FACULTY

 

Sandra Zellinger, Director – Sandra Zellinger, a native of Miami, Florida, began her training with Thomas Armour at the Miami Conservatory where she performed with the Miami Ballet. After graduating from Duke University she began her Cecchetti teachers’ training with Sylvia Hamer and Marjorie Randazzo in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ms. Zellinger performed with the Ann Arbor Ballet in classics such as Swan Lake and Giselle, as well as works by guest choreographers. Upon moving to Raleigh, Sandra taught for John Lehman and performed with the Ballet Theater Company of Raleigh. Ms. Zellinger has over twenty-five years experience in teaching classical ballet and is currently on the Fine Arts faculty at Ravenscroft School. Sandra Zellinger is a certified member of the Cecchetti Council of America. Ms. Zellinger has received the 2006 Jane Caryl Miller teacher scholarship from the Cecchetti Council of America.

Anne W. McCarl – Ms. McCarl is a graduate, cum laude, of Grove City College with a B.A. degree in Communication Arts. She is a native of Pennsylvania where she was the owner of “Dancer’s Studio,” and Artistic Director of the “Dance Extension.” She is a graduate of Dance Masters of America’s Teacher Training Program at Kent State University and completed her certification exams in 1985. She has studied with the Bill Evans Summer Institute of Dance at Allegheny College, Dance Educators of America at Western Kentucky University, Point Park College, and Clarion University. Her students are scholarship recipients of the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of the Arts, the Philadelphia School of the Arts, Point Park College, and Towson University. Ms. McCarl has performed in and choreographed for City Ballet’s annual production of the Nutcracker ballet. She is an associate member of the Cecchetti Council of America, was an Adjudicator for the Raleigh Civic Ballet Company and was a Dance Critic for Clarion University of Pennsylvania.

Pablo Javier Perez – Mr. Perez is a Principal Dancer with Carolina Ballet . He was born in Uruguay, graduated with the highest honors from the National School of Dance. In 1994 he won a solver medal at an international dance competition in Brazil.Mr. Perez has also danced with the Teatro de Colon de Buenos Aires. Mr. Perez joined Carolina Ballet in its first season and has performed in All-Balanchine , Messiah, Innovations , Square Dance , Romeo & Juliet and several premiere ballets with CiompiQuartet.

Lisa Stuart – Lisa Campbell Stuart is a ballet instructor with more that 30 years teaching experience. She attended Virginia Intermont College where she was a ballet major under the direction of Constance Hardinge. Mrs. Stuart studied, taught, and performed across North Carolina, as well as Florida and Texas. In 1991 Mrs. Stuart open Turning Pointe Studio in southeastern North Carolina. At this private studio, set in a rural community, she trained students for the next 10 years. In1994 Mrs. Stuart was nominated and elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina Dance Alliance. She served her term becoming a member of the management team for that organization. As a result of her involvement with NCDA, Mrs. Stuart has been a conduit for the dance community across North Carolina. Currently she teaches at City Ballet,under the direction of Sandra Zellinger. Mrs. Stuart oversees the young children’s program and teaches students from 3 years old through adults.

Suzi Landis – Ms. Landis is a North Carolina native with a degree in Communications and a minor in Dance from Appalachian State University. She was a dancer and choreographer with the Appalachian Dance Ensemble performing original ballet and modern dance pieces. She has ten plus years experience teaching dance from ages 3 to adult in tap, ballet and jazz. Suzi has also been a contributing writer to Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Spirit Magazine.

Janette Boyd – Ms. Boyd received her early training with John Lehman in Raleigh. She received both a BFA in ballet and an MFA in performing arts administration from the prestigious ballet program at the University of Utah. Ms. Boyd has taught for the University of Utah, Salt Lack Community College, Ballet West Conservatory, Youth Ballet Colorado and the Vermont Conservatory of Ballet, among others. She is excited to return to Raleigh.

Ann Rosenberger - Ms. Rosenberger is a graduate of Virginia Intermont College with a B.A. in Ballet. She continued her education at American University where she completed an M.A. in Dance Performance. Ann has twenty years of dance teaching experience including instruction at University of Virginia and James Madison University. Ann owned, and was director of the “Waynesboro Dance Academy.” She was a board member of the Staunton Civic Dance Company. Ann has performed, and choreographed for, several regional dance companies including the Bristol Ballet Company under the direction of Constance Harding of the Royal Ballet. Her performance experience also includes musical theatre productions.

Chasta Hamilton-- A native of Tennessee, Miss Hamilton danced in her home state for 16 years before relocating to North Carolina as a full scholarship student at North Carolina State University. Her basic dance training includes tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary styles, and hip-hop. Miss Hamilton has regularly attended summer dance studies in Los Angeles and NYC. During these ventures, she has taken classes with some of the best of the industry, including Tyce Diorio, Gregg Russell, Mia Michaels, Mike Minery, Sheila Barker, and Doug Caldwell. She has also performed at Disneyworld, in London, England and served as the Dance Captain for a variety of musicals including The Music Man and My Fair Lady. This past spring, Miss Hamilton choreographed A Chorus Line for Shaw University Theatre Department.

Betsy Ward-Hutchinson – Ms. Ward-Hutchinson has been living in Raleigh, dancing, teaching and choreographing, for twenty years. She is a graduate of Meredith College with a B.A. in Dance, earned a B.S. in Dance Education from UNC-C and is working on her MFA from UNC-G. She has taught at Arts Together, Enloe High School, where she helped establish the Honors Program in Dance and founded the Enloe Dance Ensemble, Holly Springs School of Dance, and is currently the Dance Educator at Cary Academy for grades 6-12. Betsy has danced professionally with regional companies, including Even Exchange Dance Theater, the Rainbow Dance Company, and has worked with Raleigh Ensemble Players. She has also danced with the David Dorfman Company and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in community work. She is currently studying at the American Dance Festival, and she has been a student there since 1982.

Hong Yang – Ms. Yang is currently a member of Carolina Ballet. She came to North Carolina from Beijing, China where she studied dance at the school of the Beijing Dance Academy as a child and then graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy in 1995. She immediately joined the National Ballet of China and was a principal dancer there before going to Toronto, Canada where she danced with Ballet Jörgen Canada.

Maiya Silver – Mrs. Silver has been involved in dance since the age of 5. She has competed and performed extensively throughout Eastern NC. She graduated high school from NCSA with a concentration in modern dance and completed her BFA with a concentration in dance education and choreography at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in May 2007. She was the 2004-2007 recipient of the Gay Cheney Dance Scholarship in Choreography. Maiya has taught at UNCG as a guest jazz, hip-hop and ballet teacher, and as a master modern teacher at the Syracuse School of Dance in NY. Mrs. Silver is a guest choreographer for the Syracuse Contemporary Dance Company in NY and has been a feature dancer and choreographer at UNCG and ECU over the past 9 years. She currently performs for local and regional independent modern/contemporary choreographers. Maiya is the proud mother of a beautiful 2 year old daughter and is honored to join the ranks of the incredible City Ballet faculty.


To intensify our student’s training, City Ballet invites selected guest teachers to work with the intermediate and advanced students. Our guests have included Jill Taylor formerly of Ballet Theatre of Boston, Sarah Hollister formerly of Carolina Ballet, Cherilyn Lee formerly of Carolina Ballet, Edgar Vardanian of Carolina Ballet, Debra Sayles-Senchak formerly of the New Jersey Ballet, Warren Conover from N.C. School of the Arts, Margot Martin of Carolina Ballet and Tom Vacanti with the Five College Dance Department.