The School at Jacob’s Pillow will connect you to a revered roster of artists as your faculty, acclaimed for their work in the field as well as their teaching and mentoring.

Jump to faculty for:
Contemporary Ballet | Contemporary | Tap Dance | Choreography | Recruitment Master Classes


Contemporary Ballet

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Instructor at The School At Jacob's Pillow; photo credit unknown.

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa
Program Director | June 20-July 4
The Colombian-Belgian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa completed her dance education at the Royal Ballet School of Flanders in Belgium. She started choreographing at the early age of 11, and decided in 2003 to end her dance career to focus her energies solely on choreography.

 
Luis R. Torres, Instructor at The School at Jacob's Pillow; photo courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet

Luis R. Torres
Program Director | June 20-July 4
Born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Luis R. Torres is currently the Ballet Master at Hong Kong Ballet. Torres graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Dance and Psychology and completed a Master of Fine Arts from George Mason University.

 

Maurice Causey
Artist Faculty | June 22, 23, 29, and 30
Maurice Causey is an American born, European based dance artist. For the last eight years, he has been a patron for the Austinmer Dance Theater in Australia directed by Michelle Forte. He is currently based in Amsterdam.

 
Amy Seiwert, Instructor at The School at Jacob's Pillow; photo Steve DiBartolomeo

Amy Seiwert
Guest Choreographer | June 20-July 4
Amy Seiwert enjoyed a nineteen-year performing career dancing with the Smuin, Los Angeles Chamber, and Sacramento Ballets. As a dancer with Smuin Ballet, she became involved with the “Protégé Program,” where her choreography was mentored by the late Michael Smuin.

 

Jared Redick
Master Class Artist | June 24
Jared Redick, Interim Dean of Dance at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), trained at Mikhail Baryshnikov’s School of Classical Ballet at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and at The School of American Ballet.

 

Julie Kent
Master Class Artist | July 1
Julie Kent has been at the helm of The Washington Ballet (TWB) since July 2016 and was the longest serving ballerina in American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) 80 year history.


Contemporary

Milton Myers
Program Director | July 11-25
Milton Myers is resident choreographer and instructor for PHILADANCO! and on the faculties of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program, Peridance, STEPS on Broadway, and The Juilliard School, where he is the first Horton instructor.

 

Helen Pickett
Program Director | July 11-25
Helen Pickett, a native of San Diego, CA, has created over 40 ballets in the U.S. and Europe. The Crucible, her newest full length for Scottish Ballet, premiered at Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) 2019, winning two awards; UK Theatre Critics Award and the Herald Angel Award.

 

Sarah Hillmer
Artist Faculty | July 11-25
An Atlanta, GA native, Sarah Hillmer has dedicated over 17 years to the professional dance world as a dancer, assistant to choreographers, ballet master, stager, educator, and creator. Her company credits include the Atlanta Ballet, glo-as a founding member, and staibdance.

 

André M. Zachery
Guest Choreographer | July 11-25
André M. Zachery is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist. As the artistic director of Renegade Performance Group (RPG), his practice, research and community engagement artistically focuses on the merging of choreography, technology and Black cultural practices through multimedia work.

 

Gustavo Ramírez Sansano
Master Class Artist | July 15
Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, born in 1978 in San Fulgencio, Spain, was Artistic Director of Luna Negra Dance Theater from 2009 until 2013, and now combines his work as a freelance choreographer with Proyecto Titoyaya, the Spanish dance company he founded in 2006 with Veronica Garcia Moscardo.

 

Alexandra Damiani
Master Class Artist | July 22
Alexandra Damiani is the Artistic Director of Ballets Jazz Montreal since Spring 2021. In the summer of 2019, she co-directed the Contemporary Ballet Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, alongside Mathew Neenan.

 

Charles Scheland
Demonstrator/Assistant | July 11-25
Charles Scheland is a New York City based contemporary dance artist and choreographer. Charles graduated summa cum laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance program double majoring in Dance and Economics. He is also an alumnus of the School of Jacob’s Pillow’s Contemporary Program. 


Tap Dance

Michelle Dorrance; photo Matthew Murphy

Michelle Dorrance
Program Director | August 1-15
Michelle Dorrance is a New York City-based performer, choreographer, teacher, and the Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance. Mentored by Gene Medler (North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble), she was lucky to study under many of the last master hoofers.

 
Dormeshia Sumby-Edwards; photo Eduardo Patino

Dormeshia
Program Director | August 1-15
Dormeshia is a two-time Bessie Award winner (as performer and choreographer), a Princess Grace Award winner, and an Astaire Award winner for Best Female Performer in Broadway’s After Midnight. Additional Broadway credits include Black and Blue and Bring In Da’Noise, Bring In Da’Funk.

 

Derick K. Grant
Program Director | August 1-15
Derick K. Grant is a native of Boston, MA and an award-winning tap performer and choreographer. He began his training at the Roxbury Center for the Performing Arts and studied “hoofin” style from master tap dancer, Dianne Walker.

 

LaTasha Barnes
Master Class Artist | August 5 & 12
LaTasha “Tasha” Barnes is an internationally recognized and awarded dancer, choreographer, educator, performer, cultural ambassador and Tradition-bearer of Black American Social Dance from Richmond, VA.

 
Jason Samuels Smith; photo Patrick Higgins

Jason Samuels Smith
Artist Faculty | August 1-15
Jason Samuels Smith, (Tap Dancer, Choreographer, Performer) received an Emmy, Dance Magazine Award, American Choreography Award, and Gregory Hines Humanitarian Award.


Choreography Fellows

Dianne McIntyre; photo Larry Coleman

Dianne McIntyre
Program Director | August 18-28
Dianne McIntyre is a dancer, choreographer, curator, cultural investigator who creates work in dance, theatre, film, and opera. Known for collaborations with live music, she founded and directed Sounds in Motion Company and School in Harlem for many years.

 
Risa Steinberg; photo Nir Arieli

Risa Steinberg
Program Director | August 18-28
Risa Steinberg is an active member of the dance community as a performer, teacher, re-constructor of the works of José Limón, and mentor to young, emerging, and established choreographers.


Recruitment Master Classes

Elizabeth Burke
Master Class Artist | February 7
Elizabeth Burke is the Co-Dance Captain of Dorrance Dance, the acclaimed company of 2015 MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance. She is a proud alumna of The School at Jacob’s Pillow 2014 Tap Program.

 

Christina Carminucci
Master Class Artist | January 23
Christina Carminucci is a New York City based tap dancer. She trained with the American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap City Youth Ensemble, while studying extensively under the mentorship of Derick K. Grant. She is a proud alumna of The School at Jacob’s Pillow 2014 Tap Program.

 

Paige Fraser
Master Class Artist | February 6
Paige Fraser is originally from The Bronx, in New York City. She graduated from the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Fine Arts Program. Fraser has danced professionally with Ailey II, Visceral Dance Chicago, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater.

 

Courtney Hellebuyck
Master Class Artist | January 24
Courtney Hellebuyck is a 2005 alumna of The School at Jacob’s Pillow Ballet Program. She began her professional training at The San Francisco Ballet School. She has danced with Pennsylvania Ballet, Smuin Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet, and is currently the Associate Artistic Director of Eastern Connecticut Ballet.

 

Sean Kaminski
Master Class Artist | February 7
Sean Kaminiski trained primarily under Donna Johnson, Ashley Goletz, and Jay Fagan and has shared the stage with Jimmy Slyde, Jason Samuels Smith, Derick Grant, and Sam Weber as a Chicago Human Rhythm Project scholarship recipient from 2004-2010. He is a 2017 graduate of Tap Dance program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow.

 

Daphne Lee
Master Class Artist | August 1-15
Daphne Lee graduated with Honors from the Alvin Ailey/ Fordham BFA program and has danced with Alvin Ailey II, The Black Iris Project, Collage Dance Collective, and Oakland Ballet Company. She is currently with the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City.

 

Bradley Shelver
Master Class Artist | February 7
Bradley Shelver has danced with Ailey II, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, The Francesca Harper Project, Limón Dance Company, and Phoenix Dance Theater of the UK. He currently dances as a principal with the The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. 

 

Maleek Washington
Master Class Artist | January 23 & 24
Maleek Washington began his professional career with CityDance Ensemble in Washington DC. He has worked closely with Abraham.In.Motion (A.I.M) and Camille A. Brown & Dancers, and has performed internationally in Australia, Jordan, Mexico, and Sweden. He is a 2009 & 2010 alum of The School at Jacob’s Pillow.