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BELLY DANCING

Sports Ballet

Ohio Youth Ballet Alumni

KALEB BAKER:  Currently with Pittsburg Ballet.

ANGELA IRION: Gradurated with a  Marketing major from Miami Universit, Oxford Ohio. She is now employeed by Protor & Gamble. She started ballet at the age of 4 and trained with Ohio Youth Ballet  for 7 years. Angela contrubutes her success to the fact she did not have just one teacher while with OYB but was able to learn from many talented professional instructors. Her favorite summers were spent in New York City at American Ballet Theater’s Summer Intensive, where she trained for two summers. In 2002, Angela placed in the top twelve at the YAGP Sr. Division Regional Philadelphia Ballet Competition. The following year she received 3rd place in both classical and contemporary ballet at YAPG’s Sr. Division Regional Chicago Ballet Competition. Angela enjoyed performing the role of ‘Tea’ in the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Nutcracker in both 2002 and 2003. She has a passion for dancing and teaching. At Miami Unviversity, she is the technique Captain of the Miami Shakerette Dance Team and has also started a student run ballet program. Angela spent the summer of 2006 studying in Central Europe and India, and summer of 2007 working on an Internship with Foot Locker in London. 

TIFFANY LINC: began serious ballet training at the age of 14 at Canton Ballet, where she danced for one and a half years. She danced with Ohio Youth Ballet for two years. She studied at summer intensives with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and American Ballet Theater in Austin and New York, and she studied ballet for two weeks in Havana, Cuba. She competed as a solo and ensemble dancer in both Chicago and New York City at the Youth American Grand Prix Ballet Competition. Her professional experience includes appearances as a guest artist in Peoria Ballet’s Giselle, and in Indianapolis Opera’s production of The Pearl Fishers. Tiffany is currently a junior at Butler University where she is studying Dance Performance and Psychology. She is attending Butler on both academic and dance scholarships and is a member of the dance department’s honor society. At Butler, she has had the opportunity to study dance in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Taipei, Taiwan. Upon her graduation, Tiffany hopes to dance professionally in a ballet or modern company.

HEATHER MIHAL: began dancing at the age of 6 at the Vivian Munson Dance Studio. She then began going to Canton Ballet at age 10 and performed in many ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Peter and the Wolf, Dracula, and other selective repertoire. Heather began dancing with the Ohio Youth Ballet in 2001. Under Inna Stabrova,
Heather felt she was turned into the best dancer she could possibly be. While dancing with OYB, Heather traveled to Chicago and New York City in the ensemble division of the Youth America Grand Prix. She has been accepted to summer intensives with ABT, BalletMet, and School of American Ballet. While in high school, Heather was also very active in the musical department as a percussionist. She was selected to be in the Honors Symphonic Band at the University of Akron and tested as gifted and talented. She won many awards including student of the year at Zampino's Drum Shop. She believes that studying music is very important for a dancer. Heather is currently studying business and dance at the University of Akron with hopes to work with the arts one day.

KATIE MULLIGAN: started dancing in 7^th grade at Canton Ballet. There, she enjoyed participating n ballets such as Peter and the Wolf, The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. She had the privilege of experiencing dance camp at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s five-week summer intensive. During her sophomore year of high school she decided to study with the Ohio Youth Ballet, with instuctors such as Inna Stabrova and Dmitry Tuboltsev. There, she had the opportunity to dance roles such as the ‘Cat’ in Sleeping Beauty and the Pas de Deux in Le Corsaire. As a member of The Ohio Youth Ballet she was also involved in various jazz and modern pieces. After graduation, she attended Wake Forest University where she took dance classes and was a member of the Wake Forest Dance Company. Her favorite experience at Wake Forest was playing the role of ‘dance captain’ in the spring musical “Kiss me, Kate.” Katie will be a junior at UNC Chapel Hill, this year, where she also hopes to become involved dance.

MARA SCHWENDIMAN: (Maiden name Mara George), was born in Akron, Ohio. She has taught at various dance schools including Turning Pointe School of Dance, the Ohio Youth Ballet (as Artistic Director), and Natalie’s Dance Company. Mara most recently danced for two years in Denver with the Colorado Ballet. During the summer of 2003, she was invited to dance with Artisan Dance Theatre in Montana under the direction of Sallyann Mulcahy and Arnold Spohr. She had the opportunity to dance with Laura Alonso’s company, Central Pro Danza, in Cuba in the summer of 2002. Mara graduated with a B.A. from The University of Akron in May 2002. She is currently teaching for Living Fountain Dance Company.

SETH STEWART: received a portion of his ballet training from Ohio Youth Ballet, Seth has recently performed as a feature dancer in Madonna’s Re-Invention tour. He also appears in the video, Me Against the Music, with both Madonna and Britney Spears. Seth attended the Alvin Ailey School in New York City. Seth has also danced in Sweet Charity, on Broadway. Seth just released his own Hip Hop training video that can be purchased from Discount Dance.  He is active in the performing arts world.

Ashanti Murdock: Freshman at Ohio State University, Dance Major

Laura Reed:  Kent State University: (Musical Theatre/Fashon Design)

Molly Weidig: Musical Theatre Michigan State University

Sara Stone: Akron University

KERRY KOZLOWSKI: Loyola of Chicago

SARA GAYDASH: Dancing at Mannassas Ballet Theatre in MD.

GRACE HEILIEN: Engineering Student at University of Cinn.

LAURA  IRION: Sophmore at University of Michigan Musical Theatre. Summer of 2008 made her porfessional debut in the Musical Bye Bye Birdie (ensemble), Northshore Music Center, Boston MA

KATIE STARRETT: Sophmore at Denision University, OHIO - Member of Dance Program

LARA MANCINELLI: Gradurate Miami University

CHRISSY MURGIDA: Pursuing a dance career

MAGGIE MUIR: Dance Scholarship student at Wittenburg Univ. OHio 

SARAH DEVINE: Student of Fordham University, New York City

ERIC CARVIL: Former Member Ohio Ballet; Founder/Director of Nationa Dance Authority  Dance Competition

ANNE SCHILLING: Member of Peace Corp

LAUREN NULL: Graduate of Butler University

CHRISSY ORTIZ: Former Member Ballet Met; Daning Professionally

* OHIO YOUTH BALLET Alumni please send your updated bio information to: info@turningpointeschoolofdance.net

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