gtag('config', 'G-DQ9JPPKXRD');

Grace

by | Nov 23, 2021

I have many people in my life who I am inspired by daily, namely my dance teacher and studio director.
In a world where men primarily dominate the artistic and choreographic staff of dance studios and companies,
her success in running a studio that offers both quality training and a tight-knit community is unique and inspiring.

Among other skills I have acquired in my time dancing, I attribute my work ethic to the environment that she has facilitated at our studio.
She encourages me and my fellow classmates to work hard and eagerly tackle new challenges.
Under her instruction, I have learned to accept constructive criticism and constantly strive for self-improvement, not just in dance, but in all aspects of life.

-Grace

Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Gabriela began her training at 3 years old at Ballet Studio Doris Infante under the direction of Doris Infante, a former ballerina with Ballet de Camaguey, Cuba. In 2012, she got third place at the first edition of 'Premios Eladia de Cuello’ Contest in Dominican Republic. In 2015, she joined the National School of Ballet. That same year, she received a full 4 years scholarship to study a ‘Degree in Pedagogy of Classical Dance' and, also won Academic Excellence Award in 2019 at Instituto Universitario de Danza Alicia Alonso, King Juan Carlos University, Spain. During her time there, she joined the Youth Ballet de Cámara de Madrid, in which she has performed classical roles in Alicia Alonso’s production of Giselle as ‘Myrtha, Queen of Willis’, Coppelia as ‘Prayer’, Raymonda as ‘Raymonda’, Sugar Plum, Snow Queen and Mirlitons in ‘The Nutcracker’, ‘Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux’ and ‘La Sylphide' Pas de Deux’, among others.
In 2019, she joined the Sibiu Ballet Theater in Romania where she has performed in productions such as 'Swan Lake', 'The Nutcracker', ‘Romeo and Juliet, The Rock Story’, 'La Fille Mal Gardee', 'Anna Karenina', 'Lady of the Camellias', 'Walpugris Night', 'Grand Pas of Raymonda', 'Snow White', among others. Gabriela also toured to Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherland, Belgium, Turkey, and Romania.
In 2023, she joined Cleveland Ballet performing Aurora in 'Sleeping Beauty', ‘Raymonda Pas de Dix’, Arabian and Mirlitons in ‘The Nutcracker’. Gabriela has been a guest artist at International Ballet Galas where she participate at the ‘XXIII International Dance Day Ballet Gala’ in San Sebastián, Spain performing ‘La Sylphide Pas de Deux’, XII Gala of Stars in Dominican Republic performing ‘Coppelia Pas de Deux' and also at VI Edition Dance Campus and Contest San Francesco di Paola Gala in Romania performing ‘Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux’
Johanna started dancing at the age of 3 and has been trained in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, character, and musical theater. The majority of her formal dance training occurred under the direction of Sandra Carlino at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet (formally Cumberland Dance Company) in Harrisburg PA. She continued to dance and expand her knowledge during her time at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. While in New Orleans, Johanna served as the dance director of The Prism Project of Greater New Orleans, an inclusive performing arts program that worked with individuals of all abilities between the ages of 6 and 14.  Outside of dance, Johanna has spent 10+ years working in the field of disability education. She currently is an education specialist and the lead of the adult services program at the Two Foundation in Chagrin Falls, OH.

Teagan Reed (she/her) is a native of St. Petersburg, Florida. She started training and competing in Scottish Highland dance at age 12 and then trained at the Patricia Ann Dance Studio. Teagan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee and completed the Hubbard Street Professional training program. As a performer, Teagan has appeared in professional works with Chicago’s Dance in the Parks, Little Fire Artist Collective, Aerial Dance Chicago, Adam Weinert & Company at Jacob’s Pillow, and American Repertory Theatre’s “The Donkey Show @Oberon." In 2016, Teagan started a project called Ballet Naked, and in 2021, she founded the inaugural pro.noun dance festival to help queer dance artists gather and create. Teagan has been a guest artist at Ballet22 and Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and a guest teacher at Mass Motion Dance, New England Youth Dance Exchange, HAVEN Sanctuary for Dance, and Chicago Movement Collective. Teagan presented her own choreographic works and commissions with HAVEN Sanctuary for Dance, Dance in the Parks, and GroundWorks DanceTheater. Teagan has been moving and grooving as a company artist with Groundworks 2022-2024.

Maeve trained with the Rockbridge Ballet in Lexington, Virginia as well as at the Bates Dance Festival and went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts Dance Degree at Oberlin College, graduating with a concentration in Physical Technique and Education as well as the Distinction in Dance Award. Additionally, Maeve holds a Hispanic Studies degree and a minor in Physics. Maeve danced as a company member of the Stavna Ballet from 2022 to 2023 and as a guest dance with Starr Foster Dance in 2023. Maeve most recently worked as the Company Manager and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at TheStudio for Dance & the Arts and is looking forward to dancing as an apprentice with Inlet Dance Theater this year.

Lori Christman Bourtasenkov is known in the ballet world for her diversity that has won her critical acclaim both Nationally and Internationally. She has danced with Carolina Ballet as a Soloist, New Jersey Ballet as a Principal, Stars of American Ballet and The New York based Daring Project, directed by Valentina Kozlova and Margo Sappington.

Ms. Christman's repertory includes many Classics of yesteryear and neo-classics of today. She has worked with many of today’s top choreographers; Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Robert North, Margo Sappington, Tyler Walters, Norbert Vesak, Timour Bourtasenkov, Vincente Nebrada, Christopher Wheeldon, Johan Renval and Robert Weiss among others.

Ms. Christman has formal training in the Complete Teaching Method of Classical Dance developed by Vera Kostrovitskaya which she combines with her knowledge to teach young dancers in the 21 st century. She has been successful in producing dance performances for the community and is instrumental in educating the younger audience in the art of dance with children performances, workshops and lecture demonstrations. She has taught all levels at Carolina Ballets Summer Intensives from 2007 to 2013 as well as staged 160 children in Carolina Ballet Nutcracker.

“My lifelong love has been ballet and I would like to share my love and knowledge with the next generation”.  Married to Timour Bourtasenkov and we have a college student, Adelia.

Lisa Kuhnen is a Cleveland native who has spent the past twenty years travelling the globe as a professional dancer and singer while making NYC her home.  She has danced at Carnegie Hall with Sarah McLachlan, sang for the Prince and Princess of Monaco with Andrea Boccelli, and appears in Jordan Matter's Dancers After Dark with Alan Cumming. She toured the Americas with the world renowned musical Cats and has taught musical theatre to children in Shanghai.  She has performed aboard the "Most Luxurious Cruise Ship Ever Built," the Regent Seven Seas Explorer as lead singer. Lisa is a certified personal trainer, a certified barre instructor and a full-time barre and cycle instructor for Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood.  She has taught students at New York's well-known professional dance studio, Steps on Broadway.  Here she was mentored by the world's best lyrical jazz teacher, Suzi Taylor.  Growing up in Cleveland, she was a student at Dennis Nahat's Cleveland Ballet and was trained in Cecchetti Method through grade 5. Lisa holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Syracuse University where she concentrated in dance.

Anthony began dancing at the age of 21 after suffering an injury while playing collegiate sports. In his 10+ years of dancing, Anthony has had the privilege of performing in numerous music videos and events all throughout the country. Anthony has been able to learn and study dance from training with inlet dance company, the Sarah Morrison dance company and by working with dancers such as Les Twins and now training with a California based crew called Kinjaz. After taking some time away to raise his now 2 year old son, Anthony is very excited to come back to teaching and being a part of the Cleveland city dance family!

Review From A Client of Anthony:

Hi! It’s Vicky here. As I wrote before I’m leaving Cleveland this week and won’t come anymore. Just wanna thank you for everything, your support and help with the portal. We still do paper back home and it was hard for me to do everything virtually. Thanks to the teachers and staff and I may say that Anthony has been the best hip hop teacher I had in Cleveland.

Thanks for everything and hope I can visit again and take some classes one day.
Vicky

Michael, a New Jersey native, trained under the direction of John White and Margarita de Saa at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. While studying under John White and Margarita de Saa, he also had the privilege of working with choreographers Bryan Koulman and Lina Early performing a variety of classical, modern, and contemporary works. During Michael's time at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, he was involved in a small ensemble called Pages to Pirouettes. The ensemble’s purpose is to take storybook ballets, such as Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Cinderella, to grade schools in the entire Philadelphia area and teach school children about ballet and dance in general. Michael also spent several months studying at the Boston Ballet School prior to joining a professional company. Michael joined The Sarasota Ballet of Florida as an apprentice in 1999 and retired as a principle in 2008.

Including Sarasota Ballet's full repertoire, he performed many leading male roles including Lysander and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Siegfried, as well as Rothbart, in Swan Lake, Othello in Othello, and the Cavalier in the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Michael also had the distinguished honor of portraying Don Jose in Alberto Alonso's Carmen, not only on stage but also in the documentary project Dancing in Freedom's Shoes portraying Alberto Alonso's illustrious life and career in ballet. Michael's contemporary repertoire includes many pieces by James Buckley including Business Casual, Centaur, The Rite of Spring, and Anne Frank. He also reset Mr. Buckley's Anne Frank on The Sarasota Ballet in January of 2006. In 2002, Michael had the honor of working with choreographer Christopher Fleming to celebrate the artist Jean Claude Gaugy’s's inspirational masterpiece 'The Awakening'. The work was revealed in Santa Fe, New Mexico to a ballet that reflected the artist's struggle to overcome impossible odds. Michael has received pedagogy training based upon the Vaganova Syllabus, which is the same syllabus he trained under at The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet.

Amelia Foreman was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, and has been dancing since she
was ten. She had started out as a competitive gymnast. Amelia has trained in ballet,
contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop, pointe, lyrical, character jazz, musical theatre, acrobatics and
modern technique. Special skills include tumbling and training in Lyra. Amelia started dancing
at Academy of Dance, in Jacksonville, Fl. Her first two years of college, Amelia attended Florida
State College at Jacksonville, where she was in “danceWORKS” Repertory Company. She
graduated from Troy University, as a dance major of the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Training includes the Florida Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Alonzo King Lines Ballet
summer intensives. She has danced with the Montgomery Ballet and is currently dancing with
Inlet Dance Theatre. She also participated in the DAP Festival and performed multiple times in
Italy. Amelia has taught at Academy of Dance, Dance 4 Life, The Company Performance Center,
Patti Rutland Jazz, the Montgomery Ballet, and other local dance and gymnastics studios.

Orlando Mercado (aka X-Factor) was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and moved to Cleveland
in 2008. Orlando has been dancing since he was 15 focusing on hip-hop training with multiple
instructors including former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team Daisun Santana
(aka Bz Brooks). He continues to train and learn other forms of dance styles because he believes
dancers are limitless to what they can learn and do.

In 2010, Orlando and his dad Angel founded the dance group Evolution when Orlando was 15
and were awarded Best Dance Group of The Year by Cleveland Magazine. When 17 ,Evolution
competed in Ohio's Best Dance Crew taking second place overall. Evolution was together
through 2016, then Orlando founded Limitless in 2017. Orlando was part of the 2014 and 2015
downtown Cleveland New Year’s event. He has performed for Spanish artists Cosculluela, Plan
B, and Yomo, as well as Montel Jordan, Flo Rida, Biz Markie, MGK and Lil Jon, and local
artists local artists such as K. Davis, Bori Q, J Jigs, Jonathan El Romantico and many more.
Orlando x-factor continues performing throughout Ohio.

Orlando had the privilege to travel to Atlanta, Florida, and Chicago to teach master classes and
perform at multiple events and studios. He has taken classes with Alex Fetbroth, Laura Edwards,
Tony Tzar, Lee Daniel, Tony Bellissimo and Parris Goelbel who all have danced and
choreographed for celebrity artists such as Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber and many more.
Since 2011 Orlando has worked as a professional dancer/entertainer including with the
Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team and teaches at multiple studios winning awards and national
competitions. and local recreation centers in greater Cleveland.

Tami grew up in Mogadore, Ohio. Her performing career runs the gamut from musicals to classical theater to ballets to TV and film. Favorite performances include “The Bakkhai” with The Great Lakes Theater Festival and La Fille Mal Gardee as Widow Simone with The Hudson Valley Dance Theater in NY. Her choreography has been seen at The Tupperware Auditorium in Orlando, Fl and Town Hall Theater in NYC.
Tami started her dance training in Ellet with Pat Lewis, later studying at The Akron Fine & Performing Arts Center under Brad French, Suzanne Winland, and Kim Raines-Colton. She’s also studied with Carole Alexis, Tom Evert, Jeff Shade,and Mdme Peff Modelski among many others. Tami still takes class whenever she can.
Tami is certified in Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Technique®️.
Vivian is a current trainee with Inlet Dance Theatre who holds her BFA in dance and BSEd in exercise science from The Ohio State University. Her training is primarily in contemporary, jazz, tap, African, and ballet, as well as mat and reformer Pilates. She teaches dance and group fitness classes to children and adults and engages in dance science research in addition to her artistic practice. Using her dance and personal training background, Vivian weaves dance and science as the foundation of her work to guide others to find their love of movement through community-based practice.

Annette Gaetana Ellis graduated from Point Park University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance with a concentration in Modern, and a Minor in Business Management. Her dance background started in Classical Ballet and Circus Arts. Before her college career, Annette was One of Three Americans to represent the United States in the Geneè International Ballet Competition 2018 in Hong Kong. She also had the opportunity to perform on Broadway in the Actor’s Fund C.T.F.D 31st Jubilee directed by Anne Marie DeAngelo, Disney’s NYC Summer Stage, Brooklyn Art Museum’s Basquiat Exhibit, and was a member of Boston based company Mystique Illusions Dance Theatre. At Point Park she has had the opportunity to perform works by Kiesha Lalama, Rozanna Sweeny, Rocker Verastique, and Judith Leifer-Bentz. Annette also had the honor of being a choreographers assistant to professor Jason McDole and former Associate Artistic Director of Complexions, Jae Man Joo

Lydia is originally from Fullerton, CA, and began dancing at her mother’s studio when she was 3 years old. She attended summer intensives held by Marin Dance Theatre, Backhaus, Entity Contemporary Dance, and Cecchetti USA. From 2017-2022, Lydia taught contemporary and ballet classes and coached soloists at CF Dance Academy. She danced in and choreographed a variety of concept videos during Covid. Lydia danced with Emergent Dance Company, directed by Megan Pulfer, for their 2021 season before moving to Ohio. She trained with Inlet Dance Theater as an Apprentice from 2022-2023.