Cynthia Ridler

Cynthia has more than 13 years experience as a professional dancer and more than 27 years of experience as a teacher and ballet master. She attended the University of Utah on the Willam F. Christensen Ballet Scholarship and later graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati. During her performing career with both Ballet West in Salt Lake City UT under Artistic Director John Hart and with the Cincinnati Ballet in Cincinnati, OH, she performed the entire range of the classical repertoire, many of George Balanchine’s works as well as the modern classics of Paul Taylor, John Butler, Agnes de Mille, John Neumier and Eugene Loring. In her career she was privileged to dance many featured, solo and pas de deux works under the direction of Freddie Franklin, Kirk Peterson, David Nixen and Val Caniparoli.

Cynthia has students currently training and performing with more than 20 professional companies across the US and Europe. From 2015 until the present Cynthia has served as academy principal faculty at the Ballet West Academy in Salt Lake City UT. She teaches across all levels and locations of the academy and summer intensives with an emphasis on the professional training division. In 2018 and 2019 she served as rehearsal assistant to guest repetiteurs from both the Balanchine and Gerald Arpino Trusts. In her capacity as student ballet master to the main company she oversees the participation of the children’s student roles that perform with the professional company of Ballet West. She has also served on the jury of both the Miami International Ballet Competition 2019, 2020 and the Canaan Dance International Ballet competition, 2020.

Her awards and recognition include YAGP Outstanding School Pittsburgh Youth Ballet 2014 & 2015, YAGP Outstanding School Ballet West Academy 2016, 2017, 2018, YAGP Outstanding Teacher Ballet West Academy 2017. Solo and pas de deux students coached by Cynthia have participated in the New York Finals of the YAGP in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

As an instructor she has taught on the faculty of the Cincinnati Ballet Academy OH, Ballet Mississippi MS, the Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet MS, Point Park University & Point Park International Summer Intensive PA and the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet PA. As a master teacher she has taught for Nevada Ballet Theater at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts OH, the Conservatory of Creative and Performing Arts in Pittsburgh PA, Greater York Center for Dance and Barbara Pontecorvo Ballet Studios OH. In 2016-2018 she had the pleasure of teaching at various regional locations of the Youth America Grand Prix.

Heather Maloy is the founder, resident choreographer and artistic director of Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. Heather has taught both professionals and students at NC Dance Theatre (now Charlotte Ballet), Nashville Ballet, Chautauqua Ballet, UNC School of the Arts, Ballet Nouveau Colorado and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance. She has an equal love for working with professionals and students, and outside of her passion for her family, lives to create ballets and coach dancers to become better artists than they ever dreamed possible. She has taught at many studios in the Asheville area since moving here to start Terpsicorps in 2003, and treasures the relationships she forms with her students.

Heather received her training at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA). She began her professional career when she joined the North Carolina Dance Theatre (NCDT) at the age of 17, making her at that time the youngest dancer to be hired as a full company member in NCDT’s history. Heather stayed for thirteen years, dancing principal and soloist roles.

Mentored by NCDT artistic director, Salvatore Aiello, she choreographed her first professional work when she was only nineteen. After Aiello's death, his successor, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, commissioned her to create five more pieces for NCDT. She has created over 20 works for Terpsicorps including three full evening length ballets. Many of these included collaboration with musicians, composers, artists and projectionists.

  

Heather has also created two premieres for the Chautauqua Ballet, three ballets for the Nashville Ballet and one work each for the Wake Forest and Jacksonville College Dance Departments. She has participated in Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Choreoplan 2002, the Ballet Nouveau Colorado 21st Century Choreography Competition in 2008 and the 2011 National Choreographer’s Initiative. She has also had the honor to return to UNCSA to create a new work for the Spring Dance program in 2008 and to stage her work “Le Suil Go…” for their 2007 alumni performance in Manteo, NC.

Maloy believes that dance training should be both a positive esteem building experience and a chance to learn self-discipline and respect for others.  In her 13 years of teaching at various studios in the Asheville area and running the Muses of Terpsicorps, she has helped more than a dozen students fulfill their dream of becoming year round students at UNC School of the Arts' world renowned high school dance program, as well as joining the dance departments,(some on substantial scholarship) at Florida State, Boston Conservatory, the Ailey School at Fordham University and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.  Students she has worked with are now dancing professionally with Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, Ballett of National Theatre Mannheim, cocodaco dance project & Lucky Plush Productions in Chicago, Carolina Ballet, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, T. Lang Dance and Staib Dance. They have also appeared on stage at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Basel Ballet in Switzerland, Elephant in the Black Box in Madrid, Spain, Pittsburgh Ballet and Lydia Johnson Dance Company in NY.  Maloy's connections in the professional dance world help give the students a realistic perspective of what they will need to succeed and the tools with which to get there.

Jamie Brege is a dance educator, choreographer, teacher trainer, and collaborative artist newly based in Asheville, North Carolina. Most recently Jamie served as Assistant Principal for Boston Ballet School, where she taught, choreographed, and worked closely with school leadership, faculty, students, and families to ensure a high-quality dance education experience for students of all ages and abilities. 

Jamie grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and began her ballet training at the Grand Rapids Ballet School under the direction of Charthel Arthur and Robert Estner. She continued her professional training through attending summer intensive programs with American Ballet Theatre, Vail International Dance Festival, and The Juilliard School. 

Jamie earned her BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College SUNY. While at Purchase, she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Bronislava Nijinksa, David Parsons, and Helen Pickett. Jamie was chosen to serve as an ambassador exchange student at Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts in Perth, Australia, where she performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. Jamie holds a Master of Arts in Dance Education, Ballet Pedagogy from New York University. She is an ABT® Certified Teacher through the ABT® National Training Curriculum, Pre-primary through Level 7 and Partnering. 

Jamie’s teaching credits include Boston Ballet School, Grand Rapids Ballet School, Purchase College SUNY, Boston University, Dean College, Endicott College, and Lasell University. She has served as guest faculty at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and worked as co-artistic director of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp’s International Ballet Ensemble, touring through Germany, France, Belgium, and Denmark. Jamie co-created, and will continue to lead, Adaptive Dance Teacher Trainings for Boston Ballet School in Boston and at schools and organizations around the country.

Elizabeth is originally from Hendersonville, NC and holds a B.A. in Dance Studies with a minor in Spanish and in Education from Appalachian State University. 

Specializing in Release Technique, she has had further training in this dance form at LaCantera in Mexico City, MX. She also has trained extensively in ballet, Limon modern technique, and jazz. 

Elizabeth is a certified Classical Pilates instructor, currently teching Pilates at Rise Authentic Pilates and Sync Bodywork. he currently teaches dance and pole fitness at Empyrean Arts Studio, and modern dance to ages 6-16 at Asheville Contemporary Dance Theater.

Vanessa Owen is originally from Amity, Pennsylvania and she received her B.F.A. in Dance from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.  She has danced professionally with Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company of Kansas City, MO, the Washington Reflections of Washington DC, the Dayton Philharmonic’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, the Kennedy Center’s production of Children of Eden and Company E of Washington, DC.  Vanessa was a recipient of a 2013-2014 Fellowship in Choreography awarded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and her choreography has been presented at Wright State University, the 30th Annual Choreographer’s Showcase, YES! Dance Virginia, Velocity DC Dance Festival, Malayaworks’ Intersections, Agora Dance, Shenandoah University, and Company E.  
As a dancer with Company E, Vanessa performed frequently at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, and worked extensively with the U.S. Department of State as a Cultural Ambassador; taking her to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, England, Russia, Cuba, Israel, Palestine, Azerbaijan, and Uruguay.  On these tours Vanessa not only performed in many concert dance and musical theater productions, she instructed intensives in contemporary dance, and choreographed and collaborated with international artists in numerous musical theater and concert dance productions.  
Vanessa has been teaching dance for over ten years in multiple cities and worked as a certified Barre3 instructor in Washington, DC.  She currently freelances as a choreographer and dancer and co-directs Stewart/Owen Dance with her husband, Gavin Stewart.