Faculty

Beth Bartholomew is a native of Rochester, NY, where she studied at the former Enid Knapp Botsford School of Dance and later with the Pennsylvania Ballet School in Philadelphia, PA. At age 18, she received a contract with the Joffrey II dancers and went on to dance with the Joffrey Ballet in NYC. Five years later she joined the Washington Ballet where she danced solo and principal roles.

Stefanie Cheshire has been on faculty with Draper Center since 1997 acting as choreographer for dance competitions and teacher of various dance styles including jazz, hip hop, lyrical, and contemporary. Stefanie has received multiple awards for her excellence in choreography. 

Bailey began her formal dance training at the Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education under the direction of Jamey Leverett. As a Draper student she had many opportunities to perform with Rochester City Ballet in their productions of The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, Firebird, Push and Pull, Cinderella, and Carmen. She also spent summers studying at The Juilliard School, Atlanta Ballet, and Nashville Ballet.

Born in Rochester, New York, Breena Keefe began her dance training at Pittsford Dance Studio before joining The Draper Center for Dance Education at age 13. She was a gold medalist in both the contemporary and classical categories at the Indianapolis City Ballet Competition and traveled to Peru with the Draper Center Youth Ensemble in 2016 and 2018 to perform with professionals from across the Americas. 

Fidel Orrillo, born in Lima, Peru, and studied with his Aunt Stella Puga in Trujillo, Peru. At age 13 he received a scholarship to the renowned “National School of Ballet” in Havana, Cuba, directed by Alicia Alonso where he graduated and performed with National Ballet of Cuba. 

Jillian Peschken received her formal training at the Draper Center for Dance Education, while also performing as a company member with the Rochester City Ballet. After high school she joined Ballet Austin as a company trainee for one season before attending Indiana University’s Ballet Theater, where she received a B.S. in Ballet and Kinesiology.

Cameron Basden brings passion and spirit to her art, as well as a keen sense of organization and integrity to the projects she undertakes. After a performing career with the Joffrey Ballet, she served as ballet master and co-associate director of that company and director of dance at Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Born in Rochester, New York, Ms. Boone trained at the Timothy M Draper Center for Dance Education and performed many roles with the Rochester City Ballet including the title role in The Firebird and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Ms. Cater received her training through the Moscow State Institute of Culture and performed as a Principal Dancer with the International Ballet Collective in Moscow, Russia. Ms. Cater has worked as a choreographer with Olympic Ballet Theatre in Edmonds, Washington and as a teacher with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington, teaching both character dance and classical ballet.

Joseph was born and raised in the beautiful hills of upstate New York, and can be easily identified from a distance by his cacophonous laughter. He began his studies at The Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester, New York and continued to receive his BFA at The Juilliard School under direction of Lawrence Rhodes, on tuition scholarship from New York City Dance Alliance.

Fiona Fairrie began her professional ballet training in London at the Nesta Brooking School of Ballet and was then invited to attend the White Lodge Royal Ballet Junior School on scholarship. Upon graduation to the Upper School, she was later chosen for the Company Graduate Class with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, where she was taught by Dame Ninette de Valois and performed with the Royal Ballet under the direction of Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. 

As a soloist with Les Ballet Dimension (Jamaica), N’Jelle began her career under the tutelage of Norma Spence & Tatjana Sedunova. She attended Academia Ballet Clasico Nina Novak as a scholarship student, graduated from Escuela Nacional de Arte & interned with Danze Contemporanea de Cuba.

Born in Camaguey, Cuba, Gypsy Hall began her dance training at age eight with the National Ballet School of her birth city. During her student years, she won several awards in international competitions and festivals. At age eighteen she launched her professional career with the Ballet of Camaguey, where she became principal soloist under the direction of Fernando Alonso.

Ivonne Lemus began her dance studies at the Provincial Arts School in Pinar del Rio, Cuba and then was selected to continue her training at the National School of Ballet in Havana, Cuba. After graduating she joined the Ballet National of Cuba, where she was trained by Alicia Alonso, Josefina Mendez, Loipa Araufo and Laura Alonso. Lemus was promoted to soloist and later joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada.

Hayley received her early training from the Draper Center for Dance Education in upstate New York under Timothy M. Draper. In the summer of 2005, Hayley accepted an invitation to dance in the 14th annual International Festival of Ballet in Trujillo, Peru as the representative from the United States.

Originally from Singapore, she has trained in classical ballet – Royal Academy of Dancing Syllabi – Oriental Dance Mudras, Modern, and Jazz genres. Ms. Nathan-Murphy has a certification from the Royal Academy’s Dance Institution in London, England and has acquired a teaching Diploma from the British Association of Teachers of Dance.

Brian received his training at Jefferson Performing Arts in Portland, Oregon, while dancing with their student company from 1985 to 1988. He danced with the world famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo from 1994 to 2001. Over the past 20 years Brian has danced with the Rochester City Ballet in various productions and served as their ballet master for three years.

Mr. Orrante is a recipient of the 2005 inaugural Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship. He began his dance training at The Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and later at North Carolina School of the Arts. After 22 years as a professional dancer, he retired from BalletMet where he also had the opportunity to create over 15 premieres for the company.

Currently an Associate Professor at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts, Ms. Peck was trained by the legendary dancer, Andre Eglevsky and the School of American Ballet. At age 17, Ms. Peck joined the New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine. She went on to dance soloist roles with the Pennsylvania Ballet and later became a soloist with Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Ballet International in London. 

Originally from Queensland, Australia, Michalejon moved to the US in 2004 after winning the Australian Dancer of the Year Award to attend the Jackie Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theater on full scholarship. He then went on to attend the BFA dance program at the prestigious Julliard School in New York City, making him the first Australian to be accepted into either program.

Marion Tonner, L.R.A.D., A.R.A.D. is a native of London, England. Tonner received her education and dance training on full scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dance in Battersea, London. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance with honors and credentials including a Licentiate Diploma and Advanced Teaching Degree. She enjoys analyzing body mechanics and designing classes to promote artistry and prevent injury.

Originally from Rochester, NY, Tara Jeanne is now an accomplished Choreographer, Teacher, and Performer based in New York City. Most recently, she performed in and served as Assistant Choreographer and Dance Captain on Goodspeed Opera House’s Singin’ in the Rain, which won a CT Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Production.