Dance

Leah Allen

Leah Allen is originally from Schaller, IA and began her dance training under the direction of Tina McMurray studying ballet, tap, and jazz. She was fortunate to receive a scholarship to study dance at the University of Arizona and studied under the guidance of Amy Ernst, Susan Quinn Williams, Melissa Lowe, Michael Williams, and Sam Watson. She was a featured member of the U of A Dance Ensemble and was awarded both the Kenneth Comstock Award and the Jay & Betty Citron Award for Outstanding Talent. Upon graduating with a BFA in Dance, she relocated to Chicago where she performed with Impetus Dance Theatre, Instruments of Movement, Chicago Dance Crash, and Jay-son Tisa Dance Company. Leah was also a featured member of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre where she was appointed Dancer Liaison and Co-Rehearsal Director. She is the former Company Managing Director of Jenny’s Dance Centre in Libertyville, IL and is a national award winning teacher and choreographer for JDC’s performance company. Leah holds her certification in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Levels 1-3 and Progressing Contemporary Technique (PCT) and is very excited to share this innovative technique with our students here at BSA. She and her husband have 2 children, Aiden and Max.

Lawrence Bowie

Lawrence Bowie has been an accompanist for BSA since 1987. A native of Peoria, IL, he was director of sacred music and organist for the Cathedral of St. Mary and accompanist for the Vocal Music Department at Woodruff High School. His church music career began in 1964, studying organ with Adelaide White, and then continued with Margaret Sayre and Rachel Mahue at Bradley University School of Music. Bowie has performed in many venues, including the Alexandra Palace, London; Chartres Cathedral, France; Abbey of St. Florian, Austria; St. Peter’s Cathedral, Germany; Washington National Cathedral; Round Lake Auditorium, New York; National O.H.S. Convention, Baltimore; Mississippi AGO Chapter; Bach Society, Baltimore; Loyola University Chamber Orchestra; and the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary. His performances have been broadcast on Public Radio International “Pipe Dreams” and WCBU “Pipes on the Prairie.” Bowie is currently the director of sacred music and organist at the Church of St. Rita in Alexandria, VA, and teaches private piano and organ.

Ninel Cherevko

Ninel Cherevko was born and studied ballet in Ukraine. During her years as a student, one of her teachers was a direct student of legendary A. Vaganova. Upon graduation, she joined Lviv National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre and continued her dancing career in Ukraine, and later at Moscow City Ballet. Ninel has performed in many tours, galas, and festivals in Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her repertoire included most of the great classical ballets, where she performed principal roles in La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Esmeralda, Nutcracker, Don-Quixote, Swan Lake, Chopiniana, and Giselle, as well as other classical and contemporary ballets.

Subsequently, Ms. Cherevko moved to the United States where she continued to perform while starting to share her knowledge and expertise as a teacher and choreographer. Since 1999, beginning at the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Ms. Cherevko has been intensively teaching and coaching in the Baltimore-Washington DC Metropolitan area, including at one of the most distinguished schools in the United States, the Kirov Academy of Washington DC. She also guest-teaches in the Mid-Atlantic region. Ninel is also involved in staging and choreographing full-length ballets, including The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, as well as other productions. She has also choreographed for competitions. Since 2000, her students have successfully performed in and received top awards at world-renowned competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix (Grand Prix in Senior Division, Hope Award, 1st place in every category), USA International Ballet Competition (Jackson, USA), WBAC, ADC/IBC International Ballet Competition, and other competitions. Many of these students continue their professional careers in ballet companies and top universities all over the United States. Ms. Cherevko was accorded the Best Teacher Award at WBAC Grand Prix in 2018 and 2019, and the Outstanding Teacher/Faculty Award at YAGP 2022.

Sarah Cincotta-Yan ’01

Sarah Cincotta-Yan is a dance professional with over 20 years of teaching and leadership experience. She graduated with honors from the Baltimore School for the Arts with a major in Ballet and Modern dance in 2001. At the age of 16, Sarah trained with the San Francisco Ballet School as a year-round student on a merit scholarship. She also attended American Ballet Theater, School of Hartford Ballet, and the North Carolina School for the Arts. Sarah danced as a soloist with Ballet Theater of Maryland for three seasons. After enduring a tragic ankle injury during her professional career, she underwent successful ankle reconstruction in 2005. For eight years, Sarah was the owner and director of Daycare Dance Institute, a program dedicated to early childhood dance education. In 2009, she toured with Bravo National Dance and Talent competition as an adjudicator. Currently, Sarah is a dance instructor and choreographer at The Moving Company Dance Center and the John Carroll Preparatory College and Academy. She continues to further her craft by attending national dance and teacher conventions to learn from leading choreographers, dancers, teachers and performing artists. Sarah and her husband Chi currently live in Carroll County, MD where they raise their three young sons Henry, Walter, and Stanley.

Samantha Christiansen ’91

Samantha Christiansen has been on the BSA faculty since 2002. She received her early training through Baltimore Ballet and Peabody Preparatory doing the strict Royal Academy of Dancing syllabus. In 1987, Christiansen was accepted into the Baltimore School for the Arts where she studied under Norma Pera, Sylvester Campbell, Stephanie Powell, and Debra Robinson. In 1997, she was awarded the only distinction for the Royal Academy of Dance Grade 8 syllabus in the United States. Christiansen also performed with the Stephanie Powell Danse Ensembles I and II for five years, as well as with Movement Addiction in How to Disappear Completely.

In 1997, Christiansen began teaching privately and at various dance schools around Baltimore. She then went on to open her own school, the Northwest School of Dance based in Finksburg. During this time, she helped students get into top dance programs and win numerous awards at local and national dance competitions. She has also completed the Russian Vaganova Syllabus under John White and the José Limón teachers training workshop in New York.

Amanda Fair ’00

Amanda, a graduate of The Baltimore School for the Arts dance department, is a full time dance and spoken word artist living in Baltimore Maryland and working in the Maryland/DC area. She is a performer, choreographer, dance educator, dance coach and a mentor to children and adults in her community. She received her BFA in dance with a concentration in Ballet Performance from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and spent her senior year in New York City on internship at The Dance Theatre of Harlem School as a full scholarship recipient and assistant teacher in DTH’s Community Outreach Program.

Amanda has additional training from the MFA dance program at The University of Maryland, College Park and has performed with a number of different companies that include The Washington Reflections Dance Company, which was under the Direction of Fabian Barnes. She is also founder and director of Poetic Xpressions Dance Company.

Amanda is in her 27th year of teaching and teaches ages 3-65 in all levels and a variety of techniques. She has taught in Baltimore City Public and Private Schools (preK-12th grade), in community outreach classes, in after school programs, at numerous studios and at community colleges and universities in Maryland, Philadelphia, DC and Virginia. Some of those include The University of the Arts summer intensive, The Dance Institute of Washington, Morgan State University, The University of Maryland, College Park, The Community College of Baltimore County, Howard County Ballet and Metropolitan Ballet Theatre.

She is currently on faculty at The Washington School of Ballet, The Baltimore School for the Arts, The University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Howard Community College, and Peabody Prep at the John’s Hopkin’s Institute. She enjoys teaching dance technique and other dance related courses to movers of all ages, genders and abilities. She is a lifelong student of the art form and a proud mama to an amazing 11 year old boy.

Dmitri Malikov

Dmitri Malikov graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the famed Bolshoi Ballet Academy in 1987. He was a soloist and principal dancer with Donetsk Ballet Co., Lvov Ballet Theatre, MCB, and the Ballet Theatre of Maryland. He has performed numerous principal roles in some of the most famous classical and contemporary works by some of the most recognized choreographers in the world. In 1999, Malikov moved to the Baltimore-Washington area. An award-winning teacher and coach, Malikov has taught at the Carroll County Dance Center and Ballet Conservatory, Sudbrook Magnet School, Severna Park Dance Academy, Stageworkz, Baltimore Ballet Company, Olney Ballet Theatre, and the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts, as well as at the Baltimore School for the Arts. His students are successfully performing and competing in various competitions, and were the Youth America Grand Prix 2008 and 2012 gold-medalist winners. In 2018, Malikov received the Best Teacher Award at the WBAC GrandPrix competition in New York.

Since 2004, Malikov has served as artistic director of the Chesapeake Ballet Company, staging and choreographing two full-length productions per year, managing groups of more than 100 children, adults, stage crew, and volunteers.

LaTeisha Melvin ’14

130LaTeisha Melvin, known as  “Toosh” (Baltimore, MD) began her formal dance training at the Baltimore School for the Arts TWIGS program and  highschool, under the direction of Norma Pera.  After years of training, she graduated with recognition and multiple scholarships including; the Hutzler’s prize, the Joan G & Joseph Klein Jr. scholarship and the Virginia Commonwealth University 4-year Departmental scholarship award; where she went on to  receive her B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography. Rigorous studies in Ballet, Pointe, Modern and Jazz over the summers and winters  included the American Academy of Ballet in Purchase NY, Johns Hopkins Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore MD, American Dance Festival in Durham NC.  and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Theatre in Houston TX.

Notably, in 2011, LaTeisha earned a gold medal for “Dance and Choreography” at the NAACP Act-So competition that was later competed in LA. In 2017 LaTeisha was inducted into the “So You Think You Can Dance”  Excel in Motion Dance Convention honor society as well as being awarded a partial scholarship and 6 honorable mentions. In 2018 she took it a step further and appeared on the FOX TV show  SYTYCD season 15 as a gold ticket recipient and TOP 70 contestant. LaTeisha later competed at the infamous Apollo Theatre Amateur night competition in New York where she placed 4th, as well as participating in various residencies including with Sinclair Dance Company at the Kennedy Center.

As a choreographer, LaTeisha has presented her  work at the Gonda Theatre, Motor House, Youth America Grand Prix, Baltimore Theatre Project, Grace Street Theatre and more. As a performer she has   danced works by: Nathan Trice, Christian von Howard, Johnnie Mercer, “We Are Artists,  Ashani Ballet, “UNUM Dance Collective”, Sinclair Dance Company, Vaught Contemporary Ballet, ” RAW ARTS”;  along with being a featured dancer at the MGM ” The  Giz”, as well as local rappers TateKo Bang , Starzz and TT the Artists from the DMV community.

After graduating college and starting her career as a freelance artist; currently as  a mobile teacher,  LaTeisha engages with students  through elements of composition, technique, dance history, choreography and dialogue. She is a former guest artist and choreographer at Georgetown University  and Coppin State University as well as current faculty at Maryland School of Dance, Susan Ina dancestudio, and City Dance DREAM. In addition,  LaTeisha commutes throughout the DMV area to teach various studios,  master classes, judge auditions and even offers private lessons from her home studio. Ms. LaTeisha joins BSA as one of our Modern instructors.

Da’Shown Rawl ’14

Da’Shown Rawl studied Ballet and Modern at the Baltimore School of the Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the prestigious Dance Department of George Mason University (GMU). While at GMU, he had the opportunity to perform works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Andrea Miller, David Grenke, Doug Varone, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Robert Battle, and many more. Da’Shown teaches at The Washington School of Ballet, Baltimore School of Arts, Synergy Dance, and Unity Dance and Movement. He will be receiving his MFA from Wilson College in spring 2023. He has been teaching and choreographing in the DMV and New York City area since the age of 16. In 2015, he founded the RawArts Dance Company and Raw Practice in 2018. He has created works at the Baltimore School of the Arts, George Mason University, Bucknell University, Howard University, and various companies in the DMV Area and festivals in New York City. His recent choreographic endeavors have included a dance for film Just A Thought, Works Conflict Within A Small Room, and Colors Without Colors: A Series of Emotions Collide, his third full-length work. Mr. Rawl’s passion for choreography was the catalyst for the establishment of the RawArts Dance Company.

Rob Reid

Eduard Rotman

Eduard Rotman graduated from the Music College of St. Petersburg Conservatory and received a master’s degree in piano performance at the Belarus State Conservatory. Before coming to the United States, he traveled all over the world as an accompanist for the Children’s Concert Chorus. He has worked as a ballet accompanist for many institutions, including Towson University, the Peabody Institute, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, as well as the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC, for the last seven years. He is on the faculty at Washington School of Ballet and Maryland Youth Ballet.

Sofia Tsanova

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sofia Tsanova grew up in a family of principal dancers, watching rehearsals and performances at The National Opera and Ballet Theatre. She started her ballet education at the age of five at the pre-professional school of Masha Ilieva and during her early dance education she participated in performances at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre. Sofia was later accepted into the National School of Dance Art, under the instruction of Katya Petrovska and Lyubov Fominih.

 In 2001, Sofia’s dance journey took her to Seoul, South Korea, to study at the Sunhwa Arts School – Ballet Division under Vera Solovyeva and Nikolay Levitsky, where she also had the opportunity to dance and tour with the Universal Ballet Company, directed by Oleg Vinogradov and Julia Moon. In 2004 Sofia moved to the United States and joined The Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida, and later received scholarships to continue her studies at The New World School of the Arts and The Kirov Academy in D.C.

 Sofia Tsanova began teaching the Vaganova method in 2010, in various studios in the DC metro area, including the Academy of Russian Ballet, The Washington School of Ballet, and guest teaching at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. Over the past decade, Sofia has honed her skills as a ballet instructor and also has worked extensively as a movement and conditioning coach for rhythmic gymnasts at Gymnastics World VA, including members of the National Team and the Elite Squad who competed internationally.

 Sofia is honored to be a faculty member at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the TWIGS program.

Ashley Spears

Ashley Spears began her dance training under Ann Brodie and Naomi Calvert, founders of the Columbia City Ballet, SC. She continued her young dance training in Maryland at Towson University’s Children’s Dance Division and The Peabody Institute Preparatory Program, where she studied for and passed The Royal Academy of Dance syllabus examinations for Grades 1-6. Ashley also attended The Baltimore School for the Arts and graduated from the dance department in
1999. Throughout middle school and high school, Ashley studied at The Ailey School, Briansky Ballet Center, The Hartford Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Academy East, and American Ballet Theater. The summer after high school graduation, she performed as a parade dancer in The Magic Kingdom, Disney World,
before moving to New York City to work with The Ailey II program. While in NYC, she took advantage of various training opportunities including The Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, and The Joffrey Ballet School. She also did independent study with Agnes de Mille repetiteur, Gemze de Lappe, and ballet master, David Howard, who helped Mrs. Spears gain an apprenticeship to The Joffrey Ballet. In 2003, Ashley moved to Rouen, France and attended the Institute Nationale a Rouen, studying both French language and culture as well as dance. While there, she was a contracted dancer with the Rouen Opera House. Ashley’s other professional dance experiences include freelance and contracted work through Les Mills, The Smithsonian Institute, The Washington Ballet, and Common Ground Dance Company. Ashley is a college graduate of Towson University with a double major in English and Biology and a minor in French. After gaining her undergraduate degree, Ashley worked as a Physical Therapy Assistant. She later went back to school to earn her A.A.S. in Respiratory Care. It was during her college years, that Ashley started teaching dance and became the dance director at EMC Performing Arts Center, PA, along with the Artistic Director of The Susquehanna Youth Ballet for over 10 years. Currently, Mrs. Ashley teaches ballet, pointe, and modern at The Dance Conservatory of Maryland and The Baltimore School for the Arts, as well as assists with company rehearsals for Ballet Chesapeake. When Mrs. Ashley isn’t teaching dance, she works as a Respiratory Care Practitioner, RRT, for MedStar and University of Maryland.

Mark Williams

Erik Spangler

Anton Wilson

Born in Annapolis, MD, Anton T. Wilson began his study of dance with Anne Waugh Allen and Edward D. Stewart before receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He has performed with: Ballet Theatre of Maryland; Parnassus Dance Theatre, Japan; Djazzex, Holland; Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo; Martita Goshen’s Earthworks; Jennifer Muller/The Works, New York, among others. He has taught, choreographed and toured internationally for thirty-six years.

Anton is a 2007 and 2009 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council’s Individual Artist Award for choreography. He was one of four choreographers selected to initiate the Four Steps Forward choreography project in The Hague, Holland. Locally, he has choreographed productions for: the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Opera Vivente, Ballet Theater of Maryland and Pennsylvania Regional Ballet, among others. In addition to workshops and master classes, he was a faculty member of the Kirov Academy of Ballet and has taught for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Anton currently teaches at the Baltimore School for the Arts and The VIVA School, as well as maintaining his lifelong involvement in equestrian competitions.

Susan Wincek

Susan Wincek (née Webb) has pursued both music and dance in her artistic career. Her early training culminated in a Certificate in Piano (under Marjorie Liss) from the Peabody Preparatory and a B.A. in Dance from Butler University, IN. With a work-scholarship to the iconic Jacob’s Pillow in the Berkshires, MA, Susan studied Spanish dance with Manolo Vargas of the Ballet Español Ximénez-Vargas, and was selected for the finale performance. After college, she performed locally with the Peabody Chamber Ballet, Maryland Ballet, and under the stage name of Susana Aranda, with the dance companies of María Morales and Raquel Peña. Susana, after further studies in classical Spanish dance and flamenco in New York and Madrid, toured the Persian Gulf with the Reina and Rovira Spanish Dance Company, performed with Antonio del Castillo in Madrid, toured the southwest U.S. with María Benítez, and for four years toured extensively in the U.S. and Canada with the José Molina Bailes Españoles. Highlights included performing at the Joyce Theater in NY, the Warner Theater and the Kennedy Center in D.C., and dancing with the Indianapolis Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony of British Columbia, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO). She has taught Spanish dance at the Carter School of Dance (CSD), the Peabody Prep, and the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA). As a guest artist, she has taught and choreographed at Colby-Sawyer College in NH, Stephens College in MO, and, more recently, Northern Illinois University and St. Mary’s College of Notre Dame, IN.

Susan has accompanied ballet/tap classes at the CSD; theater dance classes and voice majors at Butler University; RAD exams for the Baltimore Ballet; ballet classes at the Peabody Prep, Maryland Ballet, Baltimore Ballet, UMBC, BSA, and warm-up classes for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the Lyric. She has accompanied various student instrumentalists and vocalists for such organizations as Solo and Ensemble and Side-By-Side with the BSO. Currently, she is on the faculty of the Dance Center of Severna Park and BSA.