Faculty

The School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet

The premier ballet school in the Capital District www.berkshireballet.org

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Summer Dance 2010

Resident Faculty

Madeline Cantarella Culpo, Director

Director-Founder and Artistic Director of the Albany Berkshire Ballet, is an alumna of the Juilliard School where she studied ballet with Margaret Craske, Antony Tudor and Alfredo Corvino and modern dance with Martha Graham. She is a nationally recognized teacher of dance, having taught throughout the United States, including at Jacob’s Pillow. She was featured in the November 1996 issue of "Dance Magazine" in an article entitled "Great Starts American Teachers Series" - "A Tribute To Teachers Who Have Produced Outstanding Results." In addition, Mrs. Culpo has received three choreography fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Nancy Ropelewski King, Ballet Instructor, Ballet Mistress

A graduate of the Cantarella School and was a scholarship student at Jacob’s Pillow. She was formerly a principal dancer with the Albany Berkshire Ballet. Mrs. King has also established herself as a choreographer. Her Peter and the Wolf has been performed extensively before school audiences throughout the Northeast. In addition to teaching and rehearsing for both Schools, Mrs. King is also a resident choreographer and rehearsal mistress for the Professional Company.

Deirdre Duffin Swindlehurst, Ballet Instructor, Ballet Mistress

Started dancing at age five under Madeline Cantarella Culpo and went on to be a principal dancer with Albany Berkshire Ballet. She joined the Pennsylvania Ballet in 1980, and rose to soloist in The Nutcracker, Coppelia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Les Sylphides, and The Four Temperaments. Deirdre has appeared as a guest artist at Jacob’s Pillow and has toured the United States with Leonid and Valentina Kaslov and with Cynthia Gregory and her "Celebration Tour." Ms. Duffin is currently on faculty at The School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet and Cantarella School of Dance and is Assistant to the Director of the Albany Berkshire Ballet.

Christine Geren, School Administrator, Ballet , Pilates Instructor

Ms. Geren began her training with The Northeast Ballet Company. Supported by dance and academic scholarships, she earned a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College while also performing lead roles with The Lake Erie Ballet in The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Serenade, and Alice in Wonderland. Ms. Geren is currently a principal dancer with the Albany Berkshire Ballet and guest artist with the Ajkun Ballet Theatre. Her repertoire includes Carmina Burana, and The Rockwell Suites, as well as principal roles in Caprice, Nocturnes, Our Town and The Nutcracker with the ABB and Chiara Ajkun’s Le Corsaire and Giselle. Ms. Geren teaches ballet and is certified under POWER PILATES® for Pilates Mat classes. She is also the School Administrator.

Alicia Hornicek, Ballet & Modern Instructor, Ballet Mistress

Ms. Hornicek is a graduate of the School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet. Throughout high school, Alicia performed with The Albany Berkshire Ballet in such performances as The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Temple Caves, Our Town, Carmina Burana, Les Sylphides and Graduation Ball. Alicia is on the faculty at The School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet, and recently graduated from Russell Sage College, with a MS in Physical Therapy. She is a practicing physical therapist as well as a permanent dance instructor and ballet mistress at the School of the Albany Berkshire Ballet..

Photo coming soon.

Stacey Broderick, Tap, Ballet

Ms. Broderick started dancing at the age of 4 and has been dancing ever since, graduating from the School of The Albany Berkshire Ballet. She has performed with the Albany Berkshire Ballet in such productions as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and The Rockwell Suites. Ms. Broderick also has an extensive tap and jazz background, placing first in Solo competition for Dancer of the Year and will be heading our youth tap program this year.

Photo coming soon.

Ms. D’Arcy started dancing when she was four years old at Orlando's School of Dance in Schenectady. She is a graduate of Wagner College where she majored in Musical Theatre. While at Wagner, Ms. D’Arcy performed in the Mainstage Productions as well as assisted Dan Knechtges (choreographer of Xanadu and Putnam County Spelling Bee on Broadway) on one of the college productions. After college and dancing in NYC, Ms. D’Arcy has become incredibly involved with the Schenectady Light Opera Company. She is known for her performances as well as her choreography in such shows as Zombie Prom, Victor/Victoria, Hello, Dolly and most recently Anything Goes, as well as her choreography for some high school productions throughout the Capital District. Ms. D’Arcy will be teaching the Musical Theatre and Lyrical Jazz classes at the ABB..

Ms. Pier is a graduate of the School of The Albany Berkshire Ballet and has performed with their professional company in The Nutcracker, Corelli Suite, and Alice In Wonderland. Ms. Pier is currently a Junior at Siena College , majoring in Biology and has been teaching at the School for the past two years. Ms. Pier teaches Modern and Jazz dance, and ballet for the Preballet levels through Adult. She is also a ballet mistress for the Albany Berkshire Ballet’s Nutcracker rehearsing students from age 4 through 18.

Bianca Pier, Jazz, Modern, Ballet

Photo coming soon.

Heather D’Arcy, Musical Theatre, Lyrical Jazz, Tap