Jared Angle was a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet from 1998 until January 2023. He is currently a Ballet Master with the Royal Danish Ballet. He started his ballet training in Altoona, Pennsylvania, before continuing his studies at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. During his time with the company, he has danced many works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. He has originated roles in new works by Peter Martins, Twyla Tharp, Benjamin Millepied, Justin Peck, Richard Tanner, Melissa Barak, Helgi Tomasson, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. Guest appearances include Rome Opera Ballet, Singapore Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theater, and the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors televised on CBS.

Denise brings her life’s experience to Northeast Youth Ballet. Born in Melrose, Massachusetts, Cecere began her dance training under the direction of her mother, Sandra McNaught, at the Northeast School of Ballet. Later she became a scholarship student at the Boston Repertory Ballet, under the direction of Samuel Kurkjian, Boston Ballet, under the direction of E. Virginia Williams and Violette Verdy, and the School of American Ballet, under the direction of George Balanchine. She performed with Boston Ballet, Ballet Theater of Boston, and North Star Ballet in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her principal roles include The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Flower Festival, many neo-classical and contemporary works. Her guest appearances have taken her internationally. In 1991 Cecere was a participant in Japan’s 1st International Choreographer’s Competition. In 1996 Cecere founded Northeast Youth Ballet. As Artistic Director, she is committed to the cultural development of future generations. It is her mission to educate, inspire, and create opportunities for young aspiring dancers. Cecere has endeavored to provide programs and performances designed specifically for children. NYB has a repertoire of classical, neoclassical, contemporary and modern works. Cecere has choreographed over 35 ballets for the young company and has invited award-winning choreographers to share their work with the school and company. Her collaboration with Boston Musica Viva, under the direction of Richard Pittman, has produced many full-length ballets including “A Boston Cinderella”, “Three Little Pigs”, “Ma Goose”, “The Wrong Child”, “Druddigon” and “Paul Revere’s Ride” by contemporary composers. For the past 25 years, Cecere has continued to display the young company’s diversity both at home and abroad. Cecere is currently director of the Northeast School of Ballet, the official training school of the Northeast Youth Ballet, where she has been teaching ballet technique for over 30 years. Her students have gone on to perform, teach, and choreograph for world-class dance organizations.

Michael Deeb Weaver is an accomplished dancer, actor, instructor, and choreographer based in Buffalo, NY. His experience as a performer ranges from concert dance to musical theatre to commercial work – and (almost) everything in between. He holds a BFA in Dance from the University at Buffalo, and is a faculty member at both UB and at Nazareth College, teaching jazz, tap, and musical theatre dance styles. Michael’s performance credits have taken him all over the world, including National Tours of A Chorus Line (Mike), and Young Frankenstein the Musical (Swing). As a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, he has served as Dance Captain, Assistant Choreographer, and/or Assistant Director for productions of Kinky Boots, Thoroughly Modern Millie, My Fair Lady, Gypsy, Mame, and Young Frankenstein the Musical (West Coast regional premiere). Additional regional theatre credits include West Side Story, Hello, Dolly!, Saturday Night Fever, Singin’ in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, A Chorus Line, Joseph…, and Beauty and the Beast. In addition to numerous industrials, Michael has performed for Celebrity Cruises and Six Flags. In 2017, he was part of the pre-Broadway choreography lab of Beetlejuice the Musical. These experiences have allowed him to work with notable directors and choreographers like Baz Luhrmann, Connor Gallagher, Baayork Lee, Jeff Whiting, Jeffry Denman, Marc Robin, and Susan Stroman. Michael’s choreography has most recently been featured on the famous Las Vegas Strip as a part of Picturesque, a new burlesque tap revue. In 2021 he co-directed and choreographed for The Center in Motion, a filmed dance concert at the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts. He has also set choreography on UB’s Zodiaque Studio Dance Ensemble, and was a guest instructor at Montclair State University. Nationally, Michael has served as an instructor and adjudicator for dance conventions including Platinum National Dance Competition and Turn it Up Dance Challenge. Additionally, he has held positions as a faculty member and choreographer for award-winning dance studios across the country.

In 2023, Antonio Douthit-Boyd earned his MFA in Dance from Hollins University. Subsequently, in the same year, he assumed the role of Professor of Practice of Dance within the renowned Performing Arts Department at Washington University. Notably, Douthit-Boyd currently holds the position of Artistic Director of Dance at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA), an organization where he initially embarked on his dance journey at the age of sixteen under the tutelage of Lee Nolting. Following a rewarding dance career in New York City, Douthit-Boyd returned to COCA, reaffirming his enduring connection to his hometown. His formative training included the Alexandra School of Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Joffrey Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, and Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem School. Douthit-Boyd joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem Company in 2000 under the tutelage of Arthur Mitchell, propelling him into prominent roles within choreographed pieces by luminaries such as George Balanchine, including “The Four Temperaments,” “Agon,” and “Serenade.” Further significant contributions encompassed his participation in productions including “Fancy Free,” “South African Suite,” “Dougla,” “Concerto in F,” “Return,” and “Twist.” Within three years, he ascended to the rank of Soloist in 2003. Douthit-Boyd’s trajectory ascended as he embarked on a twelve-year tenure as a principal artist with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2004. Over this period, he was privileged to perform works by internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Wayne MacGregor, Jiri Kylian, and Paul Taylor. His artistic prowess garnered commendation from esteemed publications, including The Sun, Dance Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. In their praise, they observed, “Among the many superb dancers of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Antonio Douthit-Boyd has recently risen to a special magnificence.” Douthit-Boyd’s expertise also extends to his status as an ABT® Certified Teacher, a credential attained following the rigorous ABT® Teacher Training Program encompassing Pre-Primary–6/7 and Partnering through the ABT® National Training Curriculum. In 2021, Douthit-Boyd and his spouse, Kirven Douthit-Boyd, were honored with the Excellence in the Arts Award by The St. Louis Arts and Education Council. Their collective accomplishments as dance educators were further recognized in 2022 when they received the prestigious Dance Teacher Magazine Award.

Silas Farley (he/him) is a ballet teacher and choreographer, who currently serves as the Armstrong Artist in Residence in Ballet in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and as a Principal Guest Teacher at the School of American Ballet (SAB). Farley is a former dancer with New York City Ballet and former Dean of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, CA. He has taught and choreographed for the School of American Ballet, Peabody Conservatory, the Kennedy Center, The Washington Ballet, Houston Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was an inaugural Jerome Robbins Dance Division Research Fellow at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. He is writer and host of the NYCB podcast, Hear The Dance and has written for Dance Magazine, Dance Index, and has lectured at the Museum of Modern Art. Currently, Farley serves on the Board of The George Balanchine Foundation.

Anna Gerberich started her ballet training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary and was fortunate to have a gratifying professional career spanning 17 years. She danced with Charlotte Ballet, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, The Bad Boys of Dance, and The Joffrey Ballet. During the course of Anna’s training and profession, she was privileged to experience the knowledge and guidance of Martine Van Hamel, Patricia McBride, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Tom Mossbrucker, and Ashley Wheater. Anna also got to work with various talented choreographers that shaped her as a dancer. She won awards and competitions, helped charities, and guested at many exciting venues worldwide, including Convent Gardens in London and The Kennedy Center Honors. Anna has taught various dance forms at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, the University of Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet School, and Chautauqua Institution. She makes sure a strong technique is addressed, but her main focus is the development of artistry to elevate the artist’s performance.

Kati Hanlon Mayo trained at The Boston School of Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams & Violette Verdy. At the age of 15, she became a member of Boston Ballet 2 and performed regularly with The Boston Ballet. In 1992, Kati was invited by Salvatore Aiello to join North Carolina Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet) as a principal dancer. That same summer, she also became a member of The Chautauqua Ballet Company under the direction of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux. Throughout her 17-year career at Charlotte Ballet Kati performed principal roles in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Alonzo King, Alvin Ailey, William Forsythe, Dwight Rhoden, Agnes DeMille, Jacqueline Buglisi, Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Nacho Duato. In 2000 and 2004, Kati was named Best Performing Artist by Charlotte Magazine. The New York Times reviewed that she “ruled the stage with benign classical authority” and Dance Magazine heralded her as a “performer of stunning versatility and dramatic power.” Kati began teaching at the Charlotte Ballet Academy upon its inception in 1993. She is currently an instructor for the main company along with the Advanced and Pre-Professional Division. Many of her students have gone on to professional careers with companies throughout the world, including: New York City Ballet, Nederland Dans Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. Kati has been a guest teacher for The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Chautauqua Institution, Regional Dance America and she is a repetiteur for the Salvatore Aiello Trust. She is a certified instructor of Dance for Parkinson’s Disease through The Mark Morris Dance Group and she also completed her instructor certification with Progressing Ballet Technique.

Joseph Jefferies is Assistant Director to NSB’s Conservatory Program. He has served as director of Portland Ballet Summer Dance Program and has taught master classes and workshops at ballet schools across the country. Mr Jefferies is an award-winning choreographer creating over 30 works for companies including Ballet Memphis, Miami City Ballet, Peoria Ballet, Ballet Trockadero, Harid Conservatory, Ballet Yuma, Walnut Hill School for the Arts and Northeast Youth Ballet. He has won the RDA Emerging Choreographer scholarship twice and had his work selected and performed for New York City’s Ballet Builders Showcase and for the RDA National Convention in Montreal, Canada. As a professional dancer Joseph was a member of Ballet Memphis dancing the lead roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia and Cinderella. As a member of Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo he toured the world performing in over 25 different countries. Mr Jefferies currently is on faculty at Northeast School of Ballet and Guest Faculty for Chautautqua Dance Institute.

A native of Armenia, Sarkis Kaltakhtchian began his ballet training at the Armenian Choreography Academy in Yerevan, where he studied the Vaganova method under Seda Yegorovna, Tatevik Gharibyan, Samuel Abramian, and Maxim Martirosyan. After graduating with honors, he joined the Armenian National Ballet Theater. In 1989, Mr.Kaltakhtchian was invited to join Ballet Classique De Montreal. As a Dancer he performed, with Banff Festival of the Arts, Classical Ballet of Costa Rica, Ottowa Ballet, Hartford Ballet, (NCDT) Charlotte Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet Theatre. During his tenure as a soloist and principal dancer, he had the opportunity to work with world-renowned teachers and choreographers Roudolf Kharatian, Alla Yevgenyevan Osipenko, Patricia McBride, Franco De Vita, Raymond Lukens, and many more. His repertory included the works of George Balanchine, Marius Petipa, Choo-San Goh, Alonzo King, Val Caniparoli, William Forsythe, Paul Taylor, Nacho Duato, and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. In July 1998, Kaltakhtchian performed for First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House Millennium Council. Mr. Kaltakhtchian started his teaching and choreographing career at Ballet Divertimento De Montreal, where he mastered his Vaganova method pedagogy under the guidance of Maxim Martirosian, former Artistic Director of Bolshoi Ballet Academy. In 2005, Mr. Kaltakhtchian became the Head Instructor for the Centre for Dance Education at Tulsa Ballet, and Director of Tulsa Ballet II, where he continued to further his teaching knowledge with Maestor Jacques Beltrame. He joined Charlotte Ballet Academy in 2010, was promoted to Artistic Vice Principal in 2014 where he created a curriculum for Charlotte Ballet Academy under the guidance of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. In 2017, he joined the Hartt Community Division at the University of Hartford as a faculty, and in 2019 was promoted to Artistic and Education Director. He has been a guest teacher, and choreographer with the Chautauqua Institution in New York since 2008, and adjunct faculty member for Hartt’s BFA Dance Division since 2017. Some of the Mr.Kaltakhtchian’s former students has been accepted into prestigious universities, and companies like IU, OU, School of the Arts, The National Ballet of Canada, Hohg Kong Ballet, BalletMet, Charlotte Ballet, and more.

Carla Körbes was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and began her ballet training at age 5 with local teachers. At 11, she began studying at Ballet Vera Bublitz. In 1996, Peter Boal, former New York City Ballet (NYCB) principal dancer, danced with her as a guest artist of the school and encouraged her to come to New York to study at the School of American Ballet (SAB). For the 1997–98 academic year, her tuition was paid for by Alexandra Danilova so she could continue at SAB. In 1999, Körbes won the Mae. L. Wien Award and was made an apprentice with NYCB. She joined the company as a member of the corps de ballet in 2000 and was the Janice Levin Dancer Honoree for 2001–02. In 2005, she was promoted to soloist in and joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a soloist, being promoted to principal dancer there a year later. Körbes’ repertory included numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, Alexei Ratmansky, and Twyla Tharp, among others. She also performed in most of ballet’s classical works, including Swan Lake, Giselle, and Don Quixote. Körbes last performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2015. That same year, she joined the L.A. Dance Project as associate director and started teaching at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. She was a professor of music in ballet at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music from 2017-2022 and now serves as the Ballet Chair at Juilliard.

Isabella LaFreniere was born in Lambertville, Michigan, and began her dance training at the age of seven at the Northeast Academy of Dance under Giuseppe Canale and Scott Heinrich. At 11, she began studying with Anna Reznik and Alexei Kremnev, first at the Southold Dance Theatre in South Bend, Indiana, and then at the Joffrey Academy of Dance in Chicago, Illinois. She began studying at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2008 summer course, and enrolled as a full-time student during the 2010 winter term. She received additional training at the Chautauqua Institution and Pacific Northwest Ballet summer programs. Ms. LaFreniere became an apprentice with NYCB in August 2013 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in June 2014. Ms. LaFreniere was promoted to the rank of soloist dancer in January 2022 and principal dancer in February 2023.

Jordan Leeper, a native of Jamestown, New York, began dancing at age 12 with the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet and later studied at San Francisco Ballet. Leeper danced with Charlotte Ballet under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, performing at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during Ballet Across America in 2013. He has performed works by Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Jiří Bubeníček, Sasha Janes, Mark Diamond and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, among others. He has been a guest artist with Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and City Ballet of Wilmington. He also danced with Complexions Contemporary Ballet under Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson during the company’s 20th-anniversary season at the Joyce Theater in New York City.

William Moore joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2013 and was promoted to soloist in 2018. He was born in Ipswich, England and received his training at the Angela Rose school of dance. He then joined the Royal ballet school from 2002-2009, where he performed and toured with The Royal Ballet company in many productions. He also worked and performed with Northern Ballet and English National Ballet. After graduating, William joined Estonian National Ballet from 2009-2012. William’s repertoire at PBT includes Birbanto in Le Corsaire; Riff in West Side Story Suite; the Beast in Beauty and the Beast; Tom in The Great Gatsby; Knave of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland; Hook in Peter Pan; William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Jirí Kylián’s Petit Mort and Sinfonietta; Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room and Nine Sinatra Songs; Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free; lead couple in George Balanchine’s Rubies; Peasant Pas de Deuz in Giselle; Pas de Trois in Swan Lake; and Cavalier, Nephew and Drosselmyer in The Nutcracker, among many others. William has been commissioned by PBT to choreograph several ballets: Four Marks, response and Weighted Affair. William has also choreographed for PBT school and in 2019 won the most Outstanding Choreographer award at YAGP.

René Olivier’s professional career started in 1990 with the Natal Performing Arts Council, in South Africa. From there, she joined Alberta Ballet, in Canada for their 1998-1999 season. She joined Tulsa Ballet Theater in 1999. While a Soloist, she got the opportunity to teach for Tulsa Ballet Theater Center for Dance Education’s Preparatory Level. In 2010 she became a faculty member at Charlotte Ballet Academy. Ms. Olivier taught and choreographed for all Levels year round, as well as for their Summer Intensives. She acted as assistant repetiteur for visiting artist Valentina Kozlova, who set Corsaire, La Bayadere, Raymonda and Paquita, for Charlotte Ballet’s Summer Intensives. She got the opportunity to set Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s, Danses Brillantes on Charlotte Ballet Company, alongside Sarkis Kaltakhtchian. In addition, she became an adjunct faculty member at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2012. Currently, she is a faculty member at Hartt Community Division Dance Department and Hartt School’s BFA Dance Program at the University of Hartford. In 2017, she choreographed Carnival of the Animals for Level A, B & C, Division I. From 2021 to present, she is also a guest faculty member at Ballet Hartford, in CT. This past summer, she was invited as a guest faculty member at the Chautauqua Institution’s Dance Summer Intensive. Dancing offered Ms. Olivier the opportunity to perform in countries like China, Taiwan, India, Italy, and Canada. Some of her favorite roles performed included, the lead in George Balanchine’s Rubies and Serenade. Lady Capulet in Michael Smuin’s Romeo and Juliet. Titania in Mark Hawkins a Midsummer Night’s Dream. Featured roles in Jerome Robbin’s in the Night. Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra songs. Paul Taylor’s Black Tuesday. Featured role in Val Caniparoli’s Going for Baroque. Principal role in Ma Cong’s Carmina Burana. In 1988 she received her Solo Seal award by the Royal Academy of Dancing. In 1990 she was awarded “The Most Promising Dancer” award by Natal Performing Arts Council. She is the recipient of the 1997 FNB Vita Award, for her performances with The Playhouse Dance Company.

Abigail Simon completed the international Broadway tour of An American in Paris. Recently, Ms. Simon played the role of Louise to critical acclaim in Rob Ashford’s production of Carousel. Abigail trained at The School of American Ballet and was a member of American Ballet Theatre prior to dancing with Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet company and touring as a principal guest artist. In 2014, Abigail signed as an Ambassador/Capezio artist and now routinely models internationally, and is recognized as a dancer, actress, promoter, and teacher, practicing professionally and internationally for over 25 years. In the summer of 2017, Abigail partnered with Ray Thompson to form Simon and Thompson Entertainment. Clients include dancers from New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet of London, and Broadway’s an American in Paris and Hamilton.

Professor Michael Vernon started dancing at the Nesta Brooking School of Ballet in London before studying at the Royal Ballet School in London with such legendary teachers as Dame Ninette de Valois and Leonide Massine. He performed with the Royal Ballet, the Royal Opera Ballet, and the London Festival Ballet before moving to New York in 1976 to join the Eglevsky Ballet as ballet master and resident choreographer. He kept those positions under the directorship of the famed Edward Villella and became artistic director of the Long Island-based company in 1989. He remained in that position until 1996. Vernon choreographed numerous ballets for the Eglevsky Ballet, in addition to ballets for many professional companies in the United States and worldwide, such as BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Mikhail Baryshnikov commissioned him to choreograph the highly successful pas de deux In a Country Garden for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). His solo S’Wonderful was danced by ABT principal Cynthia Harvey in the presence of President and Mrs. Reagan and shown nationwide on CBS television. He also served as assistant choreographer on Ken Russell’s movie Valentino, starring Rudolph Nureyev and Leslie Caron. Vernon has taught at Steps on Broadway (New York City) since 1980, working with dancers from New York City Ballet, ABT, and many other high-profile companies. He is an integral part of the Manhattan Dance Project, which brings New York-style master classes to all regions of the United States. He has been involved with the Ballet Program of the Chautauqua Institute since 1996 and is Artistic Director for the Ballet School of Stamford (Conn). In addition, he is permanent guest teacher at the Manhattan Youth Ballet and has had a long association with Ballet Hawaii. He taught for the Alvin Ailey American Dance theatre and its school for 18 years. Vernon has been company teacher for American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has guest taught in companies all over the world, including the West Australian Ballet, the National Ballet of China, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Berlin Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Norwegian Ballet. He has been a guest teacher for The Juilliard School and The Joffrey School, and recently joined the panel of judges for the Youth America Grand Prix regional semi-finals. Vernon was Chair of the Ballet Department at the Jacobs School of Music and has choreographed many ballets including Cathedral (2006), Endless Night (2009), Jeux (2010) and the ever-popular seasonal ballet The Nutcracker. He has staged and provided additional choreography for the full-length classics Swan Lake (with American ballerina Cynthia Gregory) and The Sleeping Beauty. He re-choreographed Spectre de la Rose (the ballet that made Nijinsky famous) for New York City Ballet Principal Daniel Ulbricht. He has choreographed for many IU Opera Theater productions, including Faust, Cendrillon, Rigoletto, and most recently supplied the movement for the world premiere of Vincent.