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John Batchelor

John Batchelor is a wonderfully enthusiastic instructor who lives in Los Angeles. He performed many times with Diane Cypher and Robert Kelley with Sacramento Ballet, most notably as the Skinny Stepsister to Robert's big-bosomed Stepsister and Diane's Cinderella. John's comedic timing is impeccable and his pointework is, well, hilarious.  He danced on the East Coast television series "Step by Step.”

John has taught Latin, Smooth and Swing ballroom styles at several of The Studio's Summer Intensive Programs.  He has taught at the Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Sacramento City College, Del Paso Manor School, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program and Pepperdine University.  He has also taught a variety of weekend workshops, seminars, and cotillions in California, Hawaii, New York and Toronto, Canada. John's classes are always a major hit with the ballet students at The Studio.  He taught Social Dance at last year’s 50th Anniversary RDA/Pacific Festival.

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Jerome Begin

Jerome Begin was the music director for The Studio 1998-2001.  For several years, he composed new music for Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, accompanied classes and taught music classes to our students.  He is currently on faculty of the Dance Department at The Juilliard School (since 2008).  He has been called a “fabulous composer-pianist” and an “unimpeachable” choice of collaborator by the New York Times.

Jerome received his degree in music composition and audio production from Ohio University, studying composition with Mark Phillips.  He is a founding member of the Left Hand Path Ensemble and freelance composer and performer in New York City.  His scores for dance and theater, as well as concert works, have been performed throughout the U.S. and internationally, including a nationally-televised performance of his score for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company for President Obama at the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors.  Commissions include works for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Juilliard, Sacramento Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Alabama Ballet, Zephyr Dance, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Crash, Burn and Die Dance Company, San Jose Dance Theater, Utah Regional Ballet, Monsterless Actors, Ohio U and several works for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.  Has served as a dance accompanist and teacher of music for dancers at dance festivals, universities, and dance schools throughout the U.S. and abroad.  Jerome was music director for the Regional Dance America Craft of Choreography conference for several years and taught music for dancers at several RDA Festivals.

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Deborah Hadley

Deborah Hadley was born and raised in San Diego and began her studies at the San Diego Ballet under the direction of former San Francisco Ballet Principals Nancy Johnson and Richard Carter. Continuing on to the rank of principal dancer with the regional company, Ms. Hadley went on to become a charter member of the Joffrey II in 1969.

Taking time off to marry and have two boys, Ms. Hadley returned to her ballet career in 1979 when she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet, where she remained a principal dancer for the next 13 years. Ms. Hadley's distinguished performing career also included appearances as a guest artist with the Kozlov and Stars, Godonov and Stars, and in the title role of "Giselle," with Anthony Dowell in addition to many companies across the United States.

Her repertoire has included principal roles in the Balanchine works, Tarantella Pas de Deux, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, Concerto Barocco, Symphony in C, Divertimento #15, The Four Temperaments, Western Symphony, Serenade, Chaconne, and Square Dance among others. Her full-length repertoire includes, "Odette/Odile," "Juliet," "Giselle," and Cinderella, "Swanilda" in Coppelia, The Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Nights Dream. She has appeared in major works, including Jerome Robbins' The Cage, Anthony Tudor's Lilac Garden and Dark Elegies, Glen Tetley's Voluntaries, Clark Tippet's Chrysalis Regarding and Gigue, Paul Taylor's Roses, Lar Lubovitch's original work, Vicente Nebrada's Lento, A Tempo, E Appassionato, and Val Caniparoli's Street Songs, some of which were original choreography created for her. She appeared in many original works by Kent Stowell, among them Firebird, Orpheus Portrait, Delicate Balance, and most especially, Romeo and Juliet. Her classical repertoire includes, Paquita, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Grand Pas Classique, and Esmerelda Pas de Deux, among others.

Upon retiring from her PNB performing career, Ms. Hadley founded the Washington Academy of Performing Arts in Redmonds, Washington and directed it for five years. She subsequently moved to work with her former PNB partner, Benjamin Houk, as the Ballet Mistress of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. Now home in the northwest, she enjoys freelance teaching, coaching, and staging. Ms. Hadley retired from teaching formally following her adjudication of the 2003 Regional Dance Association's Pacific Region Festival. She teaches private lessons in the greater Seattle area and has coached many finalists in the Youth American Grand Prix competition. Ms. Hadley Adjudicated the Pacific Region for the 2007, 2009 and 2014 Festivals and is an associate member of RDA/P. She also recently earned her pilot's license.

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Erin Long-Robbins

Erin Long-Robbins was a principal dancer with the Northeast Regional honor company, Allegheny Ballet, where she danced such roles as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen, and that of Giselle. She also danced lead roles in Balanchine's Who Cares and Valse Fantasie. She had many parts created for her by noted choreographers such as Paul Gibson, Cherie Noble, Richard Cook, Bettijane Sills, Jon Rodriguez, and Suzanne Walker. She received additional training at the prestigious Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and on full scholarship at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Erin graduated summa cum laude from Wright State University with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in dance and a minor in psychology. Mrs. Robbins is currently an adjunct professor at Wright State University and Sinclair Community College and is on staff at the South Dayton School of Dance and Dayton Ballet School. She has also taught at Allegheny Ballet, Antioch College, Pontecorvo Ballet Studios, and is a yearly guest teacher at the academy of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre in California. She has served as ballet mistress and board secretary of Gem City Ballet. In the spring of 2008, she was a master teacher at the Northeast's Regional Dance America Festival.

Erin has also choreographed several ballets, including, Caprice, which was chosen to be performed at the 2002 Northeast Regional Festival. Erin's version of Peter and the Wolf' was commissioned by the Dayton Philharmonic and Gem City Ballet and has been performed throughout the Dayton area. She has also created other works for Gem City Ballet, Wright State University, Antioch University and Contemporary Dance at Sinclair. Erin is an adjunct professor at Wright State University and is Associate Director of South Dayton Dance Theatre, an Honor Company with Regional Dance America/Northeast.

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Kaelyn Magee

Kaelyn Magee began her ballet training in Carmel, California and continued at The Studio from the age of ten.  She was the youngest student ever to be promoted to Level VI at the academy, at the age of 12 years.  She was a longtime member of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, performing such roles as the Dewdrop Fairy and Snow Queen in “The Nutcracker,” Myrtha in “Giselle” and featured roles in many ballets choreographed by Robert Kelley, most notably “The Condition Hereafter.”  At her last RDA Festival, after her performance of “The Condition Hereafter,” she was offered a professional contract with Utah Regional Ballet by Artistic Director Jacqueline Colledge.

Kaelyn Magee enjoyed a successful career with Utah Regional Ballet, and under the direction of Jackie Colledge, grew as both an artist and technician.  She was promoted to principal dancer in just one year.  Kaelyn performed leading roles, such as Odette in “Swan Lake,” the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in “The Nutcracker,” Tiger Lily in “Peter Pan,” Swanhilda in “Coppelia,” new works by Alan Hineline and featured roles in the Balanchine repertoire.  Kaelyn joined Ballet Arizona in 2014 and has danced many featured roles with the company, including Princess Florine (Bluebird Pas de Deux) in this season’s “The Sleeping Beauty.”  Kaelyn has enjoyed teaching ballet for several years.

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Nahshon Marden

Nahshon Marden began formally training in dance at Cabrillo College after studying dance acrobatics with Curtis Caudill.  Mr. Marden assisted Mr. Caudill in acrobatics and at Hooked On Theater for several years.  He was nominated an Emerging Choreographer for The 418 Project in 2013. In 2014, he and friends of the collective company, Bare Outlines, debuted “The Faraway Nearby” in Motion Pacific’s Incubator Project, their first original evening-length show.  He taught youth at Motion Pacific and Monterey High School as a guest instructor/choreographer 2013-2014.

Nahshon set a short piece on the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre Senior Company in 2014, while a member himself, brought to Regional Dance America/Pacific in the festival’s Emerging Choreographers program.  Nahshon’s original commissioned piece “Atmos; Smokey Black” was choreographed for Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre and performed In Concert at the Crocker Theater in April of 2016.  He is currently finishing his junior year at Cornish College of the Arts toward a BFA in Dance.

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Deborah Pearse Rogo

Deborah Pearse Rogo is a native of Australia. She was a soloist with the Sydney City Ballet, and as a dancer with Ballet Victoria in Melbourne, she danced with international ballet stars such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, and Rudolf Nureyev. She was the Artistic Director of Ballet Omaha, a fully professional company with its own school. In that capacity, she choreographed several of her own works including a full-length Nutcracker and staged classics such as Swan Lake, Graduation Ball, Giselle and Raymonda.

As artistic director of the Mid-Columbia Regional Ballet, Debra choreographs the annual Nutcracker and has added full-length productions of Giselle and Aladdin to the company’s repertoire. She has also collaborated on projects with other local arts groups. Under her direction, Mid-Columbia Regional Ballet hosted several RDA/P Festivals. Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre has performed her La Volonta several times, including the 2015 In Concert spring performance.

Debra received her training in the Cecchetti and Vaganova methods of ballet. She is an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing of the Cecchetti Society and taught at such prestigious Australian ballet schools such as Essendon Academy of Ballet, Australian National Theatre, and the Victorian Ballet School. Since moving to the Tri-Cities, she has been a guest teacher at Ballet Arts in Spokane, Capital City Ballet in Boise, Regional Dance America/Pacific Festival in 1991 in Tacoma, 1992 in Boise and 1993 in Modesto, Summer Dance Lab at Whitman College, Ballet Unlimited, Bravo! Repertory Dance Theatre, City Ballet School and The Studio, School of Classical Ballet. Debra has served as Chairman of both Regional Dance America and of its Pacific Region and has served as the Artistic Director of the Regional Dance America Craft of Choreography Conference. She has been master teacher for several international Cecchetti societies in recent years.

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Chris Pratorius

Chris Pratorius is a composer and educator whose pieces have been performed in New York, Boston, Istanbul, Guatemala, New Haven, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Omaha, Tucson, Annandale VA, Tempe AZ and in the greater Santa Cruz area. He received a B.A. in 1999 and an M.A. in Music in 2001, both from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Recent performances include Through a Crack in the Concrete commissioned for the UCSC Orchestra by Nicole Paiement, Pequeña America commissioned by Nat Berman for the UCSC Concert Choir, Four Bagatelles premiered by New Music Works, La Virgen a Solas premiered by Tucson Chamber Artists and three scenes from his chamber opera Roxane de Bóveda, a modern day retelling of Cyrano, premiered by Goat Hall Cabaret Opera.

This March, Chris was artistic director of Santa Cruz Chamber Player's Resonant Lyricism, which featured tenor Brian Staufenbiel and soprano Erin Neff in a varied program, including three original compositions. Current projects include Diary of a Black Widow with original poetry by local favorite Lauren Eggert-Crowe and a setting of Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, both to be used in an upcoming Halloween concert. In addition, Chris is founder and artistic director of The Santiago Music Festival, a summer festival held in Antigua, Guatemala every August that features opera, chamber music, and world premiere compositions. Chris is a lecturer at California State University at Monterey Bay and maintains a private studio.

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Sarah Stein Ericksen

Sarah Stein Ericksen was born and raised in San Jose. She studied with Diane Cypher and Robert Kelley at San Jose Dance Theatre, and when they moved to Santa Cruz, she followed and continued her training at The Studio for several years. Sarah danced with Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre during her formative years, including in featured roles such as the "Peppermint Candycane" and "Ballerina Doll" in The Nutcracker, as one of the pas de six girls in Alan Hineline’s Sans Souci, in the corps de ballet of George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, the Little Sister in Philip Jerry’s Our Town and in many ballets choreographed by Robert Kelley. Robert gave her the nickname “Sparky” during rehearsals for Our Town, and we’ve known her as Sparky ever since.

Sarah joined Ballet San Jose as a trainee in 2006, was promoted to apprentice in 2007 and became a member of the Corps de Ballet in 2009. She now serves on the Ballet San Jose School faculty and is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Sarah has been featured in many roles at Ballet San Jose including a Stomper in Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room, the "Pas de Trois" in Sir Frederick Ashton's Les Rendezvous, a Flower Girl in Wes Chapman's staging of Don Quixote, the "Summer Fairy" in Ben Stevenson's Cinderella, and a cygnet in Dennis Nahat's Swan Lake. Her repertoire includes Jorma Elo's Glow-Stop, Ohad Naharin's Minus 16, Dwight Rhoden's Evermore, Paul Taylor's Piazzolla Caldera, Merce Cunningham's Duets, Roland Petit's Carmen, Antony Tudor's Jardin Aux Lilas, and George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Theme and Variations, Square Dance, Who Cares, and Allegro Brillante, Ms. Stein has performed with Made in Denmark alongside dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet in the summer of 2008 and appeared as a guest artist with the Sacramento Ballet in their performances of Serenade during the company's 2011/2012 season. Sarah is married to Ballet San Jose School Principal Mads Ericksen.

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