Maine State Ballet School Faculty
Jessica Bartlett
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Soloist
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A ballerina since age 3, Jessica has been dancing at the Maine State Ballet School for over a decade. As a Maine State Ballet Soloist her favorite roles include Demi Soloist Flower and Marzipan Corps in The Nutcracker, Titania’s Attendant in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and dancing as a soloist in Paquita. After participating in an Early Study Aspirations program during her final two years of high school, Jessica is now majoring in Environmental Science at the University of Southern Maine. In 2015 she began training through the MSB teacher training program, and has been assisting and substituting ever since.
Kate Bender
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Kate was in the teacher training program at MSB for four years and has done formal assisting as well as substitute teaching before becoming a full time teacher last year. A product of the Maine State Ballet school, Kate has gone to a summer ballet intensive at Burklyn Ballet and is now a member of the Maine State Ballet Company. She has had numerous corps de ballet and demi-solo roles including Swanhilda’s Friend in Coppelia and Rose Maiden in Beauty and the Beast. In her spare time, she owns and operates her own cake business!
Barry Brinker
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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For the past 25 years, Barry has been sharing the joy of dance with thousands of students throughout the country. Before she became a teacher, Barry was a professional dancer in New York City and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Education from The University of Maryland. She is the proud recipient of numerous grants awarded by The National Endowment for the Arts and has taught with Jacques D'amboise for The National Dance Institute. Students are enthralled by Barry's loving, kind, and energetic nature, but it is her compassion and contagious enthusiasm that most inspires her students.
Gail Csoboth
Associate Director, Production Designer, Instructor
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Ms. Csoboth studied classical ballet in New York City at the American Ballet Theatre with such teachers as Valentina Perejslavic, Igor Schwetzoff and Robert Joffrey. She became a member of the American Ballet Theatre Choreographer's Showcase and performed with them in New York. Gail finished her education in New York City as an art major, receiving awards and grants for her work. Gail has designed and staged full length classical ballets in Portland for the past 20 years. She has received rave reviews for her costume and scenic design for the Maine State Ballet's productions of Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Le Corsaire, The Little Mermaid, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Hansel and Gretel, and of course, The Nutcracker. Gail has also been costume designer for the Portland Opera Repertory Theatre and designed the Opera's productions of Carmen, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, La Traviata, La Boheme, Rigoletto, Lucia de Lammermoor and Pagliacci. Gail provides classical ballet training and coaching to Maine State Ballet's upcoming company dancers.
Elizabeth Chadbourne
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Soloist
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Emma Davis
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Principal
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Emma is a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho studying Marriage and Family Therapy. A graduate of the MSB's Teacher training program, she loves her students and teaching here at the dancing school. Favorite roles include Clara and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, The Principal Role in Raymonda, Guardian Angel in Hansel and Gretel, Swanhilda in Coppelia, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
Glenn Davis
Assistant Director, Instructor, Choreographer, Maine State Ballet Principal
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A Maine native and All-State athlete, Mr. Davis brings athleticism to his work as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Favorite MSB roles include Franz in Coppelia, Basilio in Don Quixote, and the Prince in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. For 20 years, he graced the stage as the Nutcracker Prince and Cavalier in The Nutcracker. Audiences have also seen him perform at Maine State Music Theatre. His training in the Balanchine style under New York City Ballet’s Linda MacArthur Miele and Adam Luders led him to a love of neoclassical ballet. He has choreographed dozens of smaller pieces and several full-length ballets, including Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and The Little Mermaid. His love of travel and teaching ballet has led him to teach and stage ballets around the United States and ballet schools in Sweden and Wales. Mr. Davis has a bachelor’s degree in History and a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Maine. He is also a certified Maine teacher.
Janet Davis
Assistant Director, Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Maine State Ballet's most prolific ballerina, Janet epitomizes the dream of every aspiring young dancer. Audiences have applauded her as Sugar Plum Fairy in
The Nutcracker, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Firebird in Maine State Ballet's premiere production of The Firebird and many other roles. Equally comfortable teaching tap, jazz and ballet, Janet has choreographed for musical productions and for “Best of Broadway”. She studied piano and music theory under MSB Orchestra Conductor, Karla Kelley and has conducted choirs around the State. This extensive understanding of music is passed on to her dancers through phrasing and choreography. Her philosophy of “If you can, you should” inspires confidence in her students and helps them reach their full potential. Janet is married to principal dancer Glenn Davis and has a daughter, Emma.
Katie Desantis
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Katie was trained exclusively with Maine State Ballet and was accepted into notable summer programs such as Boston Ballet, The Rock School and Julliard. After high school Katie danced at Marymount Manhattan College in NY and at Steps. After returning to Maine she studied nursing at SMCC and now has certification as a Certified Nursing Assistant and group fitness instructor. Katie's versatile style enables her to perform diverse roles such as the beautiful Princess Elena in The Firebird and the Gypsy Queen in Don Quixote. Her additional repertoire includes the Dark Angel in Serenade, the Spanish Princess in Swan Lake, and the Fourth Movement soloist in Miele's Bach Concerti.
Rose Hutchins
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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A graduate of Utah Valley University, Rose Hutchins holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a Ballet Emphasis. For more than a decade Rose has taught across the nation, earning the respect of students, peers, and directors for her technical knowledge, work ethic, and artistry. In addition to her skills as a teacher and performer, Rose has gained recognition as a choreographer and in the academic community. Her most notable achievements include her award-winning choreography Degas, and her choreographic work Embark, which was featured at Regional Dance America/Pacific.
Eliot Konzal
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Eliot has been a part of Maine State Ballet’s family for many years. She grew up outside of Boston dancing with the Hazel Boone Dance Studio’s award-winning competitive tap program and was a recipient of the Sandra Philpott “Dance for Joy” award for Tap, Jazz, and Ballet. Eliot also spent two years training with the London Dance Project in the U.K. She was captain of her high school’s Varsity Dance Team at the American School in London and has extensive musical theater experience. She received dance teacher training, and recently studied with the Joffrey Ballet School Tap Intensive in New York City. She is a Bowdoin College graduate with degrees in Psychology and pre-Medicine.
Juliette Lauzier-Bridges
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Juliette is a founding member of Maine State Ballet. Known to her young dance students as "Miss Juliette," her style is elegant and graceful. She is sought after all over Maine as a dancer, choreographer and teacher, most recently guest teaching at the Maine Dance Teacher's Workshop. She won critical acclaim for her choreography and performance of Broken Trust, an original modern piece. She continues to be a wonderful asset to the Company.
Julia Lopez
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Principal
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Julia has been part of Maine State Ballet since she was an infant, coming to the theater with her stage manager mom before she could walk. After high school, she attended the University of Vermont and missed her Maine State Ballet family so much, she recently transferred back to UNE to continue dancing. Since her return to Maine, Julia has taught here at Maine State Ballet and other area dance schools. As a Principal with Maine State Ballet, her credits include Sugar Plum and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Mercedes in Don Quixote, Slumber Fairy in Hansel and Gretel and Hermia in A Midsummer's Nights Dream.
Jonathan Miele
Director, Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Mr. Miele started dancing at the Dorothy Mason School of Dance here in Maine, which is now the Maine State Ballet School for the Performing Arts. After brief training at Boston Ballet School, Jonathan went to New York City where he had a successful career on Broadway dancing with such notable stars as Carol Channing, Jane Powell, Bernadette Peters, Gower Champion and Robert Preston. Mr. Miele has directed and choreographed shows for Lyric Theater, Portland Players, Windham Center Stage Theater and many area high schools. His exuberant style of dance has made him a favorite among students who want to experience the excitement of big, Broadway-style choreography.
Linda Miele
Artistic Director, Resident Choreographer, Instructor
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Ms. Miele started to dance at age 3 in Boston. At age 11 she moved to New York to further her studies where she was accepted into George Balanchine's School of American Ballet. At age 14, she was the youngest member accepted into the New York City Ballet Company. She has toured the world, dancing in such places as Paris, Rome, Athens, Venice, Jerusalem, London, Dubrovnik, Tel-Aviv, Florence, Salzburg, and Montreal. Most of her performances however, were at Lincoln Center at the New York State Theater. Having worked closely with George Balanchine, she moves into the area of choreography naturally and maintains the legendary versatile Balanchine Style. Adding to her long-standing rights to Balanchine's Nutcracker choreography, she was granted permission to stage Serenade from The George Balanchine Trust. Mrs. Miele is a notable college lecturer, Church Choir Director and the past President of the Women's Relief Society in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sydney Morrison
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Sydney is currently enrolled at USM majoring in Art History. She has studied primarily here at Maine State Ballet and has taken classes from Elizabeth Drucker. Now a member of Maine State Ballet, she has many performance credits including ‘The Enchantress’ in Maine State Ballet’s Beauty and the Beast, and ‘Spanish demi-soloist’ in The Nutcracker. Most recently she performed as the ‘Black-Eyed Susan’ in Alice in Wonderland. Students learn a lot from her knowledge of all dance genres and enjoy her soft spoken and sweet teaching style. Sydney is wonderful addition to the faculty.
Agnes Norman
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Soloist
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Agnes was promoted to Soloist this season. She made her debut in the coveted role of Clara last season in The Nutcracker. Other credits include Princess Florine in our summer production of Classical Gala, The Harp in Beauty and the Beast and Harvest in Coppelia. She is currently enrolled at the University of New England, majoring in exercise science and hoping to join the Physical Therapy program in a few years!
Rachel Paradis
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Principal
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Rachel was recently promoted to Principal Dancer. She was recently seen as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Maine State Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Rachel has an associate degree in liberal studies and plans to get her bachelor’s degree in business. We are happy to have Rachel on the faculty. She brings her beautiful style and vast knowledge of dance to all her students.
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Adrienne Pelletier
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Principal
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Adrienne has grown up dancing with Maine State Ballet. She is a graduate of Southern Maine Community College with a degree in Culinary Arts. As a Principal with Maine State Ballet, her roles include Sugar Plum Fairy, Clara and Coffee from Arabia in The Nutcracker, The Bird in Peter & the Wolf, Cupid in Don Quixote, The White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland, and Princess Florine in Sleeping Beauty.
Rhiannon Pelletier
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Principal
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Rhiannon is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College and a Principal dancer with Maine State Ballet. She has been our student since age 8 and has attended American Academy of Ballet and Boston Ballet’s summer programs. Her dance credits include Swanhilda in Coppelia, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She has taught for both Maine State Ballet and CenterStage in Raymond (entering her sixth year with CSPA) and enjoys working with students of all ages.
Ali Spurgin
Instructor
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Ali began dancing at the age of eight and quickly found a passion for dance. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Business Administration minor. Ali has worked with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Co, American Ballet Theatre, Trisha Brown Dance Co, Martha Graham Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. She performed and choreographed in numerous dance productions including the American College Dance Association. She has taught dance for eight years in the Nebraska area while traveling to elite dance competitions. Ali is excited to join the Maine State Ballet staff where she is dedicated to providing a professional learning environment that promotes positivity, creativity and technical excellence.
Christina Williams Grygiel
Instructor, Maine State Ballet Company Member
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Christina is an Art Teacher with South Portland Public Schools and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Southern Maine. She began her dance training at Maine State Ballet at the age of three, and has performed with us for over 20 years. After working her way through Maine State Ballet’s Company, Christina earned her status as Principal Soloist in 2011 and danced many diverse roles including classical favorites such as Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, as well as many other prominent roles in full-length classical ballets and contemporary works. She now enjoys inspiring her students as a dedicated educator in the visual and performing arts.
Teacher Assistants
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(Back Row - L to R)
Savannah Talbert
Emma Samuelson
Madeline Smith
Abigail Dillavou
Elizabeth Chmielewski
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(Front Row - L to R)
Elizabeth Chadbourne
Kate Bender
Hailee Willey