James Robey B.F.A., M.F.A.  Director | Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, Ballet, Tap. James Robey is a dance artist, teaching artist, and scholar who holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Akron (magna cum laude) and an MFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he graduated Phi Kappa Phi. James is Founding Artistic Director of James Robey Dance; a member of the Society of Dance History Scholars, International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, and National Dance Education Organization; on the Advisory Board of the Connecticut Dance Alliance; on Connecticut Ballet's Danbury Dance Initiative Task Force; and is author and creator of the James Robey Jazz Dance Technique and Syllabus™. He is past Director of the dance program at Western Reserve Academy, Director of the Jazz and Modern Program at Eastern Connecticut Ballet, and has been a faculty member in the dance programs at The Hartt School/University of Hartford, the University of Akron, Manhattan Motion Dance Studios (NYC), Long Island High School for the Performing Arts (Syosset, NY), and Dance Institue in Akron (OH).  In 2011, James performed and choreographed in String Theory with chamber musicians Peter Wiley, Ida Kavafian, Steven Tenenbom, and Pam Frank. In 2010 he performed and choreographed Missa Pro Dogmata which was presented at DanceWorks in Milwaukee, WI. James has also choreographed for the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra's production of "Histoire du Soldat", the 5x5 Dance Festival at St. Joseph's College, CT Meets NY Dance Fest at Dance New Amsterdam in NYC, Ridgefield 300: A Concert Celebration, Locust Contemporary Dance Works, Naugatuck Valley Community College, Zig Zag Ballet's “A Celebration of Men in Dance” in Vermont, Connecticut, and New York, and choreographed original works for Full Force Dance Theatre, Wellesley College (MA), and Artists for Peace. James is a two-time finalist in the Leo's Choreography Competitive Event at the Jazz Dance World Congress in Buffalo (NY) and Chicago (IL). His professional performing career included the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company, Connecticut Ballet, New York Dance Theater, Ground Works Dance Theater, Off Center Dance Theater, Ohio Dance Theater, Covenant Ballet Theater of Brooklyn, Cleveland Opera, Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Busch Gardens. In addition, James teaches master classes throughout the U.S., Guam, Canada, and Japan. James currently lives in Ridgefield, CT with his wife Melissa, son Jakobi, bulldog Buddha and shares his experiences on life as a dance-maker and teacher on his blog: The Mindful Dancer.

Melissa Gerth Assistant Director | Pre-ballet, Jazz, Modern. Melissa Gerth has been a teacher of singing and dance for more than 15 years and a teacher of yoga for 5. A true theatre artist, her unique and thorough background in voice, acting, dance and yoga brings depth and holistic vision to her teaching. Melissa attended the New School for Drama MFA program in New York City. She has a BA in Music from the University of Akron and her 500-hour yoga teacher certification from the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, MA. In addition, Melissa is a certified teacher of the James Robey Jazz Dance Technique and Syllabus™. Melissa’s past theatrical and vocal credits include acting with Axial Theatre Company in leading roles in Two Hearts written by Linda Guiliano and Maiden Voyage written by Tony Howarth,  5 years as the lead vocalist for the Wingnuts, The Metropolitan Chorale at Weill Recital Hall, Haydn’s The Creation at Carnegie Hall, Spirit Cruise Lines, Downtown Cabaret Theatre Children’s Company, starring as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Ridgefield Theatre Barn, Dierdre in I Hate Hamlet with the Pound Ridge Theatre Company, Daphne in The Inheritance, Wife in At The Stroke of Marmalade, Helen in The Golden Apple at the Weathervane Playhouse, and musical guest artist for The Girl Show at Caroline’s Comedy Club in NYC. Her dancing credits include dancing with the James Robey Dance Company in performances of Not Another Nutcracker, Adagio, Missa Pro Dogmata, String Theory and Mudras, and The Edgar Cortes Dance Theatre in Unicornius. Melissa has both choreographed and danced for Ridgefield 300th: A Concert Celebration, the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra Production of "Histoire du Soldat", Reach Dance Project, and the 5x5 Dance Festival at St. Joseph's College. Melissa has directed/choreographed musicals for Ridgefield Academy and Wilton Children’s Theatre. Melissa has been Assistant Director for the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance since 2002, where she teaches yoga, modern, jazz, and pre-ballet in addition to maintaining her private Vocal Studio in Ridgefield, CT.

Madeline Deavenport | Ballet, Pointe. Originally from San Diego, CA, Madeline Deavenport studied at  the California Ballet School. At 16 she moved to Philadelphia, PA to train at the Rock School.  Madeline  has danced with North Carolina Dance Theater, The Pennsylvania Ballet, Wausau Dance Theatre, Columbia City Ballet, Opera Delaware. and currently dances with the New Chamber Ballet, Rebecca Kelly Ballet, and Ballet New York. In addition, Madeline is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Performing Arts through the LEAP program and is completing her Pilates Certification at The Fitness Guru in Brooklyn.

Michelle Fleet | Adjunct Faculty. A member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Michelle grew up in the Bronx and began her dance training at age four. She attended Ballet Hispanico of New York during her training at Talent Unlimited High School. There she was a member of The Ballet Hispanico Jr. Company. Ms. Fleet earned her B.F.A. in dance from Purchase College in 1999 and also holds a M.B.A. in business management. She has performed in works by Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Kevin Wynn, and Carlo Menotti. Ms. Fleet joined Taylor 2 in Summer 1999. She made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in September 2002.

Anthony Jones | Adjunct Faculty. A native of Minneapolis, Tony Jones received his early ballet training at the Minnesota Dance Theatre before attending the National Ballet of Canada School as a year round boarding student beginning at age 11. At age 14 he came to New York where he was a student at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. At SAB he was guided by Richard Rapp, Andrei Kammeravsky and most notably Stanley Williams. In 1990 Tony joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet, in Seattle, WA and was promoted to Soloist in 1993. While at PNB he danced many soloist and principal roles in works by George Balanchine ( Chaconne, Divertimento #15, Agon, Who Cares?), August Bournonville ( Flower Festival Pas de duex, Napoli), and in the full-length ballets Swan Lake, Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, and Coppelia. In 1999 Tony was appointed Artistic Director of the Huntington Ballet Theatre, Huntington, New York, a position he served in for 7 years. While there he taught all levels of ballet technique and created many pieces of original choreography including full-length productions of Cinderella and Coppelia. He has also taught at the Huntington YMCA Ballet Academy and has been a guest teacher at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Mr. Jones is a graduate of New York University where he studied Art History as an undergraduate and Museum Studies as a graduate student. Currently, Tony is on faculty at the Palucca School of Dance in Dresden, Germany.

Emery LeCrone | Adjunct Faculty. Emery was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. She began her training at the Greensboro Ballet and at the age of 14 she moved to Winston-Salem, NC to train at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.  She also attended several summers on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet. Upon graduation in 2005 Emery was accepted into the North Carolina Dance Theatre.  While with North Carolina Dance Theatre she performed in works such as George Balanchine’s Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Serenade, and Walpurgisnacht (Faust), Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Carmina Burana, and Salvatore Aiello’s Nutcracker.  She also worked closely with choreographer Dwight Rhoden of Complexions Dance Company. As an emerging choreographer she has created several works including Pulling to Break (2006), Figurine (2008), Concerto 3 in G (2007), and Aphorismós (2009), which premiered at The Miller Theatre for The Columbia Ballet Collaborative and was then selected for The A.W.A.R.D Show! 2009 which took place at the Joyce Soho.  Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times wrote, “…Her Aphorismós is a ready for prime-time knockout…hinting at dark undercurrents that beg for second looks.  More, please, Ms. LeCrone.”  In August 2007, Ms. LeCrone moved to New York City.  That same year she performed with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company in its inaugural City Center Season and was hired to dance with both the Metropolitan Opera and Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet. Currently Ms. LeCrone remains in New York City and continues to dance and choreograph.  She is resident choreographer for both NY based companies: the New Chamber Ballet and The Columbia Ballet Collaborative.  This season, she will premiere new works for Hartt University, The Columbia Ballet Collaborative, the New Chamber Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and North Carolina Dance Theatre.

Irene Malcolm | Pre-ballet, Ballet. Originally from Zimbabwe, Africa, Irene received Royal Academy of Dance training under Audrey Looker both in Zimbabwe, Africa and Toronto, Canada. While in Toronto, she attended the Ryerson University Theater School’s teacher training program where she studied ballet and pedagogy from Nadia Potts, Carina Bomers, and Anushka Roes of the National Ballet of Canada.

Victoria North | Ballet, Pointe, Pas de deux, Ridgefield Civic Ballet. Victoria was born in Washington D.C. and received her training from The Maryland Youth Ballet. She spent two seasons with North Carolina Dance Theater II, performing with the company in ballets such as Balanchine's Agon and Divertimento #15 and appearing in featured roles with the second company in The Sleeping Beauty and Balanchine's Who Cares, among others. Ms. North spent one season with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet where she was honored to appear in Nicole Fonte's The Wall and as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She then danced for Complexions Contemporary Ballet for two seasons. Under the direction of Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Victoria originated roles in Rhoden's Artifice, Mergers, and Chapters. In New York City, she is currently a member of New Chamber Ballet and of Avi Scher and Dancers and attends Columbia University. Ms. North is a cofounder and current Artistic Director of Columbia Ballet Collaborative.

Andrew Palermo | Adjunct Faculty. Andrew is a graduate of the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY and the University of Cincinnati-College/Conservatory of Music. As artistic director of dre.dance in New York City, he conducts residencies and masterclasses in contemporary dance, musical theater, hip-hop, jazz, acting/audition techniques and movement therapy for individuals with special needs. He's provided instruction and/or built new work at the University of Cincinnati-CCM, University of Michigan, Syracuse University, Pepperdine University, Wichita State University, Suny Potsdam, Oakland University, Rochester School of the Arts, Oklahoma Arts Institute, St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts, Music Theater Italy, Dance New Amsterdam, Broadway Dance Center, Edge PAC (LA), Millennium Dance Complex, and numerous national conventions, studios, performing arts camps and intensives. As a performer, Andrew appeared on Broadway in productions of Annie Get Your Gun and Wicked.

Amy Piantaggini | Graham Modern Technique. Amy trained in Classical Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Flamenco and East Indian dance at the Boston Conservatory as well as the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, where she received the Coca-Cola Finalist Award for Artistic Excellence and the Gregory Peck Scholarship. She is a former member of the Martha Graham Dance Company and has appeared in dance on film including Palisades Pictures' "Ghostlight". Amy's teaching experience includes the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in NYC as well as numerous schools throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Ashford University and also teaches yoga and Pilates.

Adam Stein | Adjunct Faculty. Adam received his training at The Classical Ballet Academy of Minnesota before continuing on to The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. After high school he accepted a contract with the North Carolina Dance Theatre where he danced for six years. In 2005 Adam joined the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam. In 2007 he retired from dancing and returned to school at St. Thomas University. The following year he was accepted into Columbia University's School of General Studies where he is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Upon graduation he intends to continue onto medical school.

Michael Trunsovec | Adjunct Faculty. A veteran member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Michael hails from Yaphank, New York.  He began dancing at age six, and attended the Long Island High School for the Arts. In 1992 he was honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (youngARTS) and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. In 1996 he received a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  Professionally, he danced with Taylor 2 from 1996 to 1998, and has appeared with Cortez & Co. Contemporary/Ballet, and CorbinDances. Fall 1998 marked his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company.  Mr. Trusnovec received a 2006 New York Dance and Performance Award (The Bessie) for his Body of Work during the 2005-06 Taylor season.

Guest Faculty | Peter Boal (New York City Ballet & Pacific Northwest Ballet), Michael Trusnovec (Paul Taylor Dance Company), Peter O'Brien (Royal Ballet), Blakely White-McGuire (Martha Graham Dance Company), Tracie Stanfield (Synthesis Dance Project), Andrew Palermo (Dre Dance, B'way), Eran Bugge (Paul Taylor Dance Company), Eric Jordan Young (B'way), Bill Hastings (B'way veteran), Finis Jhung, Abby Silva (Parsons), Suzie Dodge (Paul Taylor & Dodge Dance Company), Sam Sinns (B'way Nat'l Tours), Kirven Boyd (Alvin Ailey), Paul Dennis (Jose Limon), James Harkness (B'way's Lion King), Tiger Martina (B'ways Movin' Out), Katie Stevinson-Nollet (Full Force Dance Theatre), Elie Lazar (Joffrey Ensemble Dancers), Yu Xin (ABT, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Shanghai Ballet), Michelle Fleet (Paul Taylor Dance Company), Cory Stearns (ABT), Adam Battelstein, Parsons Dance Company, Taylor II Dance Company, Pilobolus Dance Theatre, Ailey II Dance Company.