JENNIFER “Jen” CLEATON - JAZZ, MUSICAL THEATER & TAP - This is my 21st season as a teacher at FBC and I am celebrating my 14 year anniversary on November 1st as owner and Director. I received my B.A. Cum Laude from Virginia Commonwealth University. I performed at Paramounts’ Kings Dominion for four years and choreographed two shows which were performed in conjunction with the USO. I taught dance at the West End Academy of Dance in Richmond and taught creative movement and dance to local Richmond children through the YMCA. I have continued my educational training by attending various workshops with such teachers as Tremaine, Doug Varone, Doug Nielsen, Gus Solomen Jr., Dianne McIntyre, Ron Brown, Susan Kicuchi (Martha Graham Company), Richmond Ballet and more. I have two daughters of my own, a rising 6th grader and a rising 4th grader whom share my love of dance.
VICTORIA EDWARDS - TAP & JAZZ - Ms Edwards graduated from High School and FBC where she danced for 13 years last year. In the Fall, she will be attending Germana to receive her undergraduate degree. Ms Edwards was an office assistant and substitute teacher at FBC where she studied all styles of dance, Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Musical Theater. She was also a member of the Senior Company dancing such roles as Mirliton and Midnight Fairy in “The Nutcracker” and performing in our annual Spring Ballet’s; “Swan Lake,” “Cinderella,” “Midsummer’s Night Dream,” “Sleeping Beauty.”
JENNIFER “Jenny” CHAMBERS - DRAMA - Ms Chambers is a Professional actress and dancer with background in both theater and television. She taught theater arts to pre-professional children and young adults at full time theater schools and colleges in England. Her specialty classes taught in all aspects of drama to include improvisation, scene construction, audition preparation and period movement. Ms Chambers is experienced in ballet, modern dance, tap and body conditioning classes at all levels to advanced. Her dance and drama training is under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, (RAD), the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, the London College of Music and Dramatic Art, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Guildhall School of Music and Dramatic Art. She is a member of the Florida Writer’s Association, The Bronte Society and the National Writer’s Union. Under the pseudonym, Guinevere Edern, Jenny’s first novel, “Among Other Edens,” was published in April 2010 and is the first in the paranormal Evie and Taliesin Chronicles. The sequel, “Strange Heaven” is set to follow in 2011. We welcome Ms Chambers to FBC all the way from Jolly olde England.
KRISTIN GAUTA - COMPETITION TEAM - We welcome Ms Gauta back to the FBC staff for her 5th year. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology in 2010 and a Masters of Science in Elementary Education in 2011. She was on the UMW Dance Team as well as the President of the Performing Arts Club. Ms Gauta has been dancing for 16 years with training in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Hip-Hop. She was a substitute teacher at her studio in New Jersey, the Jazz RockBallet Studio, and is a kindergarten teacher in Arlington, Virginia.
AMY HABEL - IRISH STEP - Mrs. Habel is a former student of 17 years and has been an instructor at FBC since 2001. She danced at FBC for 17 years where she studied a variety of dance styles including: ballet, tap, jazz, musical theatre, & hip-hop. She also performed for 4 years in the studio’s Senior Dance Company. In 2000, she decided to focus her dance training specifically on Irish Dance. She has had the opportunity to work and train with Riverdance and Busch Garden’s Emerald Beat /Celtic Frye dancers as well as, highly certified instructors such as Danny Tighe, TCRG and Joni Muggivan, TCRG. Amy is also the Irish dance instructor at Jessica Morgan School of Dance and Artistic Director for Crossroads Irish Dance Troupe in Richmond, VA. Crosssroads is a performing Irish troupe that makes appearances at festivals, weddings, theaters, benefit shows, etc. throughout the Richmond area. (www.crossroadsdance.com). Miss Amy received her Bachelor’s degree in business administration from VCU in 2004 and when she is not teaching, she works as the Employment Specialist with the VA Department of ABC.
AMANDA JOHNSON - BALLET & JAZZ - Ms Johnson is currently the Vice President of the Performing Arts Club at UMW and has been a member since 2008. Through UMW, Ms Johnson has choreographed many styles of dance for performances. She also was a member of the UMW Dance Team. Ms Johnson is versed in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Hip-Hop and Acrobatics from the Dance Academy of Loudon where she also was a member of the competition company competing in area competitions such as Star Systems and Star Power. We welcome Ms Johnson to the FBC staff.
REBECCA “Becky” LALLANDE - HIP-HOP, JAZZ & MUSICAL THEATER- We welcome Ms Lallande back to the staff at FBC. She is currently a Senior at UMW where she is the Club President of the UMW Performing Arts Club as well as current Co-Captain of the Mary Washington Dance Team. Ms Lallande was a camp counselor and an active member of the Girl Scouts for 11 years. Her 17 years of dance training includes hip-hop, ballet, lyrical, jazz, tap with Virginia Performing Arts and Dancensations Dance Center as well as participating in dance competitions. She worked as an assistant teacher at Va Performing Arts, was a choreographer for camp musicals, as well as a dancer and choreographer for her Spring Musical her freshman and senior year of High School.
TERESA “Terry” MAYER - BALLET - Ms. Mayer has taught at FBC for 15 years. Previously she taught at the Roanoke Magnet School for the Visual and Performing Arts where she directed the Magnet School Dance Company. Ms. Mayer received her B.S. in dance, Summa Cum Laude, from Radford University. Her training includes Point Park College, Washington School of Ballet, Boston School of Ballet and Chautauqua Institution. Ms. Mayer danced professionally with Southern Ballet Theater in Orlando, FL. She and her husband John have performed as professional guest artists for FBC, Southwest Virginia Ballet, Rockbridge Ballet, Lynchburg Rigional Ballet Theatre, Southwest Virginia Opera and Dance Matrix.
BEVERLY MENDEZ - BALLET MISTRESS & MODERN - Ms Mendez has 30 years of experience in all aspects of dance and theater production. She has been with FBC for 13 years. Please click here to read her extensive background and achievements in Dance and Theater.
NICOLE MORAN - IRISH STEP - Miss Moran has been taking dance for 10 years and has studied ballet, Irish, modern, jazz, tap, musical theater, ballroom, and swing. She is a member of FBC’s Senior Company and a former member of the jazz competition team. She has been competing in Irish dance for 5 years, and currently competes at the Prizewinner (pre-championship) level in competitions locally and as far away as Ohio and New York. Nicole has attended Irish dance workshops with members of Riverdance and the Busch Gardens Irish dance troupe. She has been an assistant Irish dance teacher for 3 years and a substitute teacher for 1 year. For the past 4 years, Miss Moran has attended the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet summer intensive where she studied classical ballet. She has performed in "The Nutcracker" for 9 consecutive years, where she most recently played the role of Mirliton. She has also performed in "An Afternoon at the Ballet", "Swan Lake", “Cinderella” and a lead role as the Evil Fairy Caraboose in “Sleeping Beauty.” This will be Miss Moran’s 2nd year as a teacher at FBC
ERIN PERUGINI - BALLET - Ms Perugini found her way to FBC by way of the University of Mary Washington where she graduated this Spring. Wanting to continue her excellent training from the Academy of Ballet in NJ, Orlando Ballet Summer Intensive and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, she joined FBC for two years and even performed in our Swan Lake production. Her training is in Classical Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Jazz and Modern. While a student at Academy of Ballet in NJ, she was an Assistant Instructor and she is continuing her training and assisting ballet classes over the summer. We welcome back Ms Perugini for her 4th year at FBC as she pursues her Graduate School studies.
JAMES “Jim” POLLARA - BALLET MASTER - Jim Pollara began his dance training as a scholarship student with the Miami Conservatory and Later San Francisco Ballet School under scholarship. While at SFB James became a protege of Royal Ballet Principle Keith Martins and later joined him at the San Diego Ballet Company where he had several roles created on him. While there Jim also performed with the renowned San Diego Opera as a Principle dancer. Jim later moved to Los Angeles and moved into the contemporary arena, dancing in films, nightclubs, industrials, and numerous music videos for MTV. Jim left Los Angeles to join Nevada Dance Theater and upon his return to California, continued his classical ballet career dancing with The Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Golden State Ballet and as a principle with Ballet Pacifica under Molly Lynch where he had a ballet commissioned for him. At Ballet Pacifica Jim performed under a wealth of international choreographers in both the modern and classical repertoire. Upon moving to Virginia, Jim performed with The Virginia Ballet Theater as a principle and also as a guest with the Virginia Symphony. His classical repertoire includes principle roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Le Corsair Pas De Deux, Specter De La Rose, Raymonda Pas de Dix/Balanchine and various modern and contemporary ballets. He has balanced his career with a variety of teaching and coaching assignments.
SARAH SANDERS - TAP- Ms Sanders is joining the FBC team this year. She is a member and treasurer of UMW's Performing Arts Club. Prior to her involvement with dance at UMW, she studied ballet, modern, jazz, and tap for over ten years at her local studio and spent a season with Ashland Regional Ballet, a pre-professional company located in Ashland, Ohio. She also participated in the Northeast Regional Dance America Festival, was a member of her High School Dance Team and was an active participate in Musical Theater at school. “I would greatly enjoy the opportunity of sharing my love of dance through teaching.”
CRISTI SAUNDERS - CREATIVE MOVEMENT & BALLET - Ms Saunders is returning for her 6th year as an instructor at FBC and is celebrating her 10th year anniversary as Office Manager and Costumer extraordinaire. She received her training in Creative Movement and Ballet at FBC. When not in the classroom, you can find Ms Saunders behind the FBC desk or with needle and thread creating the beautiful costumes that the FBC students wear in productions. All three of her daughters have grown up at FBC. Her oldest has just graduated from college, her middle child heads for GMU in the Fall and her youngest still is at FBC entering 8th grade.
JORDAN SHILLING - JAZZ - Ms Shilling is a Senior in High School who has been dancing ballet, pointe, jazz, musical theater and modern for over 10 years. Ms Shilling is also a member of the Senior Company at FBC performing in various roles in the “Nutcracker” and FBC’s annual Spring Ballet’s. Ms Shilling has performed with Dance Matrix, a Fredericksburg Area Modern Company as well as Free Range, a Contemporary Company. Ms Shilling has been a substitute teacher and is looking forward to joining the FBC staff full time.
MELISSA SNOW - BALLET, TAP & JAZZ - Ms Snow is in her 14th year of dance at FBC, taking classes in ballet, Pointe, tap, jazz, musical theater, and some modern. She has danced numerous roles in the Nutcracker, including Clara, as well as performing in the ballets; “Cinderella,” “Swan Lake,” “The Red Shoes,” “A Midsummer Nights Dream,” and this past year in the lead role of Aurora in “Sleeping Beauty” all at FBC. She previously competed for three years on the competition jazz and tap teams and performed a solo jazz piece for which she received a platinum award. While at a dance convention, Ms Snow auditioned for and received a dance scholarship from the Tremaine Workshop. Additional training includes a 2-week intensive at Adelphi University, New York, in the Jose Limon technique of Modern dance with students from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Ms Snow starting assisting in the PreBallet and Beginner Ballet classes at FBC and now looks forward to her 2nd year teaching.
VICKY WILDER - CREATIVE MOVEMENT & BALLET- Ms Wilder double majored at MWC receiving a BA in Dance and Psychology. She received her Master's in Dance Therapy at Hahnemann Medical in Philadelphia. Ms Wilder has taught and substituted at various schools in the Fredericksburg area. She is the Artistic Director of the Sacred Dance Assemble of Fredericksburg and is actively involved in Friends of Dance at the University of Mary Washington. She is currently a dance therapist for the Spotsylvania County school system.