Alethea (Lea) Bodine completed her BA in Dance Performance from Mercyhurst College in 1991 and has since been Artistic Director, Key Instructor and Chief Administrator of the Titusville Dance Conservatory, North Coast Dance, and the moving space. Between 1991 and the present Ms. Bodine performed as a principal dancer with Erie dance companies Dafmark Dance Theater, her own company Chronic Dance and most recently with Shen and Bones Performance Group. In 1997 Ms. Bodine was accepted and served as a Pennsylvania Roster Artist with the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts until 2006. During this time she collaborated with many leading visual and performance artists while conducting several residencies throughout the Northern Tier, thus shaping her directive to maintain a presence of the arts in formal academic educational programming.

As Arts in Education Coordinator for the Lake Erie Ballet, Ms. Bodine continues to conduct dance residencies at several Erie area public and private schools as well as other community based organizations that specialize in providing services for special needs, pre-school and elderly populations . Part of this mission is served by her active role as President of the Erie Dance Consortium, a not for profit organization that conducts Master Classes yearly and Dance Festivals bi-annually.

Ms. Bodine is proud to be an active advocate of interdisciplinary arts programming and intergenerational dance and art education by proactively collaborating with Erie area schools and other community based organizations. The Lake Erie Ballet will collaborate with the Mercy Center for the Arts, Villa Maria Elementary School, the Mercy Center for Aging and the Erie Bayfront Dance program of the Martin Luther King, NATO Center in the 2010-2011 Season.

Mrs. Howell began her dance training in Florida with Helen Salter, an early member of the New York City Ballet. She furthered her training at North Carolina School of the Arts (summer programs), and the Joffrey Ballet School. She became a member of the Joffrey II Dancers, touring and performing many original works in the United States and the Virgin Islands. Mrs. Howell danced with Berkshire Ballet, Ballet Theater of Pennsylvania, and the Lake Erie Ballet, as well as performing traditional roles as a guest artist for a few regional companies. Mrs. Howell began teaching in high school. While at the Joffrey Ballet School she worked as a teacher assistant and has since taught at the Tallahassee Ballet, the Johnstown Conservatory, the Lake Erie Ballet, as a substitute at Mercyhurst College, and as Director of the Erie Bayfront Ballet. Her current and most rewarding efforts include "co-directing" the Howell household with her husband, Dr. Allen Howell of the Department of Music at Edinboro University. They have five children; Isaac, Christiana, Seth, Ethan, and Emma.

CARRIE BURNS-FRASE
Artistic Advisor
LEAD Principal Instructor

Carrie Burns-Frase, an Erie native, began her training at the Erie Civic Ballet School under Arlene Hay. She spent summers dancing in the Chautauqua Dance Festival Company under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Violette Verdy. She attended Goucher College in Baltimore, MD where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and was honored with the Rosenberg Scholarship and Phi Beta Kappa Award in dance. After graduating, she danced professionally for seven years with the Lake Erie Ballet under various directors and performing numerous ballets. She has performed lead roles as a guest artist in Johnstown, PA and Baltimore, MD in ballets such as Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Sleeping Beauty.

Carrie began teaching in 1992 as a ballet instructor with the Erie Bayfront Ballet. She has held teaching positions at Central High School, Northcoast Ballet, Mercyhurst College, Westminster Ice Skating Association, Lake Erie Ballet and other guest locations. Carrie continues to enjoy choreographing and performing liturgical pieces for Erie First Assembly of God Church.

CHRISTINA MARIA ADELHARDT
Artistic Advisor
LEAD Principal Instructor

Christina Maria is the former Artistic/Executive Director of Lake Erie Ballet, Erie. She began her early training in Detroit, MI at Charmaine's Studio of Dance before moving to Dallas to train with Madame Nathalie Krassovska. She continued training under scholarship with the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Honor Company of the Southwest Regional Ballet Association, San Francisco Ballet Summer School and School of American Ballet for summer training. Later, she joined Boston Ballet II and danced extensively with the company. Ms. Maria arrived in 1989 as a member of the first professional ballet company in Erie. As a dancer, Ms. Maria is widely recognized for her dramatic ability. Her style is attributed to her wide and varied background in many forms of dance other than classical ballet. In 1996, she was proclaimed Artistic Director of Lake Erie Ballet after many years of dancing various leading roles and choreographing original works such as "Old Time Religion," "Ballet in Silhouette," "DanceBodies," "Five O'Clock Shadow" and several children's ballets, "Beauty and the Beast," "Peter and the Wolf," "The Little Mermaid" in conjunction with the Erie Playhouse and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" which is the only production of its type to be granted permission. Also including through invitation, Greg Bach's "Legend" for the 1999 Summer Festival of the Arts and the full-length children's ballet, "Grimsby: The Great Lakes Sea Serpent" in 2002.

Ms. Maria's appreciation for the many forms of dance has contributed to her being instrumental in the formation of the Erie Dance Consortium, an organization comprised of local non-profit arts groups that produces the semi-annual Erie Festival of Dance, a performance event celebrating dance in the Erie community. Recently, she has been named the Fine Arts Coordinator for Erie First Assembly of God and has been involved in the formation of the Sacred Arts Academy for dance, art, drama and music, seeking to redeem the arts to bring glory, honor and praise to God.

LANA RAE-CROTTY

Lana Rae Crotty received her BA in Dance Performance from Mercyhurst College, where she studied under the direction of Ms. Tauna Hunter. Her additional education includes a BA in Business Marketing and a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership. Early ballet training was influenced by the tutelage of Rebekah VonRathonyi and Wayne Blatt. She also has had the privilege to train with Point Park University's dance faculty (summer programs).

Her stage experience includes roles in The Nutcracker (with Lake Erie Ballet and Flower City Ballet), Carmen, Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, and A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as contemporary choreography and musicals. A highlight includes her dancing the lead of Effie in Mercyhurst College's presentation of La Sylphide.

Mrs. Crotty is excited to be in her 7th season of teaching with the Lake Erie Ballet. Her teaching experience includes Lynn Scott School of Dance, Perrinton Dance Co., and Erie Bayfront Dance where she also Co-directed the Sr. Company.

ASHLYN DUKE
Contemporary, Jazz & Tap Techniques Instructor
Children's Division Instructor

Ashlyn Duke is in her second full season as an instructor and choreographer for the Lake Erie Ballet. She is a native of Erie, PA and just recently graduated from Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy with a rank in Magna Cum Lade. Ashlyn has been dancing since the age of three and is trained in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, and Hip-Hop from Erie Bayfront Dance along with dancing in both of the Junior and Senior Companies there.
Ashlyn has performed in the Biennial Erie Dance Consortium since 2005 and with her high school's dance company CADENCE. She has taken many master classes throughout the years as well. Master teachers include company member Tracy Vogt and choreographer Debbie St. Charles Manning from Philidanco, James Dixon, a former Dayton Contemporary Dance Company member, Broadway performer Mike Kirsch, STOMP member Alec Simmons and Brandon Alrbright, Creator of Illstylz Peace Hip-Hop group.
Ashlyn has contributed multiple pieces for LEB's collaboration with the Erie Art Museum for Art Moves, LEB's The Little Mermaid, and many lecture demonstration and summer pieces. She will be attending Penn State Behrend in the fall under an English Major. Ashlyn is blessed to be working for Lake Erie Ballet and is excited to continue teaching Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Children Division classes.

HOLLY ANDERSON
Contemporary Techniques Instructor

Holly Anderson is an Erie native who has been studying dance for over 18 years. In 2007 she moved to Oklahoma City where she attended Oklahoma City University to study Dance Management. At OCU Holly studied under the renowned Jo Rowan, Mary Price Boday, Veronica Wilcox, Kay Sandel, Jay Fagan, Jeremy Kiesman, and Tiffany Van Der Merwe, along with numerous other masters of dance. Throughout her dance career she has been trained in tap, rhythm tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, hip hop, swing, adage, lyrical, acrobatics, and theatre dance. In high school, Holly organized her school's first-ever dance team where she served as captain and choreographer all four years. Several of Holly's dance appearances include the 2000 Sydney Olympics, The Dave Steven's Big Band Christmas Spectacular as a member of "City Style Swing", the Oklahoma Centennial Spectacular (which featured famous Oklahomans such as Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and the "All-American Rejects", to name a few) as a member of the American Spirit Dance Company, The Erie Dance Consortium, and the 2nd annual Rock Erie Awards Show. She is also currently a member of the Bayhawks Dance Team. Ms. Anderson has taught a variety of dance styles for many years and has a strong passion for choreographing. She is currently earning a B.S. degree in Business Administration at Edinboro University.

Homegrown in Erie, PA James Dixon began his studies and graduated from the Central High School S.P.A.V.A. Dance Program under the direction of Ms. Renee Vicary. Prior to his graduation he had already begun dancing with Erie Bayfront Dance Co. Senior Company under the direction of Nathaniel Johnson. While studying at Erie Bayfront Dance, Mr. Dixon was invited to dance in Mercyhurst College "Raw Edges" young choreographers showcase and also worked with local artists Alethea Bodine, Carla Hughes, and Tracy Vogt. Through his performing experience and willingness to learn in different environments, he was eventually offered a fellowship in 2003 to study at Philadanco with their summer intensive program. In 2004, Mr. Dixon auditioned for, was offered and accepted a contract with Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre. After a season with CCDT, he auditioned for the world class Dayton Contemporary Dance Co. and was able to call DCDC home for five full seasons - all the while dancing for smaller companies such as the Lula Elzy Dance Theatre in New Orleans, LA. Mr. Dixon has had the remarkable privilege to have worked with notable choreographers such as Eleo Pomare', Diane McIntyre, Donald McKayle, Donald Byrd, and Rennie Harris. Now that James is back home he continues to work with Nathaniel Johnson at Erie Dance Theatre as a resident teacher and choreographer. In addition to his teaching duties, he is also a guest dancer and instructor with the Lake Erie Ballet Company and Academy as well as a guest artist dancing with Dafmark Dance Theatre. Currently he continues to work with the Lula Washington Dance Theatre in Los Angeles, CA as a freelance dancer.