At just five years old, Elisabeth enrolled in ballet school in New Jersey; this started her love affair with dance.  She holds a degree in Dance Education and has performed and taught for the Hartford Ballet, Princeton Ballet, and Mercer Ballet.  She continues to perform annually in Dances Patrelle’s The Yorkville Nutcracker as “the Dutch mom”.  With a strong foundation in dance, Elisabeth was inspired to share her passion with others through teaching ballet, Barre Fitness, and yoga.

Elisabeth is part of the exhale founding team, Miraval’s Senior Director of Mind Body Fitness/Yoga, and co-author of the Barre Fitness book.  She oversees exhale’s and Miraval’s mind body fitness/yoga programs, teacher trainings, exhale Barre Certification program, exhale Yoga Teacher Training, and retreats while teaching a robust class schedule. As a member of exhale’s founding team, she leveraged 20+ years of teaching to co-create the company’s highly publicized exhale Core Fusion and exhale Barre Fitness program along with continually developing the exhale Barre Teacher Training program.

Ashten Banister is an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer and writer. She graduated from Rider University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theater and recently received a certificate of completion from The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England for an Acting for the Camera Short Course. She has worked professionally at Park Playhouse in Singin’ in the Rain, and at Arundel Barn Playhouse in A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde, My Fair Lady, and 8-Track Sounds of the 70’s. Her favorite roles in college were Cassie in A Chorus Line and Dorcas in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. www.ashtenbanister.com

Both internationally as well as in the U.S., Ashley is passionate about her work as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. Primarily trained in New York, she has studied and worked in many different styles from ballet to lyrical, modern, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, and musical theatre. She has had the opportunity to perform and/or choreograph at venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, Teatro Madrid, The Gerald Lynch Theater, The Barrow Street Theater, SummerStage, The Highline Ballroom, Webster Hall, BB Kings and the Ailey Theatre. Ashley is also on faculty at Ballet Academy East, and Joffrey in New York, various schools in Mexico and Spain; former faculty at Peridance, and has taught at Broadway Dance Center, Steps on Broadway, and Ballet Arts in New York City, Lines Dance Center in San Francisco, Tony Williams Dance Center and Green St Studios in Boston and Tarrytown Dance in Austin.

She can be seen working alongside artists such as Ricky Martin, NeYo, Lady Sovereign, Nicki Minaj, Cam’ron and Mila Kunis, for companies like Pilobolus, Derek Mitchell, Daniel Gwirtzman, Hanna Q Dance, Germaul Barnes/Viewsic Expressions, Ruddur Dance, Momentum Dance Theater, Variations Theatre Group, the Little Opera Theatre of NY, Moochaloo and Balasole, and for brands such as Nike, Athleta, Nokia, Ursus Vodka, Microsoft, Heineken, Yahoo, Ameriprise, the Rachel Ray Show and Lush Cosmetics. She has been seen off-Broadway in shows like West Side Story and 3 to 1. She was invited to Madrid to teach at the Association of Dance Professionals and choreograph for Spanish recording artist Nuria Elosegui. Ashley performed in Sia’s music video “Soon We Will Be Found”, in Central Park Summerstage, in a Boost Mobile commercial, danced in a feature film with Justin Timberlake, and is credited with choreographing independent feature film “The Ride of Tom and Valkyrie”. She has performed with the European show “Compradores de Sueños”, premiered the Legendary Dance Project at the Museo del Barrio and has completed her fourth season of New York City’s Summerstage. Recently, Ashley was featured in the original dance film “Here We Go Again” (dir. Nathan Cohen), has performed two seasons as Fritz/Rat King/Russia in “DIY Nutcracker”, danced in “The Barber of Seville” with the Amore Opera, and worked on a production of “Peter Pan” for Broadway Asia.

Ashley has choreographed several full-length shows for the company DoubleTake Dance (www.DoubleTakeDanceCo.com) that she co-directs with Vanessa Martínez de Baños, and is very proud of DoubleTake’s performance in the City Parks Summerstage festival, Battery Dance Festival, Carnival Choreographer’s Ball, etc. Additionally, with the company, she is credited with directing/choreographing a benefit for Japan and the latest commercial for Fuse TV and Dropps laundry detergent; and routinely traveling to the West Coast, Europe and Mexico to teach contemporary workshops. Recent credits include choreographic commissions for the world-renowned Dancing Wheels Company, HT Chen’s NewSteps, JPAC’s Next Stage Residency, and the Montclair Performing Arts program; choreography for the new musical “Dragula”, and was also a choreography grant recipient from Eryc Taylor Dance.

Katie Ross grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to New York City to attend Marymount Manhattan College, where she received her B.A. in Dance with a Body, Science & Motion concentration and Neuroscience minor. Katie received her 200 hour yoga teaching certification at Inhale Pittsburgh and enjoys teaching yoga for the adult division at BAE. She also loves assisting children’s ballet classes and greeting all the teachers and students as a front desk administrator.

Katie Ross grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to New York City to attend Marymount Manhattan College, where she received her B.A. in Dance with a Body, Science & Motion concentration and Neuroscience minor. Katie received her 200 hour yoga teaching certification at Inhale Pittsburgh and enjoys teaching yoga for the adult division at BAE. She also loves assisting children’s ballet classes and greeting all the teachers and students as a front desk administrator.

Caitlin trained in Ohio at Sharrons School of Dance and Cleveland City Dance Academy, and is a former Miss Dance of America (DEA). She received a BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College. Professionally she has danced with Eidolon Ballet and 277 Dance Project. Caitlin has taught at BAE since 2005.

Jenna Rae Lavin is originally from Queens, New York. She began her ballet training with Mme. Gabriela Darvash and Jody Fugate. She later graduated from the School of American Ballet where she studied with such teachers as Alexandria Danilova, Antonia Tumkovsky, and Stanley Williams. Ms. Lavin began her professional career at 17 when she was invited to join the Chicago City Ballet, under the direction of Maria Tallchief. Ms. Lavin also danced with the Atlanta Ballet, directed by Robert Barnett, for seven years.

Her principal and soloist roles with the Atlanta Ballet include: Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Tarantella Pas de Deux, Minkus Pas de Trois as well as Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Lavin was a principal dancer with the Nashville Ballet where she danced Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the title role in Giselle, and principal roles in the company’s contemporary repertoire. Other professional affiliations include the Los Angeles Ballet, under the direction of John Clifford. Ms. Lavin spent eight summers as a member of the Chautauqua Ballet Company, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, where she performed principal roles in ballets by Balanchine, Bonnefoux, and Clifford. She is a former soloist with Edward Villella’s Miami City Ballet, where she danced principal roles in many ballets including Divertimento #15, Jewels, Pas de Dix, Raymonda Variations, Valse Fantasies, Western Symphony, Glinka Pas de Trois, The Nutcracker, and Who Cares?. Ms. Lavin has worked with numerous choreographers, creating principal roles in ballets by Alonzo King, Lisa de Ribere, and Stanton Welch, to name a few. In the summer of 2003, Ms. Lavin performed in Casablanca, a collaboration between Warner Bros. and John Clifford’s Los Angeles Dance Theater.

Ms. Lavin has been teaching ballet to young dancers throughout her career. She has been on faculty at BAE since 2003 teaching in the Pre Professional Division.  Ms. Lavin has also choreographed over 20 ballets for BAE.  She is married to Cornel Crabtree and they are the proud parents of three boys – Sky, Grayson and Cooper.

Anne Kelly’s experience in ballet includes performing, teaching, staging, and choreographing. She trained at the School of American Ballet for five years before attending Barnard College of Columbia University. While at Barnard, she studied with Francis Patrelle, Lourdes Lopez, Kate Glasner, and Allegra Kent. She performed works by George Balanchine, Lew Christiansen, Elisa Monte, Karla Wolfangle, Daniel Pelzig, and Lila York. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English and Dance. Ms. Kelly has danced with New York City Opera in their productions of Semele, Pirates of Penzance, and Candide, and she has performed with Dances Patrelle in Is That All There Is?, Murder at the Masque, Gilbert and Sullivan, The Ballet!, and The Yorkville Nutcracker, for which she also serves as Ballet Mistress. In 2012, Ms. Kelly founded her own company K/M•D/M, which is an elegantly modern ballet company that performs to live music. As Artistic Director and Choreographer, she has produced 5 Seasons for K/M•D/M in NYC. She has been on faculty at Ballet Academy East since 2005, teaching in the PreBallet, Primary, PreProfessional, and Adult Open Class Divisions.

Sarah Feliciano trained at Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech New York City Public School for Dance under the direction of Christine Sarry and Daniel Levans. While attending the school, she was given the opportunity to perform at The Joyce Theater. Sarah graduated from Dean College with her Bachelors Degree in Dance with a minor in Psychology in 2015.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude, and was a member of the Golden Key and National Society of Leadership and Success. While at Dean, she trained with Boston Ballet’s Laura Young and performed ballets such as Don Quixote, Napoli, Tarantella, and Coppélia. Sarah has worked at Ballet Academy East’s Summerdance since 2011, and joined the Young Dancer Division faculty in 2015.

Cornel Crabtree was born in Tripoli, Libya. He began dancing at fourteen and trained under full scholarship at both the San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. Former teachers include Anatole Vilzak, Stanley Williams, Alexandria Danilova, Andrei Kamarevsky, and Gabriella Darvash, with whom he trained extensively.

Mr. Crabtree was a member of New York City Ballet for ten years, where he danced principal roles in a wide variety of ballets, such as Balanchine’s Serenade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jewels, Vienna Waltzes, The Nutcracker, and Jerome Robbin’s Dances at a Gathering, In the Night, and Goldberg Variations, to name a few. Mr. Crabtree has performed on television in Bournonville Dances, which was telecast as part of PBS Dance in America series, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Live from Lincoln Center broadcast. He was also invited to the Stars Shine for the Acropolis in Athens, where he danced Black Swan Pas de Deux. In 1989, he danced the title role of Oscar Wilde in the premiere of the Irish National Ballet’s production of “Oscar,” choreographed by Domy Reiter-Soffer.

In 1990, he danced Swan Lake at the National Theater in Taiwan. From 1990-92 he was a principal with Miami City Ballet, where he performed in Balanchine’s Bugaku, Square Dance, Glinka Pas de Trois, Jewels, Scotch Symphony, Concerto Borrocco, Pas de Dix, and Stars and Stripes Pas de Deux, as well as Petipa’s Sleeping Beauty. Mr. Crabtree has appeared as a principal quest artist with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Festival Ballet Providence, Ballet Austin, and The Daring Project. With these companies he performed in Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Esmerelda, Flower Festival, and La Sylphide. From 2000-01 he was a principal with Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, where some of his repertoire included Flemming Flint’s The Lesson, Ashton’s Monotones, and Arpino’s Kettentanz. A few of the new ballets created on him were Lambros Lambrou’s Byzantium, Remembrances, The Rite of Spring, and Stanton Welch’s Orange.

In 2004 he performed John Clifford’s Casablanca, which premiered in Beijing. Mr. Crabtree has performed the roles of Slavemaster/Solo Dancer for the Broadway and National tour productions of Phantom of the Opera. Mr. Crabtree has been on faculty at Marymount Manhattan College, Broadway Dance Center, Ballet Arts, and Fieldston School of Ethical Culture.

Valerie Cortier began her training in South Bend, Indiana, at Flint’s Dance Studio, and also trained at Joffrey Ballet Summer School. She received a BFA in dance from Webster University, and has performed with several companies including: Eidolon Ballet, Common Thread Contemporary Dance Company, The Puppeteers Cooperative at Lincoln Center’s “Out of Doors” Festival, and Webster Dance Theatre. She has also performed in the NYC Fringe Festival and several choreography showcases in NYC. She has been a member of the faculty at BAE since 2004.

Danielle Cortier received a BA in Dance and Dance Education from Ball State University, where she was a member of Ball State Dance Theatre. Company credits include being rehearsal director and dance captain for Eidolon Ballet in Concert, and Mariana Bekerman Dance Company. She has done works by Jen Medina with Common Thread Contemporary Ballet, performed with The Puppeteers Cooperative at Lincoln Center “Out Of Doors,” and even danced behind Twenty One Pilots on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” She has danced in the NYC Fringe Festival and several choreography showcases.

Danielle is currently Assistant Choreographer and dancer for Keiko Fujii Dance Company based in Osaka, Japan. She has taught at BAE since 2008, and is also our Birthday Party Coordinator.

Courtney Conner received a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She has danced with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre Workshop and performed in the national tour of Sesame Street Live!. Courtney is a member of Dances Patrelle and has been a faculty member at BAE since 1992.

Elizabeth Walker’s ballet training began in South Carolina with Don and Patricia Cantwell in Charleston, S.C. and continued with Ann Brodie in Columbia, S.C. Following two summer courses at the School of American Ballet in New York, Elizabeth was invited to stay for full time study on scholarship at the age of 15. She received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Award Dance Scholarship and Nancy Davis Reagan Award in 1988, and a scholarship in the name of Alexandra Danilova and the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 1990.

At the age of sixteen, Elizabeth was invited by Suki Schorer and Merrill Ashley to take part as a demonstrator in “Balanchine Essays,” a video series cataloguing Balanchine technique produced by the George Balanchine Trust. Elizabeth was offered an apprenticeship with the New York City Ballet in 1990 and joined the corps de ballet in 1991. Among the dozens of roles she danced, many were featured or principal roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins, Lynn Taylor Corbett, and David Parsons.

In June 2009, Elizabeth retired from performing after 19 years with NYCB. Elizabeth taught on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, the official school of NYCB, from 2001-2007. Since 2009, Elizabeth has served as senior faculty at the New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) School of Ballet. Elizabeth joined the faculty at Ballet Academy East in 2007, teaching for the Pre-Professional Division and adult open classes.

Elizabeth Portnoy trained at Ballet Academy East, LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and Studio Maestro. Elizabeth has performed with Dances Patrelle, New York Theater Ballet, K.M/D.M, and Dramastics. She taught in the Young Dancer Division at BAE for 10 years. She graduated from Hunter College with a Masters in Dance Education. Elizabeth has been teaching barre fitness since 2015. She teaches at Equinox Gym and is CPR certified.

Ayako began piano lessons at the age of three. She attended the Soai Conservatory of Music in Osaka, Japan and received her classical piano training from Motoko Nakata. Later she studied composition with a leading Japanese composer, Osamu Katsuki.

Ayako has lived in Japan, Russia, and the U.K. and has collaborated with number of filmmakers, photographers, dancers, and theatre directors. International festivals have selected some short films in which her compositions were featured.

Her passion for music and art brought her to New York City in 2016, and since then she has been accompanying ballet and vocal classes in Manhattan.

As an avid dance enthusiast for many years, Ayako is literate in the technical aspects of ballet and is thoroughly familiar with the vast ballet repertoire. She enjoys dancing herself, and takes ballet classes and dances the Argentine tango.

Elizabeth Portnoy trained at Ballet Academy East, LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and Studio Maestro. Elizabeth has performed with Dances Patrelle, New York Theater Ballet, K.M/D.M, and Dramastics. She taught in the Young Dancer Division at BAE for 10 years. She graduated from Hunter College with a Masters in Dance Education. Elizabeth has been teaching barre fitness since 2015. She teaches at Equinox Gym and is CPR certified.

Janice Kelly is a 200-hour RYT through Pure Yoga in NYC and has over 10 years of yoga training and experience. She first took a Bikram yoga class to supplement her ballet training, and soon realized her yoga practice was going to be much more. She found the meditation exercises that helped her into challenging poses were just as empowering and effective in conquering the challenges of everyday life.

Janice honors the integrity of traditional yoga teachings while making them practical in today’s world. Her class is centered around the vinyasa technique of breath and fluidity between poses. She teaches yoga for inner peace, strength, joy, a quiet mind, and the highest self.

Before teaching yoga, Janice worked as a technology investment analyst at a hedge fund, as well as a professional Broadway and ballet dancer. Janice is also the founder of ShapeDate, which currently provides a full list of dance class schedules, studios, and instructors in NYC.

Concerts: NY Philharmonic, Cincinnati Pops, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Boston Pops, and NY Pops. Recordings: The IT Girl, Follies, Tokio Confidential, Setting Standards, Suite of Dances from West Side Story. TV: The Muppets (EMMY nomination), The Sunshine Boys, Martha Stewart’s Christmas. Film: Unzipped, Suspicion. Theater: The Boy Friend, I Hear Music!. Ballet: Suite of Night Waltzes, Morgause.

As publisher/editor for Sondheim, Kander & Ebb, Corigliano, Maltby & Shire, Wright & Forrest, and others, Mr. McKibbins has released over 100 editions. Composer-In-Residence at U. Bridgeport, MacDowell Colony Fellow. B.Mus., M.Mus., Manhattan School of Music.

A graduate of Moscow Conservatory College (Russia), Ms. Bazilevskaya was the musical director of Ballet Hispanico for seven years, as well as Gelsey Kirkland Ballet for six years. For over twenty years she has worked as an accompanist with professional dance companies such as Joffrey Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, American Ballet Theater, SAB, Juilliard School, Les Ballets Trockadero, Ellison Ballet, Steps, and Ballet Academy East. Olga also is an accomplished piano teacher and has developed a unique music workshop for dancers.

Roni Mahler is a former ballerina who was trained by the renowned Madame Maria Yurieva Swoboda. Ms. Mahler performed principal roles with American Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Washington (D.C.), after beginning her career in her teens with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. For over three decades, Roni was the Artistic Associate of Dennis Nahat’s internationally-acclaimed Ballet San Jose in California, where she taught, coached, and performed “character” roles. A native of New York City, Ms. Mahler’s teaching credits include Ballet Academy East, The Alvin Ailey School, The Juilliard School, The Joffrey School, Ballet Tech, and School of Dennis Nahat’s Ballet San Jose. Roni is a former tenured Assistant Professor and director of Dance at Kansas State University, where she initiated the KSU Dance degree program. Kansas State has since honored her with the Roni Mahler Ballet Studio and, for fifteen years, presented an annual award in her name.

Roni choreographed for Cynthia Gregory and Fernando Bujones during their City Center season in New York, and created “Ballet Movement for the Athlete,” a fitness program she customized for the Cleveland Browns. Her 6-DVD collection “The Complete Guide To Teaching Ballet” enables dance teachers to explore training methods for all ages. A certified Pilates instructor, Roni is the author of numerous ballet class CDs and a stretching DVD for flexibility and range of motion. Each year, Ms. Mahler is invited by the prestigious Rancho La Puerta Spa in Tecate, Mexico, to return as a Specialty Presenter for its Ballet Week.

After studying at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and the School of American Ballet, Grant recently concluded a 20-year career as a professional ballet dancer. He was fortunate to be a member with companies like the Washington Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Dayton Ballet, and Dances Patrelle. Years of cross training and pursuing physical excellence inspired Grant to help others achieve their fitness/health goals. Mentored by Elisabeth Halfpapp & Fred Devito, co-founders of the Core Fusion Barre method, Grant became a certified barre teacher for Exhale. He is also a M.E.L.T. Method Hand and Foot Touchless Massage Instructor, and co-founder of Fit-Arts LLC with his wife Katie. He’s passionate about exercise that fits into the demands of modern life, is safe and effective, and would love to help you reach your potential!

Jamie Salmon has over 35 years of experience as a professional dancer and educator. Her training began with Melissa Hayden, Dana Kennedy Paul Mejia, Juan Anduze, and continued at North Carolina School of the Arts, School of American Ballet (sponsored and mentored by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon), Joffrey Ballet NYC, and with Finis Jung and David Howard. Jamie’s performing career has included Joffrey Ballet Concert Group and extensive industrials, regional theater, commercials, and film.

Jamie’s class is dedicated to the physical, mental and artistic development of the dancer, whether novice or professional. Jamie shares her passion for ballet with her students in a positive and nurturing environment, emphasizing clean technique, proper alignment, kinesthetic awareness and musicality, while using imagery and hands-on physical corrections throughout the class.

Benjamin Houghton has been a pianist at BAE since 2010. He graduated from Westminster Choir College. In addition to being a pianist, he is also a dancer, singer, and actor.

A native of Cali, Colombia, Juan Carlos Peñuela began dancing at the age of 12 with Incolballet, a ballet-centered secondary school. His teachers included artistic staff from the National Ballet of Cuba and several Russian ballet academies. After Mr. Peñuela’s graduation in 1986, Gloria Castro invited him to become a soloist with Columbia’s National Company, Ballet de Cali. During the seven years he was with Ballet de Cali, he danced throughout South America, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. His repertoire consisted of leading roles in contemporary works as well as classical pieces, including the principal male in Les Sylphides, Colin in La Fille Mal Gardée, and Franz in Coppélia.

In 1993, Mr. Peñuela moved to the United States to join Ballet Arizona in Phoenix, where he danced several pieces by artistic director and choreographer Michael Uthoff, and also created roles in new ballets by Violette Verdy and Helgi Tomasson. In 1996, he joined Dance Theater of Harlem, where he performed in many of George Balanchine’s works, including The Four Temperaments, Agon, Allegro Brillante, and Bugaku, as well as a variety of contemporary pieces.

Mr. Peñuela then joined Pennsylvania Ballet in 1998-2004. He was featured in several roles in The Nutcracker, and in Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk. Most notably, he received critical praise for dancing the role of The Moor in Josè Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane. He also performed in new works such as Jeffrey Gribler’s Cricket Dances, Meredith Rainey’s Slight Shifts, and Matthew Neenan’s Sfrenato.

Juan Carlos then worked as a freelance dancer, ballet master, and répétiteur based in New York City, working with various companies and schools all over the US and abroad. He has rehearsed & staged full-length ballets such as: Giselle, Don Quixote, Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Walpurgis Nights, Diana & Acteon, Flower Festival in Genzano, Les Sylphides, Spartacus, Carmen, Raymonda, and Le Corsaire, as well as works created by choreographers Chiara Ajkun, Meredith Rainey, Gloria Castro, and Diane Coburn Bruning, to name a few.

Juan Carlos is currently the Ballet Master of Ballet Hispanico Company in New York City as well Senior Ballet Master for the School of Dance. He teaches company classes at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Alvin Ailey School. Mr. Peñuela is faculty member of Joffrey Ballet School and Marymount Manhattan College, both in New York City.

Danielle Cortier received a BA in Dance and Dance Education from Ball State University, where she was a member of Ball State Dance Theatre. Company credits include being rehearsal director and dance captain for Eidolon Ballet in Concert, and Mariana Bekerman Dance Company. She has done works by Jen Medina with Common Thread Contemporary Ballet, performed with The Puppeteers Cooperative at Lincoln Center “Out Of Doors,” and even danced behind Twenty One Pilots on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” She has danced in the NYC Fringe Festival and several choreography showcases.

Danielle is currently Assistant Choreographer and dancer for Keiko Fujii Dance Company based in Osaka, Japan. She has taught at BAE since 2008, and is also our Birthday Party Coordinator.

Austin Walker is an internationally recognized modern drummer that doubles on world percussion and is based out of New York City. Austin moved to NYC in 2005 from Massachusetts to attend the Manhattan School of Music. There he studied with faculty drummer John Riley, while achieving a Bachelors and Masters in Music. Austin has performed and conducted as a musical director for the Jose Limon Dance Company. Austin maintains an active and busy life in the arts and music scene of New York City. He is currently a faculty accompanist for Ballet Academy East as well as the 92Y.

www.austinwalkermusic.com

A celebrated figure in dance accompaniment, Steven Mitchell has accompanied and performed with some of the most esteemed dance institutions. He is currently the ballet rehearsal pianist for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Houghton College, NY, a Master of Music in Piano Performance, and a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX.

From 1992-1998 he was a staff pianist for Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education; while there he performed as soloist and with Boston Ballet Orchestra. From 2000-2002 he held the position of Company Pianist for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre; from 2000 – 2004 he held the keyboard chair for the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra.

In the 2010 and 2011 seasons, he was the rehearsal pianist for Dutch National Ballet, the Netherlands.

He was class pianist for the Columbia Pictures film Center Stage, his music can be heard in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and he was also heard during the ballet class scenes of the TV series Flesh and Bone on the Starz network.

In New York City he has played for most of the major companies and schools, and he holds a special place in his heart for Ballet Academy East and its director Julia Dubno.

Annie Lebeaux has been a professional pianist since 1970, when she graduated from Boston Conservatory in her native New England. In addition to serving as musical director for over 60 regional shows, she’s had a wide range of experience both behind the scenes and as a performer. Some favorites include 5 years with the New York Renaissance Faire, touring with orchestras, playing Broadway shows in Europe, 9 years performing on the Delta Queen Steamboat, and 5 years performing on the American Orient Express train. For the last several years she has been playing for ballet, finally using the classical music she learned at the conservatory so long ago.

Sofiya Leavsie graduated from the Belorussian State Conservatory. She held the position of Head of the Theory Department at the School of Arts in Belarus. After moving to the USA, Sofiya studied composition at the Juilliard School. She accompanied ballet classes at the Usdan Center for Performing Arts, where she was very lucky to meet Francis Patrelle, who brought her into the world of dance. Currently, Sofiya has accompanied classes at Ballet Academy East since 1995. She also plays for classes at American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Tech, Cedar Lake, The Juilliard School and Hunter College.

Michael Kooman is a composer and pianist living in NYC. As a writer of musical theater, he won a Jonathan Larson Grant in 2010, and was the first recipient of the Lorenz Hart Award in 2011 (along with his collaborator Christopher Dimond). Michael is currently under commission from the Kennedy Center.

His musicals have been workshopped or performed at the American Conservatory Theater, ASCAP, Disney Musical Theater Workshop, The Williamstown Theater Festival, London’s Ambassador Theater, and the 2011 NAMT Festival of New Musicals. In 2011, Michael released an album of his music, Out of Our Heads: the music of Kooman + Dimond, on iTunes, which features some of Broadway’s biggest stars. As a pianist, he accompanies at NYU, Alvin Ailey, Rosie’s Theater Kids, and Ballet Academy East.

Benjamin Bradham, born in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a Juilliard School graduate with extensive background as a concert performer. Benjamin’s long involvement with the dance world includes frequent requests from international professional companies to play for company classes. Among these are American Ballet Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and others.

Kevin Sport is a multi-faceted drummer/percussionist, whose diverse percussive talents have facilitated a musical life ranging from New York club dates to Cairo concert halls. He has performed almost every genre of popular and art music, from middle-eastern dub to indie rock in clubs all over NYC, including The Knitting Factory, Sin-e, Pianos and Kush, and with Turkish master drummer Bunyamin Olguncan at the American University in Cairo.

In 2011 he founded Limbs, a percussion duo, with Mark Katsaounis, and they have a full calendar of performances and workshops. He also works as an accompanist for modern dance classes, playing in studios including The Alvin Ailey School, The Martha Graham School, and Ballet Academy East. Kevin earned his BM in Percussion from James Madison University, and has performed and studied gamelan in Bali and dumbek in Turkey, Egypt, and Morocco. The dumbek has since become a centerpiece of his work.

Rosanne Soifer was born in New York City. Her music career encompasses many areas, including composing, arranging and production, and playing piano. She has lectured extensively on music business and life skills at the Institute of Audio Research (IAR) and the School of Audio Engineering (SAE Institute), and is now an adjunct at Touro College, all in NYC. Her music career began when she was fifteen, playing in a local youth dance band, and for dance classes and talent shows.

She received a BS in Music from Indiana University’s renowned School of Music. Rosanne has worked as an accompanist for American Ballet Theater, and continues to play at many professional studios, schools, and college dance departments around the New York City area, including Ballet Academy East, SAB, Marymount Manhattan, Steps, and Peridance. She also works as a music director in the field of Jewish music. Other work experience includes dinner theater, single engagements, and as a road musician based in Nashville. In the 1980’s, she was the first female business agent hired by Musicians Local 802 in NYC. In 1994, Rosanne Soifer and Steve Danenberg arranged and published the CHANUKAH SUITE for pops orchestra. It continues to receive numerous performances each year by over 30 orchestras around the country.

Their pops vocal piece PUT OUT THE DARKNESS was premiered by the Tacoma Symphony and chorus in 2007. Her articles have appeared in many music industry publications such as Sound & Video Contractor, The Music Paper, and Pro Sound News. She also wrote the book Music In Video Production, published by Focal Press. Rosanne is a member of Musicians Local 802, ASCAP, and National Music Publishers Association. She lives in NYC.

Douglas Schultz (Pianist, Composer) began his association with dance at Bard College, his alma mater, as both a class pianist and performer. His first accompanying position upon his arrival in New York, more than 25 years ago, was at Ballet Academy East, a position he gladly holds to this day. During his years in New York, he has been on the music staff of American Ballet Theatre, was guest Company Pianist for Dance Theatre of Harlem, and held the title of Company Pianist for the Joffrey Ballet preceding their move to Chicago.

He has also been on the staff of many major New York dance schools, including the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham schools. He currently works at Ballet Academy East, Adelphi University, and is a senior pianist at Steps Studios, where he accompanies Wilhelm Burmann, David Howard, and Nancy Bielski, among others. In addition, he has composed and recorded extensively for ballet and modern dance, creating both original ballets and music for ballet class. His class music is recorded under his own label, Cynosura Sound.

Mary Beth has been a ballet accompanist with BAE since 1990. She has also worked at New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Eliot Feld Ballet, Steps, Broadway Dance, Eglevsky, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Arts, and The Metropolitan Opera. Mary Beth was a scholarship student at The Oberlin Conservatory, where she received her degree in Piano Performance. She also studied with Herbert Stessin and Nadia Reisenberg from The Juilliard School.

Renee Ong is a composer, orchestrator, and pianist from Singapore. As a dance pianist, she performs with dance companies and pre-professional schools like Dance Theatre of Harlem, Singapore Dance Theatre, New York Theatre Ballet, Harlem School of The Arts, Ballet Tech Public School, Ballet Academy East, and Singapore School Of The Arts. She also music directs musical theatre and collaborates with independent filmmakers.

Lali Mirry was born in Tbilisi (now Republic of Georgia). She graduated from the Georgian State Conservatory, and received her M.D. at Livonian State Conservatory (Vilnius, now Livonia). Lali was a soloist with the Georgian State Philharmonic. She has been living in New York since 1994, and has accompanied classes at BAE since 1996. Lali has also accompanied dance classes at the Juilliard School, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Tech, and City Center.

Joan Matthews has a BA in Music from SUNY Empire State College. She accompanied for a number of schools in London while living there for several years. Joan has been filling the BAE studios with her beautiful music since 1992.

Eleonora Marder was born in Moscow, Russia. She is a graduate of the Academic Music College of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and The Gnesins Russian Academy of Music. Her professional career as an accompanist began when she was 17 years old at a vocal studio. It continued at Novosibirsk Conservatory, where she worked with both instrumentalists and vocalists. Eleonora was a head pianist at the Samarkand Opera Theater in Uzbekistan. Upon her return to Moscow, she worked as an accompanist at The Gnesins College for over 15 years. Her career in ballet accompaniment began in 1995 at Dance Adventure in Greenwich, CT. Eleonora has accompanied ballet classes at Ballet Academy East since 2001, as well as at The Juilliard School, Ballet Arts, and City Center.

Rich Klessig has been a dance accompanist for over 20 years. His ballet “Don Juan” has been performed by Ballet Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, and he has an album entitled “Quiet Jazz for Solo Piano.” Mr. Klessig holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from the Berklee College of music in Boston, and currently plays piano and percussion for Ballet Acadamy East, Alvin Ailey, and the 92nd Street Y.

Tomoko Kawaguchi is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music. In addition to her classes at Ballet Academy East, Ms. Kawaguchi has worked with notable ballet masters from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and The Juilliard School. Her repertoire is versatile, ranging from classical music to ragtime. Ms. Kawaguchi loves accompanying character classes, and has been playing for Ms. Olga Dvorovenko’s character class at BAE for the past 3 years.

Colleen has been a ballet accompanist for the past five years. She received her extensive classical training in Canada and did her jazz studies in New York. Colleen is currently an accompanist with Ballet Academy East, the 92nd Street Y, and Mark Morris Dance Group.

Ludmilla Halfen, pianist and piano teacher, is a St. Petersburg Conservatory graduate. She toured with the Moscow State Concert Association, Mosconcert. Ms. Halfen was a faculty member of Bela Bartok School of Music and Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. She played for Briansky Saratoga Ballet Center summer program for 16 years, and has been a faculty member at BAE since 1990.

Mikhail Golubitskiy holds a masters degree in music from the Gnessin Musical Institute in Moscow. After graduating he worked as a professor and conductor in Ufa (Russia). Since moving to the New York in 1993, Mikhail has been a ballet accompanist at many ballet schools including Ballet Academy East, Peridance, Steps, Broadway Dance Center, American Ballet Theatre and Long Island University.

Barbara Gayny studied composition as a scholarship student with Lee Kraft at the Aaron Copeland School of Music. She has been playing piano for Ballet Academy East for 25 years. Barbara has also worked with the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Elliot Feld, Joffrey II, New York University, Princeton University, City University of New York, and the 92nd Street Y. Barbara was the Polish translator/lyricist for Pope John Paul II’s musical play, Jeweler’s Shop, performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the United Nations. She performed and recorded with composer Mieczslaw Litwinski’s ensemble in the the mid-to-late ’80’s.

Barbara’s vocal music has been performed and recorded by Libana on Night Passage, Sbanachie label, and Singing the Stories of the West, Hal Leonard Publications. Barbara has performed with her husband, nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter and western entertainer Ernie Sites, in the US and Great Britain, including the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. Barbara’s focus is on integrating music with dance, storytelling, and audience participation in a variety of musical styles. Her primary instrument is piano, but Barbara also loves to sing and play the vibraphone and riqq, the Arabic tambourine.

Whitney Gardner is a pianist and piano teacher in New York City. In addition to being a gifted ballet accompanist at BAE, she is a dedicated piano teacher and the founder/artistic director of *In The Pocket NYC: a Co-op of Teaching Musicians* (www.inthepocketnyc.com).

Whitney studied at Carnegie Mellon University, earning both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Music in Piano Performance.

Miles Fusco earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from The Juilliard School of Music as a scholarship student of Adele Marcus. He has performed as soloist and chamber musician on four continents, and made formal recital debuts at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York and The Wigmore Hall in London. He was appointed a Steinway Artist by Henry Steinway III. Miles brings a special expertise to dance, having been Company Pianist for American Ballet Theater for 12 years, where he worked with such artists as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Cynthia Gregory, Cheryl Yaeger, Susan Jaffe, Fernando Bujones, Rudolph Nureyev, and Margot Fonteyn. He toured with Gelsey Kirkland, Patrick Bissell, Kyra Nichols, Wendy Whelan, Natalia Makarova, and worked with choreographers Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp. Though most closely associated with ABT, Miles has also worked with New York City Ballet, Berlin Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and The Kirov.

Originally from Richmond VA, Jessica Anne Cox received her Bachelor of Music from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. Prior to moving to NYC, she was an accompanist with American Repertory Ballet’s Princeton Ballet School. She is an actress and singer and has appeared in a variety of productions in the tri-state area.

Coty earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Jacksonville State University in Classical Piano Performance, with a minor in Art. He then completed his Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition and Vocal Jazz at North Carolina Central University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. He was invited to perform in the 2012 Fiji International Jazz and Blues Festival, as well as international jazz festivals in Canada and South Africa, and in 2015 crafted a nation-wide concert/workshop series in conjunction with the US Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

In addition to his jazz experience, Coty is heavily involved in musical theater, having worked on several regional and Off-Broadway productions. Some professional credits include Allegro, Ragtime, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Songs for a New World, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

His passion for creative collaboration has led him to the dance world, where he is often found accompanying ballet classes at Steps on Broadway, Ballet Academy East, and the Joffrey Ballet School. He is also the principal company pianist with Dance Theatre of Harlem, with whom he has had the pleasure of touring to Austria, Italy, Canada, and Israel.

Michael Cherry has been associated with Ballet Academy East as a staff pianist for more than 20 years. He has also served as Company Pianist and Soloist for Dance Theatre of Harlem from 1996 through 2004. He has also extensively performed as a piano soloist for The Limon Company. He has recorded five CDs of Music for Ballet Class. Michael holds a Masters Degree in Composition from the Manhattan School of Music, and was a recipient of the BMI Young Composers Award.

Amanda is originally from North Carolina. She received a BFA in dance performance from Oklahoma City University, where she also performed with the American Spirit Dance Company. In addition to ballet, Amanda is also a licensed Zumba instructor.

Kevin Carpenter began his piano training with Lee Rickaway in Brazoria, Texas, and studied voice with Catherine Wafford and Katherine Ciesinski. He has sung with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Austin Lyric Opera, and the Houston Masterworks Chorus. He was a music associate at First United Methodist Church of Austin, Texas, and on faculty with Ballet Austin for seven years before moving to New York in February of 2010. Kevin can now be heard in New York City at Ballet Academy East and Steps, as well as in cabaret clubs around Manhattan.

Anne Kelly’s experience in ballet includes performing, teaching, staging, and choreographing. She trained at the School of American Ballet for five years before attending Barnard College of Columbia University. While at Barnard, she studied with Francis Patrelle, Lourdes Lopez, Kate Glasner, and Allegra Kent. She performed works by George Balanchine, Lew Christiansen, Elisa Monte, Karla Wolfangle, Daniel Pelzig, and Lila York. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English and Dance. Ms. Kelly has danced with New York City Opera in their productions of Semele, Pirates of Penzance, and Candide, and she has performed with Dances Patrelle in Is That All There Is?, Murder at the Masque, Gilbert and Sullivan, The Ballet!, and The Yorkville Nutcracker, for which she also serves as Ballet Mistress. In 2012, Ms. Kelly founded her own company K/M•D/M, which is an elegantly modern ballet company that performs to live music. As Artistic Director and Choreographer, she has produced 5 Seasons for K/M•D/M in NYC. She has been on faculty at Ballet Academy East since 2005, teaching in the Pre-Ballet, Primary, Pre-Professional, and Adult Open Class Divisions.

Anne Kelly’s experience in ballet includes performing, teaching, staging, and choreographing. She trained at the School of American Ballet for five years before attending Barnard College of Columbia University. While at Barnard, she studied with Francis Patrelle, Lourdes Lopez, Kate Glasner, and Allegra Kent. She performed works by George Balanchine, Lew Christiansen, Elisa Monte, Karla Wolfangle, Daniel Pelzig, and Lila York. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English and Dance. Ms. Kelly has danced with New York City Opera in their productions of Semele, Pirates of Penzance, and Candide, and she has performed with Dances Patrelle in Is That All There Is?, Murder at the Masque, Gilbert and Sullivan, The Ballet!, and The Yorkville Nutcracker, for which she also serves as Ballet Mistress. In 2012, Ms. Kelly founded her own company K/M•D/M, which is an elegantly modern ballet company that performs to live music. As Artistic Director and Choreographer, she has produced 5 Seasons for K/M•D/M in NYC. She has been on faculty at Ballet Academy East since 2005, teaching in the Pre-Ballet, Primary, Pre-Professional, and Adult Open Class Divisions.

Nicholas Ade is from Los Angeles, CA. He trained at San Francisco Ballet School and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He danced with the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) from 1996-2006 under Francia Russell, Kent Stowell, and Peter Boal. While with PNB, Ade performed leading roles in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments and A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow; and Kent Stowell’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. He has also been featured in Balanchine’s La Valse, Prodigal Son, Symphony in C, Symphony in Three Movements, and Who Cares?; and Peter Martins’ Fearful Symmetries. He originated featured roles in Val Caniparoli’s Torqueand Nicolo Fonte’s Almost Tango and Within/Without.

Ade joined Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet as school principal in 2012, prior to serving as principal of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School’s Francia Russell Center, PNB’s Eastside School, under Artistic Director Peter Boal from 2006 through 2012. Ade also serves as permanent guest faculty at Ballet Academy East in New York City under artistic director, Darla Hoover and founder and director, Julia Dubno. He has taught throughout Europe and North America, including the Iliev Foundation in Bulgaria. Ade has also taught at Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet, Utah Regional Ballet, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He also has been on faculty at several national and regional festivals for Regional Dance America (RDA). Ade’s relationship with RDA has also extended into adjudicating in 2010; as well as serving as host to the Craft of Choreography Conference (CCC) and Summer Intensive from 2007-2009 and has been on the faculty of the CCC from 2004 through 2009. He has served as host of PNB’s Eyes on Dance and Discover Dance outreach performances and has been Project Coordinator for PNB’s NEXT STEP (formerly Choreographers’ Showcase) since 2005. In November 2014, Ade was appointed chief executive officer of CPYB.

Photo Credit: Joel Thomas Photography

Jenna Rae Lavin is originally from Queens, New York. She began her ballet training with Mme. Gabriela Darvash and Jody Fugate. She later graduated from the School of American Ballet where she studied with such teachers as Alexandria Danilova, Antonia Tumkovsky, and Stanley Williams. Ms. Lavin began her professional career at 17 when she was invited to join the Chicago City Ballet, under the direction of Maria Tallchief. Ms. Lavin also danced with the Atlanta Ballet, directed by Robert Barnett, for seven years.

Her principal and soloist roles with the Atlanta Ballet include: Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Tarantella Pas de Deux, Minkus Pas de Trois as well as Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Lavin was a principal dancer with the Nashville Ballet where she danced Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the title role in Giselle, and principal roles in the company’s contemporary repertoire. Other professional affiliations include the Los Angeles Ballet, under the direction of John Clifford. Ms. Lavin spent eight summers as a member of the Chautauqua Ballet Company, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, where she performed principal roles in ballets by Balanchine, Bonnefoux, and Clifford. She is a former soloist with Edward Villella’s Miami City Ballet, where she danced principal roles in many ballets including Divertimento #15, Jewels, Pas de Dix, Raymonda Variations, Valse Fantasies, Western Symphony, Glinka Pas de Trois, The Nutcracker, and Who Cares?. Ms. Lavin has worked with numerous choreographers, creating principal roles in ballets by Alonzo King, Lisa de Ribere, and Stanton Welch, to name a few. In the summer of 2003, Ms. Lavin performed in Casablanca, a collaboration between Warner Bros. and John Clifford’s Los Angeles Dance Theater.

Ms. Lavin has been teaching ballet to young dancers throughout her career. She has been on faculty at BAE since 2003 teaching in the Pre Professional Division.  Ms. Lavin has also choreographed over 20 ballets for BAE.  She is married to Cornel Crabtree and they are the proud parents of three boys – Sky, Grayson and Cooper.

“The quality of the training a dancer receives has an enormous impact on their future. BAE’s meticulous and comprehensive syllabus develops technically strong, expressive ballet dancers, who ultimately can adapt to any style.”

Darla Hoover was trained at the renowned Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary and completed her studies on a full scholarship at the School of American Ballet. In 1980, after choreographing a solo for her in the New York City Opera production of Bourgeois Gentilhomme, George Balanchine invited Ms. Hoover to become a member of his New York City Ballet. From 1980-1991, Ms. Hoover appeared as a featured soloist in ballets such as Balanchine’s La Valse, Chaconne, Harlequinade, Ballo della Regina, as well as Peter Martins’ Eight Easy Pieces, Rossini Quartets, Sonata di Scarlatti, and Jerome Robbin’s Fanfare. Upon retirement, a full schedule of guest appearances throughout the United States and Europe further expanded her repertory experience.

Ms. Hoover now focuses her attentions on teaching and staging ballets, including positions as the Artistic Director of Ballet Academy East’s Pre-Professional Division in New York City, and Artistic Director of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, where she also directs a nationally recognized Teachers Workshop that instructs fellow dance educators on the syllabus and methodologies developed by Marcia Dale Weary. Ms. Hoover guest teaches all over the world, and has been invited to share her successful techniques at distinguished companies such as New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, New National Theatre Tokyo, and Royal Danish Ballet.

As a répétiteur, Ms. Hoover regularly stages works for the George Balanchine Trust. Recent stagings at major ballet companies such as the Stanislavsky Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, New National Theatre Tokyo, and Dance Theatre of Harlem have included George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Raymonda Variations, La Source, Serenade, Scherzo à la Russe, Divertimento No.15, Valse Fantaisie, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Stars and Stripes. Ms. Hoover was invited to stage George Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. This performance marked the first time the esteemed Academy had ever performed a work by Mr. Balanchine.