Summer Intensive Faculty 2019
We are so excited to have a number of world renowned Dance Educators join our amazing year-round faculty this Summer for our annual Intensive program! Additional Faculty Members to be Announced! Audition on Fridays in Carmel Valley or Saturdays in Scripps Ranch, Click here for more information!
Guest Ballet Faculty
Michael Fothergill will be heading up our Young Men’s Intensive Program and teaching our Pre-Professional Division Students.
Michael Fothergill began his training in central Iowa, and furthered his dance education as a full-scholarship recipient of the Milwaukee Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet. Michael has taught at Steps on Broadway and the Peridance Capezio Center, and subsequently accepted prominent appointments as a principal dancer in companies across the United States and abroad.
As an educator, Michael frequently travels across the United States, Canada, Japan, and France. He is a frequent guest instructor for the Cecchetti Council of America where is is the founding Artistic Director of the Enhanced Men’s Training Program. Michael recently completed his fourth year on the faculty of Samford University, located in Birmingham, AL. This year marks Michael’s return appointment to the distinguished panel of judges at Japan Ballet Association’s Hokkaido Ballet Competition. Michael has recently been appointed the Artistic Director of Ballet Arkansas after a 7 year stint as principal dancer and choreographer with the Alabama Ballet.
Catharine Garratt-Fothergill will be teaching both ballet technique, pointe and variations select weeks of the Pre-Professional Program
Catherine Garratt-Fothergill trained at the Alabama Dance Academy, and Alabama Ballet Center for Dance before completing her studies with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary. Catherine joined the Louisville Ballet, and shortly thereafter, the Alabama Ballet. Catherine danced leading roles in the all of the paramount classical ballets, and in numerous works by esteemed choreographers.
For several months of the year, Catherine travels throughout the United States and abroad as a sought after guest instructor, repetiteur and ballet mistress. She is a frequent guest instructor for the Cecchetti Council of America.
Catherine joined the team at Ballet Arkansas in July of 2017 as the Associate Artistic Director, after giving her final performances with the Alabama Ballet and holds degrees in Sociology and International Studies from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Talin Kenar began studying ballet in Solana Beach, CA. At the age of sixteen, she received a scholarship to study at the Royal Ballet School in London, England.
Ms. Kenar teaching during our 2012 Summer Program
Talin has danced professionally with Hong Kong Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and American Repertory Ballet, and has performed as a guest artist in the United States and Melbourne, Australia. She has danced soloist and principal roles in such classical ballets as Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Paquita, as well as in some of the most iconic works of the twentieth century, including George Balanchine’s Rubies, Concerto Barocco, and Serenade, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo and Twyla Tharp’s Deuce Coupe. In addition, Talin has originated roles in new ballets by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Patrick Corbin, Robert Weiss, among others. Her favorite ballets to dance include Rubies, Serenade and the title role in Giselle.
A long time Guest Teaching Artist for SPAA, we are excited to have her back out this Summer!
Year-Round Ballet Faculty
Miah Nwosu will be teaching ballet technique, Pointe, Choreography and Progressing Ballet Technique throughout the program.
Miah Nwosu began seriously studying ballet at age eight at The Scripps Performing Arts Academy shortly after participating in a Miramar Ranch Elementary After School Program. She trained at Scripps Performing Arts for seven years, primarily under Lili Griffths, former Soloist with the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, continuing her studies at City Ballet of San Diego in the highest level of their pre-professional division. She performed with the company in the Nutcracker, their company premiere of “Don Quixote,” and various other productions and spent a summer training at The Ailey School in New York City. Miah later attended Fordham University in New York City, training at The Ailey School, Steps on Broadway and Broadway Dance Center.
Upon her return to San Diego, Miah joined C. Anthony Cole Repertory Theatre and later La Diego Dance Theatre for its inaugural season. She was rehearsal coach and dancer representative for the company, had the pleasure of teaching audition classes for both companies and has served as a guest teacher at several local dance schools.
Miah has acted as head choreographer for SPAA since 2003 and has successfully mounted original productions and set full length classical ballets including The Nutcracker, Prokofiev’s Cinderella, Ballet Does the Rat Pack, Glazunov’s The Seasons, La Boutique Fantasque, Grand Pas de Quatre, an original version of Les Rendez-vous, a full length ballet original, Thumbelina, a beautiful restaging of Coppelia, Fokine’s Les Sylphides and numerous original one act and evening length ballets.
Since 2003, Miah has developed a highly effective, comprehensive training program at The Academy that has provided students with the spring board and support system to launch them successfully into collegiate and professional dance programs including Indiana University, San Francisco Ballet School, Nevada Ballet Theatre, The Boston Conservatory, California Institute for the Arts, UCI and multiple summer intensive acceptances (several with scholarships) to prestigious programs across the nation.
Miah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art with a Photography concentration and handles all Graphic Design, Photography and Print Work for SPAA and SBT. She currently teaches Ballet III and up at both locations and overseas all Academy programs. She is also the Artistic Director of SPAA’s youth company in residence, Scripps Ballet Theatre.
Miss Sole will be teaching Ballet, Pointe and Contemporary throughout the program
Sole Centurion Ms. Centurion began training in her native Argentina at the Northeast University Ballet School and graduated from the School of Ballet Contemporaneo del Teatro San Martin in Buenos Aires. She has performed ballet, modern, jazz, gymnastics and folkloric dance and tango throughout Argentina and abroad. She had an extensive career within the contemporary arts; teaching and performing professionally for over 20 years, working with well recognized choreographers and directors from South America, Italy and the United States, performing in great theaters, important venues and festivals across the aforementioned countries as well.
In USA, Ms. Sole joined Miami Contemporary Dance Co & School as a Company Dancer, Ballet Mistress and Assistant Artistic Director in Miami, FL where she spent almost a decade. After spending a few years back in Argentina, working with the Ballet Contemporaneo del Chaco as performer, teacher and assistant director; she relocated to Chicago,IL, where she worked as a member of the Ballet faculty at Foster Dance Studios and Outreach Facilitator of COCODACO dance Project, in collaboration with Youth & Opportunity United, teaching underprivileged children at local public schools. Ms. Centurion also dedicated her career to promoting Argentine culture, music and dance. Working together with her husband Richard Scofano, a professional Musician, Bandoneon Player and Composer, they travelled around the world teaching and performing their artistic work. Ms. Centurion strives to incorporate an inextricable relationship between different dance techniques and styles into a multi-disciplinary art to widen her work to all possibilities.
Lisette Morris is committed to offering students a soli introduction to Classical Ballet and performance art. Born and Raised in New York, Morris studied with American Ballet Theatre, David Howard, Finis Jung, School of American Ballet (SAB), Martha Graham Studios, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center Scholarship Program, Istvan Rabovsky and Frank Hatchett and many others along the way. She performed with Orlando Ballet Company, Classical Ballet of New Jersey, American Ballet Theatre and as a Soloist with Ailey III as well as various other productions and reviews. Being a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), she has worked on many movies and television shows and many fashion shows in NYC. Morris believes, no matter what the student’s future holds, dance is a great way to start the journey in self realization along with building self-esteem and great stamina.
Gary Sevani teaching Classical Character dance during our 2014 program. Mr. Sevani will teach Character again during our 2018 Pre-Professional Program.
Gary Sevani is the former Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director of Synthesis Performing Arts Center, an organization he founded in USA 1996. His 30 years of international teaching experience has included dance education for children (K- 12) and professional training for adults. Gary Sevani graduated from the College of Classical Dance in Russia and received a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography from State University of Performing Arts in Moscow, Russia. Gary studied under and collaborated with internationally known dancers and choreographers such as Nadejda Pavlova and Vladimir Gordiev, Igor and Margarita Smirnova, and artistic director of the Musical Theater of Moscow Boris Baranovsky. He later went on to create Synthesis Modern Ballet Dance Company in Russia and developed touring productions that were seen throughout Europe and the United States.
Since moving to United Stats and forming Synthesis Performing Arts Academy, Gary has become an avid arts advocate throughout his local community presenting performances including the “GEVA Awards Show” “The Nutcracker”, “Romeo and Juliet”, and “Christmas Carol” Musical. Gary is guest instructor at several dance schools in Italy and Japan. He is also an honorary board member and master teacher at State Institute of Performing Arts in Moscow, Russia.