Jackie Stanton-Conley, Director

ABT National Training Curriculum Primary – Level 7 & Adult Ballet Instructor
Central PA Youth Ballet Teaching Syllabus by Marcia Dale Weary

Jackie started her ballet training at the age of 7 in Central NY where she was born and raised. After advancing through the R.A.D. Method under the directon of Delia Foley, she studied on scholarships at various schools including Chicago City Ballet, The Bolshoi in Vail, CO, The New York City Ballet at NYSSA and BalletMet, training under such notable professional Master Teachers as Homer Hans Bryant, David Howard, Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, Allegra Kent, John White, Raymond Lukens, Franco De Vita and Darla Hoover.

From 1993-1997, Jackie danced under contract with The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society and soon thereafter made her debut at the young age of 19 as a choreographer and Ballet Mistress for PABS. Jackie is certified by John White of  The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet to teach The Vaganova Method. She has taught in various schools throughout NY, NH, VT and PA and has over 375 original pieces as well as several original Ballets. Jackie continues to choreograph and create new work for WRBA every year.

In the summer of 2009, Jackie joined the ranks with some of the world’s most recognized and educated classical ballet instructors, earned her certification and serves as an ambassador to the American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum. Jackie has successfully completed the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Curriculum in Primary through Level 7.
In the summer of 2019, Jackie completed Marcia Dale Weary’s Teaching Syllabus at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. With over 28 years of teaching experience Jackie brings to the Upper Valley the opportunity to provide dancers with a rich, deep, pristine knowledge of classical ballet technique and the ability to adapt to all styles and techniques of dance. Jackie is the proud owner of Junction Dance Boutique, a specialized Ballet boutique located right next to WRBA.

Jennifer Guess
Level Primary B/C-Adult and Modern 

Jennifer Guess is an experienced dance teacher and dance coach specializing in technical training and performance preparation. Classically trained in the Vaganova method of ballet, classical modern techniques (Horton & Graham), and jazz (Luigi, Maddox, Hachett), she danced with the original Alvin Ailey Summer Repertory Company before being signed, working and traveling with the Campbell Agency (Dallas) and Fontaine Agency (Los Angeles). In addition to walking the runways in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, Jennifer worked in print, editorial, catalog, and commercial television advertising. Using dance training in all her commercial work, Jennifer developed the ability to hone in on performance critique and professional development. Working alongside her modeling contracts, Jennifer taught at her alma mater, North Carolina School of the Arts (1989), and Westside Academy (Los Angeles). After moving to Dallas in 1998, Jennifer began teaching locally and fell in love with training the new generation of dancers in all styles of dance. Currently Jennifer teaches modern, ballet, jazz, and body conditioning. She privately coaches students on proper form and stability to improve technique excellence and strength. 

 

Victoria Sottosanti
Level Primary B/C-Adult 

 

Victoria has been dancing and performing since the age of three. Growing up outside of Boston, she trained at The Ballet Academy under Frances Kotelly and also competed as a gymnast. As a teen, she focused her pursuits on athletics and was awarded NH All-State in softball. She returned to her first love of dance in college at the University of New Hampshire, where she studied English and pursued performance arts through acting, musical theatre, and ballet classes. In 2010, she joined the UNH Ballet Company under former Boston Ballet soloist Larry Robertson, performing in his Argentinian Tango Ballet. Post-grad, Victoria joined Northeastern Ballet Theatre (NBT) under former Boston Ballet prima ballerina Edra Toth, dancing various roles in The Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, Le Corsaire, and Coppélia. Victoria joined NBT’s staff as a ballet instructor in 2015, teaching Pre-Ballet, Ballet I, Ballet II, Intermediate Adult Classes, Intermediate Summer Intensives, and NBT’s Prince & Princess Camps. She moved to the Upper Valley with her husband Scott in 2018 and taught JSH English at Mid Vermont from 2018-2020. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and continues to pursue both her creative writing career and passion for teaching. She is currently revising a book inspired by the unique life lessons she learns from dancing and instructing ballet, and strives to pass on these insights to her students in hopes they too would experience the narrative power of movement. When she’s not writing or in the studio, she spends most of her waking hours delighting in and dancing with her newborn son. 

Danae Carlson
Level 3-5

Danae grew up in Colorado where she received the majority of her training in classical ballet under the direction of Fernando Schaffenburg. In addition to her training as a ballerina, Danaestudied jazz dance, musical theater, vocal music, and piano. As a teenager, she attended multiple dance and theatre summer intensive programs including the American Ballet Theatre and Broadway Artist’s Alliance in New York City. During her time at college, Danae studied nursing on a full scholarship, and she continued to pursue her passion for the performing arts by singing with the Concert Choir and Chamber Choir ensembles at Colorado State University-Pueblo and taught ballet and jazz at local dance studios. As a young adult, Danae sang and danced with semi-professional companies including The Musical Notesin Pueblo, CO and Performance Now Theatre Company in Denver, CO. After college, Danae took some time away from her nursing career to work as a performer portraying various roles at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Danae is currently working as a Registered Nurse at Dartmouth College and is pursuing a Master’s of Science in Nursing at Southern New Hampshire University. In her free time, Danae sings as a member of the Valley Chords, a Sweet Adeline’s certified women’s barbershop group. She is excited to share her passion for dance and the enrichment that the performing arts has brought to her with the students at WRBA.

 

Bethany Nafziger
Pre-Ballet

Bethany began her dance training at a young age in her home town in Colorado. That is where she found her passion for dance and theatre. She began her teaching career at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado where she taught Dance exploration, Pre-ballet, Tap, and Jazz for 9 years. As a young adult, Bethany attended training intensives at Broadway Artists Alliance in New York City and at the University of California in Los Angeles. Bethany has a passion for musical theatre and choreography. She has choreographed for high school show choirs as well as choreographed and co directed several full length musicals including Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler on the Roof, and Shrek. In college, she studied early childhood education and loves sharing her passion for the performing arts with kids. Bethany has spent the last 10 years performing in stage shows and portraying various character roles for the Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and Hong Kong Disneyland.