Staff - Teachers
Valeria Sinyavskaya - Artistic Director & Ballet MistressRostislav Dzabraev - Artist in Residence
Erika Ballard - Ballet/Modern
Mary Lu Hensley - Ballet
Rachel Copenhaver - Preparatory Ballet
Tamlyn Bernshausen - Preparatory Ballet
Becky Hall - Jazz
Gigi Boggan - Pilates
Cara Harker - Ballroom
Ms. Rachel Pickering Copenhaver
Originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rachel comes from a family with strong ties to the theater. Among her immediate family members are award winning costume and set designers, a professor of dramatic arts and working theater professionals. Rachel began her dance training with the Princeton Ballet, and continued through college, where she was fortunate enough to study under the watchful eye of Helen McGehee, one of the most honored Graham principals and prolific dance artists of our time. Rachel’s professional career includes numerous productions at the regional level, coupled with television and print work. In 1995 and 1998 Rachel served as a guest artist and choreographer for the Bristol Light Opera Club in Bristol, England, where she worked with their youth development program and choreographed their major musical production of the season. Through her varied experiences Rachel has found that there's a dancer in everyone, and it is her joy to bring that forth.