Artistic Director
Molly Koon Quist

Having grown up as a solosit for the Oak Ridge Civic Ballet, Mrs. Quist has servied as ORCBA's Artistic Director for more than 20 seasons. She studied under many talented teachers and directors, including Anna Marie Holmes, David Holmes, Suzanne Skeel, Steve McBride, Leslie Swazee, Cristian Addams, Jill Hollingsworth, Bruce Alan Ewing, Bill Martin-Viscount, and Southwest Ballet Center. Mrs. Quist holds a B.A. from the University of South Alabama (where she attended on scholarship), and a M.S. from the University of Tennessee. She was a dancer on the University of South Alabama Dance Team. Mrs. Quist is the owner and director of The Dance Centre of Knoxville and Oak Ridge. Her dancers have received many awards over the years in both regional and national competitions. Mrs. Quist resides in Knoxville with her husband, Knoxville attorney Brian Quist, and their three children (Katrina, Andy, and Alex). 

Assistant Artistic Director 
​Sharon Nicklow-Cousins

Mrs. Cousins trained with Anna Marie and David Holmes, Bill Martin-Viscount, Southwest Ballet Centre, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Tennessee, Eda Krasova, and in Italy. She danced professionally wtih the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, and performed as a solosit with ORCBA and the Tennessee Festival Ballet, dancing lead roles in La Fille Mal Gardee, Cinderella, Paquita, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Fire Bird, Aurora's Wedding, and Giselle. Mrs. Cousins is married to Hal cousins and has two children, Andrew and Elizabeth. She has a BSN in Nursing from the University of Tennessee, and has previously worked in Neonatal Intensive Care at the UT Medical Center. She currently enjoys working as the clinic nurse at Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge. 

Assistants to the Directors 
Katrina Quist Rouse & Courtney Wills

Katrina was born and raised in her mother's dance studio in Knoxville, TN. As her love for dance started at the age of 3 years old, she has experienced much in her dance career. She is a long time member of the Oak Ridge Civic Ballet Company, where she still dances as a soloist. She began teaching dance when she was in high school, at the same time she was a member of the Farragut Varsity Dance Team. Her 11th year in school, her team placed 6th in the nation in jazz at the UDA National Dance Team Championship in Orlando, FL. She was Knoxville's Junior Miss 2008 and went on to win the physical fitness and talent categories at the Tennessee Junior Miss Pageant. She is a Registered Nurse, BSN, working towards being a family nurse practitioner and is married to her husband, Preston. She fortunately still has time to teach lyrical, contemporary, and technique to the advanced and elite dance groups at the Dance Centre.

 After studying Classical Ballet at Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts, Courtney has returned to East Tennessee to see what opportunities the dance world throws at her.  She began dancing with ORCBA in 2007 performing roles in Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker (Clara) & Firebird (Princess Vasilia).  As a member of GO! Contemporary Dance Works she‘s performed lead roles in The Barbarosa, Persephone, Alice, Unsung Heroes: The Women of World War II, Runaway, among others. She’s trained under Molly Quist, Lisa Hall McKee, Laura Shields, Denise Njuguna, Keisha Lalama, Svetlana Novodran, Girard Holt, Peter LeBreton Merz, Cynthia Ridler, Christopher Mohnani, Greg & Laurie Merriman, among others, & attended various dance intensives, including TN Governor's School for the Arts.  As a classically trained soprano & an advocate for the arts in her community, she’s performed with the Oak Ridge Playhouse in Hairspray, The Music Man, & 1776.  Currently, she is working towards her degree at Pellissippi State Community College.