Performing Arts Division/Young Children's Division

Lise Houlton (Artistic Director) became Artistic Director of Minnesota Dance Theatre in 1995, succeeding her mother Loyce Houlton, who founded the company in 1962. A native of Minneapolis, best known for her effortless, fluid style and dramatic sensibility, she began her dance career with Minnesota Dance Threatre, then moved at the age of 19 to the renowned Stuttgart Ballet under the leadership of Glen Tetley. After two years in Germany, she joined American Ballet Theatre where she danced principal roles for many of the great choreographers of the last half century, among them Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Glen Tetley, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor and Jerome Robbins. She has choreographed several works for the MDT repertory including Sidetracks, House on Fire, Bred in the Bone, Alchemical Wedding, A Piece A Chord, Rumblings and The Enchantment: Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Lirena Branitski (School Principal) was born and trained in the former Soviet Union. M. Branitski was first soloist of the Kiev State Theatre of Opera and Ballet and a frequent guest performer on the stage of the famed Bolshoi Theatre. She became a touring member of the Bolshoi Theatre concurrently with renowned ballet dancer Mikhail Barishnikov. She has performed on stages throughout Europe, Canada and South America. M. Branitski has a vast performance repertoire of soloist and principal roles in both classical and contemporary ballets. She has performed under all the master Russian choreographers, including the world-renowned Peter Gusev, Vakhtang Tchabukiani, Raisa Struchkova, and Alexander Lapauri. In addition to teaching ballet and character classes at the Dance Institute, M. Branitski has choreographed for student performances. At Minnesota dance Theatre & the Dance institute, she teaches technique class, and coaches company dancers in classical repertoire. Her direct link to Russian classical ballet technique, repertoire and character dance is a rare privilege for Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute. In 2009, M. Branitski was appointed School Principal of the Dance Institute.

Jeffrey Hankison (School Director), a South Carolina native, Jeffrey is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He continued his studies at the School Of American Ballet, Dance Theatre Of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and Koln Dance Academie in Germany. Jeffrey was a principal dancer with the Des Moines Ballet and Ballet D’anlego and performed a wide variety of classical roles.  He then moved to New York City and joined Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble directed by Sylvia Waters.  Jeffrey danced with Elisa Monte Dance Company and was a frequent guest artist with Joyce Triscler Dance Company before joining Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. During this period he taught ballet and modern dance while touring throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, and was Ballet Master at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center under the direction of Denise Jefferson.

Broadway credits:  The King And I  (starring Lou Diamond Phillips), Little Me  (starring Martin Short), Ragtime, Jerome Robbins Broadway (starring Tony Roberts), Damn Yankees (starring Jerry Lewis), Follies, and Susan Stromans A Christmas Carol.

Jeffrey has appeared in film and television and wrote his first short film Obedience, which made its world premier at the New York International Independent Film Festival in September 2002 and has been screened at 6 major festivals around the world. Jeffrey moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul June of 2003 and was Ballet Master for Minnesota Dance Theatre. Jeffrey’s final stage appearance was the role of Drossylmeyer in the 2004 production of Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy for Minnesota Dance Theatre.

Abdo Sayegh (Associate Artistic Director) originally from Venezuela, trained with Ballet Nacional de Caracas Teresa Carreño School, and his early performing career included both of Venezuela’s leading companies: the Ballet Nacional de Caracas under the direction of Vicente Nebrada and Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas under the direction of Zhandra Rodriguez. He has danced in works by Ailey, Barbuto, Loyce and Lise Houlton, King, Limón, Nebrada, Rhoden, Sands and Tudor among others. Abdo has been with Minnesota Dance Theatre since 1998 and holds the position of Associate Artistic Director. He is a recipient of a 2007 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Dancers, administered by the Southern Theater and funded by the McKnight Foundation.

Ellie Ahmann began her dance training at Classical Ballet Academy in St. Paul before continuing at Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute in 2005. She has participated in summer programs at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and at Ballet Austin. Ellie has danced as an apprentice with Minnesota Dance Theatre and has performed in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy, Façade, Sacre Du Printemps, and Carmina Burana.

Erin Baltes began her training with the Milwaukee Ballet School. Her training includes the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the School of Minnesota Dance Theatre. During her company apprentice year with Minnesota Dance Threatre she had the opportunity to work with such artists as Uri Sands, Matt Jenson and Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner. Erin has performed in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy. Ms. Baltes is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Visual Arts, Theatre and Art Education.

Rosemary S. Erb has danced with the Richmond Ballet, Wisconsin Ballet Theatre and numerous Minnesota based companies, including Duluth Ballet, Ballet of the Dolls and Minnesota Dance Theatre in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy.  Rosemary has trained at the Cassandra School and Jawaahir, the Minnesota Dance Theatre & Dance Institute, the Richmond Ballet School, the Milwaukee Ballet School, and the Cleveland Ballet School.  As an instructor Rosemary hopes to inspire a love of classical ballet technique as a foundation of creative expression.

Caitlin Fitzpatrick began her early study of dance in Lakeville, Minnesota with Dance Works. She continued her training at Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute and performed with MDT’s Repertory Ensemble. Caitlin has also attended School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West and American Ballet Theatre summer programs. She has performed with MDT as a trainee, apprentice and company member where she was featured in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy and Carmina Burana. She has performed in works by Balanchine, Feld, Fricke, Loyce and Lise Houlton, Petipa, Rhoden and Sayegh among others. She is currently a pre-medical student at the University of Minnesota.

Denise Herlihy began her training with Frances Kotelly in Arlington, MA; continuing on to Boston Ballet School's Professional Division under the guidance of Kristin Beckwith where she performed regularly in the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker. She obtained a B.A. from Wellesley College, concentrating her studies in Asian Religion. In Minnesota, she has performed with the Continental Ballet, and teaches for Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute's Adult/Teen Division and Performing Arts Division.

Barry Leon, a native of Buffalo, NY, received his training in tap, jazz, character, contemporary and ballet while on scholarship at the Ballet Center of Buffalo. He was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship and attended the School of American Ballet and the Harkness Ballet School in NYC, dancing later professionally with the Harkness Ballet. As Principal Dancer, he danced with Pennsylvania Ballet for 6 seasons and was a guest with Ballet de San Juan. Mr. Leon also danced with Eliot Feld and New Jersey Ballet before assuming directorship of the Ballet Center of Buffalo, and founding Buffalo Ballet Theater where he danced and directed for 10 years.  Mr. Leon danced in the rank of Principal and taught in the schools of Ballet Florida, North Carolina Dance Theater, American Repertory Ballet, Southern Ballet Theater, Augusta Ballet and alongside Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride with the Chautauqua Dance Company for 10 consecutive summers, becoming an audience favorite. Mr. Leon’s repertory includes leading roles in many Balanchine ballets as well as all the major full length classical ballets. In addition to his 30 years of teaching and his choreographic experience, he also worked as an assistant and Ballet Master on at least 30 new works. He received a Choreographic Award Fellowship from the NY State Council for the Arts and was inducted into the NY Dance Hall of Fame for his contribution to dance in NY State.  Clive Barnes, critic of dance for the NY Times, has said of Mr. Leon, "His work is both refreshing and rare". Currently he is a faculty member of Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute and the U of M Dance Department.

Karen Paulson Rivet received her early training from the Andahazys and excels in the rich traditions of Russian classical ballet and character techniques. Ms. Paulson Rivet augmented her training with Gabriela Komleva, Marina Stavitskaya and Carol Roderick. She continued her studies in pedagogy with Vaganova teaching seminars in Illinois, Minnesota and St. Petersburg, Russia. During her performing career she danced solo roles in Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre, Giselle, Scheherazade and Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy.  Ms. Paulson Rivet is known for her re-staging Les Sylphides, Pas De Quatre, and the Pas de Trois from Swan Lake.  Ms. Paulson Rivet is the artistic director and choreographer of A Christmas Carol, the ballet created for St. Paul City Ballet. She has choreographed for the Fringe Festival and the Saint Paul
Conservatory for Performing Artists. She has been on the teaching staff of many reputable ballet schools in the Twin Cities and guest master teacher at many others. Ms. Paulson Rivet continues to perform with her most recent appearances in The Fringe Festival, Continental Ballet’s Coppelia and Cinderella, and
Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy with Minnesota Dance Theatre. She is currently on staff at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Performing Artists and is pursuing her degree in Kinesiology.

Julia Sutter brings an outstanding background in arts education. She did her undergraduate work in ballet and modern dance at SUNY-Purhase and holds a M.Ed. in child development from Loyola University. Her extensive teaching experience includes positions with the Bockman School of Dance, State University of New York and Loyola University.

Melanie Verna began dancing in her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, where she toured with the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble. She has been a recipient of the Coca-Cola scholarship with American Ballet Theatre’s summer program and was awarded the Ailey Fellowship through Fordham University. Melanie is a graduate of the School of Minnesota Dance Theatre where she was a member of the Repertory Ensemble. She was an apprentice with MDT for two years before joining the company. Melanie has performed repertory by Ashton, Barbuto, Balanchine, Fricke, Hart, Janczewski, Loyce and Lise Houlton, Maginnis, Petipa, Rhoden and Rink. Melanie has been a Minnesota Dance Theatre company member since 2005.

Adult/Teen Open Division

Lirena Branitski (see bio above)

Jeffrey Hankinson (see bio above)

Denise Herlihy (see bio above)

Marcia Keegan started her dance training in Minneapolis with Hy Somers, moving on to the Joe Savino Ballet and Centre de la Danse in Cannes, France. She has performed with the Children’s Theatre Company, Minnesota Opera, the Guthrie Theater and Minnesota Ballet with Frank Bourman.

Barry Leon (see bio above)

Jill Lile received her early training in Omaha and with the Royal Academy of Dancing in London, England, as well as scholarships with San Francisco Ballet School, and Banff Center for the Performing Arts, following a dance career with Madison Ballet. She then got her BFA in Dance from the Texas Christian University, followed by her Masters of Fine Arts in dance. She has danced with Omaha Ballet, Ft. Worth Ballet, Illinois Dance Theatre (where she worked with Anna Sokolow), and Beverly Blossom and Dancers.  At Ballet Arts Minnesota she performed Antony Tudor’s Judgment of Paris under the direction of Sallie Wilson.  Jill has twice been a recipient of the Craft of Choreography Conference Award with the National Association for Regional Ballet.  She served as Assistant Professor of Dance at Creighton University for 5 years, and taught dance at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She has participated in the dance teacher training program with Irene Dowd at the National Ballet of Canada School since 2002.  In Minnesota she has taught ballet at Ballet Arts MN, Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute, St. Paul Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and DanceWorks. Besides her career in dance, she is a chiropractor and acupuncturist specializing in the prevention and treatment of dance injuries.   

Peggy Seipp-Roy trained and performed with Minnesota Dance Theatre for 24 years as well as studying with the School of American Ballet and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.  She is most recognized for her performances as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Loyce Houlton's Nutcracker Fantasy, in Wynn Fricke's Two Fridas, and in Glen Tetley's Mythical Hunters.  She performed for 5 years with James Sewell Ballet and has dance with TU Dance since its debut performance in 2003.  She holds a B.A. in Communication/Theatre Arts/Secondary Education from the University of St. Thomas. She is certified in Scott Pilates Mat Work.  She taught for 2 years in Breckenridge Colorado and in the present is a faculty member of the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts and Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute.  She is a recipient of a 2004 McKnight Fellowship for Dancers administrated by the Southern Theatre and funded by the McKnight Foundation.

Janet Smith is a teacher with over 25 years experience teaching ballet for the top Metropolitan area schools. She brings to teaching the beauty and spirit of the old world ballet with the training of the world today. Her performing career has included principal roles in Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Pas de Quatre and the Nutcracker. She is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in Education.

Jessica Cressey (Conditioning) has been teaching pilates since 2001 and has taught at Minnesota Dance Theatre & the Dance Institute since 2003. She is also on staff at Align Pilates in Minneapolis. She is a guest instructor at Smartbody in Amsterdam and a variety of corporate offices in downtown Minneapolis. She has studied in the training programs of Stott Pilates, Physical Mind, and currently studies the Pilates Method. Her teaching is also informed by her classical ballet training, modern dance technique, and somatic studies. Jessica has a BA in dance from the University of Minnesota and is a professional dancer.

Accompanists

Michael Koerner, Principal Accompanist

John Banks
Barbara Benn
Maria Benson

Roberta Carlson
William Cermak

Sara Duran
Lidia Gelfand

Justin Hammar
Marya Hart

Tom Linker

Peter Lile
Pat Lyles
Brian Mehr

Lorna Michaelson
Alice Novotna

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