During the summer the major metropolitan studios are over-crowded.  Burklyn Ballet Theatre gives the master teachers from these programs a chance to teach in the quiet beauty of Vermont.  Burklyn affords our students a chance to learn from world-renowned teachers on a personal level.  Our teachers are chosen for their many different talents, including their professional experiences, fine technique, choreographic voices and innate knowledge of the traditional classical works. Our Master Teachers rotate weekly allowing our students to work with each member of our faculty. We also offer one-day master classes with well-known professional dancers and teachers.

John Gardner & Amanda McKerrow

John Gardner has distinguished himself in two major dance companies, American Ballet Theatre and White Oak Dance Project. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1978 and was promoted to the rank of Soloist in 1984. Gardner’s diverse repertoire at ABT included numerous Soloist and Principal roles which afforded him the opportunity to work with many of the master choreographers of the 20th century. Gardner was invited to join the White Oak Dance project in 1991, dancing many new and pre-existing works by choreographers such as Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor, and David Gordon, as well as works by many other icons of modern dance including Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham. He currently serves as Répétiteur for the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust and as Director of the Antony Tudor Dance Studies. Together with his wife Amanda McKerrow, he stages many of the Tudor ballets around the world. During the course of his career, Gardner has achieved an excellent reputation as a Master Teacher and coach on both the professional and student levels, and for the last 20 years, has enjoyed teaching and directing workshops and intensives, while staging numerous works for ballet companies and universities in the United States and abroad. He is also the current Director of Repertoire at American Ballet Theatre.

Amanda McKerrow has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981. Since then, she has received numerous other awards, including the Princess Grace Dance Fellowship. She had the honor of training with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet and was a member of that company until she joined American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1982. McKerrow was appointed to the rank of Soloist with ABT in 1983 and became a Principal Dancer in 1987. With ABT, she danced leading roles in all the major full-length classics, as well as one-act repertory works including George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, and Antony Tudor’s Pillar of Fire. In addition, she has had numerous works created for her by many of the great choreographers of the 20th century. She has also appeared as a guest artist throughout the world. McKerrow is now the sole Trustee of the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust. McKerrow is in demand as a Master Teacher for both students and professional dancers and has enjoyed staging numerous other ballets for professional companies and universities both in the United States and abroad. She is also the current Director of Repertoire at American Ballet Theatre.

Ms. McKerrow and Mr. Gardner are married and currently stage works for the Anthony Tudor Ballet Trust.

Thom Clower 

Known as one of the most energetic and inspiring teachers across the country, Thom Clower served as Ballet Master for Dallas Ballet, Artistic Director of Ballet Dallas, Ballet Master for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Artistic Director of Yuma Ballet Theatre in Arizona.  Since 2001 Thom Clower has worked around the world as a freelance master teacher and choreographer. He has been a guest teacher at Broadway Dance Center, as Associate Ballet Master for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and serves annually as Ballet Master for Young Tanzsommer! in Austria.  He joined the faculty of Allegro Ballet of Houston in the fall of 2009.

Dylan Crossman 

Dylan Crossman grew up in the south of France, received his Bachelor’s degree from the Trinity/Laban College of Music and Dance in London and joined the Burklyn family in 2005. Dylan moved to New York in 2006 where he danced for various choreographers including Brian Brooks, Christopher Williams, Wally Cardona and Sean Cúrran. He became an understudy for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 2007, joined the main company in 2009 and was a part of the company’s final tour through 2012. As a freelancer, Dylan worked with Kimberly Bartosik/Daela, Sally Silvers, Ryan McNamara, and Pam Tanowitz Dance. He has been on faculty at the Cunningham Trust, SUNY Purchase, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Barnard College, Sarah Lawrence College and is currently a stager for the Cunningham Trust. Dylan is a two-time NYC Dance & performance  Bessie recipient. Dylan’s own company, Crossman Dans(c)e, looks at identity issues within the frame of formalism and the beauty in vulnerability. His work has been called “compellingly poetic” by the New York Times. He has received support from the Foundation for Contemporary Art, the Jerome Foundation, and The Yard. Dylan also works with children as well as adults, introducing them to Merce Cunningham’s creative ideas and philosophy. Kid Birds, an outreach project he was the teacher/ choreographer for won the 2014 French Cultural and Artistic Audacity Award. 

Back in school for a Masters in Cultural Leadership, Dylan also makes dance videos. Here is a commission by the Guggenheim Museum in NYC : WPA Virtual Commissions: “QUAND LE DANSEUR DANSE…” by Dylan Crossman – YouTube 

Currently a research assistant on a project looking at the working conditions of freelancers in the Netherlands, Dylan will return to France in the Fall of 2024 to be a researcher in residence at Le Grand T, a theater in Nantes (France). 

Ashley Elizabeth Daigle 

Ashley Elizabeth Daigle began her formal dance instruction in Manchester, Connecticut. Shortly after, Ashley chose to further her pre-professional studies at Goucher College where she received her BA in Dance and studied abroad at Taipei National University of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan.  She was fortunate enough to work with numerous guest artists such as: Nicolo Fonte, Susan Jaffe, Zippora Karz, Emery LeCrone, Nicholas Leichter, Nilas Martins, Gina Patterson, and Amy Seiwert. After graduation, she moved her dance roots to Chicago. During her time there, Ashley worked at the Lou Conte Dance Studio, taught at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Youth Division and was a student with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Scholarship Program. She was a featured Guest Artist with Ruth Page Civic Ballet. In 2019, Ashley received her MFA in Dance from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. In 2024, she had the honor of being a Visiting Professor in Dance at Wesleyan University.

Ashley is currently a Master Teacher at Burklyn Ballet Theatre and Faculty at Mile Square Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is Adjunct Faculty for New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Summer High School Program and a published author for Dance Magazine. She is a contemporary ballet choreographer whose current works focus on crafting a new landscape for gender accepted norms in ballet.

Julia Gleich 

Julia Gleich was trained at SAB and University of Utah, where she has also served as faculty. She was ballet mistress for Ballet West. Her choreography has received critical acclaim in the Village Voice and Dance Insider, and she is currently a guest artist with the Laban Centre in London, England.

Nicole Greene-Cramer 

Nicole Greene-Cramer is originally from Stormville, NY, where she began her dance training in all styles at local schools. She earned her BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. As a scholarship student in the Conservatory, Nicole danced works by George Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Matthew Neenan, Jessica Lang and premiered works by Claire Porter and Taryn Kashock Russell. In fall of 2013 Nicole attended the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under the tutelage of Ou Lu, Stella Lau and Zhao Min Hua. Upon graduation, Nicole joined Ballet Austin II where she performed works by George Balanchine, Thang Dao, Nick Kepley, Nelly van Bommel, Jennifer Hart, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, Septime Webre, and Stephen Mills. She then went on to dance for Ventana Ballet in Austin, TX. Her passion for educating dancers began when she was offered a teaching position at the Ballet Austin Academy in 2016. Since then, Nicole has taught at local dance schools in Texas, New York, Vermont, and Virginia and at summer programs for Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, and The Washington School of Ballet.

Nicole is a recent graduate of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England, where she earned an MFA with distinction in dance science. Her research focused on correlations between balance duration and biomechanical variables during ballet specific movements. She currently teaches ballet in Northern Virginia, working toward her goal of ensuring students of all ages know how to use their bodies in ballet class safely and expansively so that this beautiful art form can continue to be performed while keeping dancers physically and mentally healthy.

Oliver Greene-Cramer 

Oliver Greene-Cramer was raised in southern Vermont where he received his early training at the Brattleboro School of Dance and Burklyn Ballet Theatre. He obtained his BFA in 2013 from the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Currently with Twyla Tharp Dance, Oliver has previously been a member of Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Ballet Austin, and Los Angeles Dance Project. In his career Oliver has performed works by Twyla Tharp, Pam Tanowitz, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Lar Lubovitch, Pontus Lidberg, Christopher Wheeldon, George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Anthony Tudor, Stephen Mills, Benjamin Millepied, Septime Webre, Salia Sanou, Thang Dao, Janie Taylor, Dimitri Chamblas, and others. Additionally, he has had the privilege of performing in such festivals as Jacob’s Pillow (2019), Danza in Arte a Pietrasanta (2017), and Vail Dance Festival (2023). Oliver has also performed in works by artists Rodney McMillian (2018 – Against a Civic Death), Jack Ferver (2019 – Mon Ma Mes), and Madeline Hollander (2023 – Devotion).

Maria Konrad

Maria A. Konrad graduated from the A.W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in West Palm Beach and holds a BFA in Performing Arts from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her work Maestro was commissioned for the Mariinsky under the direction of Yuri Fateev. She was commissioned to set two works for the 2022 and 2023 International Nervi Festival in Italy which featured dancers from ABT Studio Company and Adji Cissisko (LINES) with the music of Karen LeFrak. Her work has been presented by Oklahoma City Ballet 2, Nashville Ballet 2, and the main company for Kansas City Ballet’s New Moves series. 

She spent three seasons with Philadelphia Ballet 2  for Dear Charlie, a world premiere of PHrentetic, which was a collaborative project with Mural Arts Society and Philadelphia musicians, and Behind the Stage Door with The Big Picture Society. Ms. Konrad’s choreography has been presented nationally at the Spoleto Festival, The Fringe Festival, Miami Dade Cultural Center, The Kravis Center, Next Generation Ballet and has collaborated with artistic organizations such as Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Pops and Oklahoma Philharmonic. She choreographed Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Aida for Opera Tampa.  

She was recognized by Youth America Grand Prix for “Outstanding Choreography”(2015, 2017) and ADCIBC Finals (2021). She received “Outstanding Choreographer” recognition for her body of work at the YAGP 2022 International Finals presented by POINTE magazine. She has been a guest teacher for institutions such as The Colorado Ballet School, Nashville Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, The Joffrey (Chicago), University of the Arts,  The Art of Classical Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, St. Paul’s School, Burklyn Ballet,  Florida Dance Festival, and Youth America Grand Prix. She has worked at both The Harid Conservatory and A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She served on the 2018 faculty at The International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a judge and Master Teacher for YAGP. She serves as resident choreographer with The Next Generation Ballet (Dir. Philip Neal). She was a co-founder of Florida School for Dance Education. She has been a guest instructor for the fitness line Eleven with Venus Williams. She also hosts the series Barre Talk for So’Danca on YouTube where she chats, laughs, and loves with some of the biggest names in dance. 

Mary Ann Mayer

Ms. Mayer is from Providence, Rhode Island where she received extensive ballet training under the direction of Herci and Myles Marsden, Anton Dolon, Christine Hennessey, Winthrop Corey and Lydia Petine. Ms. Mayer was a founding member of Festival Ballet Providence. While performing with Festival Ballet, she earned a BA in Biology and Psychology from the University of Rhode Island.  

From 1991 to 1996 she served as Ballet Mistress, teacher and choreographer at the Performing Arts  

School of Worcester. Later, she became Acting Director of Dance. In 1998, she returned to Festival Ballet Providence as a faculty member and Assistant to the Faculty Chairman. In 2004, Ms. Mayer was named Festival Ballet Providence’s School Director.  

Following a long tenure at Festival Ballet Providence Ms. Mayer joined the faculty at The University of Hartford, Hartt School Community Division Dance Department where she trained and coached young dancers. At the Hartt School, Ms. Mayer collaborated with composers and artistic staff in creating new choreographic works.  

Ms. Mayer is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma where she earned an MFA in Dance with a concentration in Ballet as well as a certificate in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship. At the University of Oklahoma, she presented original works in the School of Dance as well as in collaboration with the School of Music. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Ann Lacy School of Dance and Entertainment where she is teaching ballet, pointe, dance history, and mentoring students in the pedagogy laboratory. Her continued interest in collaboration and choreography persists at Oklahoma City University where she has worked with the School of Music to create original choreography for the opera Hansel & Gretel.  

Peter LeBreton Merz

Peter LeBreton Merz is known as a master teacher of ballet for his enthusiastic and encouraging approach to ballet training. He is the Director of Regional Tours for the American Dance Competition (www.adcibc.com). Former students of his are currently dancing in companies across the world, including Ballet West, LINES Ballet, The Bayerische Staatsballet, Kansas City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theater.  He has choreographed over 40 original ballets across the USA and internationally.  His award-winning choreography relies heavily on his background in classical ballet, but is informed by his passion for contemporary dance forms. As a performer he worked with the Dayton Ballet, the Louisville Ballet and the Cincinnati Ballet. In 2002, he served as the Artistic Administrator for the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. In 2004, he joined the faculty of Point Park, where he was an associate professor of dance and Head of Ballet.  He was the director of Ballet West Academy from 2015-2020, overseeing that Academy’s growth to four campuses and over 800 students.  He has served as a judge and Master Teacher for Youth America Grand Prix, the American Dance Competition, the American Ballet Competition, and many other organizations.   He has twice been named Outstanding Choreographer by the Youth America Grand Prix, and was also honored to be named Outstanding Teacher by that organization in 2014.  He holds a BFA in Theater Design and Production from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and an MBA in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management from Point Park University.   

Robert Mills 

Robert Mills, an American dancer, educator, choreographer, and director, is celebrated for his boundless artistic inspiration and visionary leadership, which has invigorated numerous organizations.  

Hailing from Northwest Indiana near Chicago, Robert trained under esteemed mentors such as Richard Ellis and Christine DuBoulay from London’s Royal Ballet, Larry Long at the Ruth Page Foundation, and the renowned pedagogue Anna Paskevska. He honed his skills further at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. For over fifteen years, he graced the stages of seven premier ballet companies across the United States, including Milwaukee Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Ballet Idaho and Kansas City Ballet. 

His most recent tenure as artistic director of Oklahoma City Ballet spanned fourteen years, during which the company underwent remarkable growth. Under his guidance, the organization’s budget quadrupled, and the ensemble expanded from 14 to 27 professional dancers. The repertoire flourished as well, showcasing works by esteemed choreographers like George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato, Agnes DeMille, and Jiri Kylian.  The transformation earned accolades from the Oklahoman newspaper, praising the company’s evolution into a vibrant and powerful force in the dance world. In recognition of his contributions, Robert received the Governor’s Arts Award from the state of Oklahoma in 2018. 

A prolific choreographer, Robert has crafted over 25 original works, ranging from short repertory pieces to full-length productions like “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Little Mermaid.” His work has been staged across the United States and in 2017 he was selected to participate in the National Choreographers Initiative in Southern California. 

Prior to his role at Oklahoma City Ballet, Robert served as artistic director of Ballet Nouveau Colorado in Denver, where his transformative leadership earned acclaim from the Denver Post, solidifying the company’s position as a dance powerhouse in Colorado. Today, the legacy of Ballet Nouveau Colorado lives on through Wonderbound and the Colorado Conservatory of Dance. 

A distinguished alumnus of Burklyn Ballet Theatre and now a BBT Master Teacher, Robert is highly sought-after as a dance educator. His teaching career spans companies, schools, universities, and summer programs worldwide, nurturing talent that has graced stages with renowned ensembles like American Ballet Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Parsons Dance among others.     

Jonathan Tabbert 

Mr. Tabbert began his dance training at the Dayton Ballet School and then received a scholarship to study at The Harid Conservatory, where he was awarded a number of dance honors. In 1999 Jonathan completed his training at the School of the Hartford Ballet with supplemental training from the Houston Ballet Academy and American Ballet Theatre.

Jonathan had an illustrious performance career as a principal dancer with the Charleston Ballet Theatre as well as being a guest artist for Ballet Spartanburg, North Carolina State Ballet and the Greenville Ballet. After twelve years of being a valued staff member of the Charleston Ballet School he founded and directed their youth company. He also held the title of company teacher and guest choreographer. His choreography became a staple in the repertoire as well as receiving a performance grant from the Harkness Foundation for his ballet “Jubilee”. Other credits include recipient of the South Carolina Choreographic Fellowship 2018, Guest Teacher and/or Choreographer for the Gem City Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre, Burklyn Ballet Theatre and The Charleston County School of the Arts.  Jonathan is the founding Artistic Director of Palmetto City Ballet and Co-Founder/Director of the Palmetto City Ballet School.

Sarah Tallman 

A native of Colorado, Sarah began her formal training under Deb Larson, followed by Cherie Noble, Lizanne McAdams-Graham, Arthur Leeth, and Jeffrey Rockland. Under the tutelage of Karen Genoff-Campbell and Sandra Minton, Sarah received a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of Northern Colorado.

Sarah spent 15 of her 22-year performing career with Wonderbound where she had the pleasure of dancing in over 45 original works by Artistic Director, Garrett Ammon. She has performed alongside musicians, poets, mentalists, and visual artists. Additionally, Sarah was featured in world premiere works by Ma Cong, Jennifer Hart, Mark Godden, Alex Ketley, Maurya Kerr, Robert Mills, Amy Seiwert, LeeWei Chao and danced as a principal artist with Central City Opera.

An accomplished choreographer, she has created several works for Wonderbound, as well as original works for Oklahoma City Ballet, Boulder Ballet, Nashville Ballet II, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Western Arkansas Ballet, University of Northern Colorado, Kent State University, Perry Mansfield Performing Arts and Denver School of the Arts. Sarah was the 2015 recipient of the National Choreographers Initiative.

The simple things that make Sarah smile include twinkling lights, and the color orange.

Jen Turey 

Jen Turey’s professional performing experience includes the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular as a Rockette, touring throughout the US, Canada and Europe with the Broadway National and International tours of 42nd Street, Crazy for You and The Will Rogers Follies and regionally at Northshore Music Theatre, The Cape Playhouse, Westchester Broadway Theatre, The Reagle Players and The Shubert Theatre in New Haven, CT. Her professional choreography career has brought her to the Weston Playhouse, Merry-Go-Round Playhouse (REV), The Reagle Players, Richter Park and WCSU where she is also an adjunct professor. Jen also holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts with an Acting concentration from Hunter College, an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, and is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. She has taught at Broadway Dance Center, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Dance Teacher United, Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet, Connecticut Dance Conservatory and Dance Etc, School for Performing Arts, Inc. in Newtown, Connecticut where she was also the artistic director and owner for 23 years. Jen adjudicates dance competitions all over the country and is also a certified Progressing Ballet Technique, Rhythm Works, and Acrobatic Arts instructor.

Helen Starr 

Helen Starr was born and trained in Great Britain and graduated into the Royal Ballet as a soloist and as assistant ballet mistress. She joined the London Festival Ballet as a principal and has danced in 36 countries in 5 continents. She is an Associate Director of Louisville Ballet and is internationally acclaimed for her fine coaching ability.

Arthur Leeth 

Arthur Leeth graduated from Butler University before moving to New York to study at SAB and at the school of ABT. In 1976 he joined Boston Ballet where he danced for 13 years before becoming the Company’s ballet master and music librarian. He has been a master teacher at Burklyn Ballet Theatre since 1980.

Alun Jones 

Alun Jones trained with Ballet Lambert, in London, before joining the London Festival Ballet. He was appointed artistic director of the Louisville Ballet in 1978. He brought an outstanding repertoire to the company including works by Ashton, Balanchine, Cranko, Loring, Tudor as well as all the main classics.

Each year Burklyn Ballet Theatre endeavors to offer one-day master classes with well-known dancers and teachers.  Past guest teachers include:

• David Howard, Royal Ballet
• Ethan Stiefel, Principal Dancer American Ballet Theatre
• Gillian Murphy, Principal Dancer American Ballet Theatre
• Robert Barnett, New York City Ballet Dancer / Atlanta Ballet Founder