award–the highest dance honor in the country. The winners will be announced this summer and will have their names placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Although winning is always nice, both Ally and McCall say their number-one priority is fostering a love of dance in each of their students, enabling them to both believe in themselves and share their talents with the world. To Ally and McCall, dancing is exercising artistic liberty–projecting one’s passions as a creative outlet.

“It’s a form of expression,” McCall says. “It makes your soul happy. There’s something about dance that makes you feel so alive.”

Julianne Abenoja, who is one of Ally and McCall’s proteges, took dance at BDT for 13 years before moving away for college. Julianne studied under Angela Tower Walker–BDT’s ballet instructor and also one of the most esteemed choreographers in the Southeast.

Angela introduced Julianne to the Distinguished Young Women (DYW) scholarship organization, which each year hosts pageant competitions designed to honor talented young women with bright futures. Although reluctant at first, Julianne performed a ballet number Angela choreographed, and to Julianne’s surprise, she was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Jefferson County and won $4,400 in scholarship money just from that one competition.

Julianne went on to compete in several levels of competition, wowing audiences with her dance routines–compliments of Angela. In June 2022, Julianne–then the Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama–competed against 49 other contestants in the national DYW competition. She was named first runner-up and won $20,000 in scholarship money.

“We focus on each individual kid,” McCall says. “Being the family business that we are, we do care about families and them getting everything out of this experience. We come from a place of compassion and love.”

The following year, Carrington Hodge–another BDT alum–was named the 2023 Distinguished Young Woman of America, earning more than $50,000 in scholarship money. Notably, Carrington, who danced at BDT for 10 years, won an award in the talent category of each level of the DYW competition.

At the national competition, Carrington performed a jazz en pointe solo to “Bye, Bye, Blackbird,” which was choreographed by Scarlet Walker, Angela’s daughter. Scarlet was in New York at the time of rehearsals, so Carrington learned her entire routine on Zoom.

Although it was difficult, Carrington still won and attributes a lot of her success to Scarlet and her other dance instructors at BDT.

“I like seeing their growth every year,” Ally says of her dance students. “A lot of times I teach these girls from the time they’re 5. Last year, I got a note from one of the seniors, thanking me for being her biggest cheerleader. Sometimes, all it takes is one encouraging teacher to help that person become the best dancer that they can be.”

Dance teaches numerous life lessons of which both Ally and McCall say translate into other areas of their students’ lives. BDT competition dancers take multiple hours of dance classes every week, forcing them to learn time management skills and how to adapt under pressure.

Skill sets such as these are how BDT dancers are able to excel in other facets of their careers. Abbie Stockard, who danced competitively at BDT, was named Miss Hoover 2024 last summer and has since worked to raise money and awareness for her social campaign, “Be The Change – Find a Cure: Cystic Fibrosis Awareness.”

Abbie has gone on to work with Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, to establish May 26 as Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Day. On Saturday, April 6, Abbie hosted the Roast of Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis at the Soiree Event Gallery in Hoover. The event raised more than $190,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Ally and McCall say they don’t take credit for Abbie’s success, but they do hope Abbie’s time dancing at BDT helped influence her drive to make a difference in the world around her. Dancers such as Julianne, Carrington and Abbie have all gone on to positively shape the lives of so many around them–and Ally and McCall feel blessed they played a small role in each of their students’ journeys from within the walls of BDT.

Dance is more than just creative expression or a recreational activity. It has the power to change lives–to build confidence in a young dancer, to dare her to dream big and above all, to communicate such a love that can be passed down through generations.

While Nora may never have known what her little dance studio in Midfield would have grown to today, she did know how impactful a little love and encouragement would be to young, aspiring dancers.

If all it takes to raise the next perennial powerhouse is being loving and encouraging, then Ally and McCall may just be responsible for raising the next generation of leaders who will one day change the world.

To learn more information about Birmingham Dance Theatre, visit bdtdance.com. Stay up to date on all things dance by following Birmingham Dance Theatre on Instagram @bdt_dance and Facebook @Birmingham Dance Theatre.

Birmingham Dance Theatre Alums

Abigail Barlow
Recipient of the 2022 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album

Robert Hoffman
Mister Dance of America
Actor in movies such as “Step Up 2: The Streets,” “Aliens in the Attic” and “She’s the Man”

Morgan Hartley Revelier
Radio City Rockette
Owner of Next Step Broadway

Vashty Mompoint
Broadway Dancer

Carrington Hodge
2023 Distinguished Young Woman of America

Julianne Abenoja
First Runner-Up in 2022 Distinguished Young Women of America Competition
2022 Distinguished Young Woman of Alabama
2022 Distinguished Young Woman of Jefferson County

Abbie Stockard
2024 Miss Hoover

Elaina Burt
2024 Miss Alabama’s Outstanding Teen

Callie Walker
2018 Miss Alabama

Carrie Colvin Alling
2001 America’s Junior Miss

Awards and Accolades

Below are a few of Birmingham Dance Theatre’s recent accomplishments.

  • 2024 – Hollywood Dance Jamz Top Scoring Routine and Industry Dance Awards Nominee
  • 2024 – VIP Dance Competition’s Best Rockstar Studio
  • 2022 – Hollywood Invitational National Champion
  • 2021 – VIP Dance Competition Winner
  • 2018 – West Coast Dance Explosion National Genre Cup Winner
  • 2011-2024 – Dance Masters of America Chapter 33 Grand Champion Winner