Judy
Bejarano, Instructor
Judy Bejarano is the advanced modern dance instructor and a guest choreographer for Canyon Concert Ballet. She is well known for her innovative evening length productions as the Artistic Director of IMPACT DANCE Company.
Bejarano received her Master of Fine Arts from C.U. Boulder in dance with an emphasis in choreography. Throughout her career she has been the recipient of many awards including most recently the 2008 Colorado Dance Alliance "Cutting Edge" award.
Judy has taught and set choreography throughout the region including Colorado State University, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the University of Northern Colorado, the Colorado Dance Festival and Desperate Figures Dance Theatre in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Nicole Blyth Darnell, Instructor
Nicole began my ballet training at the age of four here at CCB and have not stopped since. Through out the years Nicole moved her way up through the levels of ballet; participating in the aspirant program and ending up with the company. She also participated in numerous productions at CCB. At the age of nine, Nicole continued her range of dance by training in modern, tap, hip-hop, and jazz.
She choreographed three musicals at Windsor High School: Cinderella, Wizard of Oz, and Little Shop of Honors. Nicole also choreographed a ballet piece for a University of Northern Colorado dance production. She just recently completed her Bachelor's Degree and minor in Dance at the University of Northern Colorado. She plans to continue teaching and participating in ballet the rest of her life.
Theresa Borak, Instructor
Theresa is a Ft. Collins native who grew up dancing at CCB. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota with a double BA in modern dance and French in 2001. She had experience in many forms of dance including ballet, modern, jazz, African, folk dancing, liturgical, and musical theater.
Through her career so far she has performed in the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Swan Lake, The Fire Bird, Candide, Brigadoon, A Walk with Gershwin, and more. She has been a guest dancer with Dance Express, Opera Fort Collins, Fort Collins Children's Theater, Front Range Musical Theater, and Dance Theater of Loveland. She is a former member of the Dance Connection, helping bring dance to the community.
Along with teaching and performing she also enjoys choreography and directing. She has had work accepted into the New Visions Dance Festival and set original works at the Rialto Theater in Loveland. She has performed and choreographed for the Loveland Museum in correlation with exhibits.
Last year she directed Dance Theater of Loveland's Nutcracker.
She is looking forward to another fun year of teaching and dancing with Canyon Concert!!
Susan Burton
Susan Burton is an experienced dance instructor and choreographer with an M.A. in dance and related arts from Texas Women’s University. She has taught in studios in Phoenix, AZ and Fort Worth, TX and in junior colleges in Texas and New Mexico. From 1987 to 2001, she was the owner and artistic director of The Academy of Ballet in Alamogordo, NM.
She also served as choreographer for several music theater groups in Alamogordo. She studied classical dance with Lillian Cushing (Denver), Richard Thomas (NYC) and Mary Moe Adams, LRAD (Phoenix) and performed with the Denver Civic Ballet and the Denver Post Opera. She is a member of the Royal Academy of Dance. In New Mexico, Susan served on the Boards of the Alamogordo Youth Theater and the Otero County Community Concerts Association. She has also served on the Board of the Rialto Theater Guild in Loveland, CO.
Lee Cooper, Instructor
After receiving a degree in Theatre and Dance from the University of Colorado, Lee Cooper toured and performed with The Colorado Dance Theatre Ensemble. She was then offered a teaching opportunity at Mesa State College, where she taught for three years and continued to develop her musical theatre work. Afterward, she moved to Washington and taught ballet for Dance Theatre Seattle and later returned to Fort Collins, Colorado to start The Dance Connection, a modern dance company based on body/mind connection.
Teaching in the dance field has always been her passion as she joined the faculty at Colorado State University and developed a pedagogy curriculum, which she later taught at the University of Northern Colorado as well. Lee continues to be an advocate for dance education and has presented three papers on the national level for the National Dance Education Organization. At this point in her career, the most exciting turn of events has led her into the Pilates field where she is able to apply her teaching as well as her passion for the study of kinesiology and body/mind work.
Having received her training through Physical Mind Institute, she has found a compatible venue for the application of Pilates to dance, which has led to exciting work with dancers and opened up a new approach to presenting movement. Her greatest inspiration lies in teaching Pilates and Ballet to every age and level.
Melissa
Corr, Ballet Mistress, Instructor
Melissa Corr, a native New Yorker, has been a leading figure in the
training of classical dancers in our region for over 20 years. Her rigorous
Russian based training system provides her students with the discipline,
technique and motivation to pursue professional careers in dance.
Melissa
is currently the advanced and company teacher at Canyon Concert Ballet
and the advanced level instructor at Colorado State University, where
she has staged several classic works.
Elena Estanol M.F.A., M.S, Instructor
Ms. Estanol is a ballet and kinesiology teacher, choreographer, performance psychology consultant and a doctoral candidate in counseling psychology. She received her early training from the RAD in Mexico City and The National Ballet of Cuba from Laura and Fernando Alonzo in Cuba. Additionally she trained at the Ballet West Conservatory with the late Mr. William Christensen, prior to attending the University of Utah where she received both her B.F.A. and M.F.A. in teaching, choreography and kinesiology, while performing with the resident company Utah Ballet.
Over the past few years she has been working on her doctorate in psychology where her research interest lies in discovering the risk and resilience factors that contribute to the prevention and emergence of eating disorders in dancers. She has continued to teach ballet, Pilates-based conditioning and choreographing for Intermountain West Ballet a small regional company in Sandy, UT, where she has set and re-choreographed the Nutcracker, excerpts of the Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Coppelia, as well as her own contemporary ballets. She is thrilled to be here in Fort Collins and teaching for Canyon Concert Ballet.
Jessica Freestone, Artistic Director, Instructor
Ms. Freestone received her early dance training from several schools in Northern Colorado, primarily at Canyon Concert Ballet. She attended summer programs with The Boston Ballet, Aspen/Snowmass and the American Dance Festival. Jessica is grateful for the opportunity to have studied the artistry and leadership of many mentors: Bruce & Denise Freestone, Judy Bejarano, Sharon Randolph, Carol Roderick and Randy Wray.
Jessica has been an avid performing artist for most of her life, dancing and acting in the companies of IMPACT Dance, OpenStage Theatre and Canyon Concert Ballet, where she was a soloist for many years. While on the west coast, Ms Freestone appeared as a guest performer with Benicia Ballet, Peninsula Ballet and Oslund & Co. Ms Freestone has been teaching ballet and other dance styles for over 20 years. As a Certified Massage Therapist, Jessica applies her knowledge of anatomy and physical health to the study of Russian-based ballet technique.
Ms Freestone has worked as an accomplished producer, choreographer and director for several local arts groups, including the original collaboration, Turtle Island and serving as Producing Artistic Director for openstage etc from 2002-2007.
Since accepting the position of Artistic Director for Canyon Concert Ballet in 2007, Ms Freestone has directed the company’s annual holiday classic, The Nutcracker. In the spring of 2008, the company premiered her original choreography Heartland Suite: Pieces of the Patchwork and in 2009 Across the Tracks became Ms. Freestone’s first full-length story ballet created uniquely for the dancers at Canyon Concert Ballet.
Jessica would like to express her gratitude and love to her husband and children for their support.
Susie Garifi, Instructor
Susie Garifi holds a MA in Dance Education from New York University and received her BA with a major in Dance from CSU. She studied professionally at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and danced with Deborah Damast Dancers and Momento Dance Company in New York. Susie has traveled nationally and internationally discovering many great dance opportunities and people from around the world. Presently she is a member of High Performance Dance Theatre, a guest performer with Impact Dance Company and an instructor at Mountain Kids in Fort Collins, CO where she has also created a dance outreach program. Susie continues to share her knowledge and love of dance with the community through education.
Conner Horak
Conner Horak was born and raised in Fort Collins, CO. He is 16 and a junior at Fossil Ridge High School. He was first introduced to the stage at the age of 6 in a small local musical theatre/ dance company. While in elementary school, he performed in several local musicals including Tom Sawyer, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Bye Bye Birdie, and High School Musical.
By the age of 12, Conner also earned his black belt at Karate West A couple years ago, he realized that he wanted to focus on a more professional outlook on dance and Canyon Concert Ballet/ Dance Center was the obvious choice. In his short time at Canyon Concert, he has had the privilege of performing such roles as the Nutcracker Prince and one of a lead gang members in Jessica Freestone's Across the Tracks. He's been fortunate to study under Melissa Corr, David Taylor, and Jessica Freestone (and, of course, the Yee's at Karate West). His favorite dance styles are ballet and jazz but he is always open to anything new. He is very excited to begin his teaching career at CCB and CCDC.
Kim Lang, Executive Director, Instructor
Kim Lang is the Executive Director and an instructor for Canyon Concert Ballet and Dance Center. She graduated from CSU with her degree is dance. Kim has taught, choreographed and performed in Colorado since 1993. She started dancing at age 8, and continues to study ballet, modern, hip-hop, cultural dance and jazz. While attending Colorado State University, she received several Creative Performing Arts Scholarship Awards.
After graduating from CSU with honors in December of 1993 with a Performance Art degree, she began working with the Canyon Concert Ballet as a teacher, company stage manager, administrative associate and choreographer. In February of 1996, she started her own company, High Performance Dance Theatre, a non-profit educational organization. She is the Artistic Director of High Performance Dance Theatre. Currently Ms. Carter teaches jazz, modern and hip-hop, as well as setting choreography for competition and performing groups in Northern Colorado.
Rachel Marlan, Instructor
A native of Fort Collins, Colorado, Rachel is a former student of Canyon Concert Ballet. She attended the Vail International Summer Dance Festival where she studied with teachers from the Bolshoi Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. She also attended the University of South Carolina Summer Conservatory, Snowy Range Dance Festival, and was an R.A. for the Kansas City Ballet Summer School.
Rachel continued her training with a dance scholarship at the University of Northern Colorado where she earned a B.A. in Dance with an emphasis in dance science and dance education. While she was there, she was awarded Departmental Scholar for three years and made the National Dean’s List.
Upon graduation she accepted a position with the Manassas Ballet Theatre, where she performed professionally for three years. While there she focused on the Vaganova syllabus under Russian ballet masters/mistresses. Rachel also taught at various studios in the D.C. area. She is happy to be home again performing and teaching at her old studio!
Amber Mazurana, School Director, Instructor
Amber Mazurana graduated in 1999 with a B.A. in dance pedagogy from Butler University, and in 1995 she graduated from North Carolina School of the Arts. Amber was a member of the Hannah Kahn Dance Company from 2001-2004, and before that danced as a soloist with Peter Sparling Dance
Company in Michigan. She has been dancing with IMPACT Dance Co. since 2006.
She has studied under the direction of talented dancers such as Bill Evans
and Melissa Hayden, as well as with Ballet Internationale, Dance
Kaleidoscope, Boston Ballet, and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Amber also
studied African drumming and dance at the University of Ghana, West Africa
for two summers. She has been teaching in Fort Collins since 2001.
Amber is the School Director of Canyon Concert Dance Center, directs the
Youth Ensemble program and teaches. She is so happy to be sharing her
love of dance with her students and to be fulfilling her passion for leadership in dance education. In her spare time she is chasing after her two-year old Cole and caring for her newborn Keira!
Erica Mugoye, Instructor
Erica Mugoye has danced at CCB for 18 years, and has performed in more than 30 CCB productions. She is in her nineth year of teaching at CCDC. She has trained under numerous well known dance instructors such as Gabriella Komleva, of the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Galina Yordanova, resident guest teacher and choreographer for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Canada.
Erica has also studied many forms of dance besides ballet including Jazz, Modern, Contact Improvisation, Spanish, Swing, Salsa, Character, Tap, and Hip-Hop. When she is not teaching, running rehearsals, or dancing herself she also enjoys photography, scrapbooking, reading, and working in floral design.
Mickenzie Nash, Instructor
Mikenzie Nash started dancing at the age of six with Westin Arts Academy. When she was 13 she started commuting to Denver two to five times a week, to get more training. In Denver she started training at Starstruck Dance Academy and moved to Michelle Latimer Dance Academy for her last three years.
She danced competitively for seven years and has been involved in many different performances including; a lead roll in the Carousel Dinner Theatre’s production of Sound of Music, musical theater productions within her schools, Mrs. Colorado Pageant, Children’s Hospital Benefit, the Nutcracker, and recitals and competitive performances every year. She was a dancer in a TV pilot, called Cabby Tree, a show for toddlers. Also, she was a background dancer in Disney’s, High School Musical II.
She has had the privilege of working with and taking advanced workshops from many choreographers such as Jason Parsons, Brian Friedman, Dee Caspary, Marty Kudelka, Travis Wall, Malaya, Mandy Moore, Ray Leeper, and more. She has had opportunities with teaching and choreographing and is excited to continue at Canyon. Mikenzie is helping the new performing ensemble at Canyon, and teaching jazz, hip-hop, and lyrical.
Chelsea Rafter, Instructor
This is Chelsea’s first year teaching at Canyon Concert Ballet. She has taught in studios in Denver and Castle Rock for five years, but has been dancing since she was 4. While growing up in Castle Rock she danced all varieties, but came to love hip-hop the most.
During high school she participated in the International Baccalaureate dance program, choreographing and dancing in student run productions, and finally testing in dance at the end of her senior year earning the highest marks. The summer before starting college, Chelsea danced in Scotland’s Fringe Festival which hosts dancers and thespians from all over the world.
Chelsea now attends CSU where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biology. She is excited to teach hip-hop and pass on her passion for dance all while hoping to learn from her students as well.
Polly Creer Sutton, Instructor
Polly brings years of professional dance and teaching experience to Canyon Concert Dance Center. Prior to teaching at CCDC, Polly was a favorite ballet teacher at several Utah and California studios. She has also taught on the university level, teaching undergraduate classes at the University of Utah, as well as, being the Assistant Director of the Youth Artist’s ballet company at Brigham Young University.
Polly graduated magna cum laude with her BFA and Masters of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah. She was awarded the Willam F. Christiansen Scholarship for four years, and danced as a soloist in the Utah Ballet and Character Dance Ensemble. While with the Utah Ballet Polly performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She was awarded the Dance Magazine Outstanding Dancer Scholarship to Craft and Choreography Summer Program, and scholarships to Pacific Northwest Ballet as well as San Francisco Ballet schools. Polly acted as the Ballet Mistress for Utah Ballet during her final year of graduate school.
Polly has danced professionally with Charleston Ballet Theatre, Anaheim Ballet Theatre, Bay Area Dancers, and American Folk Ballet. While with AFB Polly was a featured soloist for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Polly has also been a guest artist for several regional companies across the United States and Asia. She has performed principal roles in The Nutcracker, Le Corsair, Don Quixote, La Bayaderre, Swan Lake, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella. Polly has also been featured in many contemporary works by Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Tom Ruud, Paul Taylor, and Bruce Caldwell to name a few.
Polly made her musical theater debut in Oklahoma! at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in St George, Utah. She served as Dance Captain there for two seasons and was a featured dancer in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (where she learned to ride a camel), Annie Get Your Gun, Utah!, and The Sound of Music. Polly has also choreographed for the stage production Bye-Bye Birdie as well as several cabarets.
In 2004 Polly moved with her husband Ty to Orange County, California. While in the OC she worked as a Dancer for Disneyland Entertainment. Polly danced 36 different roles in stage, street, and film productions for Disneyland Entertainment. She also taught weekly dance and conditioning classes for Cinderella and her many friends.
Polly is thankful to be able to have her passion as a career, and looks forward to imparting her love of dance on her students.
David Taylor, Instructor
David Taylor has been professionally involved in the Colorado dance community for the past thirty-nine years. During the course of a twelve-year dance career, he began choreographing in 1976, and since then has created over 100 original works. In 1979, he founded the David Taylor Dance Theatre, which is now proudly celebrating its 30th Anniversary as one of the Rocky Mountain region’s most acclaimed, well recognized, and respected dance organizations.
Mr. Taylor received three National Endowment for the Arts grant awards along with the City and County of Denver’s first Individual Artist Fellowship award for dance, and in March of 1997, he and his company were proud recipients of the State of Colorado’s Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He has been commissioned to create ballets for Opera Colorado, the Colorado Symphony, the Denver Chamber Orchestra, the Up Close and Musical Ensemble, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Colorado Wind Ensemble, and for the Dayton Ballet in Ohio, and has set his acclaimed “A Children’s Rainforest Odyssey” on the Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet Company and the Lone Star Ballet of Amarillo, Texas. His original and innovative productions of “The Nutcracker” and “Rainforest” have garnered national critical recognition and continue to be booked extensively across the United States.
Mr. Taylor has additionally served as a Board member for the Mayor’s Commission on Cultural Affairs, as the Vice President for the Colorado Dance Alliance, as a peer panel member for the Colorado Council on the Arts, and in 2008, he received the Carson-Brierly Dance Library’s prestigious “Living Legends of Dance” Award.
Currently, Mr. Taylor serves as the Artistic Director Emeritus of the David Taylor Dance Theatre, an adjunct faculty member of the Dance Department at Colorado State University in Fort Collins and a master class teacher in ballet technique, pas de deux and dance history for numerous dance organizations throughout the state. His extensive background also includes a longtime involvement with metaphysical studies, sacred dance and ritual and besides conducting sacred dance lectures and workshops for many statewide organizations, in the summer of 2009 he founded the state’s first professional sacred dance group, the Zikr Sacred Dance Ensemble, which will present its debut performance this fall in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Jillian Wachsmann, Instructor
Jillian Wachsmann has studied dance at CSU, Colorado Mountain College, and The Mountain Dance Center, and has continued her education by frequently traveling to various dance conventions. In 2001, she received her certificate to teach yoga at the Yoga Institute of Texas.
Jillian has taught at The Vail Valley Academy Of Dance, Colorado Mountain College, Mountain Dance and has coached the FCHS Tower Dancers. Currently she enjoys teaching at Canyon Concert Ballet and Dance Center. She has been a member of the High Performance Dance Theater for over five years.
Catherine Willms, Instructor
Catherine lived in a suburb of Chicago until moving to Loveland three years ago, and now she is a junior at Mountain View High School. She started dancing when she was three, and at age eight she began dancing with Mim Eichmann at Midwest Ballet Academy and was accepted into the teen company a few years later.
She has gotten to perform several times a year since then. Some of her favorite performances include: Peter Pan, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Alice in Wonderland.
She has studied ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical, and tap. Currently, she is an apprentice to the company here at CCB, and she has the privilege of having Melissa Corr as her teacher. Assistant teaching and substituting for the past three years led to her desire to teach her own classes. She loves to dance and perform, and she's excited to be able to teach!
