Amanda McKerrow, Staging, Little Improvisations
Ms. McKerrow is one of America’s most acclaimed ballerinas.  She has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981.  Since then she has been a recipient of numerous other awards, including the Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship.

Ms. McKerrow was born in Albuquerque, N.M, and began her ballet training at the age of seven at the Twinbrook School of Ballet in Rockville, Md.  She later studied with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet, where she danced with the company for two years and toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

Ms. McKerrow joined the American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1982, was appointed a soloist in 1983, and became a principal dancer in 1987. Her repertoire includes:  the leading roles in Cinderella, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Manon, La Bayadere, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, and The Nutcracker.  She has been acclaimed for performances of shorter works by George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Sir Frederick Ashton, Jerome Robbins, and Jiri Kylian.  Ms. McKerrow has created roles in ballets by choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Clark Tippet, James Kudelka, Agnes de Mille, Choo San Goh, and Mark Morris.  She has also appeared as a guest artist throughout the world.

In 2000, together with her husband, John Gardner, Ms. McKerrow began working for the Antony Tudor Trust, staging and coaching his superlative The Leaves Are Fading around the country.  She has also staged numerous other ballets for professional companies and schools across the United States.  During her last 10 years performing as a principal ballerina with the American Ballet Theatre, she spent as much time as she could working with students and young dancers.  Upon her retirement from ABT in 2005, she has devoted the majority of her time to teaching and coaching this great art form that she loves so much.

Blaine Hoven, Cavalier, The Nutcracker
Born in Mobile, Ala., Blaine Hoven began his training at Mobile Ballet under the direction of Winthrop Corey and Ann Duke. During his high school years, he trained at the (University of) North Carolina School of the Arts with Melissa Hayden, Warren Conover, Fanchon Cordell, Nina Danilova and Susan McKee McCullough. Mr. Hoven received American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Scholarship from 1999 through 2002 and attended ABT’s Summer Intensive for five summers.

Mr. Hoven joined ABT’s Studio Company in September 2003 and the main company as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2004. His repertoire with the company includes the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, the Standard Bearer in The Green Table, Cassio in Othello, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, the Bluebird, the Russian Prince and a Fairy, Knight in The Sleeping Beauty, the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake and leading roles in Baker’s Dozen, C. to C. (Close to Chuck), Clear and In The Upper Room. He created leading roles in Glow – Stop and Pretty Good Year and a featured role in From Here On Out.

Mr. Hoven was a recipient of the 2008 Princess Grace Award; he also received a specially designated award, the Chris Hellman Dance Award, awarded to one recipient in the dance category each year.

Catherine Batcheller, Guest Teacher, Ballet
Catherine Batcheller was born in Maine. Her training began in California, and continued with the Cleveland Ballet, the Washington School of Ballet under Mary Day and the San Francisco Ballet School. In 1981, she joined the San Francisco Ballet, where she danced a variety of contrasting roles including Titania in Balanchine’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and the white couple in Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land. Her classical roles included the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and the Fairy Godmother in the nationally televised production of Micheal Smuin’s Cinderella. She danced in Jerome Robbins’ In The Night and Helgi Tomasson’s Menueto. She also created Romanze, a pas de deux choreographed for her by Smuin which involved her in a film sequence directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

In 1985, Ms. Batcheller joined the Stuttgart Ballet, where she extended her classical repertoire to include Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Myrtha in Marcia Haydee’s televised version of Giselle and Gsovsky’s Grand Pas Classique. Other roles included Manon in Neumeier’s Lady of the Camelias, Cranko’s Holberg pas de deux, lead roles in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Requiem and his My Brother, My Sisters and the principal role in Maurice Bejart’s Bolero, and Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. She has danced Hans Van Mannen’s Five Tangos and Grosse Fuge, and created one of the roles in Jiri Kylian’s Stepping Stones.

Ms. Batcheller was invited under the direction of Sir Peter Wright to join Birmingham Royal Ballet in September 1994. She danced in his productions of Swan Lake as Odette/Odile, The Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum, and The Sleeping Beauty as Aurora. Other roles include: Ashton’s Enigma Variations, and the principal ballerina in his Birthday Offering, Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Agon, The Four Temperaments, and Orpheus and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. She created the role of Fortuna in David Bintley’s Carmina Burana and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare Suite. Other Bintley ballets include Bathsheba in Far From the Madding Crowd and Sugar Rum Cherry in Nutcracker Sweeties. Ms. Batcheller also created work with Wayne McGregor during her time with BRB, actually performing a duet with Mr. McGregor in a gala held at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theater.

Ms. Batcheller has made guest appearances in France, Germany and America and performed at the televised Olivier Awards ceremony in 1995. She has appeared in the role of Ghost of Christmas Future in Mike Ockren’s and Susan Stroman’s production of A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2001, 2002 and 2003.

Ms. Batcheller was also co-founder of Configuration Dance (www.configurationdance.org) and co-directed the company for seven years. Configuration was formed in a spirit of collaboration, drawing together leading dancers and choreographers and showcasing contemporary ballets, specially commissioned works, and excerpts from the classics. She was also the Director of Configuration Dance Studio for four years, offering ballet classes and coaching for serious ballet students in Harwichport, Mass.

At present, Ms. Batcheller is the artistic director for the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, a ballet academy and pre-professional company. She has taught master classes at Boston Ballet, Walnut Hill, Portland (Maine) Ballet, American Academy of Ballet (N.Y.), DeSalle University, and was guest faculty at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She has taught in summer programs for Alberta Ballet (Calgary), the Briansky Summer Program at Skidmore, Walnut Hill, Greenwich Ballet Academy (Conn.) and the Boston Ballet.  She has also taught for the San Francisco Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and the Cincinnati Ballet, and has been an invited speaker at the Cape Museum of Fine Arts in Dennis, Mass.

DJ Chucky Brown, Intensive Arts Guest Artist
Mr. Brown was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y.  His musical influences were found at a very young age.  His mom was a regular at Studio 54 and his father was a record collector, amassing more than 50,000 records, 15,000 cassettes and 20,000 CDs by 2005. "The music in the house was diverse.  Anything from Disco Duck to J Giles Band to Furious Five to Iron Maiden, and, of course, Yvonne Elliman could be heard at any given time."
 
Mr. Brown promoted parties as a freshman in high school and was established in the New York City club scene at a young age.  College took him out of the city to West Virginia University.  "Culture shock! Yep, I loved it at first, but hated it after a year.  Worst three years of my life." But he made the most of it, starring on the radio and creating the first and only student-run club called the Treehouse.  
 
Once school was completed he went back to New York, but seeking opportunities to pursue a full-time career as a DJ precipitated a move to Miami in 1997.

Mr. Brown held residency at clubs that are regarded as the best in the world:  Liquid, Groove Jet, Bed, Delano, Pearl and more.  Playing with renowned DJs Danny Tenaglia, Victor Calderone, Biz Markie, Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex, to name a few.  "Six years in Miami is like 30, so I knew it was time for a change."  
 
In 2004 Mr. Brown found a home in San Francisco with some of the best club owners in the Bay Area.  He established a residency at the city's top venue, Suite 181. He shared his diverse style of Hip-Hop, House, Reggae, 80s, Funk Soul, Rock and Latin every weekend with the party set in San Francisco. Of course all mixed!  

Returning to where it all began, in 2006 Mr. Brown returned to New York and linked up with Karrie Goldberg, Kage Konsulting and Marketing Director for the world famous Cielo nightclub. As one of her five featured DJs, Goldberg booked him events for the Sundance Channel, Conde Nast, The Producers Group, W Hotel, and more. His eclectic style and deep knowledge of multiple music genres leads to a unique, crowd-rocking experience that should not be missed.

Clara Cravey, Guest Teacher, Ballet
Clara Cravey began her professional career with the Harkness Ballet of New York under the direction of Ben Stevenson.  As a principal dancer she toured Europe and the Middle East performing in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Iran, Paris and Istanbul.  She has danced at summer festivals including Spoleto, Nervi and Monte Carlo, where she performed for Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.

Ms. Cravey was a founding member of the Ballet de Caracas in Venezuela under the direction of Vicente Nebrada with whom she toured worldwide.  She has performed at the White House and the Kennedy Center.

In 1978, Ben Stevenson invited Ms. Cravey to join the Houston Ballet Academy’s professional level as an instructor.  He appointed her to principal of the academy in 1991, a position she enjoyed for 15 years.

Additionally, she was invited to teach at the Beijing Academy of Dance in China and to teach several years at various schools of dance in Japan.  She was able to bring several of her students to train at the Houston Ballet Academy for summer and year-round programs.  Many dancers who have trained under her direction have gone on to professional careers with Houston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet, Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, Netherlands Dance Theater and other international companies.  Ms. Cravey also served as president of the National Association of Schools of Dance from 2000 through 2003.

Ms. Cravey currently guest teaches advanced classes at several schools in Houston including serving as ballet mistress for AdDeum Dance.  She serves on the Artistic Council of Ballet Florida, the University of Oklahoma and guest teaches at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  Summers are spent teaching master classes in ballet throughout the United States.

Douglas Gawriljuk, Guest Teacher, Ballet
Born in Brazil, Douglas Gawriljuk was trained by his father, Ruslan Gawriljuk, and also took the exams of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England, where he graduated with honors in September 1986. Later that year he received the Gold Medal at the “Conselho Brasileiro de Danca” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was a Silver Medalist at the “Seventh Concurso Internacional de Ballet” in Trujillo, Peru. In 1994, he won the first prize in 1994 at the “XII Festival de Danca” in Joinville, Brazil. From 1988 through 1990, he attended the School of American Ballet in New York, with a full scholarship.

As professional dancer, Mr. Gawriljuk’s repertoire includes the classics, most of the Balanchine repertory, and contemporary works by today’s leading choreographers. Mr. Gawriljuk started his career in 1990 with Ballet Du Nord in France under the direction of Alfonso Cata. In 1991 he joined The Basel Ballet in Switzerland, directed by Youri Vamos, as a soloist. Mr. Gawriljuk joined Miami City Ballet, directed by Edward Villella, as a principal dancer from 1993-1998 and later in 1999. His special performances with MCB include tours to The Spoleto Festival, The Edinburgh Festival, The 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga., The Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Wolftrap’s 25th anniversary, and the 1997 Next Step gala (Career Transition for Dancers in New York). From 1998-99, Mr. Gawriljuk moved to Pennsylvania to join The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, directed by Terrence S. Orr, as a principal dancer, and excelled at interpreting many of the big classical ballets. In May 2000 through 2005, he joined Maximum Dance Company in South Florida as a principal dancer and ballet master under the artistic direction of Yanis Pikieris and David Palmer. There, he worked with many international choreographers such as Daniel Rosseel, Jean Christophe Blavier, and KT Nelson among others, and in 2003-04, he was nominated the best male dancer in South Florida by the Sun Post. From 2006-09, he danced for Ballet Florida under the artistic direction of Marie Hale, and retired from his dancing career.

In the past few years, Mr. Gawriljuk has appeared in international dance projects such as Dolomytica in Europe and Casablanca The Dance in China, capturing the attention of the international press. He has also created pieces for Maximum Dance Company as well as for dance schools and dance institutes.

Elizabeth Parkinson, Intensive Arts Guest Artist
Acclaimed in ballet, modern, and jazz styles, Elizabeth Parkinson has performed worldwide as a principal with the Joffrey Ballet, Feld Ballet, Donald Byrd/The Group, and Twyla Tharp Dance. In 1999, she segued to Broadway and received tremendous praise as a lead in Fosse and later in the hit Twyla Tharp/Billy Joel musical, Movin’ Out, where she earned the 2003 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical and the highly coveted Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer on Broadway. Ms. Parkinson continues to perform as a concert soloist, most recently in the revival of Martha Clarke's Garden of Earthly Delights. In 2006, she and her husband, Broadway performer Scott Wise, opened Fineline Theatre Arts, a performing arts conservatory in New Milford, Conn. Ms. Parkinson teaches master classes in musical theatre and ballet for many schools and intensives including Joffrey South, Stiefel and Stars, Broadway Dance Center, West Coast Dance Explosion, and Steps on Broadway to name a few. Often described as fiery, fearless, and an indefatigably hard worker, she hopes to pass on her passion, love of dance, and strong work ethic to her students.

Elyse Borne, Staging, The Steadfast Tin Soldier
Elyse Borne began her dance training in her native Los Angeles and finished at School of American Ballet in New York. As a recipient of a Ford Foundation scholarship, she joined the New York City Ballet, where she danced for more than 13 years and was promoted to soloist. She performed numerous principal roles in ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and shared a debut in The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov. During this time, she also made several television appearances and traveled on concert tours with Baryshnikov, Peter Martins, Suzanne Farrell, Edward Villella, Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. She served as ballet mistress for the Miami City Ballet for eight years and San Francisco Ballet for six years. Currently she devotes herself full-time to staging ballets nationally and internationally on behalf of the George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins trusts, and additional works by Hans van Manen and Helgi Tomasson. She has staged ballets at the Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the New York City Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Dutch National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Central Ballet of China, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet and many others.

Gillian Murphy, Sugar Plum Fairy, The Nutcracker
Raised in Florence, S.C., Gillian Murphy began her ballet training at the age of 3 in Belgium and continued her ballet classes at the age of 5 in South Carolina.

After training in South Carolina as a member of the Columbia City Ballet, she continued her studies at the (University of) North Carolina School of the Arts. Under the tutelage of Melissa Hayden, she danced principal roles in several of the school’s ballet productions, including The Nutcracker and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Western Symphony, Tarantella and Theme and Variations.

In 1994, at the age of 15, Ms. Murphy was a finalist at the Jackson International Ballet Competition. In 1995, she was awarded the Prix de Lausanne Espoir after performing the final round at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 1996, she was a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts Level I awardee and a Presidential Scholar nominee. In 1998, she was honored with a Princess Grace Foundation-USA grant. In 2009, she won the Princess Grace Statue Award.

Ms. Murphy has appeared as a guest artist in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Canada and throughout the United States.

Ms. Murphy joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in August 1996, was promoted to soloist in 1999 and principal dancer in 2002. Her repertoire with the company includes Polyhymnia in Apollo, Nikiya and Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Cinderella in Cinderella, Swanilda in Coppélia, Medora and Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Kitri in Don Quixote, Titania in The Dream, the Accused in Fall River Legend, second girl in Fancy Free, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, the pas de deux Flames of Paris, Grand Pas Classique, Myrta in Giselle, His Memory and His Experiences in HereAfter, the Queen of Hearts in Jeu de Cartes, Lescaut’s Mistress in Manon, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Desdemona in Othello, Hagar in Pillar of Fire, Raymonda in Raymonda, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Romeo’s Farewell to Juliet), Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Sylvia in Sylvia, the first and third movements in Symphony in C, the Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and the ballerina in Theme and Variations, and leading roles in Allegro Brillante, Ballet Imperial, Ballo della Regina, Baroque Game, Paul Taylor’s Black Tuesday, Clear, Désir, Diversion of Angels, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Études, From Here On Out, Gong, In The Upper Room, Meadow, Les Patineurs, Pretty Good Year, Push Comes to Shove, Sinfonietta, Les Sylphides, Symphonie Concertante and featured roles in Company B, The Elements, Overgrown Path and Without Words.

She created leading roles in Glow – Stop, Kaleidoscope, Rabbit and Rogue and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.

Ms. Murphy danced Odette-Odile in the ABT telecast of Swan Lake and also appeared in the ABT telecast of Le Corsaire. Other television appearances include the Washington Opera’s Die Fledermaus. During November 1999, she also participated in the Melissa Hayden Project, part of the Balanchine Foundation’s video series filming dancers who worked with George Balanchine, teaching their roles to young performers. The foundation filmed Miss Hayden teaching Ms. Murphy the pas de deux from Stars and Stripes and Donizetti Variations. Ms. Murphy was seen in the feature film Center Stage and Center Stage: Turn It Up.
In March 2008, Ms. Murphy made her debut with the Kirov Ballet, dancing Odette-Odile in Swan Lake opposite Kirov Ballet principal Andrian Fadeyev.

Ms. Murphy is a charter member of Stiefel & Stars and directed a training program for young dancers, Dreamcatchers, on Martha’s Vineyard.

Joe Bowie, Staging, Gloria
Born in Lansing, Mich., Joe Bowie began dancing during his sophomore year at Brown University.  After graduating with honors in English and American Literature, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in dance.  There, he danced in the works of Milton Myers, Donald Byrd, Ulysses Dove, and with the Paul Taylor Dance Company for two years.  In 1989, he moved to Brussels, Belgium, to join the Mark Morris Dance Group, where he has danced for the past 20 years.  In addition to dancing in the company, Mr. Bowie has set and taught several of the pieces in Mark Morris' repertory to students all over the world.  And, he has more recently been Mr. Morris' assistant director on his various opera projects which include: Rameau's Plateé and Henry Purcell's King Arthur, both at The English National Opera and New York City Opera, Glück's Orpheus and Euridice at the Metropolitan Opera (both the premiere and the re-staging), and Haydn's L'Isola Disabitta for the Gotham Opera Company.

John Gardner, Staging, Little Improvisations
John Gardner was born in Lafayette, La., and began his ballet training at age 12 with Gwen Ashton in Lafayette, and subsequently trained at the National Academy of Arts in Champagne, Ill., under the direction of Michael Maule.  He received a scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) at the age of 16 and joined ABT’s second company three months later, in 1977.  In 1978, he joined ABT’s main company and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 1984.  Mr. Gardner’s diverse repertoire includes many soloist and principal roles, representing an extensive range of styles and giving him the opportunity to work with some of the great ballet choreographers of the 20th century, including Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, and George Balanchine.

In 1991, Mr. Gardner joined Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, affording him the opportunity to work closely with choreographers such as Merce Cunningham, Paul Taylor, Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, and Martha Graham.  Mr. Gardner created numerous roles during his time with the White Oak Dance Project and toured extensively in Europe, the United States, Asia, and South America.  In 1995, he returned to ABT, where he danced a wide variety of roles with the company until 2002. In 2000, Mr. Gardner, together with his wife, Amanda McKerrow, began working for the Antony Tudor Trust, staging and coaching his superlative ballet, The Leaves are Falling, around the country.

During the course of his career, Mr. Gardner has achieved an excellent reputation as a master teacher and coach for ballet on both the professional and student levels, and has staged numerous ballets for professional companies and schools across the United States.

Kelly Maxner, Choreographer, Fall Dance
Mr. Maxner holds two B.F.A. degrees from the University North Carolina School of the Arts: the first, in Contemporary Dance, ’94; and the second, in Drama (Directing), 2000. He holds an M.F.A. in Choreography from Smith College, 2005. He serves on the acting faculty at the University North Carolina School of the Arts, the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Baypath College, Amherst College, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School, Mount Holyoke College, University of Edmonton and Mimar Sinan University (Istanbul).

Mr. Maxner is a founding member of the Open Dream Ensemble, a UNCSA multidisciplinary alumni company supported by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts. Mr. Maxner is also the co-artistic director of Kicking Pig Productions, a nonprofit theatre company whose mission is to integrate the arts with non-artistic institutions and spark the proliferation of innovative collaborations. As the co-artistic director of Kicking Pig Productions, he has produced performances internationally and across America. He has performed in New York, Taiwan, Istanbul, Cairo, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, and in many other spaces.

As a free-lance artist, Mr. Maxner has choreographed/directed for The Golden Mean Theater (Los Angeles), Great Lakes Theater Festival, Dallas Theater Center, One Arm Red (NYC), the Ankara State Opera and Ballet’s Modern Dance Turkey, Dans Fabrikasi (Istanbul), Pioneer Valley Ballet, East Street Youth Ballet, Serious Play Theater Ensemble, The Little Theater (Winston-Salem) and the Theater Alliance (Washington, D.C). He is a two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, and a nominee for the Leon Rabin Award for choreography.

Maria Riccetto, Sugar Plum Fairy, The Nutcracker
A native of Montevideo, Uruguay, Maria Riccetto began her ballet studies in 1990 at the Uruguay National Ballet School. In 1995, she was hired as a professional dancer by the national ballet company, S.O.D.R.E, where she danced pieces by Rodolfo Lastra, Ivan Tenorio and Jaime Pintos, among others.

In 1998, Ms. Riccetto was named "Revelation of the Year" by Washington Roldan, a well-known dance critic in Uruguay, and she received the Elena Smirnova Prize, awarded by Argentine ballet reviewer Enrique Honorio Destaville. Also in 1998, Ms. Riccetto received a full scholarship to the (University of) North Carolina School of the Arts, where she danced in Grand Pas Romantique, choreographed and staged by Fernando Bujones, and Intermezzo, choreographed by Eliot Feld, as well as the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen in the school’s production of The Nutcracker. This production was later performed by the Hungarian National Academy and, in 1999, Ms. Riccetto was invited to reprise her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Budapest at the Academy’s gala, dancing with Hungarian National Ballet Soloist Gabor Szigeti. She also performed as a guest artist at the National Ballet School of Uruguay’s 25th Anniversary Gala and was invited by the First Lady of Uruguay to dance in Montevideo and Punta Del Este.

Ms. Riccetto joined American Ballet Theatre’s corps de ballet in August of 1999. Her repertory with the company includes the Girl in Afternoon of a Faun, Calliope in Apollo, first and third Shades in La Bayadère, Petal in Cinderella, Prayer in Coppélia, Gulnare and an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, Mercedes, Amour and a flower girl in Don Quixote, Giselle, the peasant pas de deux and Zulma in Giselle, the Two of Diamonds in Jeu de Cartes, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Clara in The Nutcracker, Olga in Onegin, Natalia in On the Dnieper, the Street Dancer in Petrouchka, Henrietta in Raymonda, the Lilac Fairy, Fairy of Sincerity and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, the Young Girl in Le Spectre de la Rose, the pas de trois and the Italian Princess in Swan Lake, the Mazurka and Prelude in Les Sylphides, the Greedy One in Three Virgins and a Devil and roles in Baker’s Dozen, Ballo della Regina, Brief Fling, C. to C. (Close to Chuck), Company B, Désir, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Glow – Stop, In The Upper Room, Kaleidoscope, The Leaves Are Fading, Mozartiana, Rabbit and Rogue, Sinfonietta, Symphonic Variations, Symphonie Concertante, Symphony in C, Theme and Variations, Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison and Without Words.

Ms. Riccetto created a featured role in HereAfter and a leading role in From Here On Out.
She was promoted to soloist at American Ballet Theatre in August 2002.

Michael Leon Thomas, Intensive Arts Guest Artist
A performer, director and choreographer, Michael Leon Thomas made his professional debut with renowned dancer and artistic director Judith Jamison. The Daily News reporter Charles Jurrist wrote, "And Michael Thomas, who attracted notice in the original company, is now clearly a star waiting only for adequate recognition. In even the briefest passages, he evinces prodigal virtues -- control, suppleness, speed and unfailing elegance of line."
In 1991, Mr. Thomas joined the world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where he gained instant recognition for his passionate performances of Alvin Ailey's Love Song's, Billy Wilson's Winter in Lisbon, Jawole Zollar's Shelter and Dwight Rhoden's Frames. He was also featured in Judith Jamison's Emmy Award-winning PBS special, A Hymn for Alvin Ailey, performing a solo to his own words as interpreted by actress/playwright Anna Deavere-Smith. Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times wrote, "Michael Thomas scorched the stage with his quiet intensity during his years with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater."

Mr. Thomas performed principal roles with a variety of dance companies, including the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in the critically acclaimed production of Men’s Stories, Zvi Gotheiner & Dancers, Dance Brazil, Donald Byrd/ The Group’s The Harlem Nutcracker, and a decade of wonderful choreography and touring with Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson of Complexions.

Mr. Thomas is currently working toward the launch of his own company, MOTION THEATER LAB. He recently created works for the Frank Sinatra High School, entitled BLUE, and Orange Moon for the Opus Dance Theatre. Under the auspices of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, he directed the students at the High School of Art and Technology in Globacity, and received glowing reviews for his performance as the narrator in Zane Booker's 7 Love Stories & Other Mysteries. Mr. Thomas recently finished a four-week residency with the Arsht Center for Performing Arts in Miami for its first Ailey Camp.

Mr. Thomas received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the (University of) North Carolina School of the Arts, where he was a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence.

Mollye Anna Maxner, Choreographer, Fall Dance
Mollye Maxner is artistic director of Kicking Pig Productions (Mass.). Festivals include: KO Festival (Amherst, Mass.), Pangaea Project (Washington, D.C.), WAC Fest (Taiwan), Assos Festival (Turkey), QUEST Fest (D.C.), and SOURCE Festival (D.C.). New York City performances include: Joyce SoHo, Cunningham Studios, Danspace Project, PS 122.  Ms. Maxner spearheaded SILICON DANCE PROJECT, collaboration with Turkish State Opera’s MODERN DANCE TURKEY.

She directed Master Harold and the Boys (North Carolina and Massachusetts), and directed and wrote The Amazing Adventure of Anna Marie and Max and the Indexicon (Open Dream Ensemble, UNCSA’s Kenan Institute for the Arts). Her choreography for theater includes Our Country’s Good (UNCSA, Dir. John Langs), Alice Tuan’s COASTLINE (Serious Play! Theater Ensemble), Walk With Me (Performance Project), and The Trojan Women (UNCSA, Dir. John Langs). She was assistant director of Sunday in the Park with George (Dir. Gerald Freedman), Too Clever by Half (Dir. Robert Francesconi), and Kid Champion (Dir. Jeremy Skidmore).

Ms. Maxner is a recipient of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant in Choreography (2005) and the DanceWeb Europe Scholarship for Vienna’s ImpulsTanz Festival (2004). She is the creative director of Open Dream Ensemble. She was the assistant director at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center (2008). Ms. Maxner received her B.A. summa cum laude in Choreography and Playwriting from Mount Holyoke College, and her B.F.A. in Drama/Directing from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. During the 2009-10 season, Ms. Maxner was a Kenan Fellow at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Nicholas Leichter, Intensive Arts Guest Artist
Nicholas Leichter received a B.A. in Dance from Connecticut College, where he studied with Jacylnn Villamil and Martha Myers. He was a member of Ralph Lemon Company from 1993-95, and has performed with the companies of Jennifer Muller, Ronald K. Brown, and Gus Solomons Jr.  

Sought after for his teaching abilities almost as much as his choreographic talent, Mr. Leichter has taught throughout the United States, at festivals in Eastern and Western Europe, in Asia, Canada, New York, Russia, Korea, and most recently, Shanghai. He has been on faculty of the Tisch School of the Arts and the American Dance Festival in Durham.
Mr. Leichter has created more than 25 works for his own company, including commissioned works Free the Angels (for VCU), Undertow (for In The Company Of Men), Carmina Burana and Rite of Spring (for the Brooklyn Philharmonic), and Sweetwash with Eisa Davis (for The Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach Community College). He has also been commissioned to create works for others, most recently for students at Connecticut College, Wayne State in Michigan, and Pomona College in California.

Mr. Leichter has an eclectic approach to movement and a hybrid style that fuses traditional and contemporary forms in surprising and subversive ways that are always fun to watch. His work also broadens audience appeal through his musical choices, which balance Beethoven and Björk, Wonder and Orff, and even Debussy and Winehouse within a single work.
 
In recognition of Mr. Leichter’s approach to contemporary dance, he has received support from TIAA-CREF, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, New York Foundation for the Arts (two BUILD Grants and two Choreography Fellowships), Jerome Foundation, The Greenwall Foundation, Pentacle’s HelpDesk, Dance/USA and the NEA as part of the National College Choreographic Initiative, The 92nd Street Y New Works in Dance Fund, The Joyce Theater Foundation, New York City, with major support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mr. Leichter received the 2006 Mariam McGlone Emerging Choreographer Award from Wesleyan University. In 2008 he received a NYFA Choreographer Fellowship and a National Performance Network/Network of Cultural Centers of Color Artist-of-Color Residency Award at Sacramento State. He is the recipient of the 2009 Copperfoot Award for choreography from Wayne State University and a National Dance Project (NDP) award from the New England Foundation for the Arts.
 
Mr. Leichter has been artist-in-residence/guest artist at many institutions including CSU Fresno, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Iowa, University of Richmond, George Washington University, University of Houston (National College Choreographic Initiative of Dance/USA and the NEA), Muhlenberg College, and Idaho State University. He is on the board of Dance Theater Workshop.

Sascha Radetsky, Cavalier, The Nutcracker
In 2008, Sascha Radetsky joined The Dutch National Ballet as a principal; there, he has performed roles such as Albrecht in Giselle, The Prince in Nutcracker and Mouse King, Masetto in Don Giovanni, The Son in Prodigal Son, Sanguinic in The Four Temperaments, the Pas de Deux Boy in Etudes, and the central pas de deux from Concertante.

Mr. Radetsky began his professional dance career with American Ballet Theatre in 1996 and was promoted to soloist in 2003.  With ABT, his repertoire included roles such as Lankendem and Birbanto in Le Corsaire, Lescaut and The Jailer in Manon, Orion in Sylvia, Cavalier and Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, Espada and Lead Gypsy in Don Quixote, Benno and von Rothbart in Swan Lake, Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Hilarion and the Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, Iago in Othello, Petrouchka in Petrouchka, Tybalt and Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Head Fakir in La Bayadere, Bernard in Raymonda, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, the pas de deux sailor in Fancy Free, Champion Roper in Rodeo, Warrior Chieftain in Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, the Pas de Deux Boy in Etudes, Rabbit in Rabbit and Rogue, the central pas de deux in The Leaves Are Fading, the Pastor in Fall River Legend, third movement pas de deux in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, fourth movement principal in Symphony in C, the pas de deux in Jabula, the “Guitar” pas de deux from Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison, and many others. He has been featured in ballets such as Petite Mort, Sechs Tanze, In the Upper Room, Push Comes to Shove, The Brahms-Hayden Variations, Glow-Stop, C To C: A Tribute to Chuck Close, Black Tuesday, Clear, Offenbach in the Underworld, Dark Elegies, Gong, and Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes.  He has danced the works of acclaimed choreographers such as Balanchine, Morris, Taylor, Lubovich, MacMillan, Tharp, Tudor, Cranko, de Mille, Robbins, Reinking, Elo, Van Manen, Wheeldon and Kylian, and has created roles in several ballets. He is an original and current member of the troupe “Stiefel and Stars” and has been a frequent guest performer and teacher with ballet companies across the United States and abroad.

Mr. Radetsky starred as Charlie in Columbia Picture’s feature film Center Stage.  He also starred in pop singer Mandy Moore’s music video I Wanna Be With You.  He starred as Phil in the independent film Moving Mike. He has appeared in numerous television and print commercials, and in starring roles in the PBS movie Home at Last and on the NBC television series Midnight Caller.  Currently a student at Long Island University, he has written articles for Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit and Newsweek magazines.

Born in Santa Cruz, Calif., Mr. Radetsky began his ballet studies in the San Francisco Bay Area with Ayako Takahashi and Damara Bennett.  At the age of 15, he was invited to study in Moscow at the Bolshoi Academy under the renowned men’s teacher Pyotor Pestov. After a year in Russia, he studied on scholarship at the Kirov Academy in Washington, D.C., under Roudolf Kharatian and Andrei Garbouz.  He toured with the Kirov Ballet throughout the United States and internationally.  He also studied on scholarship at the summer programs of the School of American Ballet; the Bolshoi Academy at Vail, Colo.; the San Francisco Ballet School; and with Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theatre’s School of Classical Ballet.

Shelley Washington, Staging, Country Dances
Shelley Washington studied with Twyla Tharp at Wolftrap Academy, American University, prior to being invited to join Twyla Tharp Dance Company in 1975. She had previously danced as a member of the Martha Graham Dance Company. A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, Ms. Washington furthered her training at The Juilliard School. In 1977, she performed in the film Hair and in 1985 in Singin’ In The Rain on Broadway and served as dance captain for that production. In 1987, she was honored with a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance.

From 1988 to 1992, Ms. Washington joined the American Ballet Theatre in association with Twyla Tharp as a soloist and rehearsal director. In 1993 she was the rehearsal director for Twyla Tharp’s Cutting Up tour starring Ms. Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and Dancers City Center season in New York and Tharp Dances’ International Tour. Ms. Washington continued to work with Ms. Tharp as a rehearsal director, setting, staging and directing ballets for various companies including Boston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Martha Graham Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, The Australian Ballet, The Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet Rambert, The Royal Ballet, The Dutch National Ballet, The Zurich Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Ballet Florida and The Royal Danish Ballet.

In addition, Ms. Washington spent the summer of 1999 working with Trevor Nunn’s company, The Royal National Theatre, as a movement director and choreographer for the play A Darker Face of the Earth, at The Cottlesloe Theater in London, England.

Johan Kobborg, Choreographer, World Premiere, Spring Dance
Born in Odense, Denmark, Johan Kobborg entered the Royal Danish Ballet School in 1988. Having spent most of his childhood performing in various theatre plays, musicals, TV series and productions, as well as traveling in Europe as a classically trained singer, his future was thought to be as a singer/actor. Only after entering the Royal Danish Ballet School at age 16 did his focus turn completely onto pursuing a career in dance. After a year at the school, he became an apprentice with the company and during this time made his stage debut, dancing the Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle. He joined the Royal Danish Ballet as a full-time member in 1991. He was promoted to principal dancer by Peter Schaufuss in 1994, after his debut as James in La Sylphide. For the first time in the history of the Royal Theater this took place on stage, in front of the audience. Having danced most leading parts in the Danish repertoire, he joined the Royal Ballet in 1999, after having performed with the company as a guest artist. While a member of the Royal Ballet, he continues to perform as a guest artist with companies worldwide. In addition, he is part of the Kings of The Dance project that opened in the USA (New York and Orange County) and recently toured Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm).

His repertoire includes: Prince (Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake), Solor, Basilio, Romeo, Onegin, Lenski, Albrecht, Oberon, Franz, Rudolf, Des Grieux, Colas, James, Gennaro, Hamlet, Messenger of Death, Paquita, The Leaves Are Fading, Agon, Masquerade, Remanso, Les Rendezvous, The Sleepwalker, Symphonic Variations, In the middle somewhat elevated, Aureole, Scenes de ballet, Danses concertantes, Les Saisons, Symphony in C, Anastasia, Concerto, Gaite Parisienne, Stars and Stripes, Flames of Paris, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Corsaire, Flower Festival in Genzano, Santanilla, Red Shoes, Voices of Spring, The Lesson, Vestris, Kermesse in Bruges, Fearful Symmetries, Zakouski, Virtiginous Thrill Of Exactitude, Fest Polonaise, A Folktale, Etudes, The Concert, Dance Variations, Polacca, Hommage to a Princess, Suite en Blanc, Mahler's 5, Who Cares?, Beyond Bach, Duo Concertant, Tombeaux, Two Footnotes to Ashton, Afternoon of a Faun, Dances at a Gathering, Other Dances, For Four and many more.

As a guest artist, he has appeared with the Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, La Scala Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Ballet Nacional of Cuba, Wiener Staatsoper Ballet, National Ballet of Romania, Hungarian National Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, National Ballet of China, Tokyo Ballet, South African Ballet Theater, Scottish Ballet, Munich Ballet, Kobayashi Ballet (Tokyo), New National Theater Ballet (Tokyo), Star Dancers Company (Tokyo), Inoue Ballet (Tokyo), Ballet Basel, Royal Danish Ballet, Hannover Ballet, Dortmund Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, National Ballet of Finland, Norwegian National Ballet and more. Other countries where he has performed in galas include: Brazil, Portugal, Iceland, Malaysia, South Korea, France, USA, Poland, Latvia, Czech Republic and Turkey.

As artistic director/producer/choreographer, Mr. Kobborg staged and did costume designs for Diverts from Napoli for the Royal Ballet in January 2007. In October 2005, The Royal Ballet’s 2005-06 season opened with his new production of La Sylphide. Mr. Kobborg has put on international ballet galas in Copenhagen, 2001 (Denmark), taken the Bournonville Group to Genzano in 1999 (Italy) and in September 2003 created his own show, Out of Denmark, at the Queen Elizabeth Hall (London). In July 2005/06/07, he directed six gala performances in Sweden.

Mr. Kobborg has staged Bournonville divertissements and pas de deux, such as Napoli Act III, Flower Festival in Genzano, La Sylphide, Wilhelm Tell and many more. He presented a program of new works in London in February 2009.

Creations by: Flemming Flindt, Kim Brandstrup, Peter Schaufuss, David Bintley, Christopher Wheeldon, Ashley Page, Michael Corder, Stanton Welch, Stephen Pier, Tim Rushton, Anna Laerkesen, Thordal Christensen, Will Tucket, Anders Christiansen, Christopher Hampson, Annette Abildgaard and others.

Video, TV and live relays: Cinderella, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Onegin, Sleeping Beauty, Mime Matters, 50 Bournonville Enchainements, A Folktale, The South Bank Show, The Dream, and pas de deux in various galas.

Mr. Kobborg’s awards include: Eurovision Ballet Competition, Helsinki, (3'rd Prize, 1991); Erik Bruhn Competition, Canada, (Gold, 1993); Nureyev International Ballet Competition, Hungary (Gold and Grand Prix, 1994); USA International Ballet Competition, Jackson, USA, (Gold and Grand Prix, 1994); Critics' Circle Dance Award (Best Male Dancer 2001); and The Positano Award: Premio al Valore (Italy 2004).

Mr. Kobborg has been nominated for the Benois de La Danse and was nominated for the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award, for his production of La Sylphide and for his performance in The Lesson.

He has received many Danish ballet grants and awards