Ballet Bios
Dorothea "Dorrie" Garland.
Dorothea Garland is from Framingham, MA and is a professional dancer in New York City. She received her early training at Annemarie’s Dance Center and New England Ballet near her hometown. She also studied at Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education and later Mercyhurst College, where she danced various roles including Elegy Lead in Serenade and Myrtha in Giselle opposite Marianna Tcherkassky and Wes Chapman. After graduating with a B. A. in Dance, Dorothea had the privilege to work with Gemze de Lappe who was recreating Oklahoma! with the Reagle Players of Greater Boston. She then went on to dance with Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina followed by Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theater of Boston before moving to New York City, where she has spent the last 15 years working with various choreographers and companies. She currently dances for Ballets with a Twist, East Coast Contemporary Ballet and Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance. In addition to dancing, Dorothea enjoys teaching ballet and the Gyrotonic Method.
Fleur Israel
Fleur Israel had had an active and successful career as a professional dancer in many ballet companies, as well as on Broadway and television. Ms. Israel is a graduate of the High School of Performing Arts where she trained in classical ballet, modern and jazz. For thirty years she has taught ballet on Long Island primarily at the American Theater Dance Workshop and she has had extensive experience as the coordinator of summer intensive programs and as an assistant for children’s training to internationally renowned Ali Pourfarrokh. In addition to her own success as a professional dancer, Ms. Israel brings her expertise as a teacher and mentor to students who study at the American Theater Dance.
Theresa Diaz-DiLallo
Theresa Diaz-DiLallo graduated cum laude from Queens College with a BA in Dance and has a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. Theresa has performed nationally and internationally with the Circle of Dance Repertory Co. for over two decades and is currently artistic director. She has also danced with Patricia Kenny Dance Collection and the Dany Holdstein Dance Company. Over the years she has had the pleasure of working with choreographers: Nancy Brier, Carl Paris, Diane McCarthy, Jennifer Weaver, Ben Munisteri, Orion Duckstein and Patricia Kenny Reilly to name a few.
Ms. DiLallo teaches Modern, Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz and Tap at several Long Island studios and enjoys sharing her love of dance with students beginner to advanced. Theresa is also a teaching artist for Circle of Dance bringing dance to students in elementary schools throughout Queens and Long Island. Theresa has taught workshops for school teachers on how to integrate movement into the academic curriculum, based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences at Dellecave Institute and Dowling College. During the spring of 2016, Ms. DiLallo was faculty at Nassau Community College teaching Modern Dance to dance majors.
Wendy Clark
Wendy Clark has an M.A in Ballet Pedagogy from NYU and is a certified ABT Curriculum teacher for all levels (pre-primary to Level 7 and pas de deux). She danced professionally with the Eugene Ballet Company, City Ballet of San Diego, and Ballet Spokane. In addition to teaching for American Theater Dance Workshop, she is currently a teaching artist for American Ballet Theater and teaches ballet at Brooklyn Ballet.
FRANCESCA CARILLO-VACCINO
Francesca Carillo-Vaccino has been teaching dance throughout Long Island and New York for over a decade. She has been a teacher at many different studios, a private coach, and held a position at Queens College as an adjunct professor. In addition to her work as a teacher Francesca has also been a choreographer for musicals, recording artists, films and recently worked as the assistant director for Putnam County Spelling Bee. Apart from her work as a teacher and choreographer Francesca also works professionally as a performer. Her most recent credits include; work on The Public Theater’s Hercules choreographed by Chase Brock, a national commercial and ATDW Director Jerome Vivona’s Just Kiss Me. Favorite film credits include Don Peyote and At the Top of the Pyramid, both of which she was a featured dancer. Francesca was also a member of a pop vocal group which performed across New York including shows opening for the band Nine Days. She is classically trained in the Vaganova Method and has studied extensively with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She also studied acting at HB Studios.
Kathleen Tillis
Kathleen began her dance training with the Eglevsky Ballet at the age of six and then with American Theater Dance Workshop and Huntington Ballet Theatre. She continued studying Ballet seriously and later had the honor of training with renowned ballet instructor, Maggie Black , who coached many ballet legends such as Gelsey Kirkland, Kevin McKenzie, and Natalia Makarova. Kathleen got to dance at the prestigious summer program with Boston Ballet. Directly after finishing High School she joined the Eglevsky Ballet as a professional dancer. After mostly pursuing only ballet, she later decided to cross over to jazz and began training at Broadway Dance Center and STEPS on Broadway in Manhattan. She worked for Royal Caribbean International dancing in the production shows and traveling the world. She also worked for Tokyo Disney where she was an aerialist playing the lead role of Ariel in the show, “Under the Sea.” Kathleen has appeared on the Nickelodeon show, “The Naked Brothers Band” and “Saturday Night Live” dancing in a skit with Katie Holmes and Will Ferrell. Kathleen danced for recording artist, Rietsa, and has done commercials and industrials such as Lee Jeans, Toyota, Coca Cola and Royal Caribbean. Kathleen teaches ballet and jazz for all ages. She is also a certified Pilates instructor.
Veronica lynn
Veronica Lynn, a native of New York City, began her dance training at the Pennsylvania Ballet School. Among her teachers was her mother, former American Ballet Theatre Principal dancer Lupe Serrano. At age 17 she joined the Pennsylvania Ballet Company and performed principal roles in the Nutcracker, Serenade, and Merce Cunninghams’s Arcade.
Ms. Lynn then joined American Ballet Theatre where she danced from 1985-1999. As a soloist, her extensive repertoire included variations in La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Etudes, Coppelia and Cinderella. She performed principal roles in Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Symphonie Concertante, Ballet Imperial, Bouree Fantasque and the Nutcracker. She was also featured in many ballets by Tudor, Macmillan, Ashton, Kylian and Massine.
Ms. Lynn also toured with “Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet” where her roles included Bejart’s Romeo and Juliet pas de deux, Robbin’s Afternoon of a Faun, Balanchine’s Apollo, Meditation pas de deux and Divertimento No. 15.
MICHELLE VIVONA
Michelle began studying dance at the age of 4 at her parent's studio, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Her parent's, both veterans of Broadway television and film, having worked with Luigi, Bob Fosse, Jerome Robbins, Jack Cole, Michael Kidd, Peter Gennaro, Carol Haney and many other luminaries of the time as well as featuring on the Perry Como show. Michelle followed her dreams to NYC and shortly thereafter landed her first role as the Tap Leader in the National Tour of On Your Toes starring Leslie Caron and Natalia Makarova. She then was cast as Lorraine in 42nd Street, which led to her Broadway debut in Sweet Charity directed by Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon starring Debbie Allen, Bebe Neuwirth and later Ann Reinking. Anything Goes was next starring Patti Lupone, followed by working for Jerome Robbins in Gypsy with Tyne Daly and Linda Lavin.
Michelle then joined the Paris Company of West Side Story. Returning home, Michelle toured the US and Japan in Guys and Dolls directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by the late Chris Chadman, starring Lorna Luft. Soon after, they were married and moved to Long Island. Michelle joined the line at Radio City Musical Hall as a Rockette. Michelle was then cast in Thoroughly Modern Millie directed by Tony Winner Michael Mayer and choreographed by Tony Winner Rob Ashford, starring Tony Winner Sutton Foster. She has appeared in music videos, as a Westinghouse Babe on Late Night with David Letterman, One Life to Live, numerous national commercials, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, The Today Show, and was directed by Woody Allen in Zelig.