STAFF
Danielle Doucet
Academy Operations Manager
EMAIL (704) 414-2793
Meghan Hartnett
Academy Administrative Assistant
EMAIL (704) 372-0101
Julia Ridenhour
Academy Administrative Assistant
EMAIL (704) 372-0101
FACULTY
AYISHA MCMILLAN CRAVOTTA
ACADEMY DIRECTOR
Hailing from Illinois, Cravotta’s dance career began at an early age at the Momenta Dance Company, where she trained in ballet and early American modern dance with Stephanie Clemens. On scholarship from Homer Hans Bryant, founding principal dancer at Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ayisha studied at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center. She also trained at Maria Tallchief’s School of Chicago City Ballet, and under Bolshoi Ballet Director Asaf Messerer and Mikhail Messerer at their Soviet American Ballet School. At the age of 15, Ayisha left home to study on full scholarship at the Houston Ballet Academy. Ayisha joined Houston Ballet, under Director Ben Stevenson, in 1996. With Houston Ballet, she toured and performed in London, Hong Kong, Toronto, and at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., performing ballets by Stevenson, George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Trey McIntyre and Lila York. Ayisha spent five seasons with Charlotte Ballet and was the first African American woman to play a principal role in the company’s Nutcracker. Her time at Charlotte Ballet also included a memorable role as Tinker Bell in Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Peter Pan, as well as being featured in Alvin Ailey’s The River and in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After retiring as a professional dancer in 2007, Ayisha joined Charlotte Ballet’s marketing department. In 2011, at the invitation of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, she became principal of the Charlotte Ballet Academy. Ayisha ‘s teaching experience includes working as a dance instructor and mentor at La Salle Street CYCLE WIZ Factory of Learning and Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center. She was also a resident artist for the Arts in Medicine Program at Texas Children’s Hospital where she conceptualized, developed and led movement and music-based workshops to creatively engage pediatric cancer outpatients. In 2005, Ayisha was honored for her career achievements with an appointment as a Grand Marshal in the Chicago Defender’s 76th Annual Bud Billiken Parade. Several national dignitaries, as well as over one million Chicagoans, were in attendance. In 2007, Ayisha was inducted into the prestigious HistoryMakers national archive in recognition for her accomplishments as an African American in the Arts. A National Achievement Scholarship Finalist, Ayisha studied at Rice University and most recently at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She lives in Charlotte with husband Jeff Cravotta and their son, Luca.
EMAIL(704) 414-2776
LASZLO BERDO
ACADEMY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Laszlo Berdo was born in Grand Rapids, MI, where he began dancing at the age of five and Laszlo later intensified his studies at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, IL. Upon graduation, he first joined Ballet Austin and then the Louisville Ballet. He was later hired as a guest artist then later as a soloist with Cincinnati Ballet. Laszlo joined the Boston Ballet in 1990 as a corps de ballet member, was promoted to soloist in 1993 and became a principal dancer in 1995. As a principal, he danced numerous roles by Cranko, McMillan, Balanchine, Bournonville, Hynd Stevenson, Tharp, Taylor, Feld, Butler and York. Laszlo is honored to be the first to perform the lead role in Cranko’s Eugene Onegin in the United States. He began choreographing in 1993, creating the pas de deux Eternal Being which later was performed for a Boston Ballet gala. Four Hands premiered in March of 1998, and was performed in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS, and at a summer festival in Biarritz, France. In 1999, Laszlo created Below Down Under which premiered at the Shubert Theatre in February 1999. In March of 2001 he created Sanctuary for the Norwegian National Ballet in Oslo. He choreographed Bass Elements for the Boston Conservatory and participated in ChoreoPlan 2001 in which he created Concertante for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Laszlo staged Four Hands for the Finnish National Ballet in Helsinki which premiered in October 2002. From 2000 to 2003 he was a faculty member for the Boston Conservatory and Harvard University. In 2003, he joined the faculty of CPYB full time. In 2008, Laszlo choreographed Snow White, premiered Peter Pan in 2009, restaged Swan Lake in 2011, and premiered Carnival of the Animals in 2011. In 2010, Laszlo was commissioned to choreograph for the Eglevsky Ballet, The Nutcracker premiered in December of 2010. He was appointed Artistic Director and School Director of Eglevsky Ballet in 2011. Under Laszlo’s leadership, Eglevsky Ballet opened its doors to the community with a brand new state-of-art facility in Bethpage, NY, reestablishing Eglevsky Ballet as the premiere ballet school and only professional company on Long Island. Laszlo is currently Ballet Master of the Pennsylvania Regional Ballet and continues to coach privately.
EMAIL(704) 414-2784
ANITA PACYLOWSKI-JUSTO
ACADEMY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Anita studied ballet at the Columbia Conservatory Ballet, the Reston Conservatory Ballet and The Washington School of Ballet. Her senior year in high school, she received the Princess Grace Award in Dance, was the National YoungArts Level 1 winner and received the Presidential Scholar in the Arts in Ballet award at the White House. She then joined The Washington Ballet and ascended to the a Principal dancer. She trained at the Chautauqua Institution in Dance and performed for fourteen summers as both a student and a founding company member under the artistic direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, which lead her to join Charlotte Ballet. In Charlotte, she performed as a Principal Dancer, for seven years. This is where she met fellow dancer Hernan Justo – who proposed to Anita onstage in front of a packed house at the Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. In 2001, she came to Carolina Ballet Theatre in Greenville, SC to join her husband as artistic leadership of Carolina Ballet Theatre and in 2004, she became director of the school. During that time she also coordinated and facilitated many of CBT’s arts integration work through Metropolitan Arts Council’s SmartArts program – connecting students, artists and teachers to deeper learning and self-awareness through integrating the arts with all areas of education. She is grateful to rejoin Charlotte Ballet again after 16 years.
EMAIL(704) 414-2768
KATI HANLON MAYO
ARTISTIC COORDINATOR
Kati Hanlon Mayo began her dance training at The Boston School of Ballet and went on to study as a scholarship student at The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and The School of American Ballet. At the age of 15, she became a member of Boston Ballet 2 and performed regularly with The Boston Ballet. Kati attended The University of Massachusetts/Amherst as a Chancellor’s Award Scholarship recipient for two years before moving back to Boston to dance soloist roles with Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre. In 1992, Kati began working as a principal dancer with Charlotte Ballet, and that same year, she was invited to join The Chautauqua Ballet Company. Throughout her career, Kati had many ballets created on her including the female lead in Mateo’s Schubert Adagio and Salvatore Aiello’s ‘Chosen One’ in The Rite of Spring. Kati performed principal roles in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Jean- Pierre Bonnefoux, William Forsythe, Violette Verdy, Agnes DeMille, Jacqueline Buglisi, Dwight Rhoden, Uri Sands and Alonzo King. In 2000 and 2004, Kati was named Best Performing Artist by Charlotte Magazine. The New York Times reviewed that she “ruled the stage with benign classical authority” and Dance Magazine heralded her as a “performer of stunning versatility and dramatic power.” Kati began teaching at the Charlotte Ballet Academy upon its inception in 1993. She is currently an instructor for the Advanced and Pre-Professional Division as well as the main company of Charlotte Ballet. Kati has been a guest teacher for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and she is a repetiteur for the Salvatore Aiello Trust. Kati is a certified instructor of Dance for Parkinson’s Disease through The Mark Morris Dance Group and she also completed her instructor certification with Progressing Ballet Technique in 2016.
EMAIL(704) 414-2206
AUDREY IPAPO BARAN
Audrey Ipapo Baran graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA in Dance in 2003. Since then she has danced with the KINETYX Dance Ensemble, Queen City Jazz Company, Kim Robards Dance, project Incite, and EE Motion. In addition to the School of NCDT, Audrey teaches at Open Door Studios and Sullivan Dance Centre, and is an Adjunct Lecturer in Dance at UNC Charlotte. She has performed several times in the Charlotte Dance Festival and the North Carolina Dance Festival, and also at Piccolo Spoleto. Audrey has presented work in the NCDF Charlotte concert (2011) and NCDF Audience Choice Show (2012), and her choreography has received recognition at the CDF’s Charlotte Emerging Dance Awards three times. In 2012, she founded Baran Dance, a contemporary dance company which seeks to make dance more accessible and inspiring in the Charlotte area. Audrey is also a Registered Yoga Teacher, and continues to share her love of movement and mindfulness throughout the Queen City and North Carolina.
EMILY BOWEN
Emily Bowen was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. She received her dance training at Cumberland Dance Company in PA, the School of North Carolina Dance Theater (now Charlotte Ballet) and Houston Ballet Academy. While in Houston Ballet II, Emily competed in the prestigious Prix De Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. During her 10 year career as a performer with Houston Ballet, she was featured in many works by world renowned choreographers including: George Balanchine, Sir Kenneth McMillan, Anthony Tudor, William Forsythe, Stanton Welch, Wayne McGregor, Jiri Kylian and Nacho Duato. In 2013, she was one of the featured dancers in Jordan Matter’s print work Dancers Among Us photographed in New York City. After retiring from the stage in July 2016, Emily is excited to begin this new chapter in her ballet journey.
LEAH BURGE
Leah Burge is a native of Pompano Beach, Florida, and trained under Magaly Suarez at The Art of Classical Ballet. She received numerous awards at Youth America Grand Prix, including gold in classical at the semi-finals, and silver in pas de deux at the NYC finals, and was additionally selected to perform with her partner, Jeffrey Cirio, in the Stars of Today Meet The Stars of Tomorrow gala held at New York City Center. She also received silver at the American Ballet Competition and The Frances Rands Beery Award. Leah danced with The Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami for three seasons and was invited to perform in the XI, XII, and XIII International Ballet Festival of Miami. Having completed her training, she went on to dance professionally with The Joffrey Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, Florida Classical Ballet, Columbia City Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet. Her range of repertoire spans from Petipa’s Don Quixote to George Balanchine’s Serenade to Paul Taylor’s The Cloven Kingdom. During her career, she has instructed ballet and contemporary to all ages and levels, drawing from her influential Cuban and Russian training. Leah moved to Charlotte in 2016 and has taught classes for local studios including Caroline Calouche & Co. and Jena Burgin-Peters Entertainment.
TARA WINSTON-CONRAD
Tara Winston-Conrad’s dance training began as a young girl in Washington, DC. She studied at The Bolshoi School of Ballet in Bethesda, MD, and then later at The Bethesda School of Ballet. Tara continued her dance education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she worked towards a major in drama and a minor in dance. After two years, she transferred to Catholic University in Washington, DC. While studying drama and teaching dance, she commuted to New York where she performed in an Off Broadway Showcase. Later that year, she traveled to the Middle East and abroad as a featured dancer in the 1982 USO tour. Tara graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the prestigious Drama program at Catholic University and moved to New York City. While in New York, Tara studied and later taught at many major dance studios, including Broadway Dance Center, Steps, and David Howard. She also performed as a Zigfield Folly dancer and was featured in several VH1 music videos. Tara’s dance training led her to the fitness industry where she became National Spokesperson for The Body Bar and presented at many national and international fitness expos. During this time she was a member of “Team Danskin” and appeared on several talk shows as a fitness expert. Tara has worked extensively in television, appearing in TV films, soap operas and national commercials.
JAMIE DEE CLIFTON
Jamie, a native of CA, received her training at Orange County Regional Ballet. After receiving the California Alliance for Arts Education’s 2000 Emerging Young Artist Award, she joined the American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey where she spent two seasons. Jamie accompanied Nai Ni Chen Dance Company on their 2002 China Tour and has been a guest artist with L.A. Chamber Dance. She danced for seven years with BalletMet Columbus where she received the 2008 Violetta Boft Award. Some of her favorite roles include Juliet in David Nixon’s Romeo and Juliet, Odette in Nixon’s Swan Lake and Daisy in Jimmy Orrante’s world premiere of The Great Gatsby. She has had the pleasure of dancing works by such choreographers as Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Dwight Rhoden, Twyla Tharp and Stanton Welch.
MARK DIAMOND
Mark Diamond has choreographed and taught in Europe, Japan and the US since retiring from the Hamburg Staatsoper in Germany in 1983. He has choreographed more than 30 ballets for Charlotte Ballet and is program director for Charlotte Ballet II. In the summer, he serves as associate artistic director and resident choreographer at the Chautauqua Institution. Before joining Charlotte Ballet, Mark was resident choreographer for the Cincinnati Opera, founded Ballet Artists Cincinnati, and received grants from the Ohio Arts Council, the New England Foundation for the Arts and others. Mark was a principal dancer with the Milwaukee Ballet Company, danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the Tamburitzans Slavic Folk ensemble. He trained with Edward Caton and attended Duquesne University and Point Park College (BA), where he studied music, history and dance.
KATARINA DIMITRIJEVIC
Katarina M. Dimitrijevic is a graduate of The State Ballet Academy of Belgrade, Serbia. Katarina danced with the Simionov Ensemble and instructed classical ballet at three different ballet institutions in Belgrade. She then spent several years in Italy as a ballet instructor, choreographer and dancer at ballet schools in Ragusa, Comiso, Acate and Grammichele. In 1997, Katarina opened her own dance school, KAYA, in Belgrade. She also completed a four-year course in Ballet Pedagogy at the University of High Culture and Arts in Rome, Italy, where she improved her knowledge in the Vaganova method. She served as assistant to Professor Ivan Goliandin in the Character Dance Department. While studying in Rome, Katarina taught classical and character dances at several dance studios and also worked as a dancer. Katarina immigrated to the United States in 2003 and obtained a position as a classical ballet instructor with the Fort Wayne Ballet Academy. She and her family moved to Charlotte in July 2005.
HEATHER FERRANTI FERGUSON
Heather Ferranti Ferguson is a native of Rochester, NY, where she studied with Luba Gulaeva at the Botsford School of Dance, and later with Timothy Draper at the Rochester City Ballet. She has danced professionally with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, and Chautauqua Ballet Company. While at Charlotte Ballet, Heather has danced featured roles in ballets such as Alonzo King’s MAP, Alvin Ailey’s The River, Mark Diamond’s Cyrano de Bergerac, Salvatore Aiello’s The Nutcracker and many Balanchine ballets. Heather spent five seasons with Charlotte Ballet.
GRETCHEN JAX
Gretchen Jax graduated from Winthrop University with a BA in Dance Performance. She performed in Meredith Monk’s Obie Award winning Quarry at the 2003 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. She has also studied and performed the works of Sandra Neels, David Parsons, Marjorie Palmer Perry, Mary Beth Thompson and Duke Young. She was the recipient of the 2000, 2001 and 2002 Alpha Psi Omega Best Choreography Award from Winthrop University. In 2006 she was one of eight selected to study at the School of Jacob’s Pillow Choreographer’s Lab. Gretchen is the co-founder of Sinergismo, a group of dancers, artists, poets, and musicians using collaboration as a means to produce choreographic works. Sinergismo has performed at venues throughout the southeast including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Sumter Museum of Art, Southern Holiday, NC Dance Festival Saturday Series, Winthrop University and the Charlotte Dance Festival. Gretchen currently teaches modern at Davidson College and choreographs for their dance company The Gamut. Gretchen has been a faculty member at the School of Dance since 2003.
NAIMAH KIOSKI
A native New Yorker, Naimah began her dance training at age 8 at Ballet Tech – formerly known as The New Ballet School – in New York City, under the direction of Eliot Feld. After becoming a member of the Ballet Tech professional company, Naimah was invited to join the Dance Theatre of Harlem under the direction of Arthur Mitchell where she had the pleasure to perform works by Sir Frederic Franklin, Goeffrey Holder, Michael Smuin and resident choreographer Robert Garland. Naimah has performed repertory by George Balanchine including: The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Concerto Barocco, Agon and Apollo. In 2007, she became a member of the Gazelle national touring cast of the Broadway production The Lion King. She and her husband Yani moved to Charlotte June 2015.
BEN KUBIE
Ben trained on full scholarship at the Joffrey School of Ballet in New York City and The David Howard Dance Center. His professional dancing career spanned over fifteen years where he danced leading roles by George Balanchine, Choo Sah-Goh, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, William Forsythe, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, John Clifford, Kirk Peterson, Graham Lustig, Jean Grand-Maitre, Maria Youskevich, Sal Aiello, Jaquilyn Buglisis, Donlin Foreman, Mark Diamond, Alonzo King and many others. In 2004, he retired from the professional stage as a principal dancer with the Charlotte Ballet and was featured in Dance Magazine’s September edition that year for professional dancers in career transition. Ben is a full-time dance teacher and private coach in both North and South Carolina and a frequent guest teacher for the Charlotte Ballet. He has lived in Charlotte for the past 20 years.
SOPHIE FOLTS-MERCURE
Sophie started her dance education at Charlotte Ballet and pursued musical theatre at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte. There she took musical theater classes, performed in a number of plays and musicals, and joined their Performance Company her freshman year of high school. She also studied ballet with Melissa Hale Coyle while doing community theatre. Sophie trained in Charlotte Ballet’s Pre-Professional Division under teachers Patricia McBride, Mark Diamond, Kathryn Moriarty, Kati Hanlon Mayo, Jeanene Russell Perry, and Sarkis Kaltakhtchian. She trained for four years on full scholarship at Gelsey Kirkland Academy’s year round training program in New York City. Sophie’s training at GKA was under teachers Gelsey Kirkland, Lybov Fominich, Vera Soloveyva, Liudmila Polonskya and Alexandra Lawler. She performed in Gelsey Kirkland Ballet’s full length classical ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, and Le Corsaire as well as GKB’s performance excerpts from Giselle, and August Bournenville’s Enchainements. In 2016, Sophie attended ABT’s National Teacher Training program for levels Pre-Primary to level 3. Sophie returned to Charlotte Ballet Academy as an instructor in 2016.
JEANENE RUSSELL PERRY
Jeanene Russell Perry trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia, under the direction of Sofia Golovkina, Director of the Institute. She was the first American to receive a Diploma of Completion of Studies from the prestigious institution. She danced for two years with Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, AZ, The Chautauqua Ballet Company in Chautauqua, NY for five seasons and with Charlotte Ballet in Charlotte for five seasons. Jeanene has lived and toured all over the globe performing hundreds of ballets. She has had numerous roles created for her by well-known choreographers including “The Soul” in Dreamer by Alonzo King. She has performed principal roles in Giselle, the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, Tango and many others. She has choreographed several ballets and plans to continue developing this talent. She is on staff at Charlotte Ballet. She has been both a guest instructor and speaker at UNC Charlotte. In addition to dance accomplishment, she is a certified Pilates Instructor and Master Teacher.
MAVIS SCULLY
Mavis comes to the Charlotte area from Philadelphia where she was on faculty with the prestigious Rock School for Dance Education and the Walnut Street Theatre – teaching Ballet, Musical Theatre, Life Skills for Performing Artists, and Acting for Dancers. Prior to that, she taught Ballet and Musical Theatre at Samford University and Acting and Movement at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. A 25+ year member of Actors’ Equity Association, she has performed in just about every genre of the performing arts. Mavis began her dance career in Ballet, with early training from Nels Jorgensen, Pamara Perry, Frank Bays, Patricia Sorrell, David Mclain, and Oleg Sabline. She studied at the School of American Ballet, NYSSSA, Cincinnati Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and was coached by her beloved Bojan Spassoff and Stephanie Wolf (directors of the Rock School), while she was a soloist with the Savannah Ballet and Ballet Oklahoma. Mavis also danced for the Cincinnati Opera before changing gears and receiving her BFA in Acting from Philly’s University of the Arts. She has choreographed for Stage One – the Louisville Children’s Theatre, Seattle Opera, Birmingham Music Club, Alabama Shakespeare Company, and City Equity Theatre (for which she won the 2015 Broadway World’s Best Choreographer Award for Peter and the Starcatcher). Her nationwide performing career includes ballets, plays, musicals, cabaret, performance art, Renaissance fairies, commercials, voice-overs, play-writing, and directing. She brings to the studio an intense love of “the Work” required in creating a true artist – knowledge of Ballet and Musical Theatre history, emotional connection/ investment as well as technique.
KYLE GARRISON SHAWELL
Kyle Garrison Shawell received his training at the University of the Arts, Theatre West Virginia, Winthrop University and the Philadelphia School of Dance Arts. His training includes the dance styles of Lester Horton, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor and jazz taught by renowned teachers such as Ruth Adrien, Ronen Koresh, Milton Myers and Pat Thomas. He brings together a wide breadth of knowledge, expertise and experience in a diverse style of movement for the community. Shawell has been a teaching artist for North Carolina Dance Theatre and North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, and a dance educator for the Governor’s Award-winning Janice Wyatt Summer Arts Institute at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. His choreography has been seen at Gaston Dance Theatre, Girl Talk Foundation of Charlotte, NC, KAOS Dance Company, SCDA, SCAHPERD, Winthrop Dance Theatre and Valley Forge Dance Theatre, and he choreographed the summer musical production of Once on this Island at Delta State University. He has been a guest teaching artist in several Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, most recently at Northwest School of the Arts. As a Lecturer of dance, Shawell taught modern, jazz, hip-hop and musical theatre for several years at Winthrop University. Shawell’s performance career includes such classic works as: Doris Humphrey’s Life of the Bee, David Parson’s The Parson Etude, Charles Weidman’s Christmas Oratorio, and he was a soloist for Donald McKayle’s Rainbow Etude. He has been a member of KAOS dance company of Charlotte, Martha Connerton/Kinetic Works, Theater West Virginia, Philadanco II and the Valley Forge Dance Theater, and has performed for the American Dance Festival, Charlotte Dance Festival and North Carolina Dance Festival. He has appeared in performances for Opera Carolina and in musical theatre productions of Anything Goes, Bye Bye Birdie, Bubbling Brown Sugar and West Side Story.
LAUREN E. SKAABALAK
Lauren graduated cum laude and earned her BFA in Ballet (Performing and Teaching Emphases) from the University of Utah in 2002. While on scholarship, her undergraduate performing career included a guest artist role with Ballet West and dancing with the Utah Ballet. This allowed for an opportunity to travel abroad to Taipei, Taiwan performing a soloist role in Balanchine’s famed ballet Concerto Barocco. She also danced on the Medals Plaza stage during the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. After graduation, Lauren danced professionally, choreographed and taught for Bodiography Contemporary Ballet in Pittsburgh. As a principal dancer, she was privileged to have worked with choreographers like Ze’eva Cohen, Emeritus Chair of Princeton University’s Dance Department, Tony nominated Lynne Taylor-Corbett, and former principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre Johan Renvall, among others. During her tenure with the company she held multiple roles as Rehearsal Director and the Assistant Director of the conservatory. Her works have appeared at the Byham Theater, Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, as well as Johnson Theatre, and she has extended her teaching talents to the following schools: University of Utah, Point Park University, Carnegie Mellon University, West Virginia University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Washington & Jefferson College, McDaniel College, La Roche College, and now Winthrop University where she is an Adjunct Professor within the Department of Theatre and Dance. Lauren earned her MFA in Dance (Performing Arts) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and graduated Spring 2013 with honors. She is a certified Pilates mat teacher and is currently working towards her apparatus certification as well. Presently, Lauren also sits on the Board for the Charlotte Dance Festival as Treasurer.
ALYCE CRISTINA VALLEJO
Alyce began her training at North Carolina Dance Theater (Charlotte Ballet) and The Charlotte School of Ballet. In her senior year at Northwest School of the Arts, Alyce was an invited guest artist with the Moving Poets Theater of Dance; Providing her with the footing to guide her to a professional career in dance as she entered Florida State University. While at FSU, performed in original works by Alex Ketley, Rick McCullough, and many more. Alyce also performed as a soloist in Pas de Quarte, restaged by Richard Sias and Balanchine’s Western Symphony, restaged by Suzanne Farrell. Alyce was invited to dance with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and did a four month internship with Ballet Hispanico in NYC. Graduating cum laude in 2006, she moved to San Francisco to dance with the SF Conservatory of Dance. Upon moving back to Charlotte in 2007, Alyce joined Martha Connerton’s Kinetic Works Dance Company- Currently in her seventh season and now acting as rehearsal and administrative assistant. In her professional career in Charlotte she has performed original works by E.E. Balcos, Martha Connerton, Duane Cyrus, Bridget Morris and Edward and Christina Winslow. Alyce has also performed with CPCC Theater in the Will Rogers Follies, Cabaret, Guys and Dolls and Legally Blonde. For 5 years she has performed as a guest artist with the Charlotte Youth Ballet in the Nutcracker and most recently as the ‘Fairy Godmother’ in Cinderella. In December 2012, she delivered her greatest ongoing role as mother to her baby girl, Amelia Jean.
ALISSA GETZ WALLER
A native of metro Detroit, Alissa received her early ballet training from master teacher Rose Marie Floyd and continued her classical studies at the School of the Cleveland Ballet, the Atlanta Ballet and the New School of the Arts in Amsterdam. Alissa performed with the Detroit Contemporary Civic Ballet for four years performing soloist roles in the Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Swan Lake. After moving to Chicago in 2000, she joined the Chicago Ballet under the direction of Paul Abrahamson and was an original member of Elements Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Michael Gosney. While in Chicago she performed original works by choreographers Randy Duncan, Susan Quinn, Paul Abrahamson, Michael Gosney and Christina Ernst. In 1997, Alissa earned her BFA in Dance (Ballet Performance emphasis) at the University of Arizona, graduating summa cum laude. She is an accredited ballet instructor through American Ballet Theatre’s National Teacher Training Curriculum from Primary through Level 5 as well as a Fellow teaching member for the Cecchetti Council of America. In 2015, Alissa completed her Advanced Professional teaching examination in the Cecchetti Method with honors and was awarded the Jane Carol Miller teacher’s scholarship. She has been teaching ballet for over 20 years for ballet studios in metro Detroit, Chicago, and Charlotte where many of her students have gone on to professional dance careers. Alissa is a certified Pilates teacher and a Master Teacher for the GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Methods. She is also a certified Yoga instructor and a Progressing Ballet Technique® certified teacher. She specializes in the applications of Pilates for Dancers. While in Chicago, Alissa founded Chicago Northshore Gyrotonic Studio, which she directed for 12 years. After relocating to Charlotte in 2012, she opened Charlotte Movement Arts Studio, a private Pilates and Gyrotonic Method studio in Charlotte. She is thrilled to continue to share her love for ballet, Pilates, and movement with the students of the Charlotte Ballet Academy.
LOREN FLETCHER
Loren Fletcher is an award winning dancer, recognized for his choreography for dance companies, his own company Oxygen and Off-Broadway. National television commercials, industrial films and corporate trade shows are three of the many areas he has made his mark as a dancer, choreographer, and director. Loren trained with Susan Snider and Jenny Bishop and continued with the University of Iowa, Giordano’s Jazz Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dupree Dance Academy Los Angeles, The Edge Los Angeles, Francious Martinet (original Joffrey member), Robert Severs (Harkness Ballet), Karen Krete (ABT), Lan Lan King (Graham Company), Sherry Zunker (River North Dance Company), Frank Hatchet (Broadway Dance Center), Joe Tremaine (Tremaine Conventions and studio), Randy Allaire (TV’s Fame and Michael Jackson Tour), Luigi, Matt Mattox, Gus Giordano and various master classes. He has choreographed for the musicals Hair, Crowns and Secret Garden, and toured with seven companies of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, danced for River North Dance Company and Gus Giordano and has guested with various others.
ROBIN BISHOP
Robin Gray-Bishop is a Julliard graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree and has also graduated from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte with a teaching certificate in Dance Education. Currently, she is teaching for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Waddell Language Academy. She has studied at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the American Ballet Theatre and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Her performance credits include being a featured dancer in the films; The Wiz and Fame and principal dancer for Jubilation! Dance Company which toured in the US and abroad. Robin highly trained in modern, ballet and jazz with over twenty-five years of dance, teaching and choreographic experience within the private and public school sector in New York City and throughout the United States. Robin has over fifteen years of experience as Director of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church Dance Ministry choreographing and teaching for a congregation of 2,000+ children, men and women. Her most prized accomplishment was starting the Leaps and Bounds School of Dance as Director and Founder, a performing arts program for gifted and low-income inner-city youth for over thirteen years.
ASHLEY SUTTLAR MARTIN
Ashley Suttlar Martin is an independent artist and educator with a MFA in Dance from Temple University and a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University. She danced professionally for companies based in Philadelphia and New York City. Ashley’s creative works have been acclaimed and presented nationwide. She is director of 4thrightdance, designer of Embellish handcrafted accessories and founding co-producer of FRESH, a touring performance series. Ashley developed the dance minor curriculum at Morehead State University (KY), was guest faculty at QCC – City University of New York, has served on faculty at Central Piedmont Community College (NC), Coker College (SC), Winthrop University (SC) and the Governor’s School of Arts & Humanities (SC). She has also worked in arts-integration programs as a Teaching Artist for various school systems and outreach organizations. Ashley’s passion led her to exploring many avenues as an artist, educator, administrator and advocate. She was a corporate representative for a dancewear retailer, has obtained dance fitness teaching credentials and recently, earned certification as an Instructor of the Umfundalai Contemporary African Dance Technique. Currently, Ashley teaches dance to all ages from preschool, to college, and beyond for various organizations and colleges in the Carolinas.
VERONICA MORETTI NIEBUHR
Born and raised in Cranston, Rhode Island, Veronica, affectionately known as “Ms. V”, started her dance training at the age of 7 after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The Doctor’s advice was to “keep moving,” and she has. She received her early training from Bette Ann Rossi at Atwood Performing Arts, Festival Ballet of RI, and Boston Ballet and furthered her training with scholarships in NY with Wilhelm Burhman, Finis Jhung, Peff Modelski, Alexander Filipov and Joe Lanteri at STEPS on Broadway. While in NY, Veronica started teaching professional children who performed on Broadway, Choreographed for the first Boston Aids Benefits, performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and worked with independent choreographers in music and industrial videos, on stage and film. After beginning a family, Veronica was the Director of Ballet South in Savannah, GA, a faculty member at Armstrong Atlantic University, was a contributor on www.thewinger.com and ran her own school, the STUDIO, for seven years. Many of her students have gone on to professional careers and have won national and international recognition at the Youth America Grand Prix including the top prize-the coveted Youth Grand Prix award, and honored at the National High School Dance Festival. She has been on faculty of Charlotte Ballet since 2011.
