IU Ballet Theater 2006-7 Season: Cinderella

ARTISTIC STAFF BIOGRAPHIES (See Dancer Biographies below)

David Effron, Conductor
Originally from Cincinnati, OH, distinguished symphony and opera conductor David Effron grew up in a musical family. His father was concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony for 28 years, and his mother was the pianist for that orchestra. After earning Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in piano at the University of Michigan and Indiana University, respectively, Effron received a Fulbright grant for study in Germany and began his professional career as an assistant to General Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch at the Cologne Opera. Returning to the United States in 1964, he joined the conducting staff of the New York City Opera, a position he held for 18 years. In his early career as a pianist, he accompanied such artists as George London, Placido Domingo, and Sherrill Milnes in recital and collaborated with soprano Benita Valente as her accompanist for a decade. As a prominent educator, Effron taught at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1970 to 1977. As the head of the orchestral program at the Eastman School of Music from 1977 to 1998, he trained hundreds of instrumentalists who are now in professional orchestras worldwide. His conducting students presently hold positions ranging from the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia orchestra to music director positions in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and South America. Since 1998, he has served as professor of conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he was appointed chairman of the Conducting Department in the fall of 2005. A highly sought after guest conductor with a repertoire of all the standard symphonic works, as well as 105 operas, Effron’s 40-year career has included appearances with major symphony orchestras and opera companies in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, and the Far East. This coming summer of 2007 will mark his eleventh season as artistic director and principal conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. In 1984, Effron was the conductor for the Grammy award-winning recording of Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. His discography also includes a 1987 Pantheon recording with Benita Valente, which won the German Critics Prize. He joined forces with flutist James Galway for an RCA recording of John Corigliano’s Pied Piper Fantasy, winning a top prize from Ovation Magazine. In 2003, Effron received the Musicians of the Year Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs. In recognition and acknowledgement of his pedagogical contributions, he was honored in the spring of 2004 with the unveiling of a portrait to be displayed at the University of Rochester’s prestigious Eastman School of Music. In the spring of 2006, Effron was awarded an honorary doctorate from North Carolina State University.

Jacques Cesbron, Choreographer
Jacques Cesbron was a dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet, a soloist with the Harkness Ballet, and principal dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet Company and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Cesbron is a former teacher with at the Joffrey Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Connecticut College, and Theatre du Silence. He has served as guest teacher with the American Ballet Theatre Company and its Intensive Summer Program. He has done extensive choreography, including new productions of The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring, Les Noces, Daphnis et Chloe, and Madame Bovary for the Indiana University Ballet Theater. Five of his works were created in collaboration with faculty composers in the Jacobs School of Music. Cesbron was awarded an Indiana Arts Commission Fellowship for Choreography for Carmina burana and an Arts and Humanities Grant for the choreography of Cinderella.

Virginia Cesbron, Ballet Mistress
Virginia Cesbron trained privately with Martha Manners and at the School of American Ballet, and she was an apprentice with the American Ballet Theatre. Cesbron is a former dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet Company, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and New Jersey Ballet. She is a former teacher and ballet mistress at Ballet Hispanico of New York, The Dance Movement, and Theatre du Silence. Cesbron has done extensive work in arts and education in New York City. She is a founding faculty member of Special Program for Gifted and Talented at the New Ballet School of the Feld Ballet, and she is director of the Swans Island Dance in Swans Island, Maine. Her choreography includes numerous original works for Indiana University Ballet Theater and the Pre-College Ballet Program.

C. David Higgins, Designer
C. David Higgins has been designing scenery since 1972, when he began working at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music as a master scenic artist. Now a faculty member, he teaches set design and has been designing opera and ballet scenery and costumes across the globe for theaters in the United States, England, Italy, Iceland, and Korea. With over 150 productions to his credit, he has been described as one of America’s finest scenic painters by Opera News magazine and is best known for his detailed, Italianate painting style.

DANCER BIOGRAPHIES

Kathryn Ayers (“Cricket,” March 24 mat.), a resident of Charlotte, NC, is a senior majoring in ballet with an outside field in business. She trained at Danceplace, the official school of North Carolina Dance Theater, under Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, and Mark Diamond. She also spent her summers training at North Carolina School of the Arts and the Kirov Academy of Ballet. Ayers has performed in many IUBT productions, most recently in the première of Jacques Cesbron’s Screemin’ Meemies (Fall Ballet 2006) and Lead Mirliton in The Nutcracker.

Brittany Balthrop (“Stepmother”) is a sophomore from Jackson, MI, where she trained at Ballet Mississippi under the direction of David Keary. During the summers, Brittany has studied at the American Ballet Theater in Alabama and Detroit, North Carolina School of the Arts, and, on scholarship, with Idyllwild, Kansas City Ballet, and the International Dance School. At IU, Balthrop has performed in The Nutcracker, Winds from the South, Paquita, and Manon.

Ava Chatterson (“Stepsister,” March 24 mat.) trained at the Flint School of Performing Arts for thirteen years, six of which she performed with the Flint Youth Ballet. Chatterson attended the Joffrey Midwest Workshop (on scholarship), the Orlando Ballet School Summer Intensive, and performed in Austria at the Young Tanzsommer Festival with the Flint Youth Ballet. A sophomore, Chatterson has performed as a Soloist in Napoli Divertissements (Spring Ballet 2006), as well as in Winds from the South, The Final Pointe, Paquita, The Nutcracker, and Manon.

Lauren Collier (“Godmother”) is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Kinesiology. She began her ballet training in Oklahoma City and continued with many schools, including the Harid Conservatory, School of Alberta Ballet, and the National Ballet School of Canada. Summer studies include scholarships at the Tulsa Ballet Summer Workshop and the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Collier is the recipient of the School of Music Dean’s Award and Kenneth C. Whitener Award. She is also a member of Huttons Honors College, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and Kappa Alpha Theta Women’s Fraternity. Featured roles with IUBT include Lead in Glassworks (Fall Ballet 2004), Dewdrop Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker (2005), Lead in Winds from the South (World Premiere), Soloist in Napoli Divertissements, and Soloist in Screemin’ Meemies.

Benjamin Delony (“Ballet Master,” March 24 mat.; “Dragonfly,” March 23, March 24 eve. ; “Jester,” March 24 mat.), a native of Baton Rouge, LA, began his training with Marianne Hebert and Madalyn Montegudo before dancing extensively with the Baton Rouge Ballet Theater. He has attended summer ballet intensives at Ballet Austin and the Harid Conservatory and has also had his original choreography performed by Baton Rouge Ballet Theater. In 2006, he was offered a position as a trainee with Nashville Ballet and was the recipient of an honor award from masterteacher John Magnus at Regional Dance America’s Southeastern Festival. A freshman, Delony has been featured as a Soloist in Screemin’ Meemies and as Fritz and “Spanish” in The Nutcracker.

Lauren Fadeley (“Cinderella,” March 24 mat.; The Fairy of “Autumn,” March 23) was born in Orlando, FL, where she began her dance training at the age of four. At fifteen, she moved to NYC to study at the School of American Ballet on scholarship. A year later, she was asked to join the New York City Ballet, where she performed various ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and original works by Christopher Wheeldon. After dancing with the company for two years, Fadeley chose to pursue higher education and is now a senior, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Exercise Science. Since joining IUBT, Lauren has performed leading roles in Serenade, Sonatine, Cinderella, Winds from the South, Spring Waters, Who Cares?, Allegro Brillante, Fire of Life, Screemin’ Meemies, and The Nutcracker. Her honors include being a regional title winner at the Youth America Grand Prix and a member of the corps de Natalie for Natalie dancewear.

Tony Flannigan (Principal of “Spain”) trained at the Judith Svalander School of Ballet, prior to attending the prestigious Rick School on full scholarship. He also attended the summer program at Ballet Austin on full scholarship. A sophomore pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Business and a Minor in Spanish, Tony has performed in Fire of Life (World Premiere), Napoli Divertissements, The Final Pointe (World Premiere), and The Nutcracker while with IUBT.

Caitlin Griffey (“Cricket,” March 23 & March 24 eve.; Principal of “Spain,” March 23 & March 24 eve.) is from Baltimore, MA, where she began her training at Towson University Children’s Dance Division and, later, The Baltimore School for the Arts under Norma Pera. She has attended a number of respected summer programs including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet ( New York), and the Houston Ballet. Griffey danced as an apprentice with the Charleston Ballet Theater for a year prior to attending Indiana University, where she will complete a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Psychology in May.

Emily Grimshaw (Principal of “The Orient,” March 24 mat.) is a sophomore ballet major pursuing an outside field in Pre-Veterinary Medicine. She trained under Tanja Tuzer at Tuzer Dancenter in Richardson, TX, and with the Kirov Academy in Washington, DC. She also participated in the Bartholin International Ballet Seminar in Copenhagen, Denmark for two years, for the second, as one of five dancers given full scholarship. Her distinctions include a merit scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music, the Fred Kelley Scholarship from the Dallas Dance Council, and membership in the Hutton Honors College, Delta Gamma Women’s Fraternity, Phi Eta Sigma, and Alpha Lambda Honors Societies. While at IU, Grimshaw has performed as a Soloist in Fire of Life, Arabian in The Nutcracker, Winds from the South, Screemin’ Meemies, and participated in a Master Class with Violette Verdy.

Adrienne Howard (Principal of “The Orient,” March 23 & March 24 eve.), a New Jersey native, is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Nutrition Science. She began her dance training at the age of four, studying at several institutions on scholarship. Summer programs include intensives with The Rock School and American Ballet Theatre in New York, where she was most recently hired as an intern for the summer of 2006. At IU, she is an active member of the Hudson and Holland Scholarship Program, Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, in addition to being an instructor for the University’s Pre-College Ballet Program for three years. Since joining IUBT, she has performed in Serenade, Glassworks, Cinderella (2005), The Final Pointe, Napoli Divertissements, Screemin’ Meemies and, most recently, The Nutcracker, where she was featured in the Arabian Divertissement.

Whitney Huell (“Stepsister,” March 23 & March 24 eve; The Fairy of “Autumn,” March 24 mat & eve) trained at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities under the instruction of Stanislav Issaev and Robert Barnett. She has attended summer programs with the Boston Ballet and the Dance Theatre of Harlem (full scholarship). Huell competed in the Youth America Grand Prix Regional Competition and was awarded second place in the Classical Senior Division. Proceeding to the national level, she was awarded an Honorable Mention. She is a member of the Hutton Honors College, Phi Eta Sigma, NSCS, and a 2006 recipient of the Burnett-Masters Scholarship. Huell, who is pursing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Psychology, has been featured as Lead Flower and Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, Soloist in Napoli Divertissements, and as a Soloist in Screemin’ Meemies.

Lucia Jimenez (The Fairy of “Winter,” March 23 & March 24 eve.), born in Bogotá, Colombia, began studying ballet after her family settled in south Florida. She trained with Magda Auñon until receiving acceptance into the Harid Conservatory in 2001. Additionally, she has attended summer programs with Chautauqua, Harid, and Georgia Youth Ballet. Jimenez, a junior ballet major and IU Faculty Award recipient, plans to pursue a career in public relations.

Stephanie Lampe (“Stepsister,” March 23 & March 24 eve.) is a senior honors student pursuing dual degrees in Ballet Performance and Mathematics, with a minor in Modern Dance. Prior to attending IU, Lampe graduated with honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy and completed summer study on scholarship at BalletMet Columbus, NYSSSA, and the School of American Ballet. She was awarded first place in the 2006 and 2007 regional National Arts and Letters competition, and represented the local chapter in the National Competition in Jacksonville, FL, in May. While at IU, Lampe has performed as the Stepmother and Stepsister in Cinderella (Spring Ballet 2005), Lead Mirliton and Lead Flower in The Nutcracker (2003-2006), Lead in the Napoli Divertissements Tarantella (Spring Ballet 2006), in the Paquita (Spring Ballet 2006) Pas de Trois, Soloist in Fire of Life (Fall Ballet 2006), and in many other ballets, operas, and modern dance shows. She also serves as an instructor and ballet mistress for the IU Pre-College Ballet Program.

David Joel Levy (“The Prince,” March 24 mat.), a native of Washington, DC, has returned to IU after performing for the 2004-2005 season with the Sacramento Ballet, where, as a corps member, he performed both corps and soloist roles. With IUBT, Levy has been featured as Soloist or Principal in Serenade, The Four Temperments, Rite of Spring, Voices of the Last Seal, Hymning Slews, Swan Lake,Fire of Life, and as the Prince, Cavalier, Snow King, and many of the divertissements in The Nutcracker.

Sandhurst Miggins (Principal of “The Orient”), a native of Trinidad and Tobago, began his ballet training at the age of 17 at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Upon graduating high school, Miggins enrolled at Butler University, where he had the opportunity to perform in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as in a joint presentation with the National Ballet School of Poland in Warsaw, Poland. In 2005, he attended the Rock School for Dance Education’s summer intensive and was later invited to enroll in the program on full scholarship for the 2005-2066 school year. Miggins is currently in his sophomore year at IU and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet, with an Outside Field in Legal Studies and an Anthropology Minor.

Joseph Morrissey (“The Prince,” March 23 & March 24 eve.) trained with the Boston Ballet School and the Harid Conservatory before returning to the Boston Ballet Company for the 2001-2002 season. An alumnus of the Jacobs School of Music (2005), Morrissey spent the past season dancing with the Charleston Ballet Theatre and studied this past summer with the School of Ballet at Jacob’s Pillow. In addition, he has recently choreographed for the first annual Ensemble Ballet d’Adriatico summer festival in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Morrissey is currently pursuing his personal and artistic goals through enrollment in the Arts Administration graduate program at Indiana University.

Christopher B. Nachtrab (“Ballet Master,” March 23 & March 24 eve.; “Jester,” March 23 & March 24 eve.) began his dance training under the guidance of his mother in his native New York. Currently, he is dancing with the Richmond Ballet, the state ballet of Virginia, after graduating magna cum laude from Indiana University, with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Comparative Literature in May 2006. Nachtrab has many fond memories of performing soloist roles with IUBT, such as Cavalier, Herr Drosselmeyer, and the Snow King in The Nutcracker, Gold in Sleeping Beauty, Act III, and as Dragonfly, Dance Master and the Jester in the première of Cinderella; as well as in Who Cares?, Napoli, Spring Waters, Viva Vivaldi!, and Serenade. His many honors include holding the position of ballet representative for the department, the Robert Sullivan Award, the Marjorie Borkenstein Memorial Award, and the Kenneth C. Whitener Scholarship of Ballet Excellence. Although in his first season with the Richmond Ballet, Nachtrab has been featured as a soloist in Dark Hugs Me Hard (World Premiere), Harlequin, Spanish, Russian and the Dancing Bear in The Nutcracker and, most recently, as Sancho Panza in the Nicolas Beriozaff staging of Don Quixote. This April, Nachtrab will perform Carmina burana at the Joyce Theatre in New York City during the John Butler Foundation Festival.

Tom Penman (“Dragonfly,” March 24 mat.) graduated from the ballet department of Walnut Hill School in 2005. His summer intensives include Alvin Ailey, Harid Conservatory, San Francisco Ballet, and Juilliard, with additional training at Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School and the Harid Conservatory. Penman has been featured as a Soloist in Napoli Divertissements (Spring Ballet 2006) and Fire of Life (Fall Ballet 2006), as well as performing Fritz, the Prince, and “Chinese” in The Nutcracker (2005, 2006).

Demetria Schioldager (“Stepsister,” March 24 mat.) studied at the Westside School of Ballet, CA. She received additional training, on scholarship, from many prominent summer programs, including American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. A freshman, Demetria has performed in The Nutcracker and IUOT’s Don Giovanni.

Jessica Schroeder (The Fairy of “Winter,” March 24 mat.), a native of Ohio, is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Nutrition Science. She trained at the Christine Meneer School of Dance and was a member of Children’s Ballet Theatre for ten years, having been a featured guest artist for their annual Nutcracker. Schroeder received summer intensive training from The Harid Conservatory and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, among others, and is the recipient of the IU Faculty Academic and Hudson Holland Scholarships. Schroeder is a certified Pilates instructor and, upon graduation, will be dancing with Ballet Theatre of Ohio. Jessica has performed in numerous IUBT productions, lately Allegro Brillante, Fire of Life, and Screemin’ Meemies, and as the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker.

Kate Schroeder (The Fairy of “Summer,” March 24 mat.) , a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Psychology, trained with Sally Streets at the Berkeley Ballet Theater and attended summer programs at San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. In addition to her participation in IUBT, Schroeder is a member of the National Collegiate Honors Society and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Grace Schwartz (The Fairy of “Spring;” Principal of “ Spain,” March 24 mat.) was born in Baltimore, MD, where she trained at the Baltimore School for the Arts. Summer programs attended include Houston Ballet Academy, Joffrey Ballet (NYC), and American Ballet Theatre (NYC). Prior to attending IU, Grace danced as an apprentice with Charleston Ballet Theatre in Charleston, SC. Since joining IUBT, she performed principal roles in Jacques Cesbron’s Sonata in B Minor, Passages, Screemin’ Meemies, and Lead Flower in The Nutcracker.

Elaine Sinclair (The Fairy of “Summer,” March 23 & March 24 eve.) is a junior ballet major pursuing an outside field in biology with a minor in chemistry. A native of Richmond, VA, Sinclair studied at the Richmond Ballet for eleven years, her final year as a trainee. She attended summer programs at the Richmond Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre (NYC), and the Harid Conservatory. A former high school valedictorian, she continues to distinguish herself academically and is a member of the Hutton Honors College and Phi Eta Sigma National Honors Society. Sinclair was a featured Soloist in Cathedral (Fall Ballet 2006) and the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker (2006). She has also been seen on stage in Glassworks, Cinderella, Winds from the South, The Final Pointe, Napoli Divertissements, and Paquita.

Catherine Wolfson (“Cinderella,” March 23 & March 24 eve.), an Indiana native, trained with the Southold Dance Theater and attended summer programs with the American Ballet Theatre and the School of American Ballet, among others. She is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance, with an Outside Field in Psychology. While with IUBT, Wolfson has performed as Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker (2003-2006), Puss ‘n Boots in Sleeping Beauty (Spring Ballet 2004), the Winter Fairy in Cinderella (Spring Ballet 2005), Soloist in the world première of Winds from the South (Fall Ballet 2005), among others. Wolfson’s honors include a nomination for the Princess Grace Award in 2001, membership in Hutton Honors College and the Golden Key International Honor Society, and placing in the 2007 regional National Society of Arts and Letters competition.