Summer Ballet Intensive Monday, July 29- Friday, August 16
A Summer Ballet Program
for Beginning to Advanced Levels
This year's summer ballet program offers three different levels of instruction to accommodate students with as little as one year of training through advanced ballet students.
There is no better way for a student to keep improving as a dancer in body and mind than to participate in a "summer intensive."
With our outstanding faculty of highly regarded teachers, TCAB's program offers a summer intensive that students will only find in larger cities with major companies.
The Summer Intensive will include these dance disciplines and more.
Ballet
Pointe
Jazz
Musical Theatre
Character
Hip Hop
Theory
Acting
2019 Faculty Subject to Change
Robert Kelley
Robert Kelley received his formal dance training at the School of American Ballet, San FranciscoBalletSchool and with Alonzo King. He danced professionally with Charleston Ballet Theatre, Sacramento Ballet and Fort Wayne Ballet, where he also served as Ballet Master and Resident Choreographer. As a dancer, he had many works choreographed especially for him by choreographers, such as Jill Eathorne Bahr, Philip Jerry and Ron Cunningham. Robert has performed every major classical role and was known for his onstage charisma and sublime partnering abilities.
Robert's choreography lives in the repertoires of many regional and professional companies across the United States, including his full length "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast." His choreography has earned several awards and two of his works are in the Regional America Choreography Plan. He was the Artistic Director of San Jose Dance Theatre, where he implemented several ongoing community programs. Robert has choreographed over thirty ballets for the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. His "Linear Context" won the RDA Choreographic Excellence Award in 2006, and his "The Condition Hereafter" won the same award in 2008.
In addition to his work for the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Robert sits on the Tannery Arts Center Board and represents Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre as an Associate of the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County. Robert teaches all levels of students at The Studio of Classical Ballet, of which he is also co-director. Robert and Diane were honored in 2009 with a Gail Rich Award for their contribution to the Santa Cruz arts community, and Robert is the recipient of the 2010 Artist of the Year Award, given by the Santa Cruz County Arts Commission.
Ashley Walton
Ashley Walton a native of Dayton, Ohio and graduated of Point Park University. Ms. Walton has worked with many notable instructors and choreographers such as Darla Hoover, Margo Sappington, Christian Holder, Alan Hineline, Ron de Jesus, Doug Varone, Lynne Taylor-Corbett. While at Point Park University Ms. Walton was chosen to perform at Kennedy Center, where she was awarded Northeast Performer of the Year. Ashley has appeared with both Atlanta Ballet and Dayton Ballet, where she performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Septime Webre’s Peter Pan, Stephen Mills’ There Once Was a Time, Alan Hineline’s Thresholds, William Whitener’s Caprice, and Stuart Sebastian's Dracula. In 2009, at Regional Dance America’s Northeast Festival, Ashley received the Monticello Award for Best Emerging Choreographer and the Barbara Weisberger Choreographic Award for her work Aloft. In 2010 she received both the Project Tier Award and The National Choreographic Recognition Award for Sudden Impulse. Since then Ms. Walton was granted nine additional National Choreographic Recognition Awards for her work throughout the Northeast and Pacific regions. Ashley has been commissioned to stage several new works by professional companies such as Sacramento Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Stivers Ensemble, Southern New Hampshire Youth Ballet, Mid-Columbia Ballet, Ballet Yuma, Long Beach Ballet, Dayton Dance Conservatory, Delaware Dance Company, Central Indiana Dance Ensemble, Vineland Regional Dance Company, and Jazz Dance World Congress. In addition to her repertoire works, Ms Walton has also created original full length ballets such as Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Snow White, and Miscellany: A Jazz Nutcracker. Ashley’s professional teaching credits include International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS, Regional Dance America Pacific and Northeast Festivals, adjunct faculty at Wright State University, Cinicinnati Ballet, National Choreography Intensive, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Mid-Columbia Ballet, Dayton Dance Conservatory, and Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater.
Whitney Popp
WHITNEY POPP began training with Mid Columbia Ballet in Washington, and later trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet. She then spent 5 years as a principal dancer with Sacramento Ballet performing many lead roles such as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, leads in numerous Balanchine ballets, and the Cowgirl in Agnes de Milles Rodeo, just to name a few.Whitney was chosen to perform in many works by outstanding choreographers as well, such as Dwight Rhoden, Amy Siewert, and Val Cannaparoli. After moving to New York, she was discovered by Twyla Tharp and joined Twyla Tharp Dance.Whitney toured Europe with Twyla Tharp Dance and went on to become one of Twyla’s leading principals for the creation of several new works. Whitney also joined the 1st Nat’l Broadway tour of Movin’ Out performing multiple lead roles. She later toured Europe once again, this time with her husband Corbin, performing more works by Twyla Tharp. Whitney has had the privilege of teaching all over the world and lives in Colorado with her husband and their three children. She is a proud faculty member of Colorado Ballet Academy. Whitney is also a co-founder of the performing company Lightwire Theater based in New Orleans that finished in the semi finals of Americas’ Got Talent in 2013.
Nicole Haskins
NICOLE HASKINS was born and raised in Venice Beach, California, Nicole Haskins began her ballet training at the age of three at the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica under the direction of Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire. It was during her 15 years there that Nicole’s enthusiasm for choreography emerged. Nicole went on to dance professionally with Sacramento Ballet, Washington Ballet, and Smuin Contemporary American Ballet in San Francisco where she is currently in her fifth season. While dancing professionally, Nicole has been commissioned to choreograph for Sacramento Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Smuin Ballet, Dayton Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theater, as well as many ballet schools across the country. Her choreography has been presented at the Los Angles Dance Invitational, the McCallum Theater’s Dancing Under The Stars Choreographic Competition, and well as numerous Regional Dance America Festivals. In 2017 she was one of the winners of Oregon Ballet Theatre’s Choreography XX competition, in 2010 she participated in the New York Choreographic Institute affiliated with the New York City Ballet, in 2011 received the Institute’s Fellowship Grant, and in 2017 she received the Institute's Commission Initiative for her upcoming premiere with Richmond Ballet.
Melanie Haller
Melanie Haller received her training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under world renowned teacher, Marcia Dale Weary, and with other prestigious mentors such as Darla Hoover, Alan Hineline, Leslie Hench, Richard Cook, and Melinda Howe. Over the course of a decade, her training included the annual participation with RDA/Northeast, the International Ballet Competition, in 2004 and 2008, representing the Northeast region, and attending the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program for four consecutive years in the highest level under the direction of Devon Carney.With Darla Hoover’s affiliation with New York City Ballet, Ms. Haller grew up performing Balanchine works such as Concerto Barocco, Divertimento #15, Harlequinade, La Source, Raymonda Variations, Serenade, Star and Stripes, Valse Fantasie, and Walpurgisnacht. At the age of eighteen, she joined the Sacramento Ballet as an apprentice and was immediately given principal roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Her Balanchine repertoire expanded and was highlighted in Allegro Brillante, Agon, The Four Temperaments, Scotch Symphony, Tarantella, Western Symphony, Who Cares?, and Ron Cunningham’s productions of The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, Hamlet, A Street Car Named Desire, The Tempest, The Firebird, Carmen, Rite of Spring, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Romeo and Juliet. After six years with the company, she retired and began teaching in the Sacramento community. California Musical Theatre credits include playing Tintinabula in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. She has also worked with The Sacramento Opera and choreographed their productions of Otello and The Marriage of Figaro. She was the Principal of The School of the Sacramento Ballet and the Artistic Director of their Sacramento Ballet Youth Ensemble.
Erin Zintek
Erin Zintek is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she started her training under Kellie Plathe from Accent On Dance. Erin graduated from the University of Iowa with a BFA in dance. Pre-professionally and professionally Erin has danced with Charlotte Adams and Dancers, David Dorfman and Dancers, Poetic Rebound Co., and Bill Young. During the summer of 2008, she traveled to Brazil to study capoeira and dance with the company Bale Folkloric. Besides teaching dance, Erin is a certified pilates instructor, certified yoga instructor and is the co-creator of The Ellové Technique. She currently teaches at BodyVox Dance Center, Nike World Headquarters and Multnomah Athletic Club where she is also the head coach to the pre-professional dance company. Erin also serves on the executive board for Oregon Dance Educators Organization.
Lisa Buchmiller
Lisa Buchmiller began dancing at an early age at Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet in Richland, WA. Classically trained in ballet, tap and jazz she performed with Mid-Columbia Ballet under the artistic direction of Debra Pearse Rogo. In college, Lisa discovered her true passion - teaching movement. Lisa is a certified personal trainer, certified yoga instructor, dance instructor, co-creator of The Ellové Technique and the yoga supervisor at Multnomah Athletic Club. Whether working with clients individually, or teaching a class, Lisa combines her expertise in many different disciplines to help students prevent injury and find synergy in their bodies. Lisa currently teaches at Multnomah Athletic Club, Nike World Headquarters and BodyVox Dance Center. She also serves on the executive board for Oregon Dance Educators Organization.
