OUR STAFF
WITH BACKGROUNDS IN CLASSICAL BALLET, CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN DANCE, OUR STAFF BRINGS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE EVERY TIME THEY STEP INTO THE STUDIO.
RESIDENT FACULTY
CHRISTIN HANNA
FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Christin trained with Margaret Banks at Nevada Festival Ballet and performed in the company's productions throughout her young life, continuing her studies at the Joffrey Ballet School and American Ballet Theater summer sessions in New York City.
Christin Hanna enjoyed a busy freelance career, performing with Oakland Ballet, Ballet NY, and Cincinnati Ballet, and was a founding member of New Chamber Ballet. During her time there, she initiated a performance and summer workshop with area students in her hometown of Tahoe City in 2006.
Since her return to Tahoe in 2008, Hanna has produced over fifteen performances featuring over 50 works with more than 20 guest artists. She has staged works created on her at NCB as well as classics like Giselle, Paquita and pas de quatre. in addition to choreographing and serving as rehearsal assistant to visiting guest choreographers. She and longtime friend Constantine Baecher started the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival in 2013 and continue to collaborate on programming and artistic vision for Lake Tahoe Dance Collective.
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Christin is certified in the American Ballet Theatre Training Curriculum.
LOURDES AVENIER
Ballet​​
Lourdes began her dance training under the British-based Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) and over her 30 years of classical ballet training, she has been a member of international teacher education organizations such as the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Throughout her career, Lourdes has been a guest in prestigious schools such as Ballet Kirov, now Mariinsky Ballet, in St. Petersburg, Russia . In 2016, she decided to leave a successful 20-year career in Engineering, to pursue her passion for Ballet and Teaching. Since relocating to Incline Village, she has taught several adult and children programs for beginners, intermediate and advance levels.
KELSEY GERBER
Contemporary, Ballet​​
Originally from Minden, Nevada, Kelsey trained with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and received a BFA in Dance Performance at UC Irvine. She spent two years performing with State Street Ballet’s apprentice company, and continued her contemporary education with Brenda Way, Twyla Tharp, Holly Johnston, Leah Cox, Shannon Gillen, Post Ballet, and others. She has performed works by Twyla Tharp, Autumn Eckman, Saleemah E. Knight, Chad Michael Hall, Brenda Way, and others. Kelsey has been a company member of Brockus: RED, Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, and Peter & Co., ka • nei • see collective, Alyssandra Katherine Dance, and has performed guest roles with Bellwether Dance Project and AXIS Dance Company.
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Kelsey is currently ballet faculty with ODC [San Francisco] and Dance Workshop [Minden]. She is passionate about educating students in somatic and kinesiological awareness, while teaching proper technique and encouraging the students to be creative and inspired by movement.
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Last year, Kelsey produced and choreographed a dance film, "Bloom", which made its way into film festivals. "Bloom" received an award for "Best Choreography" from the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival, and "Audience Choice Award" from Bright Ideas Film Festival.
PEGGY
PATTERSON
Conditioning
Peggy Patterson has trained extensively as a dancer and is a NCPT certified Pilates instructor. Peggy’s passion for music and dance led her to begin teaching fitness and dance classes to people of all ages and abilities in her late teens. She continued her studies of dance and kinesiology at Santa Rosa junior college and Sonoma Sate University where she learned the basic principles of the Pilates Method and found several gifted mentors there that helped shape her teaching style.
Peggy has worked with people of all ages and abilities- from competitive athletes, dancers, working moms, and active agers. This practice can be adapted to the abilities of any person making it versatile and FUN!
SIERRA
WALSH
Ballet​​
Sierra Walsh is a founding member of Lake Tahoe Dance Collective, formerly Tahoe Youth Ballet. She has performed in the company's premiere works by choreographers Deborah Lohse, Lauren Toole, Miro Magloire, Constantine Baecher, Stephen Straub, Deborah Wingert and Erik Wagner, as well as stagings of Giselle and the first movement of Balanchine's Serenade, at the inaugural Lake Tahoe Dance Festival in 2013.
Walsh has studied, on scholarship, at some of the most prestigious schools in the country, including American Ballet Theater, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Alonzo King's LINES Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.