JR-COMPANY

Gabrielle Brown

Gabrielle Brown is a student at Belle Valley Elementary. At age four, Gabby traveled to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to see the New York City Ballet's production of the Nutcracker and her love of ballet was formed. Gabby began her dance training at age five at Lake Erie Ballet and has had the opportunity to study under several instructors including Alethea Bodine, Lana Crotty, Ashlyn Duke, Kim Howell, and Carrie Burns-Frase. Her primary focus is classical ballet, but she also has had exposure to contemporary, jazz, and character techniques. This year marks Gabby's fifth year in the Nutcracker, a production that she holds close to her heart. Gabby is so excited to be a part of the Jr. Company as she gets to do what she loves best - dance. She looks forward to practicing in the studio and applying what she learns to several performances and programs throughout the season. In addition to dance, Gabby sings in a treble choir, plays recreational soccer, and is learning to play the cello.

Olivia Duke

Olivia Duke is in her tenth year of dance. For seven years, she trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop at Erie Bayfront Dance. In September 2009, she transferred to Lake Erie Ballet, and is training in ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, contemporary, and improvisation techniques.

Olivia has participated in the Nutcracker since 2008. In her first year she was a Chocolate Bon-Bon and an Angel. In the year 2009, Olivia was cast as "Clara" in the 51st annual Nutcracker. In 2010, Olivia was a Party Girl, Lead Solider, Seraph, and Russian Demi-Soloist. Olivia has had the experience of taking master classes from Debbie St. Charles Manning of Philadanco, James Dixon, a former company member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC), Broadway performer Mike Kirsch, Brandon Alright of Illstyle Peace Hip-Hop group, and Jon Lehrer, founder of Lehrer Dance.

Along with master classes, Olivia has participated in two Summer Dance Intensives in the past two years. In summer 2010, Olivia was apart of the Mercyhurst Northeast Summer Dance Intensive. There, she studied under Matthew Carter, Gina Illingworth, Kathleen Dywer, and Elaine Gardener. In the summer of 2011, Olivia participated in the Mercyhurst Main Summer Dance Intensive. There, she had the opportunity to study under Ms. Tauna Hunter, Caitlin Roberts, Justin Hogan, Teena Marie Custer, Marianna Tcherkassky, Michael Vernon, Carla Hughes, Christina Maria Adelhardt, Noelle Partusch, and Leslie Bories Scalise. She has also been apart of the Erie Dance Consortium's biennial performances in 2009 and 2011.

Besides classes, Olivia has always enjoyed performing. She was a member of Erie Bayfront Dance's Junior Company from 2007-2009. As a new LEB Jr. Company member last year, Olivia has performed many lecture demonstrations, Celebrate Erie shows, and participated in LEB's Art Moves and The Little Mermaid. Being at the Lake Erie Ballet has given her the opportunity to work with Carrie Frase, Kim Howell, Alethea Bodine, Holly Anderson, and Christina Maria Adelhardt. Olivia is ready for a new and exciting season with the Lake Erie Ballet Junior Company.

Mallory Fichera

Myah Frase

Myah Frase has studied dance at the Lake Erie Academy of Dance since 2005. She has enjoyed instruction from many wonderful teachers including Barb Priestap, Alethea Bodine, Kim Howell, Lana Crotty, Carrie Burns-Frase, Ashlyn Duke, and Holly Anderson. Myah has performed in LEB's annual production of the Nutcracker at the historic Warner Theater since 2009 in various roles such as, Angel Doll, Bon-Bon, Marionette, Angel, and Unwanted Guest. This year she will join the cast as a Party Boy, Big Soldier, and Angel. This marks Myah's second year with the LEB Jr. Company. She has enjoyed numerous performances and demonstrations in many different venues from fall through summer and was even featured in a photograph published in GoErie.com performing at Celebrate Erie this past summer. Myah loves dancing and sharing this art form with others in a performance setting. She is anticipating another wonderful season with LEB Jr. Company.

Brooke Kimet

Lily Kons

Lily Kons has been dancing since she was two years old, and at LEB since she was five. Lily has danced in The Nutcracker, La Boutique Fantasque, Art Moves, The Little Mermaid and Anitra's Dance. Her favorite part all through the years would be the little girl in Anitra's Dance, who is walking through the forest and sees a fairy for the first time. Lily loves being a part of LEBjrC because she has met new friends, gets a lot of exercise, and used to be really shy, but not as much anymore, and never on stage. When she's older Lily wanst to be a professional dancer. Dream roles would be Clara in The Nutcracker, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and the doll in Coppelia.

Victoria Quirk

Halle Rose

Lauren Seliga

Lauren Seliga began her ballet training at the age of 4 with Kara Grise and Marguerite Timko-Kinney at Marguerite's Academy of Dance. She joined the Lake Erie Ballet the following year under the direction of Lesley Bories-Scalise and was fortunate enough to receive much of her early ballet training from Alethea Bodine, the current Executive Director of the Lake Erie Ballet. She continued her ballet training under the instruction of Lana Rae-Crotty, Kirsten Carpenter and Carrie Burns Frase. Lauren's increasing love for ballet is currently being gently nurtured by Kim Lewis Howell, an Artistic Advisor and Principal Instructor at the Lake Erie Ballet, and Gina Illingworth, Director of the Mercyhurst North East Dance Institute. Lauren enjoys the challenge of additional dance forms and has been trained in Contemporary, Hip Hop, Jazz and, one of her favorites, tap, under the enthusiastic instruction of Ashlyn Duke. She has attended several summer dance intensives with the Lake Erie Ballet and MNE Dance Institute as well as 4 years of participating in the Twinkle Toes Summer Dance Program in North East, Pa. Lauren has been performing in the Nutcracker since she was 5 years old and has especially enjoyed the roles of the Cherub, Marionette Doll, Sugar Baby and Party Girl, among others. Additionally, she has danced various roles in La Boutique Fantastique, Art Moves, The Littlest Mermaid, and has performed in the Erie Summer Festival of the Arts, Celebrate Erie, the Festival of Trees, and the Erie Festival of Dance presented by the Erie Dance Consortium, as well as numerous lecture demonstrations throughout Erie and in area schools. Lauren joined the Lake Erie Ballet Jr. Company in 2010 and works hard to fulfill her challenging company requirements, while maintaining honor roll status in intermediate school. Lauren loves being part of the Jr. Company and enjoys the opportunity to learn new choreography and perform with some of her very best friends. Lauren is thrilled to be celebrating her 6th season with the Lake Erie Ballet and feels lucky to be surrounded by such inspiring role models.

Tatum Yusz

Tatum started dancing at age three at the Lake Erie Ballet with Barb Priestap. Her instructors have included Alethea Bodine, Christina Maria Adelhardt, Carrie Frase, Holly Anderson, Kim Howell, James Dixon, Kirsten Carpenter, and Lesley Bories-Scalise.

Additional studies have included Summer Intensives at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with Marcia Dale Weary, Mercyhurst North East with Gina Ribera-Illingworth and Mercyhurst Main Campus with Tauna Hunter, Noelle Partusch, Justin Hogan, Marianna Tcherkassky, Lesley Bories-Scalise and Christina Maria Adelhardt and Bruce Marks.

Master classes include the NYC Rockettes and Lehrer Dance

Her performance experience includes "Hansel and Gretel", "Midsummer's Night Dream", "Cinderella", "An Evening with Bach", "La Boutique Fantastique", "ArtMoves", "Little Mermaid" and seven "Nutcracker" performances.

Her hobbies other than dance are acting, singing, tennis. Tatum loves to go to the beach, shop, spend time with friends and family and is a student at Villa Maria Elementary.