Louisville Academy of Dance

KRISTEN WENRICK: Director

    Kristen Wenrick received her training from the Boston Ballet School, the Chautauqua Dance Festival Company, the Milwaukee Ballet School, and North Carolina School of the Arts.  She performed with Eglevsky Ballet in New York City, the Milwaukee Ballet and as Principal Dancer with the Louisville Ballet.  Enticed by the world class repertoire of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and its Artistic Director, Patricia Wilde, Kristen took a position with PBT in 1993.  Ms. Wenrick danced with the company for nine years, rising to the rank of Principal Dancer.       Throughout her career, she has performed lead roles in the works of world renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Jiri Kylian, Hans van Manen, Paul Taylor, Marius Petipa, Ben Stevenson, Choo-San Goh, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Kevin O’Day, and Dwight Rhoden.  She has also had the opportunity to train with some of the world’s most influential teachers.                                                                                   Upon retiring from the stage in 2002, she turned whole-heartedly to the art of teaching.  Sought after as a teacher, coach, and choreographer by many ballet schools in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, she has been a full-time faculty member at Point Park University and is currently a Summer Intensive Faculty member at the nationally recognized Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.  Kristen’s most recent tenure was as the full-time Faculty member of the Louisville Ballet School.  While enjoying her time at LBS, she continually felt the urge to establish the training and performing experience she benefited from as a student at the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet in Northern Ohio.

RORY FOSTER: Ballet

   Rory Foster trained in Chicago, New York and London. He danced with American Ballet Theatre where he worked with some of the most influential and renowned choreographers of our time including Antony Tudor, Alvin Ailey, Agnes deMille, John Neumeier, and Eliot Feld. Mr. Foster later joined the New Orleans Ballet and Alexander Roy’s London Ballet Theatre.  He was appointed Ballet Master for the Chicago Ballet and Ballet Master and Choreographer for the New Orleans Ballet.
     Mr. Foster is a Certified Teacher in the ABT National Training Curriculum and is a Professor Emeritus of Dance at DePaul University (Chicago) where he held the rank of Professor and Dean of the Dance Conservatory in Barat College. He has taught extensively for ballet companies, universities, and professional conservatories both nationally and internationally and, he recently authored a new book entitled, Ballet Pedagogy, The Art of Teaching (University Press of Florida) with a foreword by David Howard.

ALEXIS ANTOLIC: Ballet 

   Alexis, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began her training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School under well- respected director David Holladay.  She continued her training through the Schenley and Graduate Programs performing many ballets with the company including Coppelia, La Sylphide, and Dracula.  Following high school, Alexis toured with PBT for corps de ballet roles in Swan Lake and the Nutcracker.   After leaving Pittsburgh, she performed with the Louisville Ballet for two seasons doing such ballets as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella.  Alexis is excited to join the faculty and share her love and passion for the arts with a new generation of dancers.

CLAIRE GREENLEE: Ballet 

   Originally from Atlanta, Claire studied with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Company, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Claire joined the Louisville Ballet in 1991 and danced numerous roles throughout her eleven seasons with the company. Her favorite roles include Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, Summer Fairy in Cinderella, Calliope in Apollo, and Waltz Girl in Serenade. Claire retired from the Louisville Ballet as a soloist in 2001.  Since that time she has taught ballet to children and adults throughout the region.  Claire is also a part time Pilates instructor teaching both mat work and equipment.

AMANDA KYLE LAHTI: Ballet

   Amanda Kyle Lahti’s early dance studies were with Oklahoma Indian Ballerina Moscelyne Larkin.  She earned her BFA in Ballet Performance from The University of Oklahoma, appearing with Oklahoma Festival Ballet ("Valse Fantasie", "Swan Lake", "Carmina Burana", "The Nutcracker"), Modern Repertory Dance Theatre ("Openings") and the Musical Theatre Department ("A Chorus Line").  Ms. Lahti has danced professionally with The Louisville Ballet and Broadway @ Iroquois/Music Theatre Louisville ("Cats", "West Side Story", "Beauty & The Beast").  She also has had the pleasure of performing with JCC Center Stage ("Children of Eden", "A Chorus Line", "La Cage aux Folles", "Grease", "Guys & Dolls", "Chicago").  Her other credits include: Discoveryland! outdoor theatre ("Oklahoma"), Tulsa Ballet ("Rhythmetron", "Nutcracker") and Tulsa Opera ("Aida", "The Merry Widow").  Amanda has taught and choreographed for numerous schools in the Louisville area.

THERESA BAUTISTA: Jazz and Tap 

    Theresa Bautista trained in both dance and musical theatre in Southern Indiana and Louisville, and earned her B.S. in Biology from Indiana University in Bloomington. She was a company member of the Kentucky Youth Dance Ensemble, Anna Sapoznikov’s MOYAMO DANCE, Gordon Dance Projects, jan street dance theatre and a soloist with Art! Art! Barking Dog Dance Company. Theresa created and continues to co-produce MOVING COLLECTIVE, an organization which presents the works of independent choreographers to bring greater awareness of contemporary dance to the Louisville Region. Her choreography for dance companies, studios, theatre troupes and dance teams have both won national awards and been presented at regional festivals. Theresa was the Associate Director of Courtney Weber School of Dance for six years and continues to teach at several dance studios and arts programs in the Southern Indiana and Louisville area, including the Kentucky Governor’s School For the Arts.

DONNA RICHARDS: Jazz and Tap

   Donna Richards is a graduate of the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts at UCLA with a BFA in dance performance. While living in New York she performed and traveled with various Broadway shows such as “Chicago,” “Cabaret,” “Sweet Charity,” “West Side Story,” “A Chorus Line,” and  many others.  Donna also taught for various dance studios in NYC, including the David Howard Studio, Steps, and the Broadway Dance Theater.  Donna currently teaches throughout Kentucky as well as guest teaches for various summer dance intensives throughout the United States. She is a member of the faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts.  In addition Donna is a freelance choreographer and has worked with Music Theatre  Louisville, Ursuline School for the Performing Arts, and various Kentucky high school productions.   She has also designed a KERA based dance program, “The Artist, The Athlete” which she uses in her artist in residence program. 

 
MARI-ELISE GATES: Tap 

   Mari-Elise Gates received her dance training from
University of Maryland and earned a double degree in Dance and English and an Honors citation.  While at Maryland, Mari-Elise had the opportunity to work with Brian Brooks, Alexander Gish, Lionel Popkin, Sara Pearson, Patrik Widrik, Amy Marshall Dance Company and Nejla Yatkin and also performed on the Millenium Stage at the Kennedy Center.  Mari-Elise taught tap classes and dance history courses at Maryland, and she had choreography presented in Maryland Dance Ensemble concerts and New Dances concerts. Mari-Elise currently performs with Moving Collective.  She also attends the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law and does public service work with an organization of volunteer lawyers for the arts.

ALAN LOMMASSON: Modern

   Alan Lommasson has been teaching, choreographing, and performing since 1980 and was one of the founding directors of Art! Art! Barking Dog Dance Company.  The recipient of numerous choreographic awards and commissions, including a 1997 AL Smith Fellowship in Choreography, his work has been presented in fifteen states nationwide.  Alan recently received a 2007 Professional Assistance Award from the Kentucky Commerce Cabinet Kentucky Arts Council.  He holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois and an MFA in Choreography and Performance from the University of Michigan, as well as being a Certified Movement Analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York City.  Alan has served on the faculties of Colorado College, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and Interlochen's National Music Camp.  Alan's biggest inspiration and support has always come from his wife, dance partner, and creative muse of 27 years, Lynn Slaughter, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Ursuline School for the Performing Arts.