THE SCHOOL OF ASPEN SANTA FE BALLET TEACHER BIOGRAPHIES
ASPEN SCHOOL
Melanie Doskocil, School Director
Melanie directs the School of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and teaches the Advanced Divisions from Level 1A through Level 5. She brings over 20 years of professional dance and teaching experience to the students of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. Ms Doskocil danced professionally with ballet companies such as the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, the Oakland Ballet Company, Ballet Arizona and Nevada Ballet Theatre. She continued her career transitioning into contemporary and modern dance with Odyssey, in Utah, A. Ludwig Dance Theatre in Arizona and the internationally acclaimed Mia Micheal's R.A.W. Ms. Doskocil began teaching in 1995, for the City Ballet of San Diego, under the direction of Steven and Elizabeth Wistrich. She continued her professional dance career while teaching at the nationally recognized Center Stage Performing Arts Studios in Utah, where she created a pre-professional ballet program that she directed. Melanie is thrilled to now call Aspen her home and cherishes every moment she spends teaching the students of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Charlotte Bowlby, Children's Ballet
Charlotte Bowlby has taught dance in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1979 and has a natural rapport with young children. She loves working with very young dance students, and she takes great pride in the progress they make not only in dance but in their ability to participate in a group and follow directions. Her dance training spans over 25 years with extensive study in the Royal Academy Syllabus, including four years in a teacher's apprenticeship program. She is also trained in the National Dance Institute Syllabus created by Jacque d'Amboise. Ms. Bowlby has been teaching with the School of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet since its inception.
Brooke Klinger, Ballet
Kari Sea, Ballet
Kari Sea began her training at Jordan College Academy of Dance, Ballet Internationale of Indianapolis, and Dance Kaleidoscope. She continued her studies at Orlando Ballet, Walnut Hill and The Kirov Academy. After dancing on Scholarship at Santa Fe Community College she continued at The University of Florida and joined the professional company at Dance Alive National Ballet. She continued her professional career at High Point Ballet and Southern Pines Ballet Theater. Kari has taught at Pofahl Dance Studio, High Point Ballet, Southern Pines Ballet Theater, Mount Dora School of Ballet and School of Performing Arts. She has recently moved to the Roaring Fork Valley and is excited to be teaching at Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Adrianna Thompson, Modern
Adrianna Thompson danced professionally in New York City and toured internationally for 13 years. She has worked with Bella Lewitsky, Milton Myers, Jonathan Wolken, and numerous dance companies including 8 years with Battery Dance Co. Adrianna has taught Master Classes around the world and has been a guest teacher with Lincoln Center for NYC Public Schools, the Harvard Summer Dance Project, and many others. She is a GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Master Instructor and conducts teacher trainings internationally. She is Co-founder of Aspen Gyrotonic and teaches Gyrotonic at The Art of Fitness in Aspen. She is the founder of Meftas Dance Theatre and her choreography has been presented throughout NYC (including Joyce SoHo), at the Wheeler Opera House and in 2005 she choreographed Smokey Joe’s Café for Theatre Aspen.
SANTA FE SCHOOL
Gisela Genschow, School Director
Gisela directs the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and is the principal teacher. Ms. Genschow danced professionally with the Hamburg State Opera, Opera de Lyon, Ballet Theatre Contemporain, Ballet du Rheins, Tanzforum Köln, Germany, and toured throughout Europe performing classical ballets as well as Balanchine works. She was on the faculty of The Fort Worth Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and New World School of the Arts in Miami. In 1992, she moved to Santa Fe and became the director of The Santa Fe Dance Foundation, now the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
Melissa Briggs, Creative Movement, Modern
Melissa Briggs has been making dances since 1995. Recent highlights include the 21st Annual Santa Fe Choreographer's Showcase, as well as performances of work set on the Lacy & Shade Dance Company at the Performatica International Dance Festival in Puebla, Mexico and the Out of the Loop Festival in Addison, Texas. A former NYC resident, past venues include Symphony Space, PS 122, Joyce SoHo, The Flea Theater, and Dixon Place. Listed as one of "gotham's finest dancemakers" by Voice Choices (Fall 2000), Melissa has enjoyed artist residencies from The Joyce Theater Foundation (NYC), The Yard (Martha's Vineyard, MA), BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange (NYC), Smith College (MA), Vermont Academy (VT), SILO/Kirkland Farm (PA), and The Dragon’s Egg (CT). She has received two grants from the Bossak-Heilbron Charitable Foundation--for citySTORY (2003) and Book Dances (2005), a site-specific production which traveled through a 19th century Brooklyn church. Originally from California, Melissa is a graduate of New York University/Tisch School of the Arts (MFA Dance) and Smith College (BA Sociology; Phi Beta Kappa). She has been teaching creative and modern dance to ages three through adult since 1997, and is currently in training to become a certified yoga teacher. Melissa is currently on faculty at the University of New Mexico, the National Dance Institute of New Mexico (School for the Performing Arts), The School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Little Earth School.
Ruth Buhl, Creative Movement
Ruth has been teaching Creative Movement at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet since 1988. She loves working with young dance students, and takes great pride in the progress they make not only in dance but in their ability to participate in a group and follow directions. Ruth also works as a pediatric physical therapist, and brings her knowledge of gross motor development into planning classes that are appropriate for 3-7 year olds.
Ursula Drabik, Creative Movement
Ursula Drabik celebrates her 30th year as a professional actor, singer, dancer, announcer, director, and teacher. She has worked with WGBH Boston public television and radio, the American Repertory Theater, the Boston Shakespeare Company, Santa Fe Stages, Theaterwork, The School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, the Theater Residency Project, Artworks, and The Santa Fe Opera, to name only a few. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, she moved to New Mexico for an outer landscape that suited the inner.
Carol Liebmann, Ballet, Tap, Jazz
Carol received her BFA in Dance Pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma. Carol danced professionally with Ballet Oklahoma before going on to musical theater; performing roles in A Chorus Line, 42nd Street, West Side Story. She taught dance at the School of Ballet Oklahoma, Children's Theatre Company/School in Minneapolis, and the Cortelyou School Children's Arts Program in Brooklyn, NY.
Joan Lombardi, Modern
Alison Montoya, Ballet
Sheila Rozann, Ballet
Miss Rozann was the founder and director of the Rozann-Zimmerman Ballet Center in Los Angeles for 32 years. During that time dozens of her students were accepted into ballet companies across the country. Among them were renown New York City Ballet principal, Heather Watts and Ariana Lallone, principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet. Miss Rozann has been a guest teacher with the School of Ballet Chicago for the past 7 years and holds auditions for their summer course.