Ballet Arts Studio
Faculty & Staff
The Ballet Arts Studio faculty share a common professional background, as well as educational philosophy
Our teachers and guest artists received their training and performance experience in internationally recognized conservatories and dance companies, including New York City Ballet, The Martha Graham School, Joffrey Ballet, The Harkness Ballet, David Howard, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kirov Academy, The Washington Ballet, The School of American Ballet, the Merce Cunningham Dance School, and the Radio City Rockettes.
Together, they provide the highest quality dance training in a supportive environment that emphasizes communication and creativity between students and teachers. Ballet Arts Studio is also proud to welcome guest artists and the diversity and fresh approach that they bring.
Katie Bissinger
Artistic Director; Lower School Ballet, Theater Dance, Tap, Adult Tap, Adult Theater Tap, Choreography
Katie Bissinger has been dancing since she was 7 years old. She began her classical ballet training with Powers Dance Art Centre of Newburgh and Marya A. Kennett Dance Centre of Goshen, where she was a member of their Ballet Company. She later trained in New York City with Phil Black, Germaine Salsberg, Frank Hatchett and Sheila Barker.
Katie is a former Radio City Rockette and was dance captain of the first national tour of The Who's Tommy. She has performed in numerous national and European tours including 42nd Street, Annie Get Your Gun, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and My One and Only. She has directed and/or choreographed many musicals at Stagedoor Manor, The Philipstown Depot Theatre, and Haldane High School. She is a member of Actors' Equity Association and also has a BFA in Film/TV Production from New York University.
Katie has been teaching dance, including tap, theater dance, jazz, hip hop and ballet for over 40 years.
Faculty
Nkoula Badila is a Multidisciplinary Artist /Creative located in the Hudson Valley. She grew up doing traditional Congolese + West African dance in her family dance troup “DIata DIata International Folkloric Theatre” established in 1985. Her father Elombé Andre Badila was one of the founding members of the Congolese National ballet of Paris “Ballet KODIA”. These deep roots have moved Nkoula to work with people of all ages, sharing the joy, story, and celebration that comes with moving their whole being.
She continues to train with African choreographers and dancers from the diaspora, aiming to do movement work that helps bring people closer to the earth, the elements, and all that mirrors the connection to our bodies. Nkoula is also a singer songwriter, who likes to incorporate music and singing into her movements for a wholesome body vibration. Many of the traditional dances come with song that go hand in hand with expressing the full representation of the dances.
Nkoula Badila
West African
Alex Bloomstein
Middle School Ballet, Upper School Ballet, Pilates
Alex Bloomstein began dancing in 1977. He was a full scholarship and fellowship student at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. He has studied ballet with Diana Byer, Benjamin Harkarvy, Choo San Goh, Marjorie Mussman, Janet Panetta, Igal Perry, and Rochelle Zide-Booth, among others. Alex studied modern dance at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio. He also studied the modern technique of José Limon with Daniel Lewis and Hannah Kahn. He has studied the Martha Graham modern dance technique with Diana Hart, Mary Hinkson and Norman Walker.
Alex has also studied composition and choreography with a variety of teachers, including Bessie Schoenberg and Lynne Taylor-Corbett. Alex has performed his choreography, as well as the choreography of others, at numerous venues, including the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Dance Theater Workshop in New York City.
Alex has taught ballet technique, modern technique, composition and choreography, improvisation, and movement for actors in a wide variety of settings, including the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the Williamstown Theater Festival, Williams College, and Simon's Rock of Bard College. He has also taught musculo-skeletal anatomy, kinesiology, and movement assessment.
Hailey Cooknick
Adult Theater Dance
Originally from Dallas, TX, Hailey attended Point Park University, earning a BFA in Dance with a concentration in Jazz and Modern. She has enjoyed performances in a variety of shows, including CATS (Jean’s Playhouse), ROCKY and OKLAHOMA! (The Fireside Theatre). As Resident Choreographer for Step One Dance Company, she created and re-staged shows for the MainStage on Holland America Line. Her choreography continued into musical theatre with productions such as, JERSEY BOYS and GREASE at North Country Center for the Arts at Jean’s Playhouse. She has been enjoying working closer to home with the students at SUNY New Paltz, choreographing SHREK, as well as their recent production of LEGALLY BLONDE.
Deanna Ford
Lower School Ballet, Adult Intermediate Ballet, Jazz, Choreography
Deanna Ford began her classical training in Washington State. Upon her arrival in New York City, she continued her training, on scholarship, at the School of American Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, The Harkness Ballet and with David Howard. Deanna began her professional career as a soloist with the Hartford Ballet. She was also a member of the New Jersey Ballet. Deanna was a featured ballet dancer for Radio City Music Hall Productions, and was also a Radio City Rockette.
Deanna has been teaching classical ballet and jazz throughout the Northeast since 1998.
Gwynenn Taylor Jones
Lower School Ballet, Middle School Ballet, Adult Beginner Ballet
Gwynenn Taylor Jones moved to New York City in 1998 after being awarded a fellowship to The Ailey School, where she trained intensively for two years.
She danced with Ailey II from 2000 to 2002 and was a founding member of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet from 2003 to 2004. Ms. Taylor Jones then joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a company member, touring nationally and internationally from 2004 to 2009. She later returned to Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Benoit-Swan Pouffer from 2009 to 2012, concluding her stage career in works by leading contemporary choreographers including Crystal Pite, Hofesh Shechter, Alexander Ekman, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, to name a few.
In addition to her company work, she has performed with Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance and the Fred Benjamin Dance Company, and alongside Aretha Franklin on her 2000 U.S. tour. She has also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and was featured in the film The Adjustment Bureau.
She currently teaches throughout the Lower Hudson Valley in studios, schools, and collegiate settings. Her approach emphasizes a strong technical foundation, musicality, and artistic development, guiding dancers of all ages with clarity, discipline, and a supportive, growth-focused environment.
She resides in Orange County with her husband and two children.
Anna Brady Marcus
Dance as You Are
Anna Brady Marcus, a multifaceted arts professional based in Beacon, New York, has honed her skills as a performer, dance teacher, writer, and arts administrator over 25 years. She has collaborated with choreographer Susan Osberg on performance and dance film projects with her esteemed Workwith Dancers Company since 2011, and has had the privilege of dancing with contemporary choreographers Jill Sigman, Carol Solomon, and Deborah Abramson. Additionally, she has produced her own performance and dance film works.
Since 2023, Anna has taught dance to senior citizens at the Beacon Senior Friendship Center. Prior to this, she led dance classes for individuals with disabilities, ranging in age from 12 to 70, during three summers at Camp Jabberwocky on Martha’s Vineyard from 2016 to 2018. During this period, she not only taught dance but also choreographed their musicals and talent shows. Early in her career, Anna was a dance teaching specialist at various after school programs in New York City public schools. Anna is a graduate of Walnut Hill School, a performing arts high school in Natick, Massachusetts. Her dedication to the art form led her to earn a B.F.A. in dance from the California Institute of the Arts.
Jennifer Nathanson
Jennifer Fuchs Nathanson began dancing at the age of 4, and was formally trained at The School of American Ballet. In 1989, Peter Martins asked her to join The New York City Ballet (City Ballet).
During her career with City Ballet, Jennifer performed much of the repertory of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Martins, as well as dancing in the work of resident choreographers for the Company. She performed as a demi-soloist and soloist in many ballets, including The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, The Four Temperaments, and Vienna Waltzes. Jennifer can be seen as a marzipan in the film version of George Balanchine's Nutcracker.
After her retirement from City Ballet in 1995, Jennifer began teaching children's classes at Studio Maestro in New York City. She has been a ballet teacher for more than 25 years, and has taught throughout the Hudson Valley, including at Vassar College, the Community Dance Center, the New York Academy of Ballet, and the Dutchess School of Performing Arts.
Marisa Paull Gorst
Middle School Ballet, Upper School Ballet, Beginning Pointe, Choreography
Marisa Paull Gorst was born in New York City. She trained at the School of American Ballet and the Kirov Academy in Washington DC. Most recently onstage in CATS the Musical, she has also danced professionally in the Las Vegas production of The Phantom Of The Opera and with New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theatre, Dances Patrelle, Bergen Dance Theater, Westchester Ballet Company and Neville Dance Theater.
In addition to her onstage career, Ms. Gorst enjoys teaching the art and discipline of classical ballet to all ages and levels. She has served on faculty at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in Colorado, as the Artistic Director and Head Instructor at the International Ballet School of Bled, Slovenia, and as the Director of Youth Dance at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. She has also taught at Peridance, Broadway Dance Center, Studio Maestro in New York City, The Rock School and Logrea Dance Academy. Ms. Gorst holds a BA from Smith College, graduating summa cum laude with Highest Honors in English Language and Literature.
Skyla Schreter
Upper School Ballet, Middle School Ballet
Skyla Schreter is a choreographer, director and teacher; formerly a dancer with San Francisco Ballet, where she performed featured roles in classical repertoire, worked with leading contemporary choreographers, and toured internationally across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Born and raised in New York, she received her primary dance training at the School of American Ballet and with private coach Diana White, as well as attending summer programs at Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet Academy East and Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell.
She now creates dance independently and through her project-based company, Skyla Schreter Dance, developing projects that move between proscenium, interdisciplinary, and site-specific contexts, often integrating film and visual art. She is a two-time recipient of the New York State Council on the Arts Support for Artists Award in Choreography as well as other awards and recognitions for her choreography and film. She served on faculty at Vassar College from 2022–2024 and continues to return as a guest teaching artist. Skyla is based in Beacon, NY. (Skylaschreterdance.com)
Lydia Soueidan
Contemporary Partnering
Lydia Soueidan is a multidisciplinary artist whose mediums consist of contemporary & modern dance, aerial arts, makeup artistry, and creative direction. Originally from Williamsburg, VA, she moved to New York City at 15 to attend the Joffrey Ballet School’s Jazz & Contemporary program under the direction of Michael Blake and Angelica Stiskin. After graduating, she performed and choreographed for Spark Movement Collective, Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, EBDance, Open Dance Ensemble, and the Robert Redick Dance Collective. In addition to her performance work, Lydia has held arts administration roles, including Program Director for CORA Dance & Kaatsbaan Cultural Park. In 2024, she relocated to the Hudson Valley to immerse herself in a new creative community, producing her own shows and building a network of emerging professionals who merge dance with live music and the visual arts. She is currently dancing with the Ellen Sinopoli Dance Company at The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany.
Lili Tewes
Contemporary, Modern, Lower School Ballet,Choreography
Lili Tewes is originally from Hamburg, Germany, and graduated from the Martha Graham School under the artistic direction of Janet Eilber, where she danced principal roles in several of Graham's ballets, including "Woman in White" in Diversion of Angels and "Pioneer Woman" in Appalachian Spring. She danced for RIOULT Dance NY, Sensedance, CES Danceworks, CRDance Company, has performed works by Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Pascal Rioult, Jacqulyn Buglisi, Virginie Mécène, Henning Rübsam, Caterina Rago, and collaborated on projects with Alastair Macaulay, New York Theatre Ballet, and the Buglisi Dance Theatre.
Lili was the director of the modern dance department at TANZWERK School for Ballet and Movement, served as the rehearsal director for Sensedance, Finleigh Zack Dance, and CES Danceworks, and was awarded a residency at K3 Center for Choreography at Kampnagel. Her work as a choreographer was featured at Tanztheater Wuppertal create and presented at the Martha Graham Studio Theater.
In the US, Lili has taught at Peridance, 92Y Harkness Dance Center, New York Theatre Ballet School, Western Connecticut State University, and was a teaching artist with the DanceREACH program. From the age of ten, Lili studied Hula under Kumu Hula Kalei'ulaokala Makekau to later join her company in Hawai'i and toured Europe and the USA.
Malik Warlick
Hip Hop, Choreography
Originally from Los Angeles, Malik began their training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in 2005 before entering the Hollywood High School Performing Arts Magnet, under the tutelage of Keny Long. Upon graduation in 2009, Malik intensified their studies in the Certificate Program at The Ailey School, where they endured rigorous training in Ballet, Horton, Graham based Modern. In their graduating year from Ailey’s Certificate Program, Malik was invited to participate in the inaugural year of Robert Battle’s New Directions Choreography Lab, which allowed them to intensively work with and perform new works by Malcolm Low and Joanna Kotze. Professionally, Malik has performed across the world, in 54 countries on 6 continents. Malik has performed in works by Dean Lee, Jermaine Browne, Karla Puno Garcia, and Kellen Stancil. Malik has also performed with Jennifer Muller/The Works, Armitage Gone! Dance, Ronald K. Brown/Evidence and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre for the Park Avenue Armory's Centennial Gala Celebration.
Staff
Mary Pesacreta
Administrative Assistant
Mary Pesacreta graduated cum laude from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York with a degree in the sciences. She formerly worked in the development office at IBM and is a lifelong resident of Poughkeepsie.
Fern Ricci
Administrative Assistant, Backstage Manager
Fern Ricci joined Ballet Arts Studio staff as the Backstage Manager for the Spring Concert production in 2005. Since 2002, she has been the Choreographer and/or Costume Mistress for the Mahopac Middle School Theater Company's annual musical performance. She originated the role of The Mother with the Pinewood School of Dance Nutcracker and performed that role for 10 years. Ms. Fern has taken a variety of dance classes all her life and taught dance fitness classes at Allsport in Fishkill and Poughkeepsie. Happily retired from teaching school, she is enjoying her time sewing, reading, traveling, and dancing at Ballet Arts Studio.
Lydia Soueidan
Administrative Assistant
Lydia Soueidan is a multidisciplinary artist whose mediums consist of dance, aerial arts, makeup artistry and creative direction. Originally from Williamsburg, VA, Lydia moved to New York at 15 to attend the Joffrey Ballet School Jazz & Contemporary program. She has performed, choreographed for Guilty Pleasures Cabaret, EBDance, Open Dance Ensemble, Robert Redick Dance Collective and Spark Movement Collective. She has moved into arts administration work with Program Direction for CORA Dance and Kaatsbaan Cultural Park. Lydia has been producing her own shows and working to create a network of the new generation of professionals merging dance with live music and the visual arts with her collective BOUND.
Accompanists
Angel Lau
Percussionist
Angel Lau, based in Newburgh, NY, is passionate about percussion, drawing inspiration from his Peruvian heritage, early drumming education with Jeff Haynes, classical studies at Purchase College, and guidance from mentors in NYC. His musical journey spans Afro-Peruvian and Brazilian music, as well as various percussion styles, characterized by a commitment to lifelong learning. As a member of “Odeon” by Ephrat Asherie, Angel has showcased his talents at renowned venues across the US, including the Spoleto Festival, Vail Dance Festival, and Fall for Dance. Currently serving as a dance accompanist at Bard College, Angel eagerly collaborates on an upcoming project with Bessie Award Winner Souleymane Badolo from Burkina Faso. His diverse collaborations with artists such as Kala and the Lost Tribe, Bobby Previte, Jason Clotter, Wallace Roney Jr., DreHall, Anaïs Maviel, Decora, and Nkodia highlight his dedication to enriching music's vibrant tapestry.