Student Division –
Levels 1 thru 5

Jamey Leverett
Artistic Director

Ms. Leverett received her principal training with Timothy M. Draper at the Draper Center, the affiliated school of the Rochester City Ballet. As a former dancer with RCB, she performed major roles in Mr. Draper’s Nutcracker, and danced the lead role in his Firebird, choreographed specifically for her. During her performance career with RCB she was given opportunities to choreograph for the company. Her gift as a talented choreographer emerged, with several of her earlier works still performed by Rochester City Ballet today, such as Inner Voices and Gershwin in the Park.

Beth Bartholomew

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.

Stefanie Cheshire

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.

Fawn Doran

Fawn Doran received her training at Draper Center for Dance Education, the official school of the Rochester City Ballet. While dancing at Draper she had several opportunities to dance with RCB in their productions of The Nutcracker and Cinderella. She danced roles such as Snow Corps, Spanish Corps, Waltz of the Flowers and lead Arabian princess. In Cinderella she was a Ball Guest as well as a Midnight Fairy.

Bailey Fantauzzo

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.

Alexandra Insigna

Alexandra Insinga received her early training in Melbourne, Australia, where she received a Diploma of Art with Honors, passed her RAD Advanced II exam with Distinction and was a finalist in the City of Sydney McDonald’s Ballet Scholarships. She continued her studies at the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD), during which time she was invited to compete in the 2003 New York International Ballet Competition and performed in the semi-finals at Lincoln Center. She graduated from NZSD the same year, attaining a National Certificate in Dance Performance.

Jillian Peschken

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. During her time with RCB she performed soloist roles in their productions of Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Red Violin. Jillian also had the amazing opportunity to perform with the cast of Red Violin in NYC at the
Ballet Builder’s New Choreographers on Pointe performance.

Fidel E. Orrillo Puga

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.

Samantha Winter

Originally from Rochester, New York, Samantha Winter, trained at the Draper Center for Dance Education from the age of 5. She was in multiple productions with the Rochester City Ballet, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Nutcracker.