Siobhan began training in ballet at the Hallenbeck School of Dance in Albany, NY. She went on to attend the School of American Ballet (SAB) for five years. Siobhan danced professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet under the direction of Melissa Hayden, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Dublin City Ballet (Ireland), the BerkshireBallet Company and Ballet Theatre of Boston. Her teaching career began as the director of the ballet program at Emma Willard School for Girls in Troy, NY.  A new door opened when she was offered the job of Interim Artistic Director of the National Museum of Dance. While there she organized the Hall of Fame Inductions of Arthur Mitchell, and the Nicholas Brothers. SPAC’s president, Herbert Chesbrough, created the new position of Director of Arts Education with her in mind; she held this position for 18 years. In that capacity she ran a Pre-Performance Talk series for New York City Ballet and The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as working in outreach education locally. Highlights of these years include interviewing composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch, NYCB’s principal dancers Tiler Peck, Megan Fairchild, and choreographer/dancer Justin Peck.Siobhan holds a B.F.A. with a concentration in dance from the University of Utah. She is married to Dr. Richard Dunham and they have a grown daughter.

Beth has been a performer, dance educator, and arts administrator in the Capital District since 1985 and now serves as Artistic Director for Nacre Dance Group.  She trained with The New Jersey Ballet, The Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of the Performing Arts School of Philadelphia. She attended Towson State University in Towson, MD as a scholarship student in dance and graduated cum laude from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY with a B.A. in Visual and Performing Arts with a dance concentration. She is currently working towards her graduate certificate in Arts Administration through the drama department at the University of Connecticut.

She has performed with New Jersey Ballet, Towson Dance Ensemble, Margaret Wagner and Dancers, Maude Baum and Company and The Isadora Duncan Dance Institute. She served as a teaching artist for the Capital Region Center for Arts in Education through SUNY Albany.

After her reign as co-director of Youth Ballet Company and School in Clifton Park, she served as Director of Arts and Programming for The National Museum of Dance and implemented the School of the Arts which now is a sustaining force for the museum.  During her tenure, she had the opportunity to perform the works of American Dance Choreographers Charles Weidman, Isadora Duncan, Pearl Primus, Anna Sokolow and Donald McKayle. She created the children’s exhibit ChoreoMotion at the Museum and has overseen the installation of several exhibits.  She administered the inductions of dance legends Frankie Manning, Arthur and Kathryn Murray, Bob Fosse, The New Dance Group and Bill T. Jones into The Hall of Fame.

Currently, Beth serves on the Board of Directors for Universal Preservation Hall and Saratoga Artsfest.

Jessica studied with The American Dance Center in Saratoga Springs, NY under the direction and care of Madame Phyllis Latin. While in high school she performed as a member of the Phyllis Latin Dance Company, Inc. at many local venues. Jessica went on to receive a BA in Dance and a BA in Psychology from the University of Buffalo in 2006. While attending UB, Jessica performed in several school productions as well as guest performances with Buffalo City Ballet and Western New York’s Children’s Choir. In 2014 she also received her Master of Science in education (MSEd) in Childhood / Special Education from the College of Saint Rose. Jessica was on the teaching staff of The American Dance Center for over 10 years before the studio closed. Jessica began instructing at Saratoga City Ballet in February of 2016.

Jennifer Manino began her life-long love of dance at the young age of 5. Attending private schools such as Walnut Hill and later a graduate of The HARID Conservatory. Mrs. Manino also studied at renowned schools such as: The Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet and Boston Ballet. Her professional career began touring for the Broadway show Cinderella which took her to over 20 cities throughout the USA. She then joined Columbia City Ballet where she danced soloist and principal roles. After two years at CCB, she went back to NYC where she began performing for The Metropolitan Opera Ballet. During that time, she attained a degree from New York University. After eight seasons dancing with the MET, she began teaching for various schools in NJ & NY including the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. She also taught for Miami City Ballet School in Florida for 3 years. She has over eight years of teaching experience and her true passion is teaching the younger children. Jen, her husband and three energetic children live in the Saratoga area. Founder of Story Dance Studios (storydancestudios.com), she began teaching and creating her classes in September of 2018. She is very excited to be joining the faculty at Saratoga City Ballet.

Lilah DuBoff began her training with David and Christine Otto, and was given the opportunity to perform with the New York City Ballet in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Circus Polka, The Magic Flute, and The Garland Dance. At the age of 13, she began training privately with Miranda Weese at the National Museum of Dance, before going on to study at The Rock School for Dance Education, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Orlando Ballet during her highschool years. She has been fortunate enough to dance lead roles in The Nutcracker,  Bayadere, Paquita, Corsaire, Raymonda, and Balanchine’s Symphony in 3 Movements, and danced professionally as a member of Loose Change Dance Collective. After dancing as a trainee at Orlando Ballet, she was awarded pre-acceptance into American Ballet Theater’s NYC Intensive, but declined to pursue a college degree. Before attending school, Lilah worked as a ballroom dancer and instructor for a Fred Astaire Dance Studio, and competed throughout the northeast with her dance partner. She recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Human Physiological Sciences from Skidmore College, where she additionally studied dance and Chinese. Throughout her college career, she had the opportunity to dance works by Takehiro Ueyama, Pam Tanowitz, Robert Battle, and Erika Pujic, and welcomed opportunities for other independent faculty or student dance/film projects. She loves being able to utilize her experience in kinesiology to better aid her students in remaining healthy and injury free! 

A native Texan, who is proud of her Mesoamerican and Asian German heritage. She is a Bolshoi Certified Vaganova instructor, having cultivated a passion for ballet since childhood. Her pursuit of ballet began at the Margo Dean School of Ballet in Fort Worth, Texas, where she trained under exceptional dancers personally selected by Margo Dean. Also learning from Margo and Webster Dean, the esteemed Artistic Directors. Her performance experience includes engagements with both the School and its professional company, Ballet Concerto. During her time with them, she received training from Texas Christian University alumni, participating in master classes held at TCU. Her curriculum encompassed French, RAD, and Vaganova techniques, instructed by notable figures such as Bruce Marks, Kim Abel from Steps on Broadway, DFW’s renowned choreographer Elise Lavallee, Robert Stewart of Boston Ballet and many more teachers. She performed in a variety of productions and ballets, including “Waltz of the Flowers,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Frosty,” and “Ballet Americano.” Additionally, she participated in company lecture demonstrations at local schools for children and presented works at the Kimball Art Museum. Her solo roles include The Woodland Fairy, Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Lilac Fairy.

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She subsequently pursued her education in Makeup Artistry at Ogle Beauty School in Arlington, earning an Associate of Arts/Science degree.

Relocating her family to New York, she joined SCB to train with extraordinary dancers and instructors, where she was introduced to the Balanchine technique. While in New York she studied ABT under Stefania Nardi for 3 years at the Vermont Education Center for Dance in Rutland, VT. Lauren currently teaches Vaganova at Marble City School of Dance in Rutland, VT. For several years, she has also been a student of Runqiao Du Ballet Coaching under Mr. Du, a YGAP judge and master instructor. She has been affiliated with this institution for over three years, studying Vaganova under Fernanda Ruschel and Elizabeth Gaither.
Outside of her dance commitments, she dedicates her time to homeschooling her children, engaging in permaculture gardening, preparing culturally diverse cuisine for her husband, and developing herbal and beauty products for her small business Wolf and Moon Apothecary.

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Robert Gardner trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts and then under scholarship at the School of American Ballet. He began his professional career in New York with the Eglevsky Ballet, touring internationally with the Joffrey II Dancers, subsequently performing with the Joffrey Ballet where he danced works by Frederick Ashton, Anthony Tudor, Ruthanna Boris, Robert Joffrey, and Choo San Goh throughout the United States. His career moved him west, where with the San Jose/Cleveland Ballet he danced principal and soloist roles in works by George Balanchine, Agnes De Mille, Lar Lubovitch, Jose’ Limon, Dennis Nahat, and many others. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Houston Grand Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, New York. His world dance experience has enriched his vision, choreography, and teaching. 

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Robert has served as Artistic Director of the Rochester City Ballet  and Artistic Associate with the New York State Ballet. Prior to moving to New York, he served as the Artistic Director of the Minnesota Ballet for 12 years, where he choreographed over 40 works, including his original versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Dracula,” “Firebird, and “Swan Lake.” His work has been hailed as having a “meticulous use of contrasting imagery, emotions and energy that make each dance moment exquisitely unique,” and has been presented to acclaim nationally and internationally. He has choreographed for opera and orchestra, as well as musical theater. His national connections have enabled him to bring masterworks by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Agnes DeMille, Anthony Tudor, and Salvatore Aiello to the companies he has led, as well as promoting emerging regional and national choreographers, composers, and designers. His teaching career is wide ranging, from master classes at universities such as Yale and Park Point, to professional companies, dance schools and academies throughout the United States.

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Robert is a trustee and repetiteur for the Salvatore Aiello Trust, the recipient of an Excellence in the Arts & Sciences Award from the Saint Louis County Board of Commissioners and a Lifetime Artist Award from the Depot Foundation. He received an American Composers Forum Award to create an original work with original score and has served as a panelist for the Minnesota State Arts Board.

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