Artistic Team
Sara Clayborne, Director/Co-Founder
Sara is originally from New York and trained at the Ballet School of New York under the direction of Diana Byer and Sallie Wilson. In 2001, she graduated from the Professional Children’s School in New York City and began to dance professionally with New York Theatre Ballet, performing at the Florence Gould Hall in New York City and touring the United States. In 2004, Sara moved to Richmond, Virginia to join the Richmond Ballet trainee program, where she danced for two years before being asked to join Starr Foster Dance Project. In 2007, Sara co-founded the Charlottesville Ballet and danced in the company until she retired from the stage in 2013 to devote her time to the growth of the organization.
Sara is an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT National Training Curriculum and puts the ABT Curriculum into practice both within the professional company and as Director of Charlottesville Ballet Academy. Sara is also a graduate of the Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) entrepreneurship program, served on the CIC board of directors, and continues to mentor entrepreneurs in the region. She looks forward to nurturing the growth and appreciation for dance among peers and in the community.
Emily Hartka, Director/Co-Founder
Emily fell in love with ballet at the age of five in her hometown of Roanoke, VA and began dance classes at Roanoke Ballet Theatre then continued her training with Unurbat Gunaajav and Michele Goacher. She played violin in the Roanoke Youth Symphony and performed dance roles in collaborative shows with Opera Roanoke, Mill Mountain Theatre, and Radford University. Emily attended summer intensives at the Richmond Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and on scholarship with the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She spent her senior year of high school at the Virginia School of the Arts in Lynchburg, VA under the late Petrus Bosman, and then danced as a trainee at Richmond Ballet.
In 2008, Emily relocated to Charlottesville to help co-found the Charlottesville Ballet and to attend the University of Virginia, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Nonprofit Management & Arts Administration. She danced in CB’s professional company throughout its first decade and retired from dancing in 2018. She continues to lead the organization’s marketing and development efforts and launch collaborations with nonprofit and performing arts partners. Emily is thankful to all who have made this 17-year journey possible!
Keith Lee, Director of Diversity & Inclusion, and Resident Choreographer
Mr. Lee hails from the Bronx, NY and began training at the High School of Performing Arts in NYC. In 1969, Mr. Lee was the first Black soloist to join the American Ballet Theatre and he went on to dance with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. His repertory included the choreography of such luminaries as Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, Agnes DeMille, Lar Lubovitch, Jerome Robbins, and Antony Tudor, as well as performance credits in theater and broadway musicals. He has served as ballet master for Ailey and Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and Capitol Ballet, and has been teaching and choreographing for dance companies across the world.
Mr. Lee has called Central Virginia home since 1994, and he was named Artist Laureate by the City of Lynchburg where he continues to work as a freelance choreographer, master teacher, and performing arts coordinator. He has shared his vision and 50-year dance legacy with the Charlottesville Ballet since 2008, and he serves as Resident Choreographer and Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the entire organization.
Caitlin Lennon, Artistic Associate & Director of Repertoire
Caitlin Lennon, originally from Bozeman, MT, began her intensive training at the Queen City Ballet in Helena, MT. She spent her summers studying at Juilliard, American Ballet Theatre in New York, Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Ballet West on scholarship. Her travels across the country ended at the Richmond Ballet, where she was accepted into the trainee program on full scholarship and danced for two seasons. She also taught dance in the public schools with Richmond Ballet’s Minds In Motion program from 2007-2015. In 2008, Caitlin joined the Charlottesville Ballet as a founding member of the professional company. From 2015-2019, Caitlin worked as the Company Manager for the professional company, in addition to continuing her performances as a dancer. In March of 2019, Caitlin retired from the stage and accepted the role of Director of Repertoire, continuing her work with the professional company and trainee program. In addition to her work with the Ballet, Caitlin is a licensed Realtor® in the state of Virginia. Caitlin is looking forward to her 17th season with Charlottesville Ballet!
Emily Cloyd, Artistic Associate
Emily grew up in Vienna, VA, training at The Russell School of Ballet. She then attended high school at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, training under Nina Danilova, Kee-Juan Han, and Christine Spizzo. She went on to join Ballet Austin, first as a Trainee and then as an Apprentice, performing in the premieres of Stephen Mills’ The Magic Flute and Thang Dao’s Quite Imprint. In 2011, she joined Nashville Ballet’s Second Company, NB2. After two years with NB2, she returned to her home state of Virginia, receiving her B.A. and Masters of Public Health from the University of Virginia. She joined CBA’s faculty in 2021 and became an Artistic Associate with Charlottesville Ballet in 2022. She is also excited to return as a faculty member for the 24-25 season!
Kristina Edwards, Artistic Associate
Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Kristina received her formal training with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. She performed professionally across genres with Louisville Ballet, American National Ballet, Chicago Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Peoria Ballet, Nomi Dance Company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Winifred Haun & Dancers, ClancyWorks Dance Company, Company E, and Motion X Dance DC. Kristina is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and has taught ballet and contemporary throughout the Chicago, D.C., and Virginia regions for Visceral Dance Center, The Washington School of Ballet, BalletNova, George Mason University, West End Academy of Dance and Virginia Commonwealth University. She choreographed for Nomi Dance Company, Classical Repertory Dance Ensemble, Errant Movement, Motion X Dance DC, RADAR Dance, Stavna Ballet, and Conflux Dance Theater where she’s currently continuing her performing career. In 2018, Kristina relocated to Richmond, VA and has loved being an Artistic Associate with Charlottesville Ballet since 2019. She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two sons exploring Central Virginia.
Ty Cooper Grace, Artistic Associate, Facilities Coordinator, & Choreographer
Ty Cooper Grace began their terpsichorean voyage at the Woodside High School and the Eastern Virginia School of the Performing Arts under the instruction of Dr. Mary Ann Laverty and Sandra Ballastrachi. After graduation, Ty spent several years in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Dance & Choreography Program while also dancing as a Trainee with Richmond Ballet. Ty has performed at the Black College Dance Festival, the American Dance Festival, and as a guest artist with EDGEWORKS Dance Theater and the Starr Foster Dance Project. In 2008, they relocated to Charlottesville to become a founding member of Charlottesville Ballet. Ty has served in numerous roles over the years including teaching in the Chance To Dance Program and at CBA, costuming, administration, and choreography. In 2010, Ty created the “Candy Cane” variation for CB’s first Nutcracker production, and they have since created several works in the Charlottesville Ballet repertoire.
Mary Hein, Artistic Associate & Choreographer
Mary Hein began her dance training in Maryland at the National Ballet School under the direction of Pamela Moore where she earned her Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. She then attended Point Park University’s College of Performing Arts where she received a BA in Dance with concentrations in ballet and jazz. Following graduation, Mary danced for Charlottesville Ballet as a Company Artist from 2013-2015. During her time with the company, Mary taught several classes at CBA and choreographed for the professional company including a reimagining of The Firebird in collaboration with Co-Founder Sara Clayborne. She was also commissioned to create Charlottesville Ballet choreography in collaboration with the Oratorio Society of Virginia (Arthur Honegger’s King David in 2015) and the Charlottesville Opera (Oklahoma! in 2017). Mary currently teaches for the professional company and in the academy, and is a Manager on Duty for CBA.
Jennifer Tweel Kelly, Artistic Associate
Jennifer has spent most of her life studying dance and movement. She was a member of the Zen Monkey Project and performed with various companies including, Chavasse Dance and Performance, Cora, and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Jen is an AmSAT certified Alexander Technique teacher, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from JMU and a Master of Social Work from VCU. Jen teaches Jessica Wolf’s Art of Breathing© and has personal training credentials from National Academy of Sports Medicine and American Council on Exercise. She is certified in EMDR and is working towards clinical social work licensure to optimally integrate her practices to help others heal themselves. The Kelly family owns and operates Duner’s, a local restaurant institution, where her husband serves the public Franco-American food at an elegant country setting in Ivy. Jen has taught the Alexander Technique for the Charlottesville Ballet Trainees since 2014.
Mari Mori, Artistic Associate
Mari Mori began her ballet training at the Yasuko Miyashita Ballet School in Kyoto, Japan. She studied with Hideo Fukagawa and subsequently joined his ballet company. She continued her studies with Madam Nora Kiss, Jean Clould Ruiz, and Finis Jhung. Mari danced with the American Repertory Dance Theatre and the Covenant Ballet Theatre in New York. After moving to the East Coast, she taught at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Wake Forest University, and the North Carolina Dance Festival. Mari moved to Lynchburg, VA in 2009 to teach at Sweet Briar College and the Virginia School of the Arts (VSA). Upon the closure of VSA in 2011, she founded Central Virginia Ballet to provide instruction to her Lynchburg-area students. Mari has served as an Artistic Associate for Charlottesville Ballet since 2014, and Central Virginia Ballet is our community partner and Lynchburg rehearsal home.
Kerry Shea, Artistic Associate
Kerry Shea’s company credits include Ballet West, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, CONTINUUM Contemporary Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, and Lydia Johnson Dance, where she also served as Associate Artistic Director. Kerry performed the classics as well as an extensive list of George Balanchine’s repertoire, plus a featured artist for the documentary Sensuality and Nationalism in Romantic Ballet.
Graduating with high honors, Kerry earned her BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Utah. She is passionate about training dancers with the proper biomechanics for peak performance, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. She is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique Teacher and Pilates Instructor, and she was honored to join Doctors for Dancers as an International Dance Specialist. Kerry enjoys coaching the Charlottesville Ballet dancers and teaching clients both virtually and in Charlottesville from her boutique studio Kerry Shea Pilates.
Anna Sides, Artistic Associate
Anna Sides danced professionally for 14 years and has taught for 40 years throughout the United States. She is from Raleigh, NC and trained at The National Academy of Arts in Champaign, IL under the direction of Petrus Bosman, Robert Dicello, and Christine Hennessey. Anna danced professionally with Ballet West, Ballet Memphis, Maryland Ballet, and Festival Ballet of Rhode Island. Highlights of her performing career were Sir Frederick Ashton’s Monotones II, Swanhilda in Coppélia, Sugar Plum and Dew Drop Fairies in The Nutcracker, Hermia in A Midsummer’s Night Dream along with Balanchine ballets such as Allegro Brillante and Who Cares. Anna was also a guest Ballet Mistress with Missouri Ballet Theatre and ran her own traveling ballet school in Highland and Pocahontas counties. Anna has been an Artistic Associate since 2015 and is delighted to continue her work with the professional company, the trainee program, and students at Charlottesville Ballet Academy.
Pedro Szalay, Artistic Associate & Choreographer
Bio coming soon!
Katherine Nies, Accompanist
Katherine is a classically-trained musician with a passion for the visual arts, languages, and storytelling. Her passion for music traces back to early memories of her mother’s Peruvian and Puerto Rican guitar folk songs, and her father composing jazz piano. Originally from the DC area, Katherine received her classical training under Hsien-Ann Meng, Gerda Bansleben, and Marianna Prjevalskaya. She has performed with creatives from all over the world including Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, the Kennedy Center, Richmond Ballet, and Albemarle Symphony. Katherine’s projects with Charlottesville Ballet include Dancing Through The Looking Glass, RBG, and Sorrowful Songs. Recently, she sang at Carnegie Hall with two-time Grammy award winning composer, Christopher Tin along with musicians from Distinguished Singers International. Katherine’s singles to her album Storms in My Attic are available on Spotify and Apple Music. She also directs theater and choral music, and enjoys spending time in the Blue Ridge with her daughter. Katherine is honored to celebrate 10 years with Charlottesville Ballet! Find her latest projects at: www.katherinenies.com
Staff
Ali Brent, Finance Manager
Ali Brent grew up in Greene County and fell in love with ballet at a young age. She studied dance in Charlottesville at “The Dance Studio” under Nan Rennie and Daphne Sandridge, and at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington). After college, Ali enjoyed working with children at a home for abused and neglected youth, and then with the elderly at an assisted living home. She then worked at Capital One, which led to a position in finance with the Marine Corps, where she met her husband. In 2005, the Brents moved back to Greene County to raise their family. As Charlottesville Ballet’s Finance Manager, Ali enjoys serving the community and furthering the organization’s goal to make dance accessible to everyone.
Lori Jablonski, Company Manager
Originally from Rochester, NY, Lori studied and taught multiple dance genres at studios in New York and Virginia, and completed Boston Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Teacher Training program. Lori holds a B.A. in Dance with a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies from Muhlenberg College. She performed with the Muhlenberg Dance Association, Copasetic Rhythms (tap company), Muhlenberg Ballet Ensemble and at the American College Dance Festival. Lori was a performer at Walt Disney World (Florida) in 2004-2006. She then relocated to Charlottesville dancing with inFluxdance, R Squared, UpRooted Dance, and Miki Liszt Dance Company (MLDC). Lori’s previous arts administration experience includes Director of Operations for MLDC, Office Manager for Charlottesville Performing Arts School, and Academy Manager at Charlottesville Ballet from 2016-2023. Lori became a Certified Associate in Project Management in 2023 and is in her second year as Company Manager. Lori enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two children.
Cordelaine Klyne, Stage Manager & Academy Manager
Originally from Marshall, VA, Cordelaine began her dance training at the age of three. She studied under Cynthia Kiehnau at Virginia Civic Ballet, and she is certified through Grade 7 in the Cecchetti Council of America syllabus. Cordelaine recently graduated from the University of Virginia, receiving a major in Commerce with concentrations in Marketing and Management and a minor in Dance. Cordelaine had the honor of being named a J. Sanford Miller Family Arts Scholar for dance. In 2021, she started as a summer intern with Charlottesville Ballet and she has worked as an Administrative Assistant, Academy Manager, and Stage Manager over the past three years. In 2024, Cordelaine was promoted to Operations Manager for the entire organization, and she also continues her role as Stage Manager making magic happen from backstage!
Claudia Strawderman, Development Manager
Originally from Washington, D.C., Claudia Strawderman began taking ballet classes with CityDance at the Music Center at Strathmore. At thirteen, she moved to Istanbul, Turkey, and while there continued training in the Royal Academy and Vaganova methods. After completing her BA Honors in History at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, United Kingdom, Claudia moved to Charlottesville and began employment with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello in the Guest Relations Department. Claudia joined the Charlottesville Ballet administrative team in 2022 and was promoted to Development Manager in 2024. She is thrilled to combine her passion for dance alongside her work to promote the mission of the Ballet.
Kathryn Tokar Conley, CB Moves Coordinator
Kathryn began her dance training in Lakewood, OH at the Beck Center for the Arts, spending summers at Cincinnati Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, and ABT. She graduated summa cum laude from Mercyhurst University with a B.A. in Dance Performance and a minor in Biology. She began her professional career as a founding member of Cleveland Ballet and went on to dance for Lake Erie Ballet and Deos Contemporary Ballet. In 2017, Kathryn joined Charlottesville Ballet as a Trainee and will be performing in her eighth season as a Company Artist. In addition to her artistic roles as dancer and teacher, Kathryn is a talented administrator who has assisted with CB’s grant writing, patron services, and program evaluation since 2018. She completed Dance for PD® training at the Mark Morris Dance Center and now leads Charlottesville Ballet’s Movement For Parkinson’s program. In 2023, Kathryn completed her master’s degree in Arts in Medicine through the University of Florida and was promoted to CB Moves Coordinator in 2024. She is thrilled to help facilitate and develop our extensive community engagement programs offered free-of-charge throughout Central Virginia.