On September 4, 2011, The Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance in Roswell, Georgia turns thirty three years old. Founded by Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor, the dance school originally opened in a small North Atlanta house that they renovated.

Anticipating approximately 75 students the first year, they were amazed at their grand opening registration to enroll over 350 students. It was truly great from the start. As the year progressed, Mrs. Yilmaz would teach as Mrs. Taylor would take registration from the non-stop telephone calls and vise-versa.

Over the years the dance school has seen tremendous growth. With moving their studio in 1998 to their current location with over 12,000 square feet of studio space with five state of the art studio's with offices, dressing rooms, rehearsal space and studio space. With a current enrollment of over 900 students with 21 faculty and staff members.

Also the creation of their performing company in 1985, The Roswell Dance was founded. To give the more dedicated and gifted dancers an opportunity to train and perform, in a more professional atmosphere. The dancers are now selected by annual auditions, those that are chosen exhibit high levels of proficiency in ballet, pointe and modern dance. The young men and women of the Roswell Dance Theatre have performed for audiences all over the world. They begin their first tour when they were selected to represented the state of Georgia in 1988 at the Young Americans Invitational Dance Festival in Los Angeles, California.

In 1992, Roswell Dance Theatre completed its first international performing tour to Australia, Hawaii and New Zealand. In 1994, they performed and toured through out England. They were seen on world television for the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. They have also performed and toured in Spain, Mexico, and Austria, Italy and Germany for the Tanzsummer Dance Festival. In 2008 Roswell Dance Theatre performed in the halftime performance at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida with Z Z Top.

Public performances in North Atlanta include the annual production of "The Nutcracker" with over 250 cast members, which was seen by over 5,000 audience members this past season. As well as past performances Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and Peter and the Wolf.

The Roswell Dance Theatre is an Honor Company member of the South Eastern Regional Ballet Association of Regional Dance America. They were one of only four performing companies selected from the southeast in 2007 to perform for the Gala Performance at the National Festival in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Members of the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance and The Roswell Dance Theatre have been accepted into and received scholarships from some of the finest dance programs, performing arts schools and universities in the nation. Among these are American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Boston Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Pointe Park College, Alfonso Lines Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Marymount College, New York University and many many more. There are approx. 100 members of the Roswell Dance theatre.

The faculty of the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance now consists of over 25 instructors, staff members, and musicians. The instructors are very dedicated and gifted professionals with a vast amount of experience in teaching in the USA and abroad. They teach only in the area's for which they have been trained.

As the dance school begins its 33rd season, Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz and Mary Lynn Taylor are still at the studio every day, overseeing the classes and rehearsals, and as they see the accomplishments of not only other peoples children, but they have enjoyed seeing the accomplishments of their own. Mary Lynn's daughter Kassandra Taylor is an accomplished choreographer who works have been featured on many performing companies and featured at the Regional Dance America Gala last year. she is also a graduate of Pointe Park College. Nancy Tolbert Yilmaz daughter Elizabeth Yilmaz recently graduated from Marymount Manhattan College and is now a member of Ballet Hispanico. Both daughters received scholarships in dance at their respective college programs.

Since Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance is now teaching the children of the children they originally began teaching 32 years ago, their goal is to continue to do what they started out doing in 1978. To provide a positive nurturing environment for each dancer to excel to his or her potential in the dance disciplines offered.