Suzanne founded the Cary Ballet Conservatory
and the Cary Ballet Company in August of 1995, when she relocated from
New York with her family. Originally from Miami, Florida, she studied
ballet daily, from an early age, at some of the finest schools and
attended intensive summer programs with company affiliated schools,
throughout the country, annually. As a teenager, she toured as a member
of Ballet Florida and South Florida Ballet companies. She graduated
from New World School of the Arts and was the 1985 national recipient
of the prestigious ARTS Honors scholarship award. She chose to continue
at New World School of the Art's College/Professional Division, as the
only scholarship recipient. The choice enabled her to continue
performing professionally with Miami Ballet and Momentum Dance Company,
and pursue her love of teaching at several respected ballet schools.
Suzanne enjoyed taking part in Miami’s booming arts culture which
included many collaborative events and opportunities such as performing
Balanchine’s Serenade, staged by Allegra Kent in Miami City Ballet’s
inaugural season. In December of 1989 she moved to New
York where she continued teaching, performing and training with
world-renowned teachers in Manhattan. In 1990 she became the artistic
director/owner of the New Paltz School of Ballet, NY, where she trained
ballet students of all levels, through professional, and founded the
semi-professional Hudson Valley Regional Ballet Company. For five years
she directed the school, providing her students with the skills to be
accepted into major professional companies and/or be awarded
scholarships from universities with prestigious dance programs.
Although Suzanne loved her students and was very proud of the wonderful
school she had developed, the “southern girl” never felt at home in New
York. After extensive searching for a wonderful place to live and raise
her two boys, Dustin and Brennan, she realized the need for a higher
level of training in North Carolina’s Capital region. Eager to fill
that need and become part of the beautiful, friendly community she fell
in love with, Suzanne and her family relocated to Cary in August of 1995
and opened Cary Ballet just 5 months later. Through her years of
experience, she developed a unique curriculum where students truly
enjoy being pushed to their highest potential. Because serious ballet
training is demanding and those students become passionate about their
art, she believes in establishing nurturing relationships- offering
sound advice, positive correction and gentle guidance. Following her
lifelong dream, Suzanne has put her heart into bringing together a
beautiful loving environment with the finest possible training. Through
the Cary Ballet Conservatory, she has assembled an outstanding faculty
of dance professionals with extensive performing and teaching
experience as well as a thorough knowledge of anatomy in relation to
dance. They meet often to share ideas and discuss students' individual
progress. Her goal is to make each student an important member of the
school, building their confidence and self-esteem so that they may
dance and achieve their goals freely and without inhibitions. Over the
past 14 years Cary Ballet has made a positive difference in so many
lives. This remarkable success has already earned a national reputation
and the conservatory has become one of Cary’s most treasured assets.
Rossana Nesta Machi
Rossana Machi started her classic ballet studies in Italy
at the School of "Balletto di Roma". She later earned her BA in
Vaganova Ballet Technique which is the highest teaching degree given by
the Italian Ministry of Education through the "Accademia Nazionale di
Danza, Rome". As a dancer, Mrs.
Machi performed in nationally renowned companies in Italy, such as the
Opera Theatre in Rome and the Company of Balletto di Roma. As a
teacher, she started her career at the School of Balletto di Roma. She
was later invited as guest instructor at the Opera Theatre in Rome and
the National Academy of Dance. In Milan, Mrs. Machi was honored to be
invited by the Director of the School of Ballet of La Scala Theatre
(Mrs. Anna Maria Prina) to teach for the Ballet Summer Bozen
Program.After teaching and performing in Europe for ten years, Mrs.
Machi moved to the United States where she taught, as a guest teacher,
at the Western Ballet School, in Mountain View, CA. In 2000 Mrs. Machi
moved from Texas to Pennsylvania where she was invited by Terence Orr
(Artistic Director of PBT) and David Holladay (PBT School Director) to
join the school faculty at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Mrs. Machi
taught Ballet Technique, Repertoire, Mens Classes, Pilates and Stretch
at PBT and also taught at Point Park University. Mrs. Machi has been a
Partner at the School of American Ballet in New York, where she was
invited to attend seminars and workshops with SAB and the New York City
Ballet. Many of her former students have been
recognized for their high level technique and artistic performance in
Europe and the United States. Mrs. Machi moved from Pittsburgh to the Raleigh area, to join
the Cary Ballet faculty in 2004. Since her arrival, Mrs. Machi has cultivated CBC's Intensive Summer Program which allows students to focus on their training in full day sessions. She auditions potential students around the country for the ISP and in 2007, Mrs. Machi was named its Director. Bringing 18 years of international dance
experience, along with her inspiring, enthusiastic personality, she has
become a pillar in our Cary Ballet family.
Darra Gasper
Darra Gasper
began her early training in Huntsville, AL. At age 16, she began
training with Michael and Susan-Quinn Williams, in Pensacola, FL and
performing professionally with First City Dance Theater. She quickly
became the lead dancer and Jr. Company Director at their affiliate
school, The Dance Centre. Later, Darra accepted a scholarship to train
with the world renowned Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and spent the
next four years pursuing her career in the windy city. While in
Chicago, Darra danced professionally with the Gus Giordano Dancers
while she continued earning an excellent reputation for teaching and
choreography at the Gus Giordano Dance Center and studios in and around
the Chicago area. She also appeared with Touch Dance Ensemble and James
Kelly Choreography Project and was a guest soloist at the 1994 Jazz
Dance World Congress. Darra's other credits include performing in
videos on VH1 and MTV as well as appearances on PBS, FOX, and ABC's
Wide World of Sports and as a featured dancer in casino shows. Having
received many honors and awards, Darra has become a very sought-after
teacher and choreographer throughout the United States. She directed
the Jazz Program at The Dance Center of Colorado Springs, where over
seven years; she brought the program to a nationally respected level
and developed a pre-professional touring company.While in Colorado,
Darra choreographed extensively for
the US Air Force Jazz Band and USAF Band of the Rockies touring
companies along with coaching Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets
Cheerleaders. Darra's choreography has become a staple at the Arizona
Jazz Dance Showcase and her dancers have received scholarships to Gus
Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, University of Arizona, Tuscon and
countless other universities and summer programs. She continues to
teach Master Classes and stage choreography for schools and companies
throughout the country.
In 2005, Darra was recruited by Suzanne Clark to join the Cary Ballet
Conservatory faculty. CBC dancers love her high energy, bold, hands-on
teaching style. As director of CBC's Jazz Program and affiliate Jazz
Company, The
3D Project, Darra has utilized her extensive training and performance
background to further heighten the level of CBC's jazz program,
exposing her students to many styles
of contemporary dance such as Classical Jazz, Broadway Jazz, Lyrical,
Hip Hop, and Ethnic. Having a vast network of contacts throughout the
jazz dance community, Darra draws the foremost Master Teachers working
today, for workshops and choreography exclusively for CBC students.
Anna Penny
Anna has been in the dance and performing
industry since she was four years old. She started from arrhythmic
gymnastics where she won certificates and trophies until the age of
ten. She then was accepted into the Choreographic College of Ballet in
Belarus where she studied classical, folk, modern and other styles of
ballet. During this time she traveled with the college all over Eastern
and Western Europe such as Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Latvia,
Vietnam, and all parts of Russia. She performed in international
competitions representing the country of Belarus. Anna has performed
leading roles in many ballet’s including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker,
Corsair, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and Raymonda. She performed for
the Queen of the Netherlands and for Chelsea Clinton. Anna was also an
actress in the movie “Russian Arc” which made the Guinness Book of
World Records for non stop taping in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg,
Russia. Being the Valedictorian of her graduating class she went to the
United States with the International Group of Performers in 1998. Anna
traveled the U.S. performing folk and classical Russian ballet while
teaching children and adults. From there she worked and performed with
the Carolina Ballet and was also teaching gymnastics and ballet for
children. She was recognized as a beautiful example of a classically
polished professional ballerina in the movie “A Parents Guide to
Ballet”. Anna is excited to begin her fourth year teaching at the Cary
Ballet Conservatory, where she is adored by her students. She’s
especially eager to continue implementing all of the wonderful ideas
which have blossomed from her position as Cary Ballet’s “Children’s
Ballet Mistress.” Anna also devotes much of her time to the Cary Ballet
Company, coaching dancers and staging choreography. She is extremely
committed to our CBC students and teachers, implementing the most
effective syllabus and strategizing for optimal results. An integral
part of our Cary Ballet family, Mrs. Anna is also a wonderful Mommy to
her beautiful son, Alec.
Leah Copley Summers
Leah Copley has
studied and taught dance for the past 26 years. Leah studied with Dr.
Mary Marcuzzi at the Huntington Dance Workshop School where she danced
on scholarship and worked as an apprentice teacher with Dr. Marcuzzi.
As a student of dance, Leah attended various intensive programs and
studied with such master teachers as Svea Eklov, (National Ballet of
Canada), Oleg Sabline ( Paris Opera Ballet), Ralph Hewitt(North
Carolina Dance Theatre) Frank Smith (American Ballet Theatre) Rochelle
Zide-Booth (Joffrey Ballet). As a member of Dr. Marcuzzi's regional
company, Leah performed in many ballets such as: The Nutcracker,
Cinderella, Peter and the Wolfe, Peter Pan, The Pied Piper, Alice in
Wonderland and Hansel and Gretal. Leah graduated Cum Laud with her
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education at Marshall University
in 1991. After receiving her degree, she continued teaching and served
as an artistic director of River Cities Dance Company where she
directed The Nutcracker for the past eight years at Shawnee State
University. Leah's most recent production, Cinderella, was performed
at the Paramount Arts Center in October 2003. As a dance and elementary
teacher, Leah has worked as an Artist in Residence in various counties
in West Virginia and Kentucky. She has also served as adjunct faculty
at Marshall University, faculty for the West Virginia Governor's School
for the Arts, and The Museum in the Community. Leah's students have
been accepted or received scholarships to various arts schools such as:
North Carolina School of the Arts, Ballet Met, The Hungarian National
Ballet School, Point Park College, The Rock, American Ballet Theater,
American Dance Festival, Cincinnati Ballet, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet,
Nutmeg, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Virginia Commonwealth
University, and many others. Leah received the Choreographer of the
Year Award for the year 2002 and served on KAR's national competition
judges' panel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Biloxi, Mississippi.
Leah relocated to Cary to join our CBC faculty. Quickly becoming a
favorite teacher here, she has decided to dedicate herself, full-time
to our CBC students.
Beth Costigan
Beth Costigan joined our Cary Ballet faculty
in the fall of 1997 upon relocating to Cary with her husband John and son
Jack. She began her training with Chicagoland studios including
the Ruth Page foundation and the Lou Conte Studio. She holds a BA in
Theatre/Dance from Northern Illinois University where she was awarded a
Talented Student Scholarship and an Outstanding Service Award. Beth has
performed professionally with Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble,
Dancescape, The American College Dance Festival, The N.I.U.
Alumni Company and most recently with the Harrison Dance Company in
Atlanta, GA. Prior to moving to Cary, Beth was Assistant Director of
the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre in Marietta, GA. for three years. Beth
now lives in Cary with her husband, John, her son Jack and her
daughter, Grace. She has been a wonderful asset for Cary Ballet,
teaching over the past twelce years. In addition, she has remained an
active leader in all aspects of the conservatory and the company. Beth
is especially recognized for the numerous outstanding original works
she choreographed for our Cary Ballet Company.
Lindsay Haynie
Lindsay began her dance training at a local dance studio right here in Cary, NC! She began dancing at the age of 3 and has taken everything from ballet, jazz, and lyrical to modern, tap, and clogging. After graduating from Cary High School in 2003, Lindsay attended UNC-Greensboro to pursue a degree in modern dance. In 2004, she transfered to East Carolina University. It was at ECU where she was able to really develop as a dancer and choreographer. She took a variety of courses including: Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Improvisation, Choreography, Creative Dramatics, Theater Management, and Dance History. She has attended the Jazz Dance World Congress in Chicago and was selected to perform in a piece by Roger Belman at the American Dance Festival in 2005. At ECU, Lindsay performed in the annual Dance Theater, and Senior Choreography shows each semester. Several of these pieces were selected to compete at the American College Dance Festival and in 2006 two of these pieces were awarded a slot in the Final Gala Performance. That same year, Lindsay was asked to set her Senior Choreography piece, Faith to Fly, on students at New Bern Dance Theater. This piece went on to win several awards in competition such as "Best Overall Piece" and "Best Choreography." Lindsay graduated Magna Cum Laude from ECU in 2007 with a BFA in Dance Performance with a concentration in Jazz. Since graduation, Lindsay got married and relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After just 7 months, she is back in her hometown of Cary and is very excited to teach dance again and to join the Cary Ballet family!
Ruth Leney-Midkiff
Ruth Leney-Midkiff
has been a choreographer, master teacher and coach for almost 20
years. During her 12 years in Michigan, she served on the ballet
faculties of the University of Michigan and the Flint School of
Perfoming Arts. In addition, she established a youth program at
the Dance Gallery Studio/ Peter Sparling Dance Company, where she later
became director of the school. She has taught master classes throughout
the United States and abroad in ballet, modern and her own contemporary
ballet technique, and has created over 60 original pieces of
choreography, ranging in style from full-length classics to modern
dance works. Her works have been honored in Regional Dance,
receiving "gala" recognition numerous times. In referring to her
ballet Tributaries, the Michigan Daily wrote, "The only way to
describe this work was magnificent." and in La Traviata as "brilliant
display of choreography." In 1995, Ruth's work with Pittsburgh
Youth Ballet was honored in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's top 10 list
in Dance. Ruth's students have been awarded scholarships to some
of the world's most prestigious dance conservatories and she is proud
to now have students dancing in some of our countries foremost dance
companies. Ruth holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University
of Michigan as well as two BA's from the University of Pittsburgh in
French and Russian respectively. Ruth recently moved to the Raleigh/
Durham area with her husband, Andrew and has a young boy named Nate.
Juliet Celeste Malit
Juliet Celeste Malit moved from New Jersey in
July of 1996 with her husband Rene and 2 daughters, Jheanne and
Rachelle. She brings over 30 years of dance experience to us. Mrs.
Malit was born in the Philippines and has danced intensively and
performed in Ballets, Modern Dance, Folk-International Dances, Musical
and Jazz productions. Mrs. Malit trained in the Philippines under Alice
Reyes, Pinon, Norman Walker, Corazon Inigo, Rene Hofilena, Nez Jardin
plus others. In the Philippines, she was the co-founder and Honorary
Chairman-Choreographer of the "Integrated Performing Arts Guild"
(IPAG), a dance, music and drama group in the Contemporary Philippines
Theater which is one of the top cultural groups there. Mrs. Malit holds
a Masters Degree in Dance and a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education.
She has worked closely with Joan Wolf, Helena Baron, Mark Jelks, Joanne
Koob Brown, Mary Carpenter, Sheila Hellman and many more respected
dance artists. She was the Children's Ballet Mistress for the Bergen
Dancenter / Bergen Dance Theater in New Jersey. She has produced,
choreographed, and directed various musical theater productions. Mrs.
Malit joined our faculty in January of 1997. Her consistent teaching
method and inspiring attitude help build great dancers. She was
nominated in 2003 for the Raleigh Medal of Arts for achievement in the
performing arts. She has organized and presented the Cary Ballet
Company to St. Mary Magdalene School for several years.
MiMi Lee McCloskey
MiMi did not discover her love for dance until
she was already a young teenager. She trained intensely focusing on
jazz and was teaching by her third year of study. In 1993 she moved to
North Carolina to pursue a BSE in Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science from Duke University. She continued to dance in college, taking
African dance classes and joining Duke's African American Dance
Reperatory. MiMi was a choreographer for a student-run musical theatre
group and was also a member of the Duke Dance team, eventually serving
as both Vice-President and President. In 1997 she was a NCA Danz
All-American and danced in the half-time show at the Hula Bowl. Dancing
and teaching at the Cary Ballet Conservatory, MiMi
lives in Apex with her husband Scott spending most of her time with her
sons, teaching at Cary Ballet and working with the
CBC Jazz Company.
Gerren Mobley
Gerren Mobley, a native of South Florida,
began studying dance at the age of three, becoming a very serious young
dancer training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, hip-hop, and
acrobatics at "Palm Beach School of the Arts". In 1996 he moved to NC
and continued training intensely with the Cary Ballet Conservatory.
Gerren has attended many master classes, workshops and summer intensive
training programs working with some of the dance world's most respected
professionals including former principal dancer of the Joffrey Ballet
Jerry Satinoff, Miami City Ballet director, Edward Villella and North
Carolina's own Gene Medler. He still continues to train with some of
nation's finest dancers and choreographers, frequently visiting
Broadway Dance Center in New York City and various dance conventions
across the East Coast. Over his pre-professional and professional
career, he has performed in the Opening Ceremonies of the Special
Olympics, Miami City Ballet's Nutcracker and Carolina Ballet's Carmen,
danced and choreographed for the NCSU Modern Dance Company, performed
at the American College Dance Festival's Gala, and as a lead dancer in
the Cary Ballet Company. As a recent graduate of North Carolina State
University's College of Management, Gerren is thrilled to continue
teaching and being an influential part of Cary Ballet's premier jazz
company 'The 3D Project'. Gerren looks forward to choreographing
new and exciting works for the company's upcoming
season.
Suzanne Moreno Murley
Suzanne Moreno Murley has over
thirty years of experience with dancing and has been teaching for the
past nine years for Cary Ballet. Suzanne began her training in the
Royal Academy of Dance method and continued her studies in Vaganova
with Maureen Basta and Don Bailey in Bethesda, Maryland. Upon
graduating with a BA from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA, she
moved back to the Washington area to perform ballet, modern and jazz
with Arlington Dance Theatre and other small performing groups,
including the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera Theatre of Northern
Virginia, USA Philharmonic Society, and Pittsburgh Opera Company.
Suzanne and her husband, Scott, moved to North Carolina in 1995. She
has been very involved with Cary Ballet Conservatory since its opening
in 1997. Since the inception of the pre-professional Cary Ballet
Company in 1998, Suzanne worked extensively with the junior ensemble
staging original choreography her first year. She was also instrumental
in assisting Suzanne Laliberte' Clark in staging the full-length
Sleeping Beauty and Paquita for their spring concert in 1999. Since
then, she has had two children, Kyle and Jasmine. For several years,
Suzanne has served as Assistant Director for this non-profit
organization. This role keeps her constantly busy organizing rehearsal
schedules for the annual Visions of Sugarplums and Spring Gala
performances (with the number of dancers fluctuating from 35 to 50
plus), coordinating the attendance to the NC Festival of Dance in
Winston-Salem, and managing the Spring Gala performances. The entire
process is very rewarding and makes Suzanne a proud member of the Cary
Ballet Faculty.
Alina Ramirez
Alina Ramirez
started her training at the young age of three, but it wasn't until she
was nine that she started her intensive training at the Cary School of
Ballet. As The Cary School of Ballet grew into the Cary Ballet
Conservatory, she grew and advanced right along with it.
Always interested in teaching, Alina began assisting our faculty at age
eleven. Throughout the following eight years, her dedication, warm
personality and contagious enthusiasm as an assistant teacher inspired
many dancers.
As an original member of the Cary Ballet Company, she performed many
different roles with the company as well as the conservatory's jazz
company and annual June performances. She also actively represented the
dance team and musical theater department at Green Hope High School
through graduation.
From majestic performances in such roles as the Sugar Plum Fairy in
CBC's annual Visions of Sugarplums to her outstanding portrayal of
the comic role of "Lafu", in CBC's first Beauty and the Beast, Alina's
talent and well rounded training in ballet, jazz, tap, voice and
musical theater gave her a unique versatility to shine in any role. She
received rave reviews for her performances as "Odette", the lead role
in Cary Ballet Company's Swan Lake, presented at the 2004 Spring Gala.
As an ambassador for the company at various events and educational
outreach programs, Alina was chosen to represent CBC at the 2003 Youth
America Grand Prix where she gracefully performed the, very difficult,
Odette solo variation. In 2003, acclaimed Broadway director, Eric
Schaeffer and choreographer, Karma Camp came to Cary Ballet
Conservatory and offered Alina the lead role of "Jasmine" (singing and
ballet dancing, en pointe) in Disney's Aladdin - A Musical
Spectacular, performing daily in the state-of-the-art, indoor, 2,000
seat Hyperion Theater inside Disney's California AdventureT park in
Anaheim, CA. Instead, Alina chose to stay close to home for two more
years, studying at Peace College, where she is now a sophomore. While
in college, Alina has remained actively involved with CBC; teaching,
private coaching students and choreographing for CBC's jazz company.
She also volunteers, working with other inspiring dancers/actors at
Green Hope High School. Alina plans to finish college, earning a BA in
Musical Theatre before venturing out to become a part of the lights
camera and action of the entertainment world!
Shannon Snover
Shannon Snover - Tap Instructor. A New York
native has been dancing all of her life at some of the finest schools
including STEPS and Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan. Her
professional career began at age 18 dancing, singing, and acting for
Walt Disney Productions. Shannon starred as Snow White, Alice in
Wonderland, and Wendy (from Peter Pan) in many shows and tours and
spent two seasons at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Since then she has
performed in many television and stage productions including a feature
role in the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with members of
the original movie Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. Shannon taught in New
York for eight years and also taught master classes and Workshops at
dance centers and universities across the country while on tour.
Shannon and her husband Tim relocated to NC in 1995 and she has been
teaching tap and jazz for Cary Ballet since we first opened in January
of 1996. They now have a loving home with four wonderful children.
Laci Stanley
Laci started dancing in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of three. In 1991, she relocated to the Raleigh and continued to further her technique through local workshops and studios until moving to Greenville, NC to study at East Carolina University. While at ECU, she was honored to work with such teachers as Tommi Galaska, Clarine Powell, Patti Weeks, Roger Belman, Dawn Clark, and Joe Carow. She was also given the opportunity to perform under guest choreographers such as Nick Pupillo and Colleen Taylor-Young. Laci traveled and performed at Dance Chicago in 2005 and college dance festivals at Florida State University, Ohio University, and George Mason University. In 2007 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from ECU with a BFA in Dance Performance (Jazz) and a BSBA in Business Management. She made her musical debut as 'Mona' in Chicago and performed in West Side Story in the summer of 2007. Currently, Laci is the Head Coach of the Cardinal Gibbons High School Dance Team. Laci is looking forward to her wedding this fall to Justin McDonald and her first year at Cary Ballet Conservatory.
Ronnie West
Ronnie West began studying dance six years ago under Kirstie Spadie and Hip Hop teacher Dywon Fischer. He has also studied at "The Pulse" student and teacher workshops in Atlanta and NYC, briefly at "Koresh" in Philadelphia under Collete Tini, and at the Cary Ballet Conservatory. A natural study, Ronnie began assisting six months into his training and went on to teach by the end of the first year. Five years later he has choreographed for several televised events including the high-end fashion show "Strut 2008," the 2007 NBC17 Tree of Lights, NCSU's College of Design Art to Wear Show, and the 2009 Educator's Ball. He has also choreographed for performing artists including Morrison Poe and The Never. In the past year, several area high schools have invited him to teach as a guest artist. While Ronnie's resume reflects a largely Hip Hop-related background, he takes influence from Modern, Contemporary, Ballet and even every day life to inspire his pieces. He continues to grow as both a student and teacher.
Ronnie is originally from Asheville, North Carolina and attended C.A Erwin High School. He has always had a very strong interest in singing, and began working with difficult pieces at a young age under the direction and mentorship of Martha Weathers. Through a choral group called "Voices of the Laurel", she was largely responsible for making a great impact in the arts for Ronnie. Rebecca Caldwell, Band Director, instilled a sense of rhythm and tempo. Both paved the way to dance as Ronnie understands music on a compositional and detailed level; this allows him to connect to music not only physically and emotionally, but intellectually. Ronnie attended All-District Band (French Horn), All-State Chorus, Honors Chorus, and most notably N.C. Governor's School for Choral Music. N.C. Governor's School was the turning point in his thought process for dance as it was the first time he saw dance as an abstract art form.
Ronnie also attended the NCSU Prague Institute for Architecture and the NCSU College of Design. He received a Bachelors of Environmental Design in Archictecture from the School Of Architecture. He is currently in progress creating a business in Interior Design and Organizational Systems with colleague and friend, Heather Blackwell.
Katie Wiltshire
Katie began her training in Cary, NC. During
her 13 years in school, she partook in numerous productions, including
Nutcracker, Annie and The Ruby Slippers. Katie went on to the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington to purse advanced training.
While earning her BA in Therapeutic Recreation, she performed with UNCW
Theatre/Dance Department, Wilmington Independent Choreographers, and
Cape Fear Theatre Ballet. While in Wilmington, Katie also taught ballet
at numerous studios. Katie and her husband Chase moved back to Cary in
2002. She is also proud to be a Certified Therapeutic Recreation
Specialist. Katie joined our faculty at Cary Conservatory in January
2003. Her love for children and passion for dance shows in her
teaching. Katie is delighted to be back at Cary Ballet Conservatory,
where she once was a student!
Hong
Yang
Hong Yang is from
Beijing, China where she studied dance at the school of the Beijing
Dance Academy as a child and then graduated from the Beijing Dance
Academy in 1995. She immediately joined the National Ballet of China
and was a principal dancer there before going to Toronto, Canada where
she danced with Ballet Joergen Canada. Ms. Yang came to North Carolina
in 2006 to join the Carolina Ballet, as a soloist, and immediately
became very involved with us at Cary Ballet Conservatory. She says she
feels at home here, at CBC, because it reminds her of the wonderful
ballet school where she grew up. She loves teaching, performing and
working with our students and our Cary Ballet Company. Her warm, gentle
nature combined with her positive enthusiasm has quickly made her an
important member of our CBC family.
adjunct faculty
Debra
Austin
Debra
Austin received a scholarship to the school of American Ballet when she
was twelve years old. At the age of sixteen she was hand picked
by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet. While
there, she danced many principle roles by both Balanchine and Jerome
Robbins. One of these was filmed for a PBS television special,
"Live From Lincoln Center". Additionally, she appeared with
Jerome Robbins in a TV special for NBC, "Live From Studio H". Ms
Austin also toured with the company throughout Europe and the former
Soviet Union. Leaving New York City Ballet, she went on to join the
Zurich Ballet of Switzerland. There she danced many principle
roles in works by Balanchine as well as Panov, Von Manon and Heinz
Sporli. When Rudolph Nureyev choreographed Manfred on the
company, Ms. Austin was given the opportunity to dance one of the
leading roles with him as well. She toured with Nureyev and the
Company to Italy, London, England's Convent Gardens. Returning to the
United States, she was invited to join the Pennsylvania Ballet as
principal dancer. There she went on to dance most of the
Company's contemporary works by many choreographers as well as the
classics such as Swan Lake, Coppelia, A Mid-Summers Night Dream and
both roles in Giselle and Myrtha. She danced the Sylph in La
Sylphide, staged by Peter Martins, now director of the New York City
Ballet, to again dance with Rudolph Nureyev, alongside Suzanne Farrell,
as one of the three ballerinas in Balanchine's Apollo. she danced
at a Gala Performance at the Academy of Music, hosted by Bill Cosby, in
which Grover Washington played the saxophone. Ms. Austin was asked by
Lynne Taylor-Corbett to be her assistant in Ms. Taylor-Corbett's
"The Dancing Princesses" commissioned by Edward Villella to be
choreographed for Miami City Ballet. This work premiered at the
Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on April 25, 1995. Ms. Austin has
taught in many schools in Florida including the American Cultural
Center in Miami, the Palm Beach Dance Center and the Miami City Ballet
School. Ms. Austin relocated to North Carolina in the summer of 1998 with
her husband Marin Boieru (principal dancer, Carolina Ballet) and
daughters Bianca and Olivia to join the faculty of the Cary Ballet
Conservatory, directed by Suzanne Clark and also to serve as the
"Ballet Master" for the Carolina Ballet, directed by Robert Weiss,
training their professional company members and staging
performances.
(photo credit for Debra Austin
- George Balanchine observing as Debra Austin performs Ballo Della
Regina Photo, Steven Caras)
Marin Boieru
Marin Boieru began his ballet training in Romania and
later trained at the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. Mr. Boieru came to
Carolina Ballet after seven years as principal dancer for the Miami
City Ballet under the direction of Edward Villella. He has performed as
a principal for such companies as the Pennsylvania Ballet, Maurice
Bejart's Ballet of the 20th Century, Roland Petit's Ballet Company of
Marseilles, rance and Opera of Bucharest. He is the winner of the
gold medal at the prestigious Varna and Moscow Ballet competitions. Mr.
Boieru starred as James in Peter Martin's PBS production of La Sylphide and as "Albrecht" on European television in the Romanian National
Ballet's production of Giselle.
guest faculty
Dana Arey
Dana Arey is the school Principal for the Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre School. Ms. Arey began her career dancing in Eliot Feld's
American Ballet Company, and later became a principal dancer with the
Pennsylvania Ballet. Ms. Arey joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as
ballet mistress in 1984, and directed the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
School during the 1988-89 season. As PBT ballet mistress, Ms. Arey lent
her wide and varied experience to the staging and rehearsing of the
eclectic Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre repertoire. Ms. Arey accepted the
position of School Principal in 2003.
Sandra
Balestracci
A woman of multiple talents and varied expertise, Sandra
Balestracci is an administrator, artistic director, choreographer,
producer and classical ballet instructor. In 1983, Ms. Balestracci
retired from the professional stage and founded Williamsburg's
Contemporary Ballet Theatre, which earned the recognition as the
Virginian Peninsula's best dance company. In conjunction with CBT, she
began the School of Contemporary Ballet Theatre. In September of 1996,
she incorporated her school, becoming the dance division for the
Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts. In 2000, she became
Artistic Director of the Community Alliance for the Performing
Arts/American Youth Ballet Company. Ms Balestracci has continued to
maintain her high standards of excellence in dance education for over
25 years. In recognition she has been presented with the “Outstanding
Teacher Award” at both the 2002 and the 2005 Youth America Grand Prix
International Ballet Competition.
Her teaching experience encompasses over twenty five years of master
classes, workshops, seminars at universities, schools for the
performing arts, major dance conventions throughout the country, and at
many ballet academies in New York City. In addition, she has served as
an adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University. Ms. Balestracci
is the first teacher in the State of Virginia and second in the country
to receive the distinction of being a “Registered Dance Educator” by
the National Registry of Dance Educators. Acceptance to the Registry
demonstrates and qualifies her as an instructor in the teaching of
dance and recognizes her for following the Code of Ethics and
Guidelines for the Safe Practice of Teaching Dance. Her vast experience
and devotion to her art has created a great demand for her expertise,
as a teacher.
Ms. Balestracci began her dance studies in Boston, Massachusetts and
continued her formal dance training, in New York City, at the American
Ballet Theatre School. She had the privilege of training under the
direction of Professor Mario Ignisci, Ana Roje, Sulamith Messerer, Mme.
Nemtchinova and Mme. Swoboda. As a guest ballerina, Ms Balestracci has
toured extensively with concert ballet companies throughout the United
States, Europe, and South America , and was principal ballerina with
many of America's major opera companies, including the New York City
Opera and San Francisco Opera.
Ashley Dikos
Former Cary Ballet Conservatory alumni Ashley Dikos is now the Showcase Director of THE PULSE - a touring dance convention featuring world renowned choreographers Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Wade Robson, Laurie Ann Gibson, Shane Sparks, Cris Judd & Dave Scott. After her CBC education, Ashley graduated University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she majored in Biopsychology and was co-chair of Impact Dance, a self-choreographed dance group. Following college, she attended the Fall Internship Program at Broadway Dance Center in New York City where she now resides. Ashley has also worked with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Carlton, Enrique Iglesias and Bon Jovi.
Kee-Juan
Han
Performed as soloist for Boston
Ballet; Principal dancer with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre and Sydney
City Company. Former director of the Arizona Ballet School, guest
teacher at Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago,
Singapore Dance Theatre and Arizona State University. He is a full-time
faculty member at North Carolina School of the Arts and is also the
co-director of the American Ballet Competition.
Jean-Philippe
Malaty
Jean-Philippe , grew up in the Basque region of France.
After receiving his degree in dance, he accepted scholarships to study
in some of Europe's most prestigious schools: MURDRA, Maurice Bejart's
school in Brussels, and John Cranko's school in Stuttgart.
At the invitation of David Howard, Jean-Philippe, came to America to
study at the David Howard Dance Center in New York City. It is there
that he quickly became good friends with Suzanne Laliberte' Clark, who,
then, directed the New Paltz School of Ballet and the Hudson Valley
Regional Ballet Theatre. For five years he worked with her, training
pre-professional dancers through the school and company while pursuing
his professional performing career.
Jean-Philippe has performed soloist roles with various companies
throughout the country, including Joffrey II, Los Angeles Classical
Ballet, Ballet Hispanico of New York, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
He has been recognized by the US government as an artist of
extraordinary abilities, and was granted a permanent resident status.
Malaty has since gone on to achieve great success as the director of
The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, with his partner Tom Mossbrucker. The
professional company is highly recognized throughout the country for
their impeccable foundation of young classically trained dancers,
masterfully presenting a diverse repertoire of contemporary and
innovative works by leading choreographers. Treasured by their western
US audiences, the company also remains in constant demand,
touring the United States.
Jean-Philippe has become a sought-after teacher and has taught master
classes and lectured on dance pedagogy across the country.
Maribel Modrono
Maribel Modrono, a native of Cuba, was raised in Miami, Florida. Modrano trained at Ballet Etudes and the School of American Ballet as a scholarship student. She danced with the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet and was then invited by Edward Villella to join the Miami City Ballet. She has been favored to dance leading roles in Balanchine ballets including Jewels, Apollo, Square Dance, The Four Temperaments and Concerto Barocco. Maribel joined PBT in 1997 and received acclaim for her portrayals in Swan Lake as Odette/Odile, Madame Butterfly, Don Quixote as Kitri and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and as "Marie" in Terrence S. Orr's production of The Nutcracker.
Roberto Munoz
A native of Chile, Mr. Muñoz was born into a family of dancers. Both of his parents were pioneers of the dance movement in Chile during the late 40's and 50's. With them, he traveled throughout South America and the Caribbean: first with Ballet de Concepción and later on with Ballet Municipal de Maracaibo and Ballet de la Universidad del Zulia, taking this art form to places where Ballet had rarely been seen before.
Thanks to his parents' influence and under their tutelage, Roberto Muñoz began his career at a very early age.
His professional dancing career began at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in 1972, where he was fortunate to work with Ballet Masters such as: Nicholas Petrov, Leonid Massine, Edward Caton, Vitale Fokine, Ruth Page, JohnTaras, John Butler, Frano Jelencic.
He later danced with Ballet Internacional de Caracas, under the direction of the late Vicente Nebrada and with Hartford Ballet, under the direction of Michael Uthoff, where he was introduced to the works of Alvin Ailley, Margot Sappington and José Limon.
In 1980, the Venezuelan government appointed Mr. Muñoz as the Artistic Director of Ballet del Zulia, where he was in charge of both, the School and the Company.pany.
His commitment as a teacher and coach takes strong hold and establishes during this period, thus leading the company to two thriving seasons with great critical and popular acclaim.
Back in the USA, Mr. Muñoz continued his teaching career at the Dance Department of Point Park College (Now University). There, he was appointed as the Director of the Conservatory of Dance and Music, where he created two very successful programs: the Pre-professional Division and the International Summer Dance Program, where students received intensive training in the classroom as well as in the performing arena.
Among the faculty Mr. Muñoz assembled were: Laura Alonso, Haidée Gutiérrez. Karen Brown, Eva Evdokimova, Wily Burmann, Alexander Filipov, Nicholas Petrov, John McFall, Jose Molina, Michael Uthoff, Magda Aunon, Anthony Salatino,Kenneth Johnson, Barbara Sandonato.
Mr. Munoz was a faculty member at Point Park College for 13 years, teaching all levels of Ballet technique, Character Dance and Male Ballet Technique. During that time, Mr. Munoz also served as part time faculty at the PBT school and Company under the direction of Patricia Wilde.
Alumni of these programs are currently dancing or have danced at: Arizona Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Hubbart Street, Ballet Met, Ballet West, New York City Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Pittsburgh Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, on Broadway and on tours across the USA and overseas.
Mr. Munoz was also a full time faculty member at the Baltimore School for the Performing Arts from 1995 to 1997 after which he returned to Pittsburgh to join PBT as Ballet Master.
Mr. Munoz has served as Panelist for the Ohio Arts Council and has been a Guest Teacher at: Atlanta Ballet, Annapolis Ballet Theater, Ballet Met, Boston Ballet, Canton Ballet, Mary Grove College (Detroit,MI), Houston Ballet, Prodanza in Havana Cuba, Ballet de Monterrey (Mexico), West Virginia Dance Festival, Nureyev International Dance Competition (Budapest, Hungary) and Jackson International Dance Competition, among others.
Finally, Roberto Muñoz, received the Harry Shualb "Award of Excellence" and the Edward Caton award for "Most Influential Teacher."
Mr. Muñoz has been Ballet Master for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater since 1997. On July 2004, he was appointed Director of the Pittsburgh Ballet theater School and Associate Ballet Master for the Company. He is also currently listed as Principal Character Dancer in the PBT Company's playbill.
He collaborates with artistic director Terrence Orr in re-staging full length Ballets like: Coppelia, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle and, most recently, a brand new production of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet.
He has assisted choreographers like: Kevin O'Day, Dwight Rhoden, Lisa De Ribere , Robert Hill and has rehearsed the Ballets of Glenn Tetley, Paul Taylor, Ben Stevenson, Daniel Pelzigh and George Balanchine.
Eddy Ocampo
Before becoming a principal company member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Eddy Ocampo has worked with some of Chicago's premiere dance companies such as the Joel Hall Dancers and River North Chicago Dance Company. He has also made guest appearances with the Kalamazoo Ballet, Augusta Opera, Cerqua Rivera Art Experience, Terpsichore Dancers, LaJazz Dance as well as appeared in many television and film cameos. Eddy danced as principal company member with GJDC from 1994 – 2000, served as faculty member from 1996-2005, as well as served as school director of the Giordano Dance Center, the director of Giordano II and the director of the Giordano Merit Scholarship program from 2000 – 2003. Eddy made choreography and guest teaching his full time career and focus in 2006. As a master teacher, Eddy has taught in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, the Russian Republic and throughout the U.S. He is also the founding artistic director the American Jazz Dance Festival-New Generation in the Russian Republic and continues to travel to Russia yearly to spread his passion of jazz dance to many who may have never been exposed to the art form. As a choreographer, Mr. Ocampo's works can be seen on such companies as Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Odyssey Dance Theatre (Salt Lake City, UT), Kannon Dance (St. Petersburg, Russia), Lisa Clark Dancers (San Francisco, CA), Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and many regional ballet companies across the U.S. He has worked with recording artists Josie Aeillo, Suzanne Palmer and London-based recording artist, Affe Adel. Eddy received the Dance Chicago 2004 Outstanding Choreography Award as well as the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Choreography Award for Dance Chicago in 2005 and 2007. He is the first recipient in the history of the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation to have ever received this honor twice. Mr. Ocampo has been featured in the June 2005 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine as well as named one of the best jazz dance teachers in the country by Dance Spirit Magazine. In the December 2005 issue of Chicago Magazine, Eddy was featured as an up and coming choreographer and in November 2005. In 2005, Mr. Ocampo was honored as Filipino American of the Year by the Filipino Association of America. Eddy Ocampo directs a non-profit youth organization in Libertyville, IL, Forum Jazz Dance Theatre, and currently resides in Chicago, IL.
Jerry Rose
An accomplished dancer, choreographer and teacher, Jerry Rose is the artistic director of the Beckley Dance Theatre and director of the Dance Theatre School. His performance credits include Ballet Cirque, Charleston Ballet, Qwindo’s Window, Appalachian Dance and Music Ensemble, Kismet, Jerry Rose Dance Ensemble, Honey in the Rock, Dirty Dancing, and numerous other ballets, exhibitions, and demonstrations.
He has served as an adjudicator for many prestigious competitions and his master classes have been enjoyed by thousands of dancers throughout the US, Russia and Canada. During the summer months, he teaches dance classes across the United States with Dance Caravan, USA.
Rose’s career in dance has spanned a lifetime, during which he shared his passion for music and movement with generations of aspiring dancers.
Melinda Roy
Melinda Roy was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. She left home at age 12 to attend the School of American Ballet on scholarship. She completed her academic work at New York’s Professional Children’s School, and joined the corps of the New York City Ballet in 1978. She was promoted to the role of Soloist in 1984, and then to the rank of Principal Dancer in 1989.
During her tenure with the Company, she performed for audiences all over the world. Her most favorite repertoire included leading roles in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Divertimento No. 15, Jewels, Liebeslieder Waltzer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Union Jack, and The Nutcracker, and in Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, Fancy Free, The Four Seasons, Gershwin Concerto, Goldberg Variations, and Interplay.
Ms. Roy also originated roles in Peter Martin’s Waltz Project, William Forseyth’s Behind the China Dogs, and Miriam Mahdaviani’s The Newcomers. She performed in China in 1980 with Jerome Robbins, as part of the government’s first cultural exchange program. She has also toured worldwide with Stars of American Ballet.
Her television appearances include the Dance in America program Balanchine in America, Dance in America’s Balanchine Celebration, and Live From Lincoln Center’s telecast of Ray Charles in concert with the New York City Ballet. Ms. Roy also appeared in the film version of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Accent on the Off Beat with Winton Marsalis and was a spokesperson for QVC. In addition, she is the co-creator of the New York City Ballet Workout, published by William Morrow, 1996.
Ms. Roy retired from New York City Ballet in 1996. She moved to Sanibel, Florida in 2000 to found Gulfshore Ballet. In addition to her teaching responsibilities for Gulfshore Ballet, she has turned her choreographic skills to Broadway. Ms. Roy was Choreographer for the Broadway version of the movie Urban Cowboy, for which she was nominated for a Tony in April 2003. Her other choreographic credits include the Broadway hit show Master Harold and the Boys, starring Danny Glover, Paparazzi with Tommy Tune, and an Encores Series production of Can Can for New York’s City Center starring Patty Lupone.
As the artistic leader of Gulfshore Ballet, Ms. Roy has, for the past six years, made it possible for audiences in the Fort Myers region, to see Stars of the New York City Ballet perform in a yearly fund raiser called Bravo Ballet. In the most resent of those events, some of her most advanced students danced with the NYCB on stage, as well as 48 young students that were auditioned from the three surrounding counties to be part of the cast and perform Jerome Robbins Circus Polka.
Melinda Roy and husband Roberto Munoz are the founders and director of Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, SSDI. A Ballet program that takes place in the month of June and July in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Ms. Roy also won the Angel of the Arts Award for best Teacher in 2005.
Annalisia Simone
Annalisia began her first ballet class at the age of 8 where it was love at first sight. By the age of 10 she wanted even more and added jazz and tap to her dance vocabulary, but most importantly she discovered her love for teaching. While assisting teachers every Saturday morning at The Dancexchange in Miami, Florida she began to fall deeper and deeper in love with teaching and by 15 she received her first class. Throughout her teenage years people noticed her passion and determination from a young age. By the time of her high school graduation from the prestigious New World School of the Arts in Miami, she received full scholarships to Joffery Ballet, Henry Le Tang School of Tap, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She also received full academic scholarships to Florida International University, Florida State University, and Suny Purchase in New York. Three years later, at only 21 Annalisia received her B.F.A. in Dance Education from Florida International University. Two weeks later she decided it was time to make the big move to Hollywood.
After two weeks of moving to Los Angles, Annalisia booked her first of 7 world tours to come with The Backstreet Boys Tour and Willa Ford. From that point on the ball never stopped rolling. She has performed with Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Usher, Omarion, Jessica Simpson, Nelly, and P.Diddy to name a few. You can catch her on every award show from American Music Awards to MTV’s Video Music Awards where she was blessed to share the stage with The King of Pop the late Michael Jackson. You can find her in commercials such as Target, Visa, talk shows such as Jay Leno, David Letterman, and movies such as Idlewild and Fat Albert. Annalisia has traveled the world and back again but her passion for the love of teaching never died.
In 2007 Annalisia opened The Basement Dance Center of NoHo in North, Hollywood, California where she is the artistic director. She teaches ballet, pointe, tap, modern, contemporary, acro, and hip hop. She loves her students so much and teaches them that anything you want in life you can achieve if you truly believe.
Suzanne founded the Cary Ballet Conservatory
and the Cary Ballet Company in August of 1995, when she relocated from
New York with her family. Originally from Miami, Florida, she studied
ballet daily, from an early age, at some of the finest schools and
attended intensive summer programs with company affiliated schools,
throughout the country, annually. As a teenager, she toured as a member
of Ballet Florida and South Florida Ballet companies. She graduated
from New World School of the Arts and was the 1985 national recipient
of the prestigious ARTS Honors scholarship award. She chose to continue
at New World School of the Art's College/Professional Division, as the
only scholarship recipient. The choice enabled her to continue
performing professionally with Miami Ballet and Momentum Dance Company,
and pursue her love of teaching at several respected ballet schools.
Suzanne enjoyed taking part in Miami’s booming arts culture which
included many collaborative events and opportunities such as performing
Balanchine’s Serenade, staged by Allegra Kent in Miami City Ballet’s
inaugural season. In December of 1989 she moved to New
York where she continued teaching, performing and training with
world-renowned teachers in Manhattan. In 1990 she became the artistic
director/owner of the New Paltz School of Ballet, NY, where she trained
ballet students of all levels, through professional, and founded the
semi-professional Hudson Valley Regional Ballet Company. For five years
she directed the school, providing her students with the skills to be
accepted into major professional companies and/or be awarded
scholarships from universities with prestigious dance programs.
Although Suzanne loved her students and was very proud of the wonderful
school she had developed, the “southern girl” never felt at home in New
York. After extensive searching for a wonderful place to live and raise
her two boys, Dustin and Brennan, she realized the need for a higher
level of training in North Carolina’s Capital region. Eager to fill
that need and become part of the beautiful, friendly community she fell
in love with, Suzanne and her family relocated to Cary in August of 1995
and opened Cary Ballet just 5 months later. Through her years of
experience, she developed a unique curriculum where students truly
enjoy being pushed to their highest potential. Because serious ballet
training is demanding and those students become passionate about their
art, she believes in establishing nurturing relationships- offering
sound advice, positive correction and gentle guidance. Following her
lifelong dream, Suzanne has put her heart into bringing together a
beautiful loving environment with the finest possible training. Through
the Cary Ballet Conservatory, she has assembled an outstanding faculty
of dance professionals with extensive performing and teaching
experience as well as a thorough knowledge of anatomy in relation to
dance. They meet often to share ideas and discuss students' individual
progress. Her goal is to make each student an important member of the
school, building their confidence and self-esteem so that they may
dance and achieve their goals freely and without inhibitions. Over the
past 14 years Cary Ballet has made a positive difference in so many
lives. This remarkable success has already earned a national reputation
and the conservatory has become one of Cary’s most treasured assets.
Rossana Machi started her classic ballet studies in Italy
at the School of "Balletto di Roma". She later earned her BA in
Vaganova Ballet Technique which is the highest teaching degree given by
the Italian Ministry of Education through the "Accademia Nazionale di
Danza, Rome". As a dancer, Mrs.
Machi performed in nationally renowned companies in Italy, such as the
Opera Theatre in Rome and the Company of Balletto di Roma. As a
teacher, she started her career at the School of Balletto di Roma. She
was later invited as guest instructor at the Opera Theatre in Rome and
the National Academy of Dance. In Milan, Mrs. Machi was honored to be
invited by the Director of the School of Ballet of La Scala Theatre
(Mrs. Anna Maria Prina) to teach for the Ballet Summer Bozen
Program.After teaching and performing in Europe for ten years, Mrs.
Machi moved to the United States where she taught, as a guest teacher,
at the Western Ballet School, in Mountain View, CA. In 2000 Mrs. Machi
moved from Texas to Pennsylvania where she was invited by Terence Orr
(Artistic Director of PBT) and David Holladay (PBT School Director) to
join the school faculty at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Mrs. Machi
taught Ballet Technique, Repertoire, Mens Classes, Pilates and Stretch
at PBT and also taught at Point Park University. Mrs. Machi has been a
Partner at the School of American Ballet in New York, where she was
invited to attend seminars and workshops with SAB and the New York City
Ballet. Many of her former students have been
recognized for their high level technique and artistic performance in
Europe and the United States. Mrs. Machi moved from Pittsburgh to the Raleigh area, to join
the Cary Ballet faculty in 2004. Since her arrival, Mrs. Machi has cultivated CBC's Intensive Summer Program which allows students to focus on their training in full day sessions. She auditions potential students around the country for the ISP and in 2007, Mrs. Machi was named its Director. Bringing 18 years of international dance
experience, along with her inspiring, enthusiastic personality, she has
become a pillar in our Cary Ballet family. 
Darra Gasper
began her early training in Huntsville, AL. At age 16, she began
training with Michael and Susan-Quinn Williams, in Pensacola, FL and
performing professionally with First City Dance Theater. She quickly
became the lead dancer and Jr. Company Director at their affiliate
school, The Dance Centre. Later, Darra accepted a scholarship to train
with the world renowned Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and spent the
next four years pursuing her career in the windy city. While in
Chicago, Darra danced professionally with the Gus Giordano Dancers
while she continued earning an excellent reputation for teaching and
choreography at the Gus Giordano Dance Center and studios in and around
the Chicago area. She also appeared with Touch Dance Ensemble and James
Kelly Choreography Project and was a guest soloist at the 1994 Jazz
Dance World Congress. Darra's other credits include performing in
videos on VH1 and MTV as well as appearances on PBS, FOX, and ABC's
Wide World of Sports and as a featured dancer in casino shows. Having
received many honors and awards, Darra has become a very sought-after
teacher and choreographer throughout the United States. She directed
the Jazz Program at The Dance Center of Colorado Springs, where over
seven years; she brought the program to a nationally respected level
and developed a pre-professional touring company.While in Colorado,
Darra choreographed extensively for
the US Air Force Jazz Band and USAF Band of the Rockies touring
companies along with coaching Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets
Cheerleaders. Darra's choreography has become a staple at the Arizona
Jazz Dance Showcase and her dancers have received scholarships to Gus
Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, University of Arizona, Tuscon and
countless other universities and summer programs. She continues to
teach Master Classes and stage choreography for schools and companies
throughout the country.
In 2005, Darra was recruited by Suzanne Clark to join the Cary Ballet
Conservatory faculty. CBC dancers love her high energy, bold, hands-on
teaching style. As director of CBC's Jazz Program and affiliate Jazz
Company, The
3D Project, Darra has utilized her extensive training and performance
background to further heighten the level of CBC's jazz program,
exposing her students to many styles
of contemporary dance such as Classical Jazz, Broadway Jazz, Lyrical,
Hip Hop, and Ethnic. Having a vast network of contacts throughout the
jazz dance community, Darra draws the foremost Master Teachers working
today, for workshops and choreography exclusively for CBC students.
Anna has been in the dance and performing
industry since she was four years old. She started from arrhythmic
gymnastics where she won certificates and trophies until the age of
ten. She then was accepted into the Choreographic College of Ballet in
Belarus where she studied classical, folk, modern and other styles of
ballet. During this time she traveled with the college all over Eastern
and Western Europe such as Germany, Czechoslovakia, France, Latvia,
Vietnam, and all parts of Russia. She performed in international
competitions representing the country of Belarus. Anna has performed
leading roles in many ballet’s including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker,
Corsair, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and Raymonda. She performed for
the Queen of the Netherlands and for Chelsea Clinton. Anna was also an
actress in the movie “Russian Arc” which made the Guinness Book of
World Records for non stop taping in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg,
Russia. Being the Valedictorian of her graduating class she went to the
United States with the International Group of Performers in 1998. Anna
traveled the U.S. performing folk and classical Russian ballet while
teaching children and adults. From there she worked and performed with
the Carolina Ballet and was also teaching gymnastics and ballet for
children. She was recognized as a beautiful example of a classically
polished professional ballerina in the movie “A Parents Guide to
Ballet”. Anna is excited to begin her fourth year teaching at the Cary
Ballet Conservatory, where she is adored by her students. She’s
especially eager to continue implementing all of the wonderful ideas
which have blossomed from her position as Cary Ballet’s “Children’s
Ballet Mistress.” Anna also devotes much of her time to the Cary Ballet
Company, coaching dancers and staging choreography. She is extremely
committed to our CBC students and teachers, implementing the most
effective syllabus and strategizing for optimal results. An integral
part of our Cary Ballet family, Mrs. Anna is also a wonderful Mommy to
her beautiful son, Alec.
Leah Copley has
studied and taught dance for the past 26 years. Leah studied with Dr.
Mary Marcuzzi at the Huntington Dance Workshop School where she danced
on scholarship and worked as an apprentice teacher with Dr. Marcuzzi.
As a student of dance, Leah attended various intensive programs and
studied with such master teachers as Svea Eklov, (National Ballet of
Canada), Oleg Sabline ( Paris Opera Ballet), Ralph Hewitt(North
Carolina Dance Theatre) Frank Smith (American Ballet Theatre) Rochelle
Zide-Booth (Joffrey Ballet). As a member of Dr. Marcuzzi's regional
company, Leah performed in many ballets such as: The Nutcracker,
Cinderella, Peter and the Wolfe, Peter Pan, The Pied Piper, Alice in
Wonderland and Hansel and Gretal. Leah graduated Cum Laud with her
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education at Marshall University
in 1991. After receiving her degree, she continued teaching and served
as an artistic director of River Cities Dance Company where she
directed The Nutcracker for the past eight years at Shawnee State
University. Leah's most recent production, Cinderella, was performed
at the Paramount Arts Center in October 2003. As a dance and elementary
teacher, Leah has worked as an Artist in Residence in various counties
in West Virginia and Kentucky. She has also served as adjunct faculty
at Marshall University, faculty for the West Virginia Governor's School
for the Arts, and The Museum in the Community. Leah's students have
been accepted or received scholarships to various arts schools such as:
North Carolina School of the Arts, Ballet Met, The Hungarian National
Ballet School, Point Park College, The Rock, American Ballet Theater,
American Dance Festival, Cincinnati Ballet, Pittsburgh Youth Ballet,
Nutmeg, Ohio University, Ohio State University, Virginia Commonwealth
University, and many others. Leah received the Choreographer of the
Year Award for the year 2002 and served on KAR's national competition
judges' panel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Biloxi, Mississippi.
Leah relocated to Cary to join our CBC faculty. Quickly becoming a
favorite teacher here, she has decided to dedicate herself, full-time
to our CBC students.
Beth Costigan joined our Cary Ballet faculty
in the fall of 1997 upon relocating to Cary with her husband John and son
Jack. She began her training with Chicagoland studios including
the Ruth Page foundation and the Lou Conte Studio. She holds a BA in
Theatre/Dance from Northern Illinois University where she was awarded a
Talented Student Scholarship and an Outstanding Service Award. Beth has
performed professionally with Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble,
Dancescape, The American College Dance Festival, The N.I.U.
Alumni Company and most recently with the Harrison Dance Company in
Atlanta, GA. Prior to moving to Cary, Beth was Assistant Director of
the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre in Marietta, GA. for three years. Beth
now lives in Cary with her husband, John, her son Jack and her
daughter, Grace. She has been a wonderful asset for Cary Ballet,
teaching over the past twelce years. In addition, she has remained an
active leader in all aspects of the conservatory and the company. Beth
is especially recognized for the numerous outstanding original works
she choreographed for our Cary Ballet Company.
Lindsay began her dance training at a local dance studio right here in Cary, NC! She began dancing at the age of 3 and has taken everything from ballet, jazz, and lyrical to modern, tap, and clogging. After graduating from Cary High School in 2003, Lindsay attended UNC-Greensboro to pursue a degree in modern dance. In 2004, she transfered to East Carolina University. It was at ECU where she was able to really develop as a dancer and choreographer. She took a variety of courses including: Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Improvisation, Choreography, Creative Dramatics, Theater Management, and Dance History. She has attended the Jazz Dance World Congress in Chicago and was selected to perform in a piece by Roger Belman at the American Dance Festival in 2005. At ECU, Lindsay performed in the annual Dance Theater, and Senior Choreography shows each semester. Several of these pieces were selected to compete at the American College Dance Festival and in 2006 two of these pieces were awarded a slot in the Final Gala Performance. That same year, Lindsay was asked to set her Senior Choreography piece, Faith to Fly, on students at New Bern Dance Theater. This piece went on to win several awards in competition such as "Best Overall Piece" and "Best Choreography." Lindsay graduated Magna Cum Laude from ECU in 2007 with a BFA in Dance Performance with a concentration in Jazz. Since graduation, Lindsay got married and relocated to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After just 7 months, she is back in her hometown of Cary and is very excited to teach dance again and to join the Cary Ballet family!
Ruth Leney-Midkiff
has been a choreographer, master teacher and coach for almost 20
years. During her 12 years in Michigan, she served on the ballet
faculties of the University of Michigan and the Flint School of
Perfoming Arts. In addition, she established a youth program at
the Dance Gallery Studio/ Peter Sparling Dance Company, where she later
became director of the school. She has taught master classes throughout
the United States and abroad in ballet, modern and her own contemporary
ballet technique, and has created over 60 original pieces of
choreography, ranging in style from full-length classics to modern
dance works. Her works have been honored in Regional Dance,
receiving "gala" recognition numerous times. In referring to her
ballet Tributaries, the Michigan Daily wrote, "The only way to
describe this work was magnificent." and in La Traviata as "brilliant
display of choreography." In 1995, Ruth's work with Pittsburgh
Youth Ballet was honored in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's top 10 list
in Dance. Ruth's students have been awarded scholarships to some
of the world's most prestigious dance conservatories and she is proud
to now have students dancing in some of our countries foremost dance
companies. Ruth holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University
of Michigan as well as two BA's from the University of Pittsburgh in
French and Russian respectively. Ruth recently moved to the Raleigh/
Durham area with her husband, Andrew and has a young boy named Nate.
Juliet Celeste Malit moved from New Jersey in
July of 1996 with her husband Rene and 2 daughters, Jheanne and
Rachelle. She brings over 30 years of dance experience to us. Mrs.
Malit was born in the Philippines and has danced intensively and
performed in Ballets, Modern Dance, Folk-International Dances, Musical
and Jazz productions. Mrs. Malit trained in the Philippines under Alice
Reyes, Pinon, Norman Walker, Corazon Inigo, Rene Hofilena, Nez Jardin
plus others. In the Philippines, she was the co-founder and Honorary
Chairman-Choreographer of the "Integrated Performing Arts Guild"
(IPAG), a dance, music and drama group in the Contemporary Philippines
Theater which is one of the top cultural groups there. Mrs. Malit holds
a Masters Degree in Dance and a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education.
She has worked closely with Joan Wolf, Helena Baron, Mark Jelks, Joanne
Koob Brown, Mary Carpenter, Sheila Hellman and many more respected
dance artists. She was the Children's Ballet Mistress for the Bergen
Dancenter / Bergen Dance Theater in New Jersey. She has produced,
choreographed, and directed various musical theater productions. Mrs.
Malit joined our faculty in January of 1997. Her consistent teaching
method and inspiring attitude help build great dancers. She was
nominated in 2003 for the Raleigh Medal of Arts for achievement in the
performing arts. She has organized and presented the Cary Ballet
Company to St. Mary Magdalene School for several years.
MiMi did not discover her love for dance until
she was already a young teenager. She trained intensely focusing on
jazz and was teaching by her third year of study. In 1993 she moved to
North Carolina to pursue a BSE in Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science from Duke University. She continued to dance in college, taking
African dance classes and joining Duke's African American Dance
Reperatory. MiMi was a choreographer for a student-run musical theatre
group and was also a member of the Duke Dance team, eventually serving
as both Vice-President and President. In 1997 she was a NCA Danz
All-American and danced in the half-time show at the Hula Bowl. Dancing
and teaching at the Cary Ballet Conservatory, MiMi
lives in Apex with her husband Scott spending most of her time with her
sons, teaching at Cary Ballet and working with the
CBC Jazz Company.
Gerren Mobley, a native of South Florida,
began studying dance at the age of three, becoming a very serious young
dancer training in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, lyrical, hip-hop, and
acrobatics at "Palm Beach School of the Arts". In 1996 he moved to NC
and continued training intensely with the Cary Ballet Conservatory.
Gerren has attended many master classes, workshops and summer intensive
training programs working with some of the dance world's most respected
professionals including former principal dancer of the Joffrey Ballet
Jerry Satinoff, Miami City Ballet director, Edward Villella and North
Carolina's own Gene Medler. He still continues to train with some of
nation's finest dancers and choreographers, frequently visiting
Broadway Dance Center in New York City and various dance conventions
across the East Coast. Over his pre-professional and professional
career, he has performed in the Opening Ceremonies of the Special
Olympics, Miami City Ballet's Nutcracker and Carolina Ballet's Carmen,
danced and choreographed for the NCSU Modern Dance Company, performed
at the American College Dance Festival's Gala, and as a lead dancer in
the Cary Ballet Company. As a recent graduate of North Carolina State
University's College of Management, Gerren is thrilled to continue
teaching and being an influential part of Cary Ballet's premier jazz
company 'The 3D Project'. Gerren looks forward to choreographing
new and exciting works for the company's upcoming
season.
Suzanne Moreno Murley has over
thirty years of experience with dancing and has been teaching for the
past nine years for Cary Ballet. Suzanne began her training in the
Royal Academy of Dance method and continued her studies in Vaganova
with Maureen Basta and Don Bailey in Bethesda, Maryland. Upon
graduating with a BA from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, PA, she
moved back to the Washington area to perform ballet, modern and jazz
with Arlington Dance Theatre and other small performing groups,
including the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Opera Theatre of Northern
Virginia, USA Philharmonic Society, and Pittsburgh Opera Company.
Suzanne and her husband, Scott, moved to North Carolina in 1995. She
has been very involved with Cary Ballet Conservatory since its opening
in 1997. Since the inception of the pre-professional Cary Ballet
Company in 1998, Suzanne worked extensively with the junior ensemble
staging original choreography her first year. She was also instrumental
in assisting Suzanne Laliberte' Clark in staging the full-length
Sleeping Beauty and Paquita for their spring concert in 1999. Since
then, she has had two children, Kyle and Jasmine. For several years,
Suzanne has served as Assistant Director for this non-profit
organization. This role keeps her constantly busy organizing rehearsal
schedules for the annual Visions of Sugarplums and Spring Gala
performances (with the number of dancers fluctuating from 35 to 50
plus), coordinating the attendance to the NC Festival of Dance in
Winston-Salem, and managing the Spring Gala performances. The entire
process is very rewarding and makes Suzanne a proud member of the Cary
Ballet Faculty.
Alina Ramirez
started her training at the young age of three, but it wasn't until she
was nine that she started her intensive training at the Cary School of
Ballet. As The Cary School of Ballet grew into the Cary Ballet
Conservatory, she grew and advanced right along with it.
Shannon Snover - Tap Instructor. A New York
native has been dancing all of her life at some of the finest schools
including STEPS and Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan. Her
professional career began at age 18 dancing, singing, and acting for
Walt Disney Productions. Shannon starred as Snow White, Alice in
Wonderland, and Wendy (from Peter Pan) in many shows and tours and
spent two seasons at Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. Since then she has
performed in many television and stage productions including a feature
role in the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar with members of
the original movie Ted Neely and Carl Anderson. Shannon taught in New
York for eight years and also taught master classes and Workshops at
dance centers and universities across the country while on tour.
Shannon and her husband Tim relocated to NC in 1995 and she has been
teaching tap and jazz for Cary Ballet since we first opened in January
of 1996. They now have a loving home with four wonderful children.
Laci started dancing in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of three. In 1991, she relocated to the Raleigh and continued to further her technique through local workshops and studios until moving to Greenville, NC to study at East Carolina University. While at ECU, she was honored to work with such teachers as Tommi Galaska, Clarine Powell, Patti Weeks, Roger Belman, Dawn Clark, and Joe Carow. She was also given the opportunity to perform under guest choreographers such as Nick Pupillo and Colleen Taylor-Young. Laci traveled and performed at Dance Chicago in 2005 and college dance festivals at Florida State University, Ohio University, and George Mason University. In 2007 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from ECU with a BFA in Dance Performance (Jazz) and a BSBA in Business Management. She made her musical debut as 'Mona' in Chicago and performed in West Side Story in the summer of 2007. Currently, Laci is the Head Coach of the Cardinal Gibbons High School Dance Team. Laci is looking forward to her wedding this fall to Justin McDonald and her first year at Cary Ballet Conservatory.
Ronnie West began studying dance six years ago under Kirstie Spadie and Hip Hop teacher Dywon Fischer. He has also studied at "The Pulse" student and teacher workshops in Atlanta and NYC, briefly at "Koresh" in Philadelphia under Collete Tini, and at the Cary Ballet Conservatory. A natural study, Ronnie began assisting six months into his training and went on to teach by the end of the first year. Five years later he has choreographed for several televised events including the high-end fashion show "Strut 2008," the 2007 NBC17 Tree of Lights, NCSU's College of Design Art to Wear Show, and the 2009 Educator's Ball. He has also choreographed for performing artists including Morrison Poe and The Never. In the past year, several area high schools have invited him to teach as a guest artist. While Ronnie's resume reflects a largely Hip Hop-related background, he takes influence from Modern, Contemporary, Ballet and even every day life to inspire his pieces. He continues to grow as both a student and teacher.
Katie began her training in Cary, NC. During
her 13 years in school, she partook in numerous productions, including
Nutcracker, Annie and The Ruby Slippers. Katie went on to the
University of North Carolina at Wilmington to purse advanced training.
While earning her BA in Therapeutic Recreation, she performed with UNCW
Theatre/Dance Department, Wilmington Independent Choreographers, and
Cape Fear Theatre Ballet. While in Wilmington, Katie also taught ballet
at numerous studios. Katie and her husband Chase moved back to Cary in
2002. She is also proud to be a Certified Therapeutic Recreation
Specialist. Katie joined our faculty at Cary Conservatory in January
2003. Her love for children and passion for dance shows in her
teaching. Katie is delighted to be back at Cary Ballet Conservatory,
where she once was a student! 
Hong Yang is from
Beijing, China where she studied dance at the school of the Beijing
Dance Academy as a child and then graduated from the Beijing Dance
Academy in 1995. She immediately joined the National Ballet of China
and was a principal dancer there before going to Toronto, Canada where
she danced with Ballet Joergen Canada. Ms. Yang came to North Carolina
in 2006 to join the Carolina Ballet, as a soloist, and immediately
became very involved with us at Cary Ballet Conservatory. She says she
feels at home here, at CBC, because it reminds her of the wonderful
ballet school where she grew up. She loves teaching, performing and
working with our students and our Cary Ballet Company. Her warm, gentle
nature combined with her positive enthusiasm has quickly made her an
important member of our CBC family.
Debra
Austin received a scholarship to the school of American Ballet when she
was twelve years old. At the age of sixteen she was hand picked
by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet. While
there, she danced many principle roles by both Balanchine and Jerome
Robbins. One of these was filmed for a PBS television special,
"Live From Lincoln Center". Additionally, she appeared with
Jerome Robbins in a TV special for NBC, "Live From Studio H". Ms
Austin also toured with the company throughout Europe and the former
Soviet Union. Leaving New York City Ballet, she went on to join the
Zurich Ballet of Switzerland. There she danced many principle
roles in works by Balanchine as well as Panov, Von Manon and Heinz
Sporli. When Rudolph Nureyev choreographed Manfred on the
company, Ms. Austin was given the opportunity to dance one of the
leading roles with him as well. She toured with Nureyev and the
Company to Italy, London, England's Convent Gardens. Returning to the
United States, she was invited to join the Pennsylvania Ballet as
principal dancer. There she went on to dance most of the
Company's contemporary works by many choreographers as well as the
classics such as Swan Lake, Coppelia, A Mid-Summers Night Dream and
both roles in Giselle and Myrtha. She danced the Sylph in La
Sylphide, staged by Peter Martins, now director of the New York City
Ballet, to again dance with Rudolph Nureyev, alongside Suzanne Farrell,
as one of the three ballerinas in Balanchine's Apollo. she danced
at a Gala Performance at the Academy of Music, hosted by Bill Cosby, in
which Grover Washington played the saxophone. Ms. Austin was asked by
Lynne Taylor-Corbett to be her assistant in Ms. Taylor-Corbett's
"The Dancing Princesses" commissioned by Edward Villella to be
choreographed for Miami City Ballet. This work premiered at the
Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on April 25, 1995. Ms. Austin has
taught in many schools in Florida including the American Cultural
Center in Miami, the Palm Beach Dance Center and the Miami City Ballet
School. Ms. Austin relocated to North Carolina in the summer of 1998 with
her husband Marin Boieru (principal dancer, Carolina Ballet) and
daughters Bianca and Olivia to join the faculty of the Cary Ballet
Conservatory, directed by Suzanne Clark and also to serve as the
"Ballet Master" for the Carolina Ballet, directed by Robert Weiss,
training their professional company members and staging
performances. 
Marin Boieru began his ballet training in Romania and
later trained at the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. Mr. Boieru came to
Carolina Ballet after seven years as principal dancer for the Miami
City Ballet under the direction of Edward Villella. He has performed as
a principal for such companies as the Pennsylvania Ballet, Maurice
Bejart's Ballet of the 20th Century, Roland Petit's Ballet Company of
Marseilles, rance and Opera of Bucharest. He is the winner of the
gold medal at the prestigious Varna and Moscow Ballet competitions. Mr.
Boieru starred as James in Peter Martin's PBS production of La Sylphide and as "Albrecht" on European television in the Romanian National
Ballet's production of Giselle.
Dana Arey is the school Principal for the Pittsburgh Ballet
Theatre School. Ms. Arey began her career dancing in Eliot Feld's
American Ballet Company, and later became a principal dancer with the
Pennsylvania Ballet. Ms. Arey joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre as
ballet mistress in 1984, and directed the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
School during the 1988-89 season. As PBT ballet mistress, Ms. Arey lent
her wide and varied experience to the staging and rehearsing of the
eclectic Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre repertoire. Ms. Arey accepted the
position of School Principal in 2003.
A woman of multiple talents and varied expertise, Sandra
Balestracci is an administrator, artistic director, choreographer,
producer and classical ballet instructor. In 1983, Ms. Balestracci
retired from the professional stage and founded Williamsburg's
Contemporary Ballet Theatre, which earned the recognition as the
Virginian Peninsula's best dance company. In conjunction with CBT, she
began the School of Contemporary Ballet Theatre. In September of 1996,
she incorporated her school, becoming the dance division for the
Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts. In 2000, she became
Artistic Director of the Community Alliance for the Performing
Arts/American Youth Ballet Company. Ms Balestracci has continued to
maintain her high standards of excellence in dance education for over
25 years. In recognition she has been presented with the “Outstanding
Teacher Award” at both the 2002 and the 2005 Youth America Grand Prix
International Ballet Competition.
Former Cary Ballet Conservatory alumni Ashley Dikos is now the Showcase Director of THE PULSE - a touring dance convention featuring world renowned choreographers Mia Michaels, Brian Friedman, Wade Robson, Laurie Ann Gibson, Shane Sparks, Cris Judd & Dave Scott. After her CBC education, Ashley graduated University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she majored in Biopsychology and was co-chair of Impact Dance, a self-choreographed dance group. Following college, she attended the Fall Internship Program at Broadway Dance Center in New York City where she now resides. Ashley has also worked with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Carlton, Enrique Iglesias and Bon Jovi.
Performed as soloist for Boston
Ballet; Principal dancer with Indianapolis Ballet Theatre and Sydney
City Company. Former director of the Arizona Ballet School, guest
teacher at Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago,
Singapore Dance Theatre and Arizona State University. He is a full-time
faculty member at North Carolina School of the Arts and is also the
co-director of the American Ballet Competition. 
Jean-Philippe , grew up in the Basque region of France.
After receiving his degree in dance, he accepted scholarships to study
in some of Europe's most prestigious schools: MURDRA, Maurice Bejart's
school in Brussels, and John Cranko's school in Stuttgart. 
Maribel Modrono, a native of Cuba, was raised in Miami, Florida. Modrano trained at Ballet Etudes and the School of American Ballet as a scholarship student. She danced with the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet and was then invited by Edward Villella to join the Miami City Ballet. She has been favored to dance leading roles in Balanchine ballets including Jewels, Apollo, Square Dance, The Four Temperaments and Concerto Barocco. Maribel joined PBT in 1997 and received acclaim for her portrayals in Swan Lake as Odette/Odile, Madame Butterfly, Don Quixote as Kitri and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and as "Marie" in Terrence S. Orr's production of The Nutcracker.
A native of Chile, Mr. Muñoz was born into a family of dancers. Both of his parents were pioneers of the dance movement in Chile during the late 40's and 50's. With them, he traveled throughout South America and the Caribbean: first with Ballet de Concepción and later on with Ballet Municipal de Maracaibo and Ballet de la Universidad del Zulia, taking this art form to places where Ballet had rarely been seen before.
Before becoming a principal company member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Eddy Ocampo has worked with some of Chicago's premiere dance companies such as the Joel Hall Dancers and River North Chicago Dance Company. He has also made guest appearances with the Kalamazoo Ballet, Augusta Opera, Cerqua Rivera Art Experience, Terpsichore Dancers, LaJazz Dance as well as appeared in many television and film cameos. Eddy danced as principal company member with GJDC from 1994 – 2000, served as faculty member from 1996-2005, as well as served as school director of the Giordano Dance Center, the director of Giordano II and the director of the Giordano Merit Scholarship program from 2000 – 2003. Eddy made choreography and guest teaching his full time career and focus in 2006. As a master teacher, Eddy has taught in Europe, Mexico, Canada, Turkey, the Russian Republic and throughout the U.S. He is also the founding artistic director the American Jazz Dance Festival-New Generation in the Russian Republic and continues to travel to Russia yearly to spread his passion of jazz dance to many who may have never been exposed to the art form. As a choreographer, Mr. Ocampo's works can be seen on such companies as Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Odyssey Dance Theatre (Salt Lake City, UT), Kannon Dance (St. Petersburg, Russia), Lisa Clark Dancers (San Francisco, CA), Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble and many regional ballet companies across the U.S. He has worked with recording artists Josie Aeillo, Suzanne Palmer and London-based recording artist, Affe Adel. Eddy received the Dance Chicago 2004 Outstanding Choreography Award as well as the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Choreography Award for Dance Chicago in 2005 and 2007. He is the first recipient in the history of the Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation to have ever received this honor twice. Mr. Ocampo has been featured in the June 2005 issue of Dance Teacher Magazine as well as named one of the best jazz dance teachers in the country by Dance Spirit Magazine. In the December 2005 issue of Chicago Magazine, Eddy was featured as an up and coming choreographer and in November 2005. In 2005, Mr. Ocampo was honored as Filipino American of the Year by the Filipino Association of America. Eddy Ocampo directs a non-profit youth organization in Libertyville, IL, Forum Jazz Dance Theatre, and currently resides in Chicago, IL.
An accomplished dancer, choreographer and teacher, Jerry Rose is the artistic director of the Beckley Dance Theatre and director of the Dance Theatre School. His performance credits include Ballet Cirque, Charleston Ballet, Qwindo’s Window, Appalachian Dance and Music Ensemble, Kismet, Jerry Rose Dance Ensemble, Honey in the Rock, Dirty Dancing, and numerous other ballets, exhibitions, and demonstrations.
Melinda Roy was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. She left home at age 12 to attend the School of American Ballet on scholarship. She completed her academic work at New York’s Professional Children’s School, and joined the corps of the New York City Ballet in 1978. She was promoted to the role of Soloist in 1984, and then to the rank of Principal Dancer in 1989.
Annalisia began her first ballet class at the age of 8 where it was love at first sight. By the age of 10 she wanted even more and added jazz and tap to her dance vocabulary, but most importantly she discovered her love for teaching. While assisting teachers every Saturday morning at The Dancexchange in Miami, Florida she began to fall deeper and deeper in love with teaching and by 15 she received her first class. Throughout her teenage years people noticed her passion and determination from a young age. By the time of her high school graduation from the prestigious New World School of the Arts in Miami, she received full scholarships to Joffery Ballet, Henry Le Tang School of Tap, Broadway Dance Center, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. She also received full academic scholarships to Florida International University, Florida State University, and Suny Purchase in New York. Three years later, at only 21 Annalisia received her B.F.A. in Dance Education from Florida International University. Two weeks later she decided it was time to make the big move to Hollywood.