Hope Pisarczyk

Teacher in Training
Hope Pisarczyk began dancing with the Urbana Fine Arts Center in the summer of 2025, after training with the Champaign Park District's Dance Arts Conservatory. At Urbana, she has been given the opportunity to be an assistant teacher of Ballet Purple and Pink, and enjoys sharing her love of dance with others. She has a strong passion for dance and the performing arts, and has performed in numerous musical theater, choral, and dance performance settings. She is currently enrolled in the top two levels of the Urbana Fine Arts Center's pre-professional division, with the intention of pursuing dance professionally. 

Guest Instructors

Corbin Phillips

Corbin Phillips is a dancer and choreographer from Champaign, IL. He graduated from The University of Iowa with a BFA in dance and a focus on Choreography. He grew up training locally and spending time with schools such as Ballet Chicago, Tampa Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Joffrey Chicago, and Dance Theater of Harlem. Through college he trained in various modern and contemporary styles while continuing his ballet training. His choreographic works explore the contrast between classical ballet lines and idiosyncratic movements while creating a fluidity between the technique and natural movements of gravity and transformation. His works have been presented at the University of Iowa, the YAGP Chicago Regional Competition, and various performances throughout the greater Chicago area. In Fall of 2023, he started the CU Dance Festival which has held 4 concerts since. He is currently the resident choreographer for the Dance Theater of Illinois and is starting his first season with Ballet Quad Cities.

Ashley Thopiah

Ashley Thopiah (they/she/he) holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University. Their dance training began at the Christine Rich Dance Academy and was further honed through summer programs at State Street Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. At Butler, Ashley took on various roles including corps, soloist, and principal in productions such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, La Bayadere, Cinderella, and George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. As a choreographer, Ashley has created two significant works for Butler University’s dance department: Jyoti and Ekta. These pieces intertwine modern dance with Bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, reflecting the dual aspects of their identity. In the summer of 2018, Ekta was performed at the National Opera House in Warsaw, Poland, and traveled to Prague, Krakow, Poznan, and Bratislava. Since joining Oakland Ballet in 2019, Ashley has made notable contributions, including creating the role of Coffee in Graham Lustig’s The Nutcracker and performing in works such as Caili Quan’s Layer Upon Layer, Alyah Baker’s 4 Parts Jazz, Graham Lustig’s Dialogues, and Seyong Kim’s Duet from Exquisite Corpse. They are also a contributing choreographer for OBC’s Angel Island Project, collaborating with distinguished artists Natasha Adorlee, Ye Feng, Elaine Kudo, Phil Chan, and Lawrence Chen.

Taylor King Crocker

Taylor King Crocker, a native of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a dance artist with a background in contemporary, jazz, rhythmic tap, and ballet. She has a BFA from East Carolina University, an MFA from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and she is certified by ABT’s National Training Curriculum. As an educator, Taylor has taught and choreographed at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Northfield Mount Hermon School, Laurence School, and Colgate University. Her work has been selected to perform at festivals and shows in New York City, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Her dance film Friday the Thirteenth was selected for London’s Lift-Off Film Festival. She is currently a lecturer in the dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Jasmine O'Connor

Early Childhood Ballet, Contemporary and Private Coaching
Jasmine O’Connor began her dance training at Christine Rich Studio at the age of 2. She has been trained intensively in ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop by teachers with extensive knowledge and experience in the professional field of dance. 
Through her 14 years of training she has developed a love for all dance styles as well as teaching.
She has been a finalist at the YAGP 2019, perfrorming in the Ensemble piece "Unafected When We Join" and she has choreographed contemporary pieces for the UFAC students.
She has previous involvement conducting and directing activities for children of all ages at the Urbana Fine Arts Center Summer Program as well as in various events held by different organizations in the Champaign-Urbana area. Lately she was in charge of the UFAC afternoon summer program, preparing and teaching Musical Theatre, Acting, and Viriety Theatre classes for children ages 6 to 12.
Jasmine O'Connor has been trained to work with pre-school old age children and she has been conducting the UFAC children's ballet classes for over 5 years.

Alexis Miller

​Ballet and Private Coaching
​Alexis Miller, a native of central Illinois, has been dancing since the age of 4. Her training includes the Joffrey Ballet School, Columbia College Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where she received her BFA in Dance. There she trained in all styles of dance offered and worked with choreographers, such as Kendra Portier, Charlie Maybee, and Endalyn Taylor. She also trained with Giordano Dance Chicago, Broadway Dance Center, and the Radio City Rockettes. She earned her MA in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University, where she pursued creative writing and combining her passion for the arts and education. As a dance educator, she became a Teacher’s Assistant at UIUC,  was the Assistant Choreographer to Rebecca Nettl-Fiol for Champaign Urbana Theatre Comapany’s production of “Annie” and has taught with Urbana Fine Arts Center, coaching students for YAGP in the classical, contemporary, and ensemble categories.

Guest Instructors

Ashley Thopiah
Professional Dancer with Oakland Ballet CA and Choreographer
Corbin Phillips
Professional Dancer with Ballet Quad Cities, Director of C-U Dance Festival and Choreographer
​Taylor King Crocker, 
Dance Educator - ABT certified and Choreographer
​Guest Teacher's Bios

Tarasina Masi-Giulio Tonolo

Ballet and Private Coaching
​
​Tarasina Masi- Giulio Tonolo is a native of Illinois and has spent the last ten years dancing as a principal ballerina in Europe with the Vanemuine Teater in Estonia. She has toured the US, Europe and China extensively, and has been invited as a guest ballerina to several companies and schools in the US and Italy.  Her repertoire includes many classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, Raymonda, Onegin, The Nutcracker and many others, as well as, several new works by choreographers Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Par Isberg, Michelle Holmes-Bello, Dr. Ken Bello, Mai Murdmaa, Igor Barberic, Teet Kask, David Sonnenbluck, Silas Stubbs and others.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo’s teaching career began many years ago, having been a faculty member of the USA Ballet Academy in Bloomington before moving to Europe.  She continued to share her knowledge with the students of the Vanemuine Ballet Academy in Estonia, and for the past few years as a ballet mistress/coach to her colleagues in the Vanemuine Teater company in Estonia.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo graduated from the USA Ballet Academy, Bloomington, and is a YAGP Gold medal recipient, as well as, a competitor/finalist in world renowned competitions, including South Africa IBC, World Ballet Competition, Moscow IBC and Varna.  Besides performing, coaching and teaching, she is the proud mother of a two year old who’s already showing her talent and love for ballet. 

Summer Intensive 2 and 3 -  Guest Teachers

Tarasina Masi-Giulio Tonolo

Tarasina Masi-Giulio Tonolo​'s Bio
Summer Intensive 3: Ballet Technique, Pointe and Variation
Dates June 3-7 and m ore TBA
​Tarasina Masi- Giulio Tonolo is a native of Illinois and has spent the last ten years dancing as a principal ballerina in Europe with the Vanemuine Teater in Estonia. She has toured the US, Europe and China extensively, and has been invited as a guest ballerina to several companies and schools in the US and Italy.  Her repertoire includes many classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, Raymonda, Onegin, The Nutcracker and many others, as well as, several new works by choreographers Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Par Isberg, Michelle Holmes-Bello, Dr. Ken Bello, Mai Murdmaa, Igor Barberic, Teet Kask, David Sonnenbluck, Silas Stubbs and others.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo’s teaching career began many years ago, having been a faculty member of the USA Ballet Academy in Bloomington before moving to Europe.  She continued to share her knowledge with the students of the Vanemuine Ballet Academy in Estonia, and for the past few years as a ballet mistress/coach to her colleagues in the Vanemuine Teater company in Estonia.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo graduated from the USA Ballet Academy, Bloomington, and is a YAGP Gold medal recipient, as well as, a competitor/finalist in world renowned competitions, including South Africa IBC, World Ballet Competition, Moscow IBC and Varna.  Besides performing, coaching and teaching, she is the proud mother of a two year old who’s already showing her talent and love for ballet. 

Matteo Giulio Tonolo

Courtesy of USA Ballet
Summer Intensive 3: Ballet Technique
Dates Dates June 3-7 and m ore TBA
​Matteo Giulio Tonolo was born in Moncalieri, Italy, and received his training at the Accademia Regionale Teatro Nuovo di Torino, Italy, where he studied under the tutelage of Maria Elena Fernandez, Marisa Milanese, Antonio Della Monica and others.   Mr. Giulio Tonolo’s career began early when he was invited to join the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino, Italy, at just sixteen years old. He has worked with several US companies, including Ajkun Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet and USA Ballet, as well as continuing to be a guest artist in Europe.  For the past ten years, Mr. Giulio Tonolo has worked at the Vanemuine Teater in Estonia, rising quickly through the ranks from corps de ballet to soloist, where he also began his teaching and coaching career.  Mr. Giulio Tonolo’s extensive repertoire includes not only the classics such as Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, Onegin, The Nutcracker etc., but he has had the honor of working closely with many world renowned choreographers including Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Robert North, Jelena Pankova, Mai Murdmaa, Michelle Holmes-Bello, David Sonnenbluck, Igor Barberic, Cedric Lee Bradly Mare Tommingas, and many others. He has had several distinguished roles created on him.  He has performed all over the world- touring throughout Europe, the US and China. 
This past January, Mr. Giulio Tonolo has joined the faculty of the USA Ballet Academy, Bloomington. 

Jade O'Connor Katch

Choreography
​June 10 and June 24
Jade O'Connor Katch has been dancing for 16 years. She began training with Luciana Rezende and Christine Rich at the Christine Rich Dance Studio. Jade has training in ballet, jazz, acrobatics as well as 8 years of tap. Through this she also developed a love for choreographing.
A piece she choreographed was featured in the Dance Chicago Festival twice in 2016. She has also choreographed pieces for the Youth America Grand Prix competition, that placed among the top 3, top in the regionals and invited to the finals.
Jade has won 4 national medals in competitions with NAACP ACT-SO and most recently won the gold and silver medals respectively in Ballet and Contemporary Dance at the 2019 Afro-Academic Cultural Technological Sci. Olympics.
She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from the University of Illinois with a focus on modern technique. 

Clarence McDorman

Ballet Technique, Pointe and Variation
June 17 to June 21
Clarence McDorman received his ballet training from Dame Sonia Arova and Larry Long, both hailed by The New York Times in the 1980s as preeminent ballet teachers in the U.S. Clarence danced professionally with Chicago Lyric Opera Ballet, Ruth Page Ballet, Ballet Hawaii, Nevada Ballet Theatre and choreographed the musical "Fairy Tales" off- Broadway. A dramatic dancer, he has portrayed principal character roles in much of the classical repertoire, such as Lord Capulet in "Romeo and Juliet", Von Rothbart in "Swan Lake", Dr. Coppelius in "Coppelia", and Drosselmeyer in "Nutcracker". Clarence also danced in numerous opera ballets coached by Maria Tallchief. As a ballet instructor, Clarence has been Principal Teacher for Ballet Academy of Texas, Ballet Conservatory of Asheville, International Ballet Academy (SC) and Birmingham Ballet Academy, and has served as Ballet Master for the respective pre professional companies of these schools. He served as an adjunct Professor of Ballet for the School for Classical and Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University, Interim School Director for The School of Ballet Indiana, and been a part time upper level teacher for Greenville Ballet School. Guest teaching includes ABT National Audition Tour, Interlochen Summer Institute, and the Jacobs School at Indiana University. Choreography includes original ballets for The Fine Arts Center in South Carolina, Winter Works Asheville, and Arkansas Festival Ballet. His students have gone on to dance with ABT, NYCB, on Broadway, at Juilliard, and have won full scholarships to all of the major ballet schools in the country. Clarence coached an advanced male protege to win "Best Male Dancer" at the American Ballet Competition two years in a row and has had numerous students invited to compete at YAGP Finals. He holds a Master's degree in Ballet Pedagogy from NYU and ABT, graduating with a perfect Grade Point Average for the entire program, and he has achieved ABT Affiliate Teacher status in years past presenting advanced students for ABT Exams. In 2010, Clarence was featured in Dance Teacher Magazine for his work with ABT Curriculum. In 2023, he was a popular teacher of intermediate/advanced Adult Ballet at Houston Ballet Academy. Currently, Clarence is on faculty with Covington Regional Ballet in the Atlanta metro area, teaching the pre professional levels.  Clarence can be contacted at [email protected]

Valery Lantratov

Artistic Director,
Russian National Ballet Foundation
Ballet Technique - Master Class
June 15
 Valery Lantratov has had a distinguished career as a dancer in the companies of Vladimir Vasiliev, Maya Plitsetskaya and Ekaterina Maximova and international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. Most recently he has made international headlines for his role as Czar Nicholas II in a production of the new ballet Rasputin, with Farouk Ruzimatov of the Marinsky Theater (Kirov) and for successful international tours of Don Quixote and original choreography for the annual festival for the goddess Aphrodite in Cypruss.
A graduate of the Moscow Academic Choreographic College, Lantratov was selected as a first soloist with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet. With the theater he danced principal roles in such ballets as Don Quixote, Copellia and Romeo and Juliet.
He has received accolades in the Russian and international press for his strong technique, personality and expressiveness.
In 1993, Lantratov began working for the Kremlin Ballet. This same year, he formed the Russian National Ballet Foundation. He has toured as a solo guest artist in such countries as Japan, Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and the United States. The Russian National Ballet Foundation has toured in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and the United States.
In 1997, Russian president Boris Yeltsin named Valery Lantratov “ People’s Artist of Russia,” the Russian Federation’s highest artistic honor.
Mr. Lantratov holds a teaching certificate Russia's renowned National Academy of Theatrical Arts- GITIS.* For three years, Mr. Lantratov served as a guest instructor at the Boston Ballet. With his Russian National Ballet Foundation, Lantratov is able to realize his goal of introducing new audiences throughout the world to some of the finest classical works of Russia. “No matter what might happen between the countries in the world, dance can deliver peace, compassion and art—eternal values.”
*GITIS' ballet department was founded in 1946 under A. Gorsky, R. Zakharov and Leonid Lavaovsky of the Bolshoi Ballet with equal state funding to the Bolshoi. It is the only institute in Russia to offer a diploma in choreography and direction for ballet theatre. Its distinguished ballet masters include Vladimir Vassiliev (director of the
Bolshoi, retired), Nadja Pavlova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired) and Katirina Maximova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired).

Catrina Choate-Heretoiu

Ballet Technique, Pointe and Variation
June 24 to June 28
​Catrina Choate-Heretoiu is a ballet teacher and somatic educator who works toward assisting students achieve excellence in a stress-free manner. She received her primary ballet training with the Cecchetti Method and later with the School of American Ballet in New York City. She danced professionally with Miami City Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Miami Contemporary Dance Company. Ms. Heretoiu performed many Balanchine Ballets including Agon, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperaments, Jewels, and Serenade. As a teacher, she has staged many productions such as The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Coppelia, and she has also choreographed many original contemporary ballets. Ms. Heretoiu holds a B.A. degree in English Literature from Florida International University and an MFA degree in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From 2010-2014, Ms. Heretoiu was a full-time faculty member with the UIUC Dance Department where she taught ballet, directed the community outreach Lecture Demonstration program, and created an Injury Lab for the dance majors. She is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais practitioner and has structured specific Awareness Through Movement lessons for dancers to help the physical rehabilitation process and to increase a sense of body awareness. Ms. Heretoiu is also the founder of Ballet-Journeys, a project to help shape and promote female leadership in ballet - https://www.ballet-journeys.com/. She believes in the power of dance to enhance learning and self-development and she likes to provide the environment necessary for students to explore, experience, connect, and learn.

Reida Dobi

Ballet Technique, Pointe and Variation
​July 8 to July12
Originally from Albania, Reida Dobi studied at the Academy of Classica Dance of Tirana under the direction of master choreographer Agron Aliaj, a graduate from the Bolshoi Theatre of Ballet, Moscow.
By invitation, she enrolled in the Institute of Arts and Choreography in Tirana and worked as an instructor at the Academy of Classic Dance, teaching Variations and Partnering.
Ms. Dobi joined the Tirana State Opera and Ballet in 1990 where she quickly became a soloist, moving to principal dancer, earning the title of Prima Ballerina with many performances in Greece, Italy, France and Bulgaria. She has also performed at the Carnegie Hall in New York City.
She has dance principal roles in several ballets including Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Raymonda and Swan Lake. Her repertoire also includes contemporary adaptations of Spartacus, Romeo and Juliet and featured spots in the operas Don Juan and La Traviata.
Ms. Dobi has more than 15 years of teaching experience in dance schools in the United States.
She currently teaches Vaganava Technique in ballet, pointe, variations and floor barrre at Texas Ballet Theatre.

Ashley Thopiah

Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variation and Choreography
June 3 to June 20
Ashley Thopiah received their BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University. She began  training at the Christine Rich Dance Academy and furthered her training in summer programs at State Street Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. At Butler, Ashley performed corps, soloist, and principal roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, La Bayadere, Cinderella, and George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. As a choreographer, Ashley has created two works for Butler University’s dance department, Jyoti and Ekta. Using both modern dance and Bharatanatyam, a form of classical Indian dance, Ashley expresses the two distinct but intertwined aspects of their identity. During the summer of 2018, Ekta was performed in the National Opera House in Warsaw, Poland, across Prague, Krakow, Poznan, and Bratislava. Joining Oakland Ballet in 2019, she created the role of Coffee in The Nutcracker, as well as featured roles in The Birthdays, 4 Parts Jazz by Alyah Baker, Club LC by Bobby Briscoe, and Phil Chan’s Quartet and Seyong Kim’s Duet from Exquisite Corpse. Ashley is a contributing choreographer to OBC’s Angel Island Project.

Richard Smith

Private Coaching, Ballet Technique, Vharacter Dance and Conditioning.
​All Summer
Richard began his training at the age of 18 in Peoria, IL. While in Peoria, he was able to
perform soloist and principal roles during and after his training was completed. Such credits
include: the Prince from Cinderella, Prince Ivan from The Firebird, and a recording of the Sugar
Plum adagio from The Nutcracker. Richard spent time training at The Rock School under Bo and
Stephanie Spashoff among others.
Richard has performed as a guest artist in Chicago, New York, and Florida; and currently
is a freelance artist in Minneapolis, MN. He most recently was a member of Minnesota Dance
Theatre where he performed in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy and performed with
Continental Ballet Company in the spring of 2023.
In addition to his dancing, Richard is an accomplished teacher, having taught for UFAC
for the past 5 years. He currently teaches at North Ballet Academy in Otsego, MN and has been
coaching their full length production of The Sleeping Beauty.

Corbin Phillips

Contemporary Dance and Choreography Class
​All Summer
Corbin Phillips is a dancer and choreographer based outside of Chicago Illinois. He received a BFA in Dance from the University of Iowa in 2020, with a focus on choreography. Growing up, he trained heavily in ballet and travelled to schools across the country including Ballet Chicago, Next Generation Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and the Dance Theater of Harlem. His choreographic work explores the contrast between his classical training and idiosyncratic movements, while aiming to create a fluidity between the two.

Summer Intensive 2 and 3 -  UFAC Teachers

Alexis Miller
Summer Intensive 2 and 3
Jade O'Connor
Private Coaching
Jasmine O'Connor
Summer Intensive 2 
Corbin Philips
Private Coaching

UFAC Teachers - Bios

Summer Intensive 2 and 3 -  Guest Teachers

Tarasina Masi-Giulio Tonolo

Summer Intensive 3: Ballet Technique, Pointe and Variation
June 5t to 9
​July 26 to 30
​Tarasina Masi- Giulio Tonolo is a native of Illinois and has spent the last ten years dancing as a principal ballerina in Europe with the Vanemuine Teater in Estonia. She has toured the US, Europe and China extensively, and has been invited as a guest ballerina to several companies and schools in the US and Italy.  Her repertoire includes many classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, Raymonda, Onegin, The Nutcracker and many others, as well as, several new works by choreographers Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Par Isberg, Michelle Holmes-Bello, Dr. Ken Bello, Mai Murdmaa, Igor Barberic, Teet Kask, David Sonnenbluck, Silas Stubbs and others.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo’s teaching career began many years ago, having been a faculty member of the USA Ballet Academy in Bloomington before moving to Europe.  She continued to share her knowledge with the students of the Vanemuine Ballet Academy in Estonia, and for the past few years as a ballet mistress/coach to her colleagues in the Vanemuine Teater company in Estonia.  Mrs. Giulio Tonolo graduated from the USA Ballet Academy, Bloomington, and is a YAGP Gold medal recipient, as well as, a competitor/finalist in world renowned competitions, including South Africa IBC, World Ballet Competition, Moscow IBC and Varna.  Besides performing, coaching and teaching, she is the proud mother of a two year old who’s already showing her talent and love for ballet. 

Matteo Giulio Tonolo

Courtesy of USA Ballet
Summer Intensive 3: Ballet Technique
June 4 to 9
Junly 26 to 30
​Matteo Giulio Tonolo was born in Moncalieri, Italy, and received his training at the Accademia Regionale Teatro Nuovo di Torino, Italy, where he studied under the tutelage of Maria Elena Fernandez, Marisa Milanese, Antonio Della Monica and others.   Mr. Giulio Tonolo’s career began early when he was invited to join the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino, Italy, at just sixteen years old. He has worked with several US companies, including Ajkun Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet and USA Ballet, as well as continuing to be a guest artist in Europe.  For the past ten years, Mr. Giulio Tonolo has worked at the Vanemuine Teater in Estonia, rising quickly through the ranks from corps de ballet to soloist, where he also began his teaching and coaching career.  Mr. Giulio Tonolo’s extensive repertoire includes not only the classics such as Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, Onegin, The Nutcracker etc., but he has had the honor of working closely with many world renowned choreographers including Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Robert North, Jelena Pankova, Mai Murdmaa, Michelle Holmes-Bello, David Sonnenbluck, Igor Barberic, Cedric Lee Bradly Mare Tommingas, and many others. He has had several distinguished roles created on him.  He has performed all over the world- touring throughout Europe, the US and China. 
This past January, Mr. Giulio Tonolo has joined the faculty of the USA Ballet Academy, Bloomington. 

Watmora Casey

Summer Intensive 3: Ballet, Pointe, Variation and Stretch/Conditioning
​June 12 to 16
July dates TBA
Watmora Casey is formerly a member of the Caribbean Dance Company, a student of Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York and the coach and choreographer of the five-time national champion U.S. Acrobatic Gymnastics Team.
He is the founder and artistic director of Fauburg Theatre and has been recognized as “Teacher of the Year”, multiple years in a row and many of his students have gone on to dance in renowned international dance companies including Alvin Ailey, The Royal Danish Ballet, and Northern Ballet in England.
Mr. Casey's students have won top honors at The Youth America Grand Prix Regional Competition qualifying for the National competition in New York.

Valery Lantratov

Artistic Director,
Russian National Ballet Foundation
Ballet Technique
July 10 and 11
 Valery Lantratov has had a distinguished career as a dancer in the companies of Vladimir Vasiliev, Maya Plitsetskaya and Ekaterina Maximova and international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. Most recently he has made international headlines for his role as Czar Nicholas II in a production of the new ballet Rasputin, with Farouk Ruzimatov of the Marinsky Theater (Kirov) and for successful international tours of Don Quixote and original choreography for the annual festival for the goddess Aphrodite in Cypruss.
A graduate of the Moscow Academic Choreographic College, Lantratov was selected as a first soloist with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet. With the theater he danced principal roles in such ballets as Don Quixote, Copellia and Romeo and Juliet.
He has received accolades in the Russian and international press for his strong technique, personality and expressiveness.
In 1993, Lantratov began working for the Kremlin Ballet. This same year, he formed the Russian National Ballet Foundation. He has toured as a solo guest artist in such countries as Japan, Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and the United States. The Russian National Ballet Foundation has toured in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and the United States.
In 1997, Russian president Boris Yeltsin named Valery Lantratov “ People’s Artist of Russia,” the Russian Federation’s highest artistic honor.
Mr. Lantratov holds a teaching certificate Russia's renowned National Academy of Theatrical Arts- GITIS.* For three years, Mr. Lantratov served as a guest instructor at the Boston Ballet. With his Russian National Ballet Foundation, Lantratov is able to realize his goal of introducing new audiences throughout the world to some of the finest classical works of Russia. “No matter what might happen between the countries in the world, dance can deliver peace, compassion and art—eternal values.”
*GITIS' ballet department was founded in 1946 under A. Gorsky, R. Zakharov and Leonid Lavaovsky of the Bolshoi Ballet with equal state funding to the Bolshoi. It is the only institute in Russia to offer a diploma in choreography and direction for ballet theatre. Its distinguished ballet masters include Vladimir Vassiliev (director of the
Bolshoi, retired), Nadja Pavlova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired) and Katirina Maximova (prima ballerina absoluta of the Bolshoi, retired).

Ashley Thopiah

Choreographer, Private Coaching and Summer Intensive 2 Ballet Technique
June 12 to 16
Julu 10 to July 30
𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗵 has a BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University. She began her dance training at the Christine Rich Dance Academy and furthered her training in summer programs at State Street Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Ashley has performed corps, soloist, and principal roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, La Bayadere, Cinderella, and George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. Joining Oakland Ballet in 2019, she has performed Luna Mexicana, The Nutcracker, and Borderlines by Graham Lustig. Ashley was featured in various new works created by several choreographers, including Caili Quan, Elaine Kudo, and Phil Chan. 

Richard Smith

Private Coaching - Ballet
​All Summer
Richard began his training at the age of 18 in Peoria, IL. While in Peoria, he was able to
perform soloist and principal roles during and after his training was completed. Such credits
include: the Prince from Cinderella, Prince Ivan from The Firebird, and a recording of the Sugar
Plum adagio from The Nutcracker. Richard spent time training at The Rock School under Bo and
Stephanie Spashoff among others.
Richard has performed as a guest artist in Chicago, New York, and Florida; and currently
is a freelance artist in Minneapolis, MN. He most recently was a member of Minnesota Dance
Theatre where he performed in Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy and performed with
Continental Ballet Company in the spring of 2023.
In addition to his dancing, Richard is an accomplished teacher, having taught for UFAC
for the past 5 years. He currently teaches at North Ballet Academy in Otsego, MN and has been
coaching their full length production of The Sleeping Beauty.

Robin Ferrrer-Wilson

Pilates Conditioning for Dancers
All Summer
​Robin began dancing at age 4, and received her training in Classical Ballet through the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance.  While training with the Omaha Academy of Ballet, Robin danced various roles in Ballet Omaha’s (now American Midwest Ballet) production of The Nutcracker.  After her family relocated to Illinois, Robin continued her dance training with the Peoria Civic Ballet School.  Robin danced the role of the Guardian Angel in the Peoria Civic Opera Companies’ production of Hansel and Gretel.  After taking a number of years away from Ballet to rehabilitate following a severe leg injury, Robin began dancing again, earning a minor in dance from Illinois State University.  After graduating from Illinois State University, Robin relocated to Chicago and attended classes at the Joel Hall Dance Center.  Robin taught Ballet and Tap to young dancers with special needs through the Northwest Suburban Special Recreation Association.  Robin also developed a strong desire to study anatomy and fitness, seeking and earning her certification as a fitness instructor through the American Council of Exercise.  In addition to providing classes and private fitness training, Robin focused on her own fitness training and competed in body building competitions in the Chicago area for two consecutive years.  Robin continued to focus on her personal fitness as she pursued a Master’s in Education and a Specialist degree in School Psychology.  Robin returned to dance when her daughter began dancing with the Urbana Fine Arts Center.  Robin participates in the Adult Ballet Program at UFAC and is holds a certification in Mat Pilates Conditioning through the Body Arts and Science International (BASI) program.