FACULTY & STAFF

LASZLO BERDO

ACADEMY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINEE DIVISION
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.
EMAIL 704.414.2784

KATI HANLON MAYO

ACADEMY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – UPPER SCHOOL

Kati Hanlon Mayo trained at The Boston School of Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia & Violette Verdy. At the age of 15, she became a member of Boston Ballet 2 and performed regularly with The Boston Ballet. In 1992, Kati was invited by Salvatore Aiello to join North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) as a principal dancer. That same summer, she also became a member of The Chautauqua Ballet Company under the direction of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux.

Throughout her 17-year career at Charlotte Ballet Kati performed principal roles in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Alonzo King, Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, Dwight Rhoden, Agnes DeMille, Jacqueline Buglisi, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Nacho Duato. 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 main company along with the Advanced and Pre-Professional Division. Many of her students have gone on to professional careers with companies throughout the world, including: New York City Ballet, Nederland Dans Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. Kati has been a guest teacher for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Chautauqua Institution, Regional Dance America and she is a repetiteur for the Salvatore Aiello Trust. She 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.

EMAIL 704.414.2206

SOPHIE MERCURE

ACADEMY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR – LOWER SCHOOL

Sophie Mercure is a rare Charlotte, NC native! Sophie began her dance education at Charlotte City Ballet under the instruction of Melissa Hale Coyle at 5 years old before coming to Charlotte Ballet Academy at 8 years old. In high school, Sophie moved to NYC to study on full scholarship at Gelsey Kirkland Academy’s year round training program. Sophie performed in Gelsey Kirkland Ballet’s full length classical ballets, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Harlequinade as well as GKB’s performance excerpts from Giselle, and August Bournonville’s Enchainements.

Sophie started her teaching career in 2015 with Miller Street Dance Academy. In summer 2016 Sophie attended ABT’s National Teacher Training program for levels Pre-Primary to level 3. Sophie joined the faculty at Charlotte Ballet Academy in Fall 2016 where she has instructed Beginning Ballet through Ballet 3 and taught Conditioning in the Pre-Professional Division. She has served as Assistant Rehearsal Director for the Academy’s children’s cast in Charlotte Ballet’s productions of Nutcracker and Peter Pan.

A certified personal trainer for 5 years, Sophie received her Personal Training Certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine in 2018 and became a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach in October 2020. After completing her PT Certification, Sophie launched a successful dance based fitness concept, Ballet Fit Theory in October 2018 (2018-2021) in Southend Charlotte allowing her to combine her passions for dance and fitness. Sophie enjoys bringing her knowledge of the body and fitness into her classes at Charlotte Ballet Academy to help build strong and healthy dancers.

EMAIL 704.414.2768

PATRICIA MCBRIDE

CHARLOTTE BALLET ACADEMY MASTER INSTRUCTOR

Patricia McBride has been celebrated as the outstanding American ballerina of our day and a star of international stature. In 1959, she joined the company of New York City Ballet and, in 1961, became its youngest principal dancer. Patricia danced for five American presidents, performed with many of the great male dancers of our time and had numerous master works created for her by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She joined Charlotte Ballet in 1996 as associate artistic director and is a master teacher with the Charlotte Ballet Academy. She also serves as associate artistic director and master teacher at the Chautauqua Institution in NY. Patricia has received awards from Dance Magazine Award, the New York City Mayor’s office and Mademoiselle Magazine, as well as the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor. In 2014, she was named a Kennedy Center Honoree. Patricia and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux have two children and three grandchildren.

ROBIN GRAY 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.

ASYIA CUTTS

Asyia Cutts is a Charlotte native. She has been dancing for 20 years and teaching dance for six years. She began her competition dance training at Dance Productions and finished her training at Havilah Dance Company. She continued her dance education at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, obtaining her BFA Degree in choreography and performance. Along her journey she has trained with and performed works with Janet Lily, Duane Cyrus, Clarice Young, and many more. Currently Asyia is an instructor at Havilah Dance Company and Charlotte Ballet Academy.

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.

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.

HEATHER FERRANTI FERGUSON

Heather Ferranti Ferguson is a native of Rochester, NY, where she studied with Luba Gulyaeva at the Botsford School of Dance, and later with Timothy Draper at the Rochester City Ballet. At the age of 15 she was invited to join Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as an apprentice. After several years of dancing professionally with various companies, including working with Jean Pierre Bonnefoux at the Chautauqua Ballet Company, he invited her to join Charlotte Ballet. While at Charlotte Ballet, Heather had the privilege of dancing in several of George Balanchine’s greatest works and being coached by Patricia McBride, as well as ballets from choreographers including Salvatore Aiello, Alvin Ailey, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Mark Diamond, Nicolo Fonte, William Forsythe, Mark Godden, Alonzo King, Dwight Rhoden, and Paul Taylor. Heather spent six seasons with Charlotte Ballet, during which time she began teaching for the academy. For more than two decades she has been an instructor and choreographer for the Intermediate and Advanced Divisions, with many of her students going on to professional careers.

TRACY HEIM

Tracy Heim is a graduate of University of North Carolina at Charlotte receiving a B.A. in Dance Performance and B.S. in Exercise Science. Throughout her dance journey, Tracy had the opportunity to perform Martha Graham’s “Steps in the Street”, along with Paul Taylor’s “Esplanade” and the revival of “Tracer”. While developing her skills in dance, along with athletic training, Tracy stayed involved in the community by volunteering to teach dance in low-income areas and working for UNCC’s Disability Services as a Movement Mentor for visibly impaired dancers. Tracy received her Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) certification, a program that uses ballet-technique exercises to train skill acquisition in a graded and progressive manner, including injury prevention and rehabilitation; and continued to expand her education by becoming an ABT® Certified Teacher completing Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Dedicated to providing proper technique, Tracy also strives to create a fun, supportive and inclusive environment in the studio for all age groups; she loves to build relationships and find connections with her students, using a balance of encouragement and discipline to safely set the students up for their own success.

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.

KELLY JOHNSON

Born and raised in the city of Wichita, Kansas, Kelly’s journey into the world of dance started at the age of four. At age eight, her pursuit of dance flourished under the teachings of Sharon Rogers of Rogers Ballet. Through dedicated training in ballet, tap, and jazz, she began to craft her artistic identity and lay the foundation for a career in dance.

In 2016, a significant milestone marked Kelly’s educational journey as she graduated from Friends University. Under the direction of Stan K. Rogers, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet, accompanied by a minor in English.

Kelly’s quest for excellence led her to learn from a constellation of accomplished educators. The likes of Lauren Anderson, Dominic Walsh, Rhonda Malkin, Melonie Buchanan Murray, and Alonzo King contributed their expertise, through masterclasses and workshops, fostering her growth as both an artist and an instructor.

In pursuit of her professional dance aspirations, Kelly embarked on a new chapter in 2017 by relocating to Wilmington, North Carolina. This move marked the beginning of a two-season journey with U.S. International Ballet, where she furthered her artistry as a performer.

In March of 2023, Kelly completed a Teacher Training in Pilates Mat from Polestar Pilates. This not only expanded her perspective as a dancer but also infused her teaching with a newfound depth and insight. Through the years, Kelly has taught at various dance studios, most notably Midwest Dance Mechanix, run by Jana Owen. Here she gained experience and confidence as an instructor, and even completed a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. Taking her place at the front of the studio, she discovered a profound drive to nurture creativity and empower her students to achieve their personal aspirations.

EMMA MANION GLENNON

Emma Manion Glennon, is an arts administrator and educator originally from Pennsylvania. She grew up training in the pre-professional program at the Mill Ballet School in New Jersey. After graduating high school, Emma spent a season training and performing full-time with Roxey Ballet Company.  Emma went on to study dance and business at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. During her time at Temple, she trained with and performed works of Kun-Yang Lin, Brain Sanders, Laura Katz-Rizzo, and T. Lang among others. She also danced professionally with Expansions Contemporary Dance from 2016 to 2019. Emma’s background in business administration and passion for dance education led her to Charlotte Ballet in 2021.

ALEXIS LYNN

Alexis Lynn is a North Carolina native that has been dancing for over 20 years. At a young age she participated in competition group and solo pieces before coming to Charlotte Ballet Academy in 2010 where she trained for 5 years. In addition to Charlotte Ballet training, Alexis completed two summer intensives at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and she performed with Martha Graham Dance Company under the guidance of her mentor, Kim Jones.

In undergrad, Alexis Lynn studied Psychology and Athletic Training at UNC Chapel Hill, where she also choreographed and performed pieces for the American College Dance Association. She then went on to receive her Master’s of Social Work from Winthrop University, and she is now a Reiki Level II Practitioner, a Certified Yoga Instructor, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate.

Alexis Lynn has a passion for combining her knowledge of mind and body wellness into everything she does. While she has never ceased dancing on an individual level, she has continued to teach ages 7 and up in Ballet, Contemporary/Modern, Jazz, Yoga, and Conditioning for the past 10+ years.

MAURICE MOUZON JR.

Maurice, a Baltimore native, was first introduced to dance at age 14 and started his formal training at Baltimore School for the Arts. After graduating, Maurice continued his dance training at Purchase College State University of New York. After completing a year at SUNY Purchase, Maurice joined Charlotte Ballet II. While in the second company, Maurice had the opportunity to dance the solo in Ohad Nahrin’s Minus 16, which lead to his promotion to the first company. Maurice has also performed works by Johan Inger, Filipe Portugal, Javier de Frutos, Brian Arias, Sasha Janes, Robyn Mineko Williams and Myles Thather. He attended summer intensives with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Miami City Ballet.

Maurice is now a First Company Dancer with Charlotte Ballet.

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.

LEAH RATTENBURY

Leah Rattenbury 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.

MELISSA REED

Melissa Reed is originally from New Hampshire, where she began her early dance training. At age 15, she was invited to attend the Harid Conservatory, where she studied with Svetlana Osiyeva, Victoria Schneider, and Olivier Pardina. She spent summers at Pacific Northwest Ballet and The Chautauqua Institution.

Upon graduating, Melissa spent two seasons at North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. She also danced at Richmond Ballet for one season and as a guest artist at Eglevsky Ballet in New York with Laszlo Berdo. In 2012, Melissa joined The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, based at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she danced for six seasons. Under Ms. Farrell’s direction, she toured across the United States and abroad, her favorite location being the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman. Her repertoire includes numerous Balanchine ballets, such as Allegro Brillante, Danses Concertantes, Divertimento No. 15, Emeralds, Chaconne, Gounod Symphony, Serenade, Movements for Piano and Orchestra, Stars and Stripes, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Who Cares? and Mozartiana, among others.

Melissa spent seven seasons as a faculty member with Boston Ballet School. She taught within the Classical Ballet Program, as well as BB’s Summer Dance Program and Summer Workshops each year. Between 2018-2020, she served as the Assistant Children’s Ballet Mistress for Boston Ballet company productions, staging George Balanchine’s Coppélia, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, and Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella. Additionally, Melissa received her certification in Adaptive Dance training at Boston Ballet for children with disabilities, and taught and collaborated with the youth community program, Citydance. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Northeastern University in Massachusetts, and is currently attending Northeastern’s Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing program in Charlotte.

TIL SCHMIDT-RIMPLER

Till Schmidt Rimpler founded Moving Poets in Charlotte in 1996, together with visual artists MyLoan Dinh, actor and director Randell Haynes and NC Poet Laureate Chuck Sullivan. In 2011 he and his wife and painter MyLoan Dinh opened Moving Poets in Berlin and in 2014 NOVILLA, international center for arts, creativity & exchange.

Till studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich and at Codarts University of the Arts Rotterdam. He was a member of the Dutch National Ballet and a principal artist with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, USA.

Since starting Moving Poets, Till’s focus has been to bring together artists from different fields, cultures and age groups, to jointly create art that transcends in content and in form familiar ideas and norms, while inspiring and challenging both the artists and the audience.

He has conceived and produced numerous collaborative works, human rights programs and projects for teenagers as well as music concerts and choreographies for several operas. He has taught professionals and amateurs and was a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a professor at the Universidad Miguel Hernandez in Altea, Spain.

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. SKRABALAK

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.

BECKY TIMMS

Becky has been literally dancing her whole life.  From a very early age she knew that dance and theatre had her heart.

She graduated from Point Park University, magna cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance.  She continued her training (as all good dancers should) after college and studied at the Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco ballet schools as well as with the great Finis Jung and David Howard.

She has taught all around the country including the prestigious Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School.

Becky has extensive professional experience on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and National Tours and has worked with some of professional theatres’ finest legendary directors and choreographers. She has worked with such legends as Jerome Robbins, Harold Prince, Michael Bennet, Bob Fosse, Susan Stroman, and Trevor Nunn to name a few.

Becky has directed and choreographed more than 70 productions for professional theatres all over the country: La Jolla Playhouse, NJ Shakespeare, The Cort, and MTC, among others.

In addition, she was the associate choreographer for the Tony Award winning show Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002.

Becky performed on Broadway / National tours of Cats, Chess, West Side Story, Pippin, Showboat, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat (starring Donny Osmond).  As well as dozens of Equity regional theatres around the country.

She is married to Actor/Director Paul Carlin and her favorite “production” is her son Payton.