BDTS Faculty

Mari O’Donnell grew up in Fort Wayne, IN where she was trained in classical ballet at The Fort Wayne Ballet under the direction of Karen Gibbons-Brown. There, she passed the international Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exam with honors. Mari spent summers dancing at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Atlanta Ballet and Orlando Ballet (under the direction of the late Fernando Bujones). In 2000, Mari moved to Atlanta where she danced in the pre-professional division at the Atlanta Ballet- while at Atlanta Ballet she was chosen to represent the program in Beijing, China for a summer study with The Beijing Ballet. In 2003, Mari returned to Fort Wayne to dance as a trainee at the Fort Wayne Ballet where the old ABT contemporary ballet “Le Combat” was set on her. In 2006, Mari moved to New York City to train at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre where she graduated with a Certificate of Dance with honors. During her time at Ailey she performed in works by Earl Mosley, Milton Myers, Camille A. Brown, and Troy Powell, among others. She also travelled to Burgos, Spain under the direction of the late Kazuko Hirabayashi and competed and placed in an international competition in both contemporary dance and Hip-Hop. In New York, Mari performed with DanceIquail!, The VonHoward Project, and was a guest artist for Earl Mosley’s Institute for the Arts, and The Albano Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. In January 2013, Mari began teaching at Barriskill Dance Theatre School, then became the Artistic Director in 2015 and Artistic and Executive Director in the summer of 2017.

Kristin was born in Ohio and spent 14 years training and working in New York City. She danced for nine seasons at The Metropolitan Opera in various productions by Robert LePage, Julie Taymor and Franco Zeffirelli, among others. She has collaborated and toured with Susan Marshall & Company, Johannes Wieland, Mark DeChiazza and Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre. Kristin also spent summers performing at The Santa Fe Opera, a year dancing with the State Theater of Kassel in Germany, and performed as Lady MacDuff in Punchdrunk’s off-Broadway show, Sleep No More. She has pursued choreography through residencies at Dance Omi International Arts Center and Fleet Moves Dance Festival and presented work in Brooklyn, Wellfleet, Ghent, Washington D.C, Charlottesville and Durham. She has taught master classes at Columbia College Chicago, The National Museum of Dance, Princeton University, American University and the University of Virginia as well as Parsons The New School for Design as a member of the Movement Party. In addition to teaching at Barriskill, Kristin teaches modern dance at Duke University. She holds a BFA with honors in dance and a minor in Visual Arts from the Alvin Ailey/Fordham University program and an MFA in dance from the University of the Arts.

Originally from Birmingham, Alabama Megan graduated from Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) with the Dance Achievement Award. Megan continued her education at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA where she earned a B.A. in Dance Performance and French & Francophone Studies Magna Cum Laude. While in school she had the honor to perform works by Mark Morris Dance Group founding member, Teri Weksler; répétiteur for Donald McKayle, Randall Anthony Smith; and répétiteur for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Germaul Barnes. Megan joined Durham based modern dance company, KT Collective, in 2018 and continues to perform under the direction of Kristin Taylor Duncan. She joined the production team for RECITAL, a Durham based variety show founded by Alyssa Noble and Chris Strauss, in 2023 and continues to perform and manage front of house for this annual performance. Megan has presented her own choreography throughout the northeast including at the Richmond Dance Festival, North Carolina Dance Festival, and American College Dance Association. In addition to dance, she teaches Pilates at InsideOut Body Therapies (IOBT) in Durham. Megan completed The Pilates Center’s 950 hour Advanced Teacher Training Program at IOBT(2020) and studied with Patricia Medros in Rome, Italy (2022).

Liza began dancing at the age of 3 and never stopped. She moved back to North Carolina after spending 10 years living in San Antonio, TX. There she was the Artistic Director of LA Performing Arts and the Lead Choreographer of the Sensations Dance Company. Liza has danced professionally with the Cascade Touring Theatre Company, as a character at Walt Disney World, in numerous theatre productions and in several music videos. As a dancer at Disney she was fortunate to perform in numerous televised productions. Liza also worked as a professional actress in LA for over 10 years. Favorite stage roles include: Brooke in Noises Off, Sue in Not Now Darling and interviewing celebrities for Conversation withtheStars. Favorite TV/Film roles include principal parts in: Psychic Investigators, All the President’s Women and appearing in a series for National Geographic. Liza taught modern dance at Chapel Hill High school for four years and has taught jazz, modern, ballet, pointe, contemporary and musical theatre. She has directed over 100 shows and is thrilled to continue teaching all the talented students at Barriskill.

Katie Henrich is originally from Iowa City, Iowa. Katie attended Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Penn., where she received her BFA in Dance. After graduating, Katie moved to New York to attend the Martha Graham Dance Company’s Accelerated Professional Program. While living in New York, she received a certification in Pilates from Gramercy Pilates NYC. After attending the Martha Graham Dance program, she worked as a dance assistant for the Radio City Rockettes. Katie then became a Radio City Rockette and performed in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. After performing as a Rockette, Katie moved back to Iowa City where she focused on teaching and choreographing. Some of her choreographic works included pieces for the company at Nolte Academy, Matilda the Musical, and Legally Blonde the Musical for the City Circle Theatre Company. In June 2022, Katie moved to Durham, North Carolina with her husband who is an ENT resident at UNC. Katie teaches pilates, travels as a judge for Spotlight Dance Competition, teaches dance and is still performing. She had the privilege of performing Joanna Kotze’s BIG BEATS and ‘Lectric Eye in Durham presented by American Dance Festival. Katie loves to spend time with her dog, go on hikes, and explore the city of Durham!

A native of Minnesota, Emily has been singing in musical theater productions for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Music from St. Olaf College in Vocal Performance (cum laude), a Master of Arts in Musicology, and a Ph.D in Music from UNC - Chapel Hill. She has studied voice with Jeanne Fischer, Anna Mooy, Yvonne Redman, Kelly Kaduce, and Lucas Meachem and has performed under the direction of Doug Sholz-Carlson, Darcy Engen, and Marc Callahan. Emily has performed around the United States, including Branson, Chicago, and Minneapolis, and throughout her career has performed the title roles in Mary Poppins, Anne of Green Gables, and Alice in Wonderland, among others. Emily enjoys a diversity of musical experiences and loves teaching all ages.

Caroline Vance is from Durham, NC and has been teaching dance since 2015. She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2016 with degrees in English and psychology, and spent time teaching in several preschools as well as studios since then. Caroline spent 13 years studying tap with Gene Medler at the Ballet School of Chapel Hill, and was a member of the North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE) from 2008-2012. In 2016, she became a part NCYTE's leadership team, and currently the company’s assistant director. Caroline has had the privilege of learning from and working with some of the greatest tap dancers in the world at festivals across the US, and was recently given the opportunity to teach at the North Carolina Rhythm Tap Festival in Chapel Hill. She has a passion for dance and is thrilled to share that love with her students. At Barriskill, Caroline currently teaches preschool dance, studio level and conservatory level tap, and studio and conservatory level musical theatre. She is the director of the studio level musical theatre shows and is the costume manager for all Barriskill productions.

Mauri Connors is a dance artist originally from Rockbridge County, VA. She received her BA in Dance with honors from Connecticut College in 2015, where she studied with David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Shani Collins-Achille, Rosemarie Roberts, Lisa Race, and Shawn Hove. She has performed with Jenny Davies/ Progeny Dance and ShaLeigh Dance Works. Her writing and visual work have been included in Contact Quarterly and About Place Journal. From 2018-2021 she was the Artistic Director of Halestone Dance Studio, a nonprofit dance education organization in Lexington, VA, where she taught modern, creative movement and ballet to children of all ages and adults. She is a passionate advocate for dance education for all ages, and is listed on the Virginia Commission for the Arts Teaching Artist Roster. In Durham, she collaborates with Matthew Young to create highly physical and emotionally resonant dances. She enjoys nurturing a love of dance, robust movement skills, and positive social interactions in Barriskill's young dancers!

Studying tap, jazz and ballet, Traci’s love for dance was ignited at age 4. Her early ballet instruction began under the guidance of Pamela Agudelo, while tap and jazz training was overseen by Diane Griffin, Sharon Gagner and Rhonda Myers. In high school, she was selected to perform in the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Paralympic Games. In 2003, Traci graduated with a B.A. in literature and K-6 teaching license from the University of North Carolina - Asheville. Following this she moved to Cullowhee, NC, where she rejuvenated her ballet training under the tutelage of Marilyn Cloutier. Around this time, she taught dance in various studios across western North Carolina and performed in musical theatre productions at Western Carolina University. Traci expanded her expertise by becoming a certified Rhythm Works Dance Instructor in 2020. Rhythm Works Integrative Dance is a clinically based dance program that utilizes sensory processing, kinesiology, and behavioral analysis as a foundation to build customizable classes for students with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Traci joined Barriskill in 2015 when her family moved to the Triangle. She loves spending time with her husband and 3 daughters, and also enjoys reading and crocheting.

Audrey Fenske began her dance training at Bounds Dance Studio in Chapel Hill, NC. She continued her studies in high school at the Virginia School of the Arts under the late Petrus Bosman, and received the Service Award upon graduation. She received additional training with Houston Ballet, BalletMet Columbus, and Pilobolus. She graduated from Duke University as the university’s first Dance major with a double major in Developmental Psychology. While at Duke, Audrey received the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts and the Julia Wray Memorial Award for her choreography and performance work. Audrey has performed professionally with Keith Lee Dances, concorDance contemporary, Charlottesville Ballet, and Gaspard&Dancers. Audrey has also taught and performed as a freelance artist for numerous schools and groups in both Virginia and North Carolina. An advocate for the arts in the Southeast, Audrey has taught master classes for schools such as Piedmont Virginia Community College and community events such as the TomTom Founders Festival, and served on a panel discussion for the Virginia Film Festival. Audrey’s choreography has been commissioned by groups including the Charlottesville Ballet, Duke University Dance Program, and the Nasher Museum of Art. Her work has been presented at various venues nationally, including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; the Southeast Regional Ballet Association festival in Montgomery, AL; and at the 10th Annual Richmond Choreographers’ Showcase in Richmond, VA. Most recently, Audrey served as the Assistant Director for The Rockbridge Ballet in Lexington, VA. Audrey has been a committed dance teacher in NC and VA for over 10 years, and her students have gone on to study at UNCSA, Joffrey Ballet, Richmond Ballet, The Rock, and more. Audrey is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

Kim was born in Lima, Ohio, however spent most of her early years in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, PA. When she was 10, her family relocated to Raleigh, NC. Fortunately, she quickly discovered her love of dance through public school classes. At age 12, Kim began training in jazz, hip hop + ballet at a local dance studio. Although a shy child, Kim really enjoyed performing and participated in school theatre as well. Kim played principal role “Cha Cha Degregorio” in her school’s production of Grease as well as ensemble roles in both Grease and Hairspray. Her senior year she was titled Dance Captain of her school team while holding a part time job on the weekends and participating in the company at her studio. Enjoying the hustle, Kim decided to work after high school as a freelance dancer and server. Since age 18, she has been a guest teacher and choreographer at several schools and studios all over NC. At age 20, she began training and teaching at North Carolina Dance Institute. Since 2018, Kim has performed in Dubai, Cabo, Las Vegas, Nashville, Atlanta, Charleston and continues to travel and work as a choreographer, dancer, and model for Elevate Dance and Production Company. Currently, Kim enjoys teaching jazz, hip hop, contemporary and private coaching dancers in the Raleigh/Durham area. In her free time, she loves thrifting, spending time with her pups, and watching documentaries.

JoAnna Langston graduated from Elon University with a B.A. in Elementary Education and Spanish and recently from Purdue with a Master's in Educational Psychology. She is a kindergarten teacher by day and a dance teacher by night! JoAnna teaches tap and hip hop at Barriskill and has been a teacher there for 16 years. She was previously a member of Footnotes Tap Ensemble and has trained with tapping legends such as Brenda Bufalino, Dorothy Wasserman, and many more! JoAnna enjoys walking, dancing, and spending time with her family!

Lucinda grew up in eastern North Carolina, on a farm, in the middle of nowhere. Born in New York City as a first-generation American (Jamaican and English parents) and dancing before she was walking, movement and music have been how Lucinda has learned to understand and relate with the world around her. She studied dance from a young age, and branched into athletics in high school, but has been a “reluctant choreographer” since high school with cheer, modern and hip hop dance. Through college, Lucinda danced and choreographed modern and hip hop with many groups, most notably UNC Modernextension and UNC Opeyo! Dance Company. After college, she continued to dance, teach and choreograph for numerous groups, studios, community groups, schools, and churches across the Triangle. These days, outside dance Lucinda tries to keep all her limbs intact, teaching fitness and mobility, and loves spending time with her family.

Roxane joined the Barriskill family in 2016. She had her initial dance training at the Boston Ballet with Sydelle Gomberg and Boston Ballet Faculty and performed in the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker production annually. Her initial training was in the Cecchetti syllabus and in later years she was trained under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and exams. She attended high school at the Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts in Natick, Mass. Following high school, Ms. Lessa studied for two years at the Royal Ballet School in London prior to moving to New York where she trained with Finis Jhung, David Howard and Maggie Black. She has danced professionally with Finis Jhung, The Washington Ballet, Eliot Feld Ballet, and Minnesota Dance Theater.

Heather Rose Locke graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Boston Conservatory receiving a B.F.A. in dance. She began her training at a young age in Durham, North Carolina. In her junior year of high school, she attended Interlochen Arts Academy for the remainder of her high school years. She supplemented her training with distinguished programs including the Joffrey Ballet School, Joffrey Midwest Workshop, North Carolina Dance Theatre, and the American Dance Festival. Upon completion of her Bachelor’s degree, she moved to Florida where she danced with Florida Dance Theatre and Voci Dance. In 2009, Heather performed and became assistant director of Blank Slate Dance. She currently teaches 7th grade at Voyager Academy and contemporary at Barriskill Dance Theater.

Matt grew up in Durham, NC where they trained at The Studio Dance and Gymnastics Center under the direction of their mother Bonnie Boone, and later at Barriskill. In 2015, Matt moved to New York City to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, where they received a certificate in Dance Theatre. Immediately following graduation from AMDA, Matt began a two-year journey traveling the world dancing aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, visiting over 25 countries in the process. After this, they performed regionally at some of the top theaters across the country, including The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum in Florida, Axelrod Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Surflight Theatre on Long Beach Island, and Tibbits Opera House in Michigan. Some favorite credits include A Chorus Line, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, White Christmas and Anything Goes. Following a brief pause from performing where they shifted their focus to teaching, Matt performed with Cedar Fair and RWS Entertainment at theme parks across the country, including Cedar Point in Ohio and Kings Dominion in Virginia. Through this, they had the opportunity to work in casting and company management with Cedar Fair, and choreographed many main stage productions at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.

Heather Pike is a lifelong dancer who grew up in Wilmington, NC studying ballet. She has attended summer sessions at BalletMet and the Charlotte City Ballet as well as the American Dance Festival. Heather received her BFA in Dance Education from East Carolina University, graduating magna cum laude, and was awarded the Outstanding Senior Award in Dance Education. Since then she has taught various levels of ballet and creative dance in several different settings including Arts Together in Raleigh and the American Dance Festival's Samuel H. Scripps Studio in Durham. She has been an instructor at Barriskill Dance Theatre School for 17 years in pre-ballet and conservatory level ballet. She is active in the local dance community and continues to train and perform around the region including her past work as director of Blank Slate Dance and performances at the Greensboro Fringe Festival, Richmond Dance Festival, and the NC Dance Festival. Heather has also worked as a teaching artist for the Carolina Ballet as part of their educational outreach program and currently is part of the United Arts Council Artists in Schools program, bringing dance and literacy integrated workshops to students in public schools particularly those with disabilities. Through her work as a teaching artist, she has presented at various conferences for organizations including ArtsR4Life, A+schools, and Arts Access Inc. Heather is currently pursuing her Masters in Dance Education at UNCG. She is passionate about dance education and is always thrilled to be part of the Barriskill family!

Maren is a Raleigh native that developed her love of dance at a young age. She graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts High School with a concentration in ballet performance and went on to dance professionally with the Louisville Ballet. Some of her favorite performances include Ethan Stiefel's 'Nutcracker', Larry Kegwin's 'Kingdom', and Robert Curran's 'Coppelia'. Maren earned her Bachelor's of Social Work from Appalachian State University and focuses on integrating a person-centered approach into her teaching methods. Maren is passionate about creating a safe and open environment in which students are encouraged to explore, learn, and express themselves. She can't wait to share her love of ballet with our Barriskill family!

A native of upstate New York, Devin Sweet began his dance training with the Fokine Ballet Company at the age of 4. He holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. During his 4 years at UNCSA, he performed works by world renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine's "Serenade," Jerome Robbins' "Fanfare," and Sir Fredrick Ashton's "Les Patineurs." He was selected to perform at the Guggenheim museum in New York City where he performed August Bournonville's "Jockey Dance." He was trained and coached for these roles by the expert faculty at UNCSA including Ethan Stiefel, Melissa Hayden, Warren Conover, Frank Smith, Gyula Pandi, Christine Spizzo, and Fanchon Cordell. His other instructors include Gillian Murphy, Damian Woetzel, Johan Kobborg, Kat Wildish and Slawomir Wozniak. As a professional, Devin has danced in both contemporary and ballet companies and performed as a freelance artist across the East Coast. Devin started teaching in 2010 and has since been an active faculty member and guest instructor at schools throughout Virginia and North Carolina. His students have gone on to study with Richmond Ballet, Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, and many more. In addition to his BFA he also is Acrobatic Arts certified.

Nicole Thomas, affectionately nicknamed “Pinky,” embodies the roles of Dancer, Choreographer, Educator, Ethnographer, and Cultural Ambassador. With roots based in St. Louis, Pinky has immersed herself, since the age of 5, in a diverse array of techniques such as Ballet, Dunham Technique, Jazz, Tap, African, Hip Hop, and Musical Theatre. With over 25 years experience in education, Pinky’s fluency in multiple techniques encompasses historical lineage, grounding movement in its cultural context. Passionate about working and nurturing creative minds, artists are challenged to embrace all forms and aesthetics of movement and music becoming diverse communicators.

Julie is a native of Columbia SC and lived outside of Richmond Va before attending East Carolina University. While at ECU, Julie received her BA in Early Childhood and a M.Ed in Elementary Education. She taught kindergarten through 2nd grade in Chapel Hill and Durham for 30 years. Upon retiring, Julie began working at Barriskill as the front door concierge and teaching in the Child Development Program at Meredith College. Although Julie is not a dance teacher, she grew up taking tap and ballet classes and loves occasionally dancing with friends at Barriskill. Julie and her husband, Douglas, enjoy exploring their home of Durham with their pup, Baxter.