“vibrant energy, air-born athleticism and
provocative modern dance” ~ The Post-Star

THE COMPANY

DANCERS

Audrey Burns is from Fredericksburg, VA and studied at both the Joffrey Ballet School and the Richmond Ballet School. She graduated from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Dance where she performed works by Alwin Nikolais, Anthony Tudor, Michel Fokine and José Limón.

Melissa George is from Glens Falls, NY where she began her dance training at The Dance Center of Queensbury under Barbara Tebeau. Melissa received her BFA in Dance Performance from The Boston Conservatory, performing in works by Lar Lubovitch, José Limón and Martha Graham. She collaborated with fellow dancer Laura Teeter on Obsequi, a multi-media art event held in Albany’s historic St. Joseph’s Church. She has appeared as a guest artist with The Adirondack Ballet Theatre in the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Claire Jacob-Zysman graduated summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo with a BFA in Dance, where she was a dancer and choreographer for the Zodiaque Dance Company. Additionally she has trained with the José Limon Dance Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, and Ballet Hispanico. She has also studied at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and at the Bates Dance Festival. Claire has performed with the Burnidge Clark Dance Company and with Melanie Aceto Contemporary Dance. She has also performed her own choreography at the Rochester Contemporary Dance Collective.

Laura Teeter hails from Minneapolis where she began her early training. She graduated magna cum laude from The Boston Conservatory with a BFA in Dance Performance, where she performed in works by José Limón and Seán Curran. While in Boston she co-produced a concert of her choreography and performed as a guest artist with Zoé Dance. She has choreographed for ESDC, and collaborated with fellow dancer Melissa George on Obsequi, a multi-media art event held in Albany’s historic St. Joseph’s Church. Laura has also performed at Revolution Hall in Troy as part of Trashion.

Jennifer Yackel is originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland where she received her early training. During this time, she participated in the Kennedy Center Master Class Series for promising young dancers and received a medal at the Youth American Grand Prix.   She trained with the Richmond Ballet, performing with the company and was a company member with Ballet Theatre of Maryland for three years.  While at BTM, Jennifer danced many principal roles and had the privilege of choreographing on the company.  Jennifer has spent the past few years studying in New York City with the instructors of the Limón Institute and the Ailey School. She has performed with Bowen McCauley Dance, Neville Dance Theatre, and Stephanie Harris Dance Collective.

New Dancers joining us for our 2009 - 2010 Season !

Andre Robles is a recent graduate of the Joffrey Ballet School NYC. While a student at JBS he had the opportunity to perform with the Joffrey Ballet in works by noted choreographers Gerald Arpino, Peter Pucci, and Margo Sappington. Prior to his studies at JBS he studied at the Ailey School where he danced in works by Dwight Rhoden, Nacho Duato, Troy Powell, Pedro Ruiz, and Judith Jamison. He also studied at Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina where he danced in works by George Balanchine and Marius Petipa. He hails from Brooklyn, New York.

Kelly McCormack recently graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BFA in Dance, where she studied under the direction of Katie Langan. Kelly graduated Cum Laude and was awarded the gold key in the Dance Department for academic excellence. As a member of the Marymount Manhattan Dance Company she performed the works of Christopher d’Amboise, David Parsons, Edgar Zendejas, Edward Liang, Doug Varone, Robert Battle and Graham Lustig. She is originally from Hopewell Junction, New York where she studied under Valerie Feit, Gina Chiavelli and many others in the area.

 

“superbly confident and enchanting”
~ The Gazette

“beautifully articulate dancers”
~ Metroland