[1] At the age of 15, Martin became the youngest lead dancer in the outdoor drama, Unto These Hills for three consecutive years.
[3][1] After graduation from Hickory High School in 1975, Martin went to New York to study with John Barker at the John Barker School of Classical Ballet.
After training with Barker, Martin danced with ballet companies in 38 states over 25 years.
He taught and developed summer dance intensives starting in 1985.
[5][1] Martin later became the Director of the Men's Division and Audition Master At Large of the Nutmeg Ballet in Torrington, Connecticut for fifteen years (1992-2007).