2025 INSTRUCTORS

Due to unforeseen professional obligations, instructor availability is subject to change.

 

MEREDITH DINCOLO

CLASSICAL WEEK 1 | JUNE 9-13

Meredith Dincolo has been teaching professionally since 2009, when she joined the artistic staff of Hubbard Street as a company teacher and guest instructor at Lou Conte Dance Studio. From May 2014-May 2017, Meredith developed and directed the Pre-Professional programs at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, serving as a principal teacher and mentor. She has also taught for companies such as Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, Ballett Basel, Alvin Ailey American Dance Company, Abraham.In.Motion, Jessica Lange Dance, GöteborgsOperan Danskompani, and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

At the university level, Meredith has created works with West Virginia University and Marygrove College, and has taught master classes at George Mason University, University of Michigan, Western Michigan University and Florida State University. She has also served as rehearsal assistant to Kyle Abraham and William Forsythe for works with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and has set the work of Alejandro Cerrudo both domestically and internationally. 

Meredith currently teaches on faculty at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, teaching the main company, and was an active member of the Lou Conte Dance Studio faculty from 2014-2020. Meredith was also on faculty at  COMMON Conservatory in Chicago, is a founding member of the Chicago Movement Collective.  She continues to teach and set works at the professional level in the US and abroad. 

patti eylar

CLASSICAL WEEK 1 | JUNE 9-13

Patti Eylar started ballet in California as a child and later trained at the Maryland Youth Ballet. At 17 she moved to New York City to study on scholarship at the American Ballet Theatre School with Patricia Wilde, Leon Danielian and Valentina Pereyaslavec. After a summer of study with Melissa Hayden, she moved to Chicago in 1977 to join the Lyric Opera Ballet and was a founding member of the Chicago City Ballet, directed by Maria Tallchief and Paul Mejia. Her favorite ballets there were George Balanchine’s Rubies, Valse Fantasie, Four Temperments, Concerto Barocco and Divertimento #15 and Paul Mejia’s Cinderella. She then danced with Ballet Chicago, directed by Daniel Duell, from its inception in 1987 until 1993. Notable ballets there include Balanchine’s Square Dance and Allegro Brillante, Gordon Pierce Schmidt’s By Django and Duell’s Octet a tete, which was shown on WTTW. She was also a soloist in Ruth Page Nutcracker at the Arie Crown Theater, dancing the roles of Columbine Doll and Marzipan, directed by Dolores and Larry Long.

Patti was a faculty member and accountant at the School of Ballet Chicago from 1995 to 2001, and started teaching at Chicago Ballet Arts in 2002. In 2005, she and Leslie Saunders became Co-Directors of CBA. Patti is also on the faculty of the Chicago Movement Collective. 

SEAN AARON CARMON

CLASSICAL WEEK 2 | June 16-20

Sean Aaron Carmon graduated from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Dance program and subsequently joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; he has performed many principal roles including Mikhail Baryshnikov’s original role in Alvin Ailey’s Pas de Duke and featured roles in ballets by other notable choreographers such as Judith Jamison, Ulysses Dove, Wayne McGregor, Robert Battle, Jiri Kylian, Aszure Barton and Christopher L. Huggins, to name only a few.

Sean has performed as a guest artist with Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY, Vitacca Ballet, Houston Contemporary Dance Company and more. In addition, he has been featured on Conan, the national TBS television talk show, Good Morning America, LIVE with Regis and Kelly, Lincoln Center at the Movies, broadcast nationally on PBS and he was profiled in the Huffington Post for his work as a union representative. As a musical theatre performer, Sean has been a featured performer on Broadway, regional theatre, and national tour stages across America in La Cage aux Folles (Original Broadway Cast), The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s The Lion King, Kinky Boots and Ragtime.

Sean’s choreography has been chosen as Audience Choice Award winner on several occasions in addition to receiving top honors from organizations worldwide including the Palm Desert Choreography Festival, the National Choreographers Initiative, Youth America Grand Prix and The Joffrey Ballet. After directing the Vitacca Ballet Studio Company in Houston from 2021-2024, Sean is now Rehearsal Director for Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis where he artistically manages, coaches and prepares the professional company members for their various rehearsals and performances year-round. He continues to choreograph and educate as a freelance artist, creating award-winning works and teaching master classes for festivals, companies, studios, and universities across the country and internationally.

gabrielle sprauve

CLASSICAL WEEK 2 | June 16-20

Gabrielle Sprauve is a New York City–based freelance dance artist, educator, and stager. Born in Queens, NY and raised in Savannah, GA, she joined Ballet Hispánico in 2017, originating and performing roles in works by celebrated choreographers including Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Michelle Manzanales, Bennyroyce Royon, Eduardo Vilaro, Andrea Miller, Edwaard Liang, Omar Román De Jesús, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano. Her performances have taken her to stages across the globe.

In addition to her time with Ballet Hispánico, Gabrielle has appeared as a guest artist with Traverse City Dance Project and held company positions with SF Dance Works and PARA.MAR Dance Theatre. Her work extends into television and film, with credits in the movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman and TV series such as Lioness, The Gilded Age, and The Morning Show.

Gabrielle has performed at renowned festivals including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, and the Vail Dance Festival. She starred in the PBS special Doña Perón by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, filmed at the Kennedy Center, and appeared in the CBS special An Inside Look at Ballet Hispánico by Adriana Diaz and Analisa Novak. Her title role in Sor Juana by Michelle Manzanales at New York City Center and her principal role in Buscando a Juan by Eduardo Vilaro at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have both earned her features in The New York Times. Offstage, Gabrielle is a dedicated teaching artist and stager. She has taught and staged works at institutions such as Ballet Hispánico, The Joffrey Ballet School, Bucknell University, New Jersey Dance Theatre Ensemble, and The Academy of Dance Arts. Her staging credits include works by Tania Pérez-Salas, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Chris Bloom, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano. Gabrielle is represented by Lakey Wolff & Company.

Photo by Mark Mann

chris bloom

CLASSICAL WEEK 2 | June 16-20

Chris Bloom graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program. He has performed with Parsons Dance, The Dash Ensemble, The Black Iris Project, 360° Dance Theater, Lydia Johnson Dance, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, PARA.MAR Dance Theater (where he is a founding member) and San Francisco Dance Works. A member of Ballet Hispanico from 2013-2023, Chris originated roles in new works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Fernando Melo, Michelle Manzanales, Miguel Mancillas, Edgar Zendejas, Andrea Miller, Claudia Schreier, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Edwaard Liang and Eduardo Vilaro. In addition, he has performed in Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat, William Forsythe’s New Sleep, Pedro Ruiz’s Club Havana, Tania Perez Salas’s 3. Catorce Dieciséis, Andrea Miller’s Naci, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Mad’moiselle, as Don José in Gustavo Ramirez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia and as Juan Perón in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Doña Perón, both filmed and aired on PBS.

In 2015, Chris was nominated for the Clive Barnes Award for his performance in CARMEN.maquia at the Apollo Theatre in NYC. He has also appeared several times on Good Morning America as well as in dozens of local news shows. In his career, Chris has choreographed seven dance films including Black and White Pages which was a Vimeo Staff Pick the month it was released. His choreography has appeared on stage at The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program, The Joffrey Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program, and at the Juilliard School. Chris is a repetiteur for both Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Stephanie Martinez, caring for and restaging works at Oklahoma City Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Madison Ballet, Southern Methodist University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Arizona, and University of Iowa.

Photo by Paula Lobo @paulalobo 

2024 INSTRUCTORS

Marjorie Thompson

Marjorie Thompson trained at the School of American Ballet and while still a student, had the honor of traveling with New York City Ballet to perform Stars and Stripes for JFK’s 1st inaugural anniversary. At 15 she became a member of the company under Balanchine’s direction and danced with New York City Ballet at the opening of the State Theatre at Lincoln Center. The opening ballet was A Midsummer Night’s Dream, restaged for the new theatre. In addition to US, Canadian and European tours, performing in the premiers of Variations, Pas de Deux and Divertissement, Metastaseis and Pithoprakta, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Harlequinade and Don Quixote, and over 40 ballets a season from the vast Balanchine repertoire, Marjorie performed in televised broadcasts of Balanchine’s Four Temperaments and the film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

While still in her teens, Mr. Balanchine invited Marjorie to teach Company class for New York City Ballet. She went on to serve on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, Eliot Feld Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet and at the Grand Theatre in Geneva Switzerland, direct the School of Minnesota Dance Theatre, and direct the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.

Before moving to Seattle and joining the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Marjorie received certification in Pilates in 1995. In 1996 she joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 1997, she added on to her faculty responsibilities and became PNB’s Director of Therapy and Conditioning. In 1998, PNB opened its Pilates facility to subscribers and trustees, and PNBConditioning under Marjorie’s direction became an ongoing arm of PNB, offering supplemental Pilates training to the Dancers, Professional Division Students, Summer Course students, PNB School students and the public.

Marjorie created and produced two videos for PNB: danceWorks! starring Kari Anderson and featuring Ariana Lallone, Jeff Stanton and Maria Chapman; and Patricia Barker on Pointe Shoes.

Marjorie continues to be fascinated by ballet technique and besotted with Balanchine’s vision, teachings and choreography.

“Ballet is significant and the greatest honor in my life has been to spend my career sharing what Mr. Balanchine taught me.”

Debra Austin

Debra Austin received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet when she was 12 years old. Four years later, George Balanchine personally invited her to join New York City Ballet. Praised by The New York Times for her ability to “levitate…and remain suspended in the air,” Ms. Austin danced many principal roles with New York City Ballet in works choreographed by Balanchine, including Symphony in C, Divertimento #15, and Ballo della Regina, in which Balanchine created a solo for her. She also danced lead roles for Jerome Robbins in The Four Seasons, Interplay, and Chansons Madécasses, which he created on her. She later joined the Zurich Ballet in Switzerland, where she danced principal roles (many with Rudolf Nureyev) in works by all of the major choreographers, including Myrtha in Heinz Spoerli’s Giselle. While there, she toured throughout Europe. After her return to the United States, she joined Pennsylvania Ballet as a principal dancer under Artistic Director Robert Weiss and danced roles in Swan Lake, Coppélia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Giselle, and La Sylphide.

José Manuel Carreño

José Manuel Carreño was born in Cuba, where he received his training at the Provincial School of Ballet and the Cuban National Ballet School. He won the Gold Medal at the New York International Ballet Competition in 1987 and the Grand Prix at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1990. He has appeared extensively in Europe, South America and the United States, dancing such roles as Franz in Coppélia, Basilio in Don Quixote, Albrecht in Giselle and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake as well as roles in Le Corsaire, Diana and Acteon and the black swan pas de deux.

Carreño joined the English National Ballet in 1990, where his repertoire included Solor in The Kingdom of Shades from La Bayadère, the Prince in Cinderella, Franz in Coppélia, Albrecht in Giselle, the Prince and the Hopak in The Nutcracker, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew and roles in a number of one-act ballets and pas de deux including A Stranger I Came, Études, Graduation Ball and Prince Igor.

Carreño joined the Royal Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 1993 where his repertoire included the roles of the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Basilio in Don Quixote, Oberon and Puck in The Dream, a leading role in Herman Schmerman and the leading role in Matthew Hart’s Caught Dance. Carreño joined American Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer in June 1995. His repertoire with the company includes the title role in Apollo, the leading role in Ballet Imperial, Solor in La Bayadère, Franz in Coppélia, Conrad, Ali the Slave and Lankendem in Le Corsaire, Basilio in Don Quixote, the Third Sailor in Fancy Free, Albrecht in Giselle, Fate in HereAfter, Des Grieux in Manon, Danilo in The Merry Widow, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, the pas de deux in Diana and Acteon, La Esmeralda, Grand Pas Classique, Other Dances, Sinatra Suite, the Warrior Chieftain in Polovtsian Dances, the Son in Prodigal Son, the leading male role in Push Comes to Shove, Jean de Brienne in Raymonda, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Mizgir in The Snow Maiden, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, the second movement in Symphony in C, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, the first and second variations in Variations for Four, Without Words and lead roles in Clear, Études, Petite Mort, Rabbit and Rogue and Theme and Variations. He created a leading role in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.

George de la Peña

George de la Peña is a multi-disciplinary performer-director-choreographer-researcher who continues to seek new knowledge through the arts and sciences. Of particular interest is the investigation of how music, visual, and theater arts inform movement, cognition and emotion, and how, together, they provoke an audience to critically examine the human condition. Critical to this research are developments in neuroscience directly related to human health and wellness. In addition, he is dedicated to accurate Documentary Production in order to record and analyze current trends in the field of dance performance/practice and to raise questions regarding cognitive development, focus, and artistry. This area of research includes documentation, analysis, and synthesis.

He began his career with American Ballet Theatre after graduating from George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. He has had the honor to work with many choreographers including George Balanchine, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Martha Clarke, Alonzo King, Kenneth MacMillan, Mark Morris, Rudolf Nureyev, Dwight Rhoden, Jerome Robbins, AntonyTudor, Twyla Tharp, Glen Tetley, Doug Varone, Dan Wagoner, and many others.

In 1978 he was chosen to portray Vaslav Nijinsky in the Paramount Pictures/Herbert Ross film Nijinsky. He followed that with numerous other projects for film and television as an actor where he worked with distinguished artists such as Alan Bates, Blake Edwards, Marsha Norman, Richard Levinson, Stanley Donen, John Turturro, Kathy Bates, Elizabeth McGovern, and most recently, Patrick Swayze.

George is a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Laboratory.

Yoshito Sakuraba

Yoshito Sakuraba is the artistic director of Abarukas and an acclaimed award-winning choreographer. Hailing originally from Japan, Yoshito embarked on his artistic journey in New York City, igniting a career and spanned the globe with the presentation of his work in Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Israel, Mexico, and the United States.

Yoshito has had the privilege of presenting his work at stages worldwide, including the Joyce Theater, BAM Fisher, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jacob's Pillow, Kaatsbaan, and the McCallum Theater. His dedication to his craft led him to numerous accolades, including the Best Choreography Award at the FINI Dance Festival in Italy and the Audience Award at the Masdanza International Contemporary Dance Festival in Spain. Notably, he was honored as a winner of NW Dance Project's Pretty Creatives and Whim W'Him's Shindig.

Beyond his own company's repertoire, Yoshito has been entrusted with commissions from institutions and companies around the world. His innovative choreography has graced the stages of renowned organizations such as NW Dance Project, Whim W’Him, the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich, DAF in Rome, Lamondance in Vancouver, Louisville Ballet, Ballet Arkansas, Ballet Des Moines II, Newport Contemporary Ballet, Litvak Dance, Pony Box Dance Theater, Nimbus Dance, Peridance Contemporary Dance Company, Graham II, Houston Contemporary Dance Company, Salt Contemporary Dance’s Link Festival, the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, and Jamaica Performing Arts Center.

Yoshito's passion extends to nurturing the artistic expressions of emerging talents, and he has been invited to inspire and instruct at institutions such as the Joffrey Ballet School, Martha Graham School, Paul Taylor School, Alvin Ailey/Fordham University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Peabody at Johns Hopkins University, Marymount Manhattan College, Barnard College, Vassar College, Reed College, DLNY, MOVE l NYC, and Steps on Broadway Conservatory.

Giuseppe Bausilio

Giuseppe Bausilio is a Swiss-born multi-award winning Actor, Singer, Dancer, Choreographer, Cinematographer and Producer. Broadway: Billy in Billy Elliot, Race and u/s Davey in Newsies, Aladdin, Cats, Hello Dolly, Samuel Seabury and Charles Lee in Hamilton. TV/Film: Alfie in The Next Step on Disney/Hulu, Michael Fiorelli in Ode to Passion on Amazon Prime, Tango on the Balcony by Minos Papas, Dead Man Down by Niels Arden Oplev, Life Documentary on Horizonte. 

International Dance Judge, Master of Ceremonies, and Guest Teacher for Youth America Grand Prix and Premio MAB. 

 

PAST INSTRUCTORS

Analia Alegre-Femenias Weber is a dancer, improvisational artists and choreographer who hails from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She obtained her BFA in dance from New World School of the Arts and her MFA in choreography from University of Iowa. As a dancer and an architect of movement Analía looks for opportunities to bring dance to reinvented spaces for audiences to witness the endless possibilities of how art can transform the world around us. Her choreographic work has been presented in renowned spaces like 100 Grand and Judson Church in New York City as well as in Chicago, Tennessee, Miami, New Hampshire, Minneapolis, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Throughout her career Analía has performed for Robert Battle, Bill Young, Donald McKayle, David Dorfman, Jennifer Kayle, Charlotte Adams among others. She resides in Fort Collins, Colorado where she dances with Impact Dance Company. Outside of dance Analía teaches Pilates to anybody that is looking to move better and is the owner and designer of Zochil Jewelry. She is honored to be back at Open Doors Dance Festival for another summer filled with dance.

Analia Alegre-Femenias Weber

Star Dixon is an assistant director, choreographer, and original principal dancer of world renowned tap company, MADD Rhythms. She has taught and performed at the most distinguished tap festivals in the country including The L.A. Tap Fest, DC Tap Fest, Motorcity Tap Fest, Chicago Human Rhythm Project's Rhythm World, Jazz City in New Orleans, and MADD Rhythms own Chicago Tap Summit. Internationally, she's taught and performed in Poland, Japan, and Brazil several times. She's been featured in Dance Spirit Magazine twice (Artist on the rise & Speed Demon), The Chicago Reader, and independent film "The Rise & Fall of Miss Thang" starring Dormeshia Sumbry Edwards. Outside of MADD Rhythms, she's performed as a guest with such companies as Michelle Dorrance's Dorrance Dance, Chloe Arnold's Syncopated Ladies, Lane Alexander's Bam, and Jason Samuel Smith's ACGI. Star is currently on staff at numerous dance studios, schools, and a teen program to keep youth off the street called After School Matters. You can find her videos on YouTube under dance13star.

Star Dixon

Eduard Forehand is beginning his second year at the University of Iowa as an MFA candidate in choreography this fall. Through the past 20 years, he has collaborated and performed as a company member with Richmond Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theater, Augusta Ballet, Ballet Montana, Dayton Ballet and Louisville Ballet. He began training at a young age in his home town of Miami, FL and later continued his studies at Nutmeg Conservatory. Forehand’s choreographic works have been performed by Louisville Ballet as well as the University of Iowa Department of Dance. He has had the pleasure of teaching throughout the United States, as a full-time faculty member and summer intensive instructor. Eduard is also certified through the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum in pre-primary through level 3.

Eduard Forehand

Lloyd Knight was born in England and reared in Miami. He has a BFA from the New World School of the Arts under Artistic Director Daniel Lewis.

Lloyd joined the Martha Graham Company in 2005, was promoted to soloist in 2009, and promoted to Principal in 2014. He has had ballets choreographed on him by Nacho Duato twice, Andonis Foniadakis, Larry Keigwin, Doug Varone, Lar Lubovitch, Klye Abraham, Liz Gerring, Michelle Dorrance, Anne Bogart, Pontus Linberg and Mats Ek.

Dance Magazine named Lloyd as one of the Top 25 Dancers to Watch in 2010. He partnered with New York City Ballet Principal Wendy Whelan in Ms. Graham's Moon Duet, and also is partnering American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland in a Graham duet from Letter to the World. Most recently he was selected as Best Performer of 2015 by Dance Magazine.

Lloyd Knight

Marlayna Locklear hails from Milwaukee, WI. She began her training at the age of 12 at city ballet theatre and went on to graduate from Milwaukee High School of the Arts and University of the Arts In Philadelphia, PA with a BFA in Ballet and Jazz. Marlayna was one of the founding members of The Milwaukee Dance Connection and has gone on to dance with Eleone Dance Theatre, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Dallas Black Dance Theatre II , Deeply Rooted and Dayton Contemporary Dance company where she served as the company jazz and contemporary instructor as well as resident choreographer for DCDC II. She has performed works by Christopher Huggins, Dwight Rhoden, Ron Brown, Donald Byrd, Diane McIntyre and Ray Mercer to name a few. She also has worked with members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Momix, Martha Graham Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Milwaukee Ballet, Philadanco, Koresh, Full Circle Dance Company and members of seasons 1 & 2 of So you think you can dance.

Marlayna is a freelance artist and teaches and choreographs at Universities around the nation. She is also the founder and director of Indurance Dance Intensive. She most recently finished filming the James Franco Film "Blood Heist" and studying abroad in Italy with VIVO Ballet. Marlayna will head to Bulgaria in the Spring to work with South African choreographer Fana Tshabalala on the INDUMBA project.

Marlayna Locklear

Grace Snider began her ballet training at age six at the School of Colorado Ballet in Denver. She continued her training at the American Ballet School in San Diego before being accepted in Houston Ballet Academy on full scholarship in 1990. After two years of training in the academy, Grace was invited to join Houston Ballet by Ben Stevenson at age 16; making her the youngest company dancer in Houston Ballet's 50-year history. In 1997, Grace joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, where she danced for two seasons before retiring from her performing career in 1999. Grace began teaching ballet at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet under the direction of Jean Gedeon. She then moved to Iowa and accepted a teaching position with the University of Iowa Dance Forum in 2001. Grace was promoted to lead instructor for advanced levels in 2002, and then to Director of UI Youth Ballet program in 2003. She joined the Nolte Academy of Dance in 2007, bringing her impeccable training and proven ability to bring ballet students along to the highest classical standards. In addition to her position on the Nolte faculty, Grace has worked as a rehearsal assistant with the Balanchine Trust, and Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and enjoys guest teaching engagements with the Houston Ballet.

Grace Snider

Michel Kouakou is a choreographer and dancer originally from the Ivory Coast. He is the founder and director of Daara Dance. Michel received his MFA in Dance from Hollins University. He is the recipient of the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Dance (2012), a Jerome Foundation Fellowship for research in dance (2012), winner of a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship (2008), and winner of the U.S. Japan Fellowship (2008) to conduct six months of research in Tokyo and Kyoto. In 2008 he was nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and in 2010 and was a finalist in The A.W.A.R.D. Show in New York City and Los Angeles. Mr. Kouakou moved to New York in 2004 and subsequently to Los Angeles, where he was a lecturer at UCLA from 2009-2016. Michel is now an Assistant professor at the University of Minnesota The Twins City. He maintains an active touring and teaching schedule across the globe and continues to pursue his long-term goal of building an “artistic bridge” between his origins in the Ivory Coast and the US.

Michel Kouakou

Marjorie Thompson trained at the School of American Ballet and while still a student, had the honor of traveling with New York City Ballet to perform Stars and Stripes for JFK’s 1st inaugural anniversary. At 15 she became a member of the company under Balanchine’s direction and danced with New York City Ballet at the opening of the State Theatre at Lincoln Center. The opening ballet was A Midsummer Night’s Dream, restaged for the new theatre. In addition to US, Canadian and European tours, performing in the premiers of Variations, Pas de Deux and Divertissement, Metastaseis and Pithoprakta, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Harlequinade and Don Quixote, and over 40 ballets a season from the vast Balanchine repertoire, Marjorie performed in televised broadcasts of Balanchine’s Four Temperaments and the film version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

While still in her teens, Mr. Balanchine invited Marjorie to teach Company class for New York City Ballet. She went on to serve on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, Eliot Feld Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet and at the Grand Theatre in Geneva Switzerland, direct the School of Minnesota Dance Theatre, and direct the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School.

Before moving to Seattle and joining the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Marjorie received certification in Pilates in 1995. In 1996 she joined the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 1997, she added on to her faculty responsibilities and became PNB’s Director of Therapy and Conditioning. In 1998, PNB opened its Pilates facility to subscribers and trustees, and PNBConditioning under Marjorie’s direction became an ongoing arm of PNB, offering supplemental Pilates training to the Dancers, Professional Division Students, Summer Course students, PNB School students and the public.

Marjorie created and produced two videos for PNB: danceWorks! starring Kari Anderson and featuring Ariana Lallone, Jeff Stanton and Maria Chapman; and Patricia Barker on Pointe Shoes.

Marjorie continues to be fascinated by ballet technique and besotted with Balanchine’s vision, teachings and choreography.

“Ballet is significant and the greatest honor in my life has been to spend my career sharing what Mr. Balanchine taught me.”

Marjorie Thompson

Leslie Peck is an Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts. She was trained by the legendary dancer Andre Eglevsky and at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. At the age of 17, Peck joined the New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine. She went on to dance soloist roles with the Pennsylvania Ballet and later became a principal dancer with Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet International in London and Richmond Ballet where she also served as Ballet Mistress for 16 years. She is a recognized authority on Balanchine ballets and one of the few dancers authorized to stage Balanchine ballets by the Balanchine Trust.

Leslie Peck

Daniel was born in Spain in 1996. He graduated in 2014 from the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid and then followed a summer course with the San Francisco Ballet. In 2014, he joined the San Francisco Ballet as a trainee. There he danced Giselle, Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet of Helgi Tomasson in the corps de ballet. Daniel worked with many choreographers, including William Forsythe, Tina leBlanc and Jeffrey Lyons. Since the 2016-17 season, he has been dancing with Ballet Vlaanderen in Belgium.

Daniel Domenech

Christian Denice's professional dance experience includes Odyssey Dance Theatre, River North Dance Chicago, Company E, Montgomery Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. Christian teaches and choreographs nationally and internationally, and is currently on faculty at the Joffrey Academy Trainee Program and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago HSPro program. He has created new works for Odyssey Dance Theatre, River North Dance Chicago in collaboration with Frank Chaves, LEVELdance Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Interlochen Center for the Arts, METdance too, the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Visceral Dance Chicago, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Western Michigan University, METdance Houston, Modern America Dance Company, Modas Dance, SALT II and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company. Christian is the 2015-2016 winner of the University of South Florida's Echo Choreographic Competition and the 2016 winner of the Joffrey Academy's Winning Works Choreographic competition. Christian was recently one of the guest choreographers for both DanceWorks Chicago's ChoreoLab and the Barton Movement's AXIS Connect in Los Angeles this past summer. Christian currently dances for Chicago based project company the Cambrians. In April 2016, Christian directed and choreographed a short dance film entitled "the watchers" filmed by Salt Lake City-based videographer Bryce Johnson. Recently, Christian traveled to Athens, Greece to restage the work Kosmos by Andonis Foniadakis on the dancers of the Greek National School of Dance. He is a certified Power Vinyasa yoga instructor and teaches for CorePower Yoga.

Christian Denice

Kara Chan is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and received her training from Pro Arte Centre. Well versed in classical and modern styles, Kara went on to earn her BFA in dance from The Juilliard School. While there, she performed masterpiece repertory works by Merce Cunningham, Jerome Robbins, José Limon, and Murray Louis. Currently, she performs and tours with Twyla Tharp Dance, among other companies. She has performed as a guest artist with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance Group. Kara has also performed with the Merce Cunningham Trust, Pam Tanowitz Dance, Keigwin + Co, Janis Brenner & Dancers, Kathryn Posin Dance Company, Gleich Dances, Trainor Dance and MorDance. She is an alumna of The School at Jacob’s Pillow and Springboard Danse Montreal. Kara teaches in Long Island and New Jersey and is on faculty at Tate Academy and New York Music & Arts. www.karachandance.com

Kara Chan

Ashleigh Wilson is a ballet and contemporary dancer who was born in Gauteng province, South Africa. Upon graduation from Martin Schönbergs Ballet Theatre Afrikan Academy, she joined Dresden Semperoper Ballet and danced in Swan Lake, Coppelia, La Bayadere and in company premières of William Forsythe and George Balanchine. She moved to Berlin to dance with the MDR Deutsches Fernsehballet (Germany's TV Ballet) touring extensively across Europe and appearing in front of millions of people. In 2013, she moved to London to work for Peter Schaufuss as a soloist for the Danish tour of his Ballet, Satisfaction. In 2014 she was original cast in Inala: a Zulu Ballet, which was choreographed by Rambert Ballet's Artistic Director, Mark Baldwin. Inala, a live collaboration with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, toured extensively over two years throughout the UK, Russia and for the royal family. In 2016, she joined International Arts Collective (formerly London Contemporary Ballet Theatre) performing in world premieres in London and Paris.

She most recently performed with the LA Ballet Collective in California and will return to London for the Grammy nominated production of Inala in 2019. She also currently sits on the judging panel of Youth American Grand Prix.

Ashleigh Wilson

Born and raised in New York City, Gregory Dolbashian made his professional stage debut at the age of eight with the Glimmerglass Opera Company and in the Philip Glass/Robert Wilson world tour of Einstein on the Beach. Gregory received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey School, before graduating cum laude from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Awards include the Bessie Schoenberg Residency at The Yard, winner of Northwest Dance Project’s Pretty Creatives Competition and the Hubbard Street 2 International Choreographic Competition, second place in Ballet Austin’s New American Talent competition, and the audience prize at DanceNOW at Joe’s Pub in 2014 and again in 2017. Company commissions include Atlanta Ballet, TU Dance in Minnesota, Zenon Dance Company, Ballet Austin, LA Contemporary Dance Company, Hubbard Street 2, City Dance Ensemble in D.C., Dark Circles Contemporary Dance in Dallas, and Northwest Dance Project in Portland, Oregon. Gregory has also received commissions from ADF as a featured choreographer in the Footprints Program and has also created multiple works for principals and soloists at American Ballet Theatre, including Jeffrey Cirio, Daniil Simkin, and Hee Seo, all premiering at the Joyce Theater and Great Mountains Music Festival in Soul, Korea. College commissions include SUNY Purchase, Fordham/Ailey, LIU, NYU Tisch, and the Juilliard School. He debuted his own company, the DASH Ensemble, in December 2010 at Joyce SoHo. The company has gone on to perform at the Skirball Center, New York Live Arts, Jacob’s Pillow, Riverside Theater, Dance at Bryant Park, Summer Stage Central Park, the Joyce Theater, the Agnes Varis Lab for Performance at Gibney 890, the Dimenna Center for Music at Baryshnikov Arts Center, the Sheen Center, NYU’s Jack Crystal Theater, and the Guggenheim Works and Process Series. The company has also been on tour throughout various cities in the U. S. and abroad, including Pennsylvania presented by DanceNOW, North Carolina presented by UNC Wilmington, and most recently California competing in The McCallum Choreographic Competition. The DASH also premiered DAYWALKING, a film at New York’s Tribeca Cinemas in collaboration with fashion film director Charlie Wan. Gregory also teaches workshops and intensives all over the country at universities, companies, and competitive studios. As a soloist and performer, Gregory’s solo work was presented at American Dance Festival in his one man show Awkward Magic. In addition to his choreography, Gregory, alongside Loni Landon, is the co-founder of The Playground, a choreographic initiative that was recognized as one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch in 2013.

Gregory Dolbashian

Douglas Gillespie is a Brooklyn-based Artist, passionate in the making, teaching and embodying of dance as an art form. Gillespie is an avid dance maker, choreographing group works for Moving Current Dance Collective, Doug Varone DEVICES, and Sarasota Contemporary Dance. He has also created his own student commissions for Hillsborough Community College, Cleveland State University, University of Florida, and Santa Fe College; two of these works have premiered at American College Dance Association. In 2015 Gillespie created his first solo project Echo for Assembly Dance Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan. This project had its U.S. debut in 2016. Gillespie is an originating member and has been a creative contributor throughout Kate Weare Company’s first decade, currently serving as Guest Artist. In this role, he teaches on behalf of the company and assists on commissions. Gillespie also teaches at colleges and dance centers around the world, most recently at The Juilliard School, NYU Tisch Summer Program, Mark Morris Dance Group, and National Taiwan University of the Arts. He is on faculty at Gibney Dance Center in New York. Gillespie has performed in Punchdrunk Emursive’s Sleep No More and Third Rail Projects’ Then She Fell. Gillespie was born in San Diego, California, raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and received his BFA in Dance from Florida State University in 2005.

Douglas Gillespie

Louie Marin began his training at Independence High School in San Jose, CA; where he trained with Gary Masters and performed with the Jose Limon Dance Company. He then moved to Miami, FL where he attended the University of Florida New World School of the Arts, under the direction of Daniel Lewis, on full scholarship. He received his B.F.A. with High Honors in 2005. Mr. Marin was a scholarship student of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance and Jennifer Muller/The Works School. He has performed with Dance Now! Miami, Freddik Bratcher and Co., Sasha Soreff Dance Theater, Amanda Selwyn Dance Theater, Paskal Rekoert/ Flexicurve, and Graham II.

Louie has taught regionally and nationally and is known for classes that explore the power, breath and speed of Dorfman technique and the demands of her repertory. Louie is also a certified Pilates Mat and Apparatus Instructor. He received his certification from The Lab in Brooklyn, NY, under the direction of Master teacher Lawson Harris. He loves sharing his passion for Pilates; especially with other dancers. He is the resident Pilates Instructor for NJ SummerDance at Kean University in Union, NJ, and has taught Pilates at the Brandeis Institute of Music and Arts (BIMA) in Waltham, MA. Louie believes that Pilates is the Technique to the Technique; there must be a balance of strength and flexibility in order to achieve maximum stability and grace. Mr. Marin joined Carolyn Dorfman Dance in 2009.

Louie Marin

Jaclyn was named “25 to Watch” in 2015 by Dance Magazine, trained at the Walnut Hill School and received her BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she was the recipient of the Tisch Achievement Scholarship in Dance and is a former dancer of Keigwin + Company

Her choreography has been seen in numerous venues including SummerStage Main Stage in Central Park and DRA’s Dancin’ Downtown at The Joyce Theater, where she received The Choreography Award in 2012 and 2013. Jaclyn is a three time finalist for the Capezio A.C.E. Awards. She choreographed and performed in a commercial for ALDO Shoes produced by Refinery29, as well as a music video for Vienna Teng and an ASL music video produced by Deaf Professional Arts Network for AT&T’s Feel the Music Campaign. DanceSpirit magazine recognized Jaclyn as one of the dance world’s thirteen “Hottest Young Choreographers.”

Jaclyn Walsh

Brandon Cournay is originally from Walled Lake, Michigan and received his BFA from The Juilliard School. As a freelance artist, Cournay has performed in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, The Chase Brock Experience, Schoen Movement Company, Dance Heginbotham, and Morphoses. TV/Film/industrial credits include PBS’ Great Performances, Musical Chairs (HBO), Puma, Sesame Street, and Target. He has been the Associate Choreographer for My Fair Lady (Bay Street), The Wildness (Off-Broadway), Coriolanus (Off-Broadway), and I Am Anne Hutchinson/I Am Harvey Milk. After dancing with the company for seven years, Cournay continued on to become Associate Artistic Director of KEIGWIN + COMPANY. He joined MMDG as an apprentice in 2018.

Brandon Cournay

Autumn Eckman received her ballet training from the Houston Ballet Academy. In her performance career, Autumn had the privilege to work for companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Giordano Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Lucky Plush Productions, Ron De Jesus Dance and the State Street Ballet. From 2009-2014 she served as Assistant Artistic Director of Giordano Dance Chicago and Director of its second company, Giordano II. As Giordano’s Resident Choreographer, she created nine original works for the company including JOLT which was recognized by Dance Magazine as a top choreographic pick of 2012. Autumn has also served as Artist-In-Residence for State Street Ballet and choreographed for companies and organizations including DanceWorks Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, Big Muddy Dance Co., Wylliams-Henry Dance Company, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Kalamazoo Michigan’s Aesthetic Research and Education Program, Western Michigan University, Stephens College, Washington & Lee University, Grand Valley State University, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2013 Choreographic Fellowship recipient). Autumn is currently an artistic collaborator of The Cambrians- a global dance production network based out of Chicago. She is an Iowa Arts Fellow at the University of Iowa where she received an MFA in Choreography and is currently a Visiting Professor of Dance at the University of Arizona.

Autumn Eckman

Ramona Kelley is from Berkeley, CA where she began her training at Berkeley Ballet Theater. She went on to earn a BFA in dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she performed in works by William Forsyth and Ronald K Brown. Ramona danced the principal role of ‘Betsy’ in the touring production of Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away and went on to dance with the Tharp company creating new roles in addition to performing repertory works. She is a principal guest artist with Oakland Ballet where she has danced works by Graham Lustig, Jose Limon, and Robert Moses. Ramona has also performed with Minnesota Dance Theatre, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance, Claudia Schreier and Co, Post:Ballet, Sidra Bell, and Phantom of the Opera (25th Anniversary Tour) among others. She has has taught master classes in Tharp technique across the country and is on the summer ballet faculty at NYU’s Tisch Dance.

Ramona Kelley

Born in Chicago, Illinois. Joseph Kudra began his training at the age of nine at the American Dance Center under the direction of Jack and Kathleen Villari. He has worked with River North Chicago Dance Company, DanceWorks Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theatre, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, BODYTRAFFIC, Ate9 Dance Company, and most recently with Aszure Barton & Artists. Kudra has performed works by choreographers such as Danielle Agami, Aszure Barton, Robert Battle, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alexander Ekman, Andonis Foniadakias, Emanuel Gat, Johan Inger, Jiri Kylian, Anton Lachky, Arthur Pita, Crystal Pite, Victor Quijada, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Hofesh Shechter, Richard Siegel, and Jo Stromgren. Joseph joined Eastman - Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and the Royal Ballet Flanders in 2017.

Joseph Kudra

Michelle May has been dancing since she was four years old. She was a part of Reich’s “Tap Music Project,” Gregg Russell’s “Tap Sounds Underground,” and is now a principle dancer in Jason Janas’s newly- formed tap company, “Co.MMIT.” She has performed with Janas at the Capezio A.C.E Awards, performed with Co.MMIT in Dancerpalooza’s “25 Live” show, and most recently joined Janas in Stockholm for the Stockholm Tap Festival. There, she performed in the faculty concert, assisted in classes, and was the winner of the 2018 All-styles battle.

Michelle was selected as a National YoungArts Finalist in the dance category for tap in 2014 and was a 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts semifinalist. Recently, Michelle was part of the 2017 Tap Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow under the direction of Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards and Michelle Dorrance. She also had the opportunity to teach at Detroit Tap Festival in the summer of 2017.

Michelle May

Wendy Whelan began her dance training at the age of 3 and went on to spend 30 years with New York City Ballet, with 23 of those years as principal dancer. She has danced virtually every major Balanchine role and worked closely with Jerome Robbins on many of his ballets. She originated leading roles in works by such notable choreographers as William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon. Wendy has been a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and the Kirov Ballet and has performed on nearly every major stage across the globe. She received the Dance Magazine Award in 2007, and in 2009 was given a Doctorate of Arts, honoris causa, from Bellarmine University. In 2011, she received both The Jerome Robbins Award and a Bessie Award for her Sustained Achievement in Performance.

Since 2013, Wendy has been developing her own independent projects including Restless Creature and Some Of A Thousand Words both co-produced by The Joyce Theater Productions, Whelan/Watson Other Stories co-produced by London's Royal Opera House and Hagoromo, self-produced for the 2015 BAM Next Wave Festival. Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan was released in movie theaters across the country last summer. The film recently won the Chita Rivera Award for Best Dance Documentary. It's available on iTunes and Amazon.

Wendy Whelan

Jennifer has been teaching ballet for twenty years. A native of St. Louis, Jennifer moved to New York City at age 15 to study on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet. She trained with renowned teachers Stanley Williams, Kay Mazzo, Suki Schorer, Susie Pilarre, Antonina Tumkovsky, Elise Reiman, Helene Dudin, Richard Rapp, Olga Kostritsky, Andre Kramrevsky, Peter Martins, Violette Verdy, Jock Soto, Adam Luders, and Darci Kistler. She performed in ballets by George Balanchine and August Bournonville, and originated roles in works by Christopher Wheeldon and Damian Woetzel. Jennifer also trained with David Howard, Willy Burmann, and Nancy Bielski while in NYC and spent summers training on full scholarship with the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet. Jennifer was a professional ballerina for a decade. As a member of the Pennsylvania Ballet she performed in Swan Lake, Coppelia, the Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, as well as Balanchine’s the Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Who Cares?. Upon returning home to St. Louis, Jennifer was invited to join the Saint Louis Ballet. As a principal with SLB, she performed lead roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Allegro Brillante, Valse Fantaisie, and Divertimento No. 15. She also performed principal roles in Dennis Nahat’s Brahams Quintet, Francis Patrelle’s Swan Lake and Rhapsody in Blue and originated numerous roles in ballets by Gen Horiuchi. She was featured as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, lead Marzipan and Spanish lead in The Nutcracker, the title role in Giselle, and as Aurora in the Sleeping Beauty. Jennifer has been a guest artist with Stamford City Ballet, Montana Ballet and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. She has taught ballet at numerous schools in the Philadelphia area, as well as at Montana Ballet, Yellowstone Ballet, Saint Louis Ballet School, Grand Center Arts Academy, Washington University, and Webster University. Jennifer is a commissioned choreographer and is the director and co-founder of the nonprofit, Ballet Initiative. She is a career consultant for aspiring professional ballet dancers. She is currently a candidate for a Masters of Fine Arts in Dance through Hollins University. Jennifer is a grant recipient of Career Transition for Dancers as well as a fellowship recipient of Hollins University. Jennifer is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.

Jennifer Welch-Cudnik

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