Founder and Director Mr. Jean-Hugues Feray (Ballet) a native of France, began his dance training at nine years of age. The following year, he auditioned for the Paris Opera Ballet School where he was one of six boys chosen out of the 250 that applied for admission. Jean-Hugues studied with the school for 5 years and went on to attend the National Conservatory of Paris. He graduated from the conservatory with a first prize in Ballet awarded by a unanimous jury decision. This was the highest Ballet Award a student could receive, enabling Jean-Hugues to choose from several contract offers in European Companies.

In 1990, Jean-Hugues was hired by Rudolph Nureyev to perform in his version of Cinderella which premiered at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, Italy. In 1991, Pierre Lacotte hired him for the National Ballet of Nancy where he performed for seven years in many leading roles. Jean-Hugues was promoted to soloist at the age of twenty. With the National Ballet of Nancy, he toured all over the world including Moscow, Russia where the company was invited by Vladimir Vasiliev to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre. Jean-Hugues received a standing ovation for his performance of the Harlequin in Georges Balanchine’s La Somnambule.

In 1998, Jean-Hugues was hired by Marie-Claude Pietragalla at the National Ballet of Marseille. Miss Pietragalla was a principal with the Paris Opera Ballet and the new Artistic Director in Marseille. While in Marseille, Jean-Hugues performed numerous roles including the leads in Giselle, Raymonda, George Balanchine’s Tzigane, and was also chosen by Maurice Bejart to be in his version of Le Bolero de Ravel.

In 2000, Jean-Hugues moved to the United States when Marie Hale invited him to join Ballet Florida. He enjoyed working with the company and performing exciting roles including the lead in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Marie Hale’s The Nutcracker, Vicente Nebrada’s Cinderella and Norbert Vesak’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. While at Ballet Florida, he has also worked with and danced works by world renowned choreographers such as Thierry Malandain, Sean Lavery, Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Lar Lubovitch, Mauricio Wainrot and Trey McIntyre, to name only a few!

Mr. Feray taught five years at the Academy of Ballet Florida. Now with his own school, he delights in passing on what he has learned over the years in the dance world. He looks forward to participating in the dance education of the next generations and gains great rewards from teaching with his innate love of dance.He is also honored to be teaching at the Alexander Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, FL. Photo (c) Janine Harris


Lydia Oquendo (Guest Teacher and Ballet Mistress) is a Miami native who began her dance training at the age of five at Dancers Point Academy under the instruction of Gerri Barreras Caruncho. At the age of 19, she continued her education with modern dance, ballet and jazz at New World School of Arts in Miami, Florida. She then attended Miami International Ballet.

Ms. Oquendo's has over 15 years of dance training and 12 years of professional experience. Her incredibly vast career has includes dancing with New Century Ballet, traveling with performance troupe "Pirouettes", performing on Cunard Cruise Ship Lines and dancing in classical productions and jazz productions. She has performed and taught ballroom dance on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Lydia appeared on Latin television network "Univision" and in numerous concerts, commercials and private productions all over Florida.

She has been a guest teacher at several important schools all over the country and was member of the dance department at University of Minnesota in Duluth. From 1998 to 2004, Lydia held a position at The School of Minnesota Ballet and Minnesota Ballet which included choreographing, performing with the company, teaching company classes -- and teaching ballet and jazz at the school. In 2002 Lydia was appointed Outreach Program Coordinator for Minnesota Ballet.

Since August 2004, Lydia and her husband Rogelio Corrales opened St. Lucie Ballet in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Ms. Oquendo is a specialist at teaching dance to children while being a magnet and inspiration for all her young students. She explains carefully and at the same time keeps the class moving and entertaining. Lydia thoroughly enjoys her work.


Rogelio Corrales (Guest Teacher and Ballet Master), a native of Cuba, studied ballet with many of the best ballet masters of his country. He graduated in 1991 at the age of 18 from The National School of Ballet in Havana where he studied ballet, modern, folklorico, methodology, history and anatomy. The following year he joined the Ballet Juvenil de Caracas for two years then, The Metropolitan Ballet of Caracas for one year before coming to The United States.

His first company in the U.S. was Bay Ballet Theatre of Tampa. Rogelio, as a free-lance performer guest artist, appeared with many dance academies and dance companies such as Ft. Lauderdale's Ballet Classique, Columbus Youth Ballet, Palm Beach Ballet Centre, Miami International Ballet, Lexington Ballet, Rockford Dance Company and Miami Hispanic Ballet. In 1996 he joined The Sarasota ballet for two seasons. In 1998 Mr. Corrales was principle at Minnesota Ballet in Duluth, MN (where he was also a teacher in the school).

In 2005 he became member of Ballet Florida in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was revered and quickly moved through the ranks to portray many important and principle roles. There, Rogelio danced a wide range and important works by some of the world’s greatest choreographers like George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, Vicente Nebrada, Val Caniparoli, Mauricio Wainrot, Trey McIntyre and Lar Lubovitch.

During his incredible career, Mr. Corrales with artistry and sensitivity, danced many leading roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Fille Mal Gardee, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sleeping Beauty, La Sylphide, Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Allegro Brillante (Balanchine), Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux (Balanchine) and other classical and contemporary pieces. Having received critical acclaim for his work, he was always an audience favorite!

Rogelio Corrales is an extraordinary teacher and coach. His attention to detail has transformed many young dancers. He is now a teacher at his own studio, St. Lucie Ballet since 2004.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   



Leah Elzner (Ballet) began her training at the age of six with the California Ballet. She spent her formative years under the tutelage of Willam Christensen, Founder of San Francisco Ballet (with his brother Lew) and Ballet West. She also attended The Royal Academy of Dance (California) and the San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarships.

As a professional, Leah danced with Cincinnati Ballet (where she met her husband), Tulsa Ballet Theatre, American Festival Ballet, Ballet Contemporaneo de Caracas and Ballet Florida (where she met and danced with Mr. Jean-Hugues Feray). Throughout out her extensive career she has had the privilege to dance works created by incredible choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Adam Houghland, Ben Stevenson, Trey McIntyre and Mauricio Wainrot
…Only to name a just a few!

Among all her principal roles, Leah’s favorites include Sugarplum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Swanilda in Coppélia, and the title roles in Cinderella and Butterfly.

Having three children herself, Ms. Elzner has an incredible knack with young students. She shares her knowledge, experience and the love of dance with extreme joy and exuberance! Photo (c) Janine Harris


Gregory Gilman (Hip Hop) Was born in St. Andrew, Jamaica. It is of no surprise that a diverse musical culture quickly enveloped him and became a cornerstone of his early life. He learned an appreciation for many genres, and he’s written and sung for Hip-Hop, R n B, Rock and even Gospel. As a sideline appreciation, Gregory was avid at learning not only most of the Jamaican “street dances” but quickly realized he was good at learning the American street dances as well.

In 2002 Gregory moved to the US in search of better job opportunities and to pursue a career in music. His first stop was West Palm Beach, Fl where Greg met his first professional choreographers, Philip Kendrick, Sean Greenand Chris Grant who all inspired him to further embrace the artistry of hip-hop style of dance. In 2005 Greg moved to Pennsylvania because of a job opportunity. Even though he did not have the chance to meet any professionals, he continued to practice what he had been taught. However Gregory found out fairly quickly that Pennsylvanian “street dancers” are not as “forgiving” as Florida’s and soon found himself in the center of attention and many “battles,” It was then that he decided that he was not to give up on his newly found craft.

Gregory returned to Florida after two years and in 2007 met Larry Albright, and through the years, the two became best friends and Larry would alter Greg’s path forever. Larry later decided that Greg had a “Good demeanor for teaching, especially kids.” Larry’s first task was to train Greg enough to be a reliable substitute. Greg learned quickly and within the first year of training subbed for several prominent Hip-Hop Dance Instructors, including Larry Albright, Philip Kendrick, Brittany Anuez and William Butts just to name a few. His resume “grew at a rapid pace” for someone who started training late 2009–2010 school semester he had taught at schools from Broward County to Coral Springs and all over Palm Beach County before the semester was over and had even picked up a few classes of his own. By the following year Greg’s classes jumped to a solid number for someone who only had a year’s worth of experience.

Gregory not only continues to learn new things and to practice with Master Class Instructor Larry Albright but has also been a co-founder with 3 other Master Class Instructors to form a group known as “The Shop.” He has lent his talent to the media, for example the music video “I Think I like It” by Enrique Iglesias. Also continuing his hip-hop endeavors, Greg learned to DJ, thus now covering 2of the 4 elements of Hip-Hop; MC, DJ, Style and. With his dancehall (up-tempo Jamaican music often referred to as Reggae) and his aptitude for everything music Greg’s style will continue to evolve and his classes will only get better. 


Janine Harris (Ballet and Pointe) received much of her early dance training from Robert and Carol Hanlin (former dancers with American Ballet Theatre). After high school she was given a full scholarship to University of Utah and membership in Utah Ballet. Janine spent two and a half years training at Houston Ballet Academy before joining the newly formed Ballet Florida in 1986.

Ms. Harris danced with Ballet Florida for 18 years and performed many leading roles with the company including the title roles of Firebird, Carmen, Anne Frank, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet  -- and others such as The Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker. With Ballet Florida and as a guest artist, she has appeared in over half of the United States and in Europe. Throughout her long and vital career, Janine has been blessed to work one-on-one with -- and dance roles -- created by some of the world’s most exciting choreographers including Val Caniparoli, Daniel Ezralow, Lambros Lambrou, Lar Lubovich, Sean Lavery, Peter Martins, Vicente Nebrada, Margot Sappington, Michael Smuin, William Soleau, Ben Stevenson, Norbert Vesak and Mauricio Wainrot.

Janine also enjoys her passion of photography which led her to become Ballet Florida’s official company photographer after she retired from dance. As a professional photographer, Janine also works as one of Palm Beach County’s leading dance photographers since 2003. Her photographs have appeared in international, national and local publications, as well as, in advertisements -- both in print and online!  ...More about Janine Harris Photography

As a teacher, Janine considers it a dear and extreme privilege to pass on the vast knowledge she was given through her incredibly diverse experience as a dancer. 
(Photo © Steven Caras)


Jesse Hammel (Contemporary/Modern, Open Ballet) began his career over 24-years under the intensive tutelage of Marie Hale and Claudia Cravey of Ballet Florida. Spanning from classical ballet, contemporary to modern dance, his career has been extremely comprehensive and diverse. After apprenticing, performing and touring with the Ballet Florida, he danced with Tampa Bay Ballet Theatre as a soloist, Demetrius Klein Dance, James Sewell, David Taylor Dance Theatre, Molly Lynch’s Ballet Pacifica, San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet and Victor Trevino’s Les Ballet Grandivas. He has performed works by John Butler, Val Caniparoli, Vicente Nebrada and numerous world renowned choreographers. Of the many and varied roles he has performed his favoties include Anthony Tudor’s Lilac Garden, Choo San Gogh’s Unknown Territory, Le Spectre de la Rose and Sugar Plum Cavalier in The Nutcracker.

In 2005 Jesse retired from full-time company performance in order to earn his Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (in 2007). He also became a certified Yoga instructor. While studying the ancient healing arts of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, he continued to teach ballet and Yoga classes at Ballet Florida and appeared nationally as a guest-artist.

While acquiring a vast experience over the past two decades, Mr. Hammel has danced extensively throughout the US, Japan and Korea. He has also set numerous ballets, participated in several choreographic workshops, choreographed and has gained a distinguished reputation as a teacher. Presently, he teaches at Paris Ballet and Dance and performs as a freelance guest artist around the country. He is the Artistic Director of Wellington Ballet Theatre, the ballet director at Dance Arts Conservatory and Downtown Dance, and teaches Yoga at the Omphoy Hotel in Palm Beach. Mr. Hammel has also taught master classes at both Bak and Dreyfoos Schools of the Performing Arts.


Ronda Johnson (Modern) received her training from such established and recognized institutions as the Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Performing Arts and the well renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre of New York. This excellent training has enabled her to pursue her commitment to the art of dance. Over the years she has had a wide range of experience which includes, teaching, choreographing and performing, as well as, adjudicating.

Ronda holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University and is currently a graduate student in their M.B.A program. Ms. Johnson’s performance experiences include the Jubilee Dance Theatre of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and the Dario J. Moore Dance Project of Orlando, Florida. Recently she has joined the company Reach, of Jupiter, Florida where she currently performs and works.

For many years, as faculty member at the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, Ronda has taught Modern Dance and is a Dance Career Prep. She has a long established working rapport with various dance schools in the surrounding communities. Ms. Johnson has an unbridled zeal for dance. Her long term goal is to share that zeal and be an inspiration for youth to develop their life-long interest and love for the art form of dance.


Toni MacPherson (Jazz, Tap): Headshot and Bio will be added soon. 


Kacy O'Brien (Creative Movement & Ballet) was born in Columbus, Ohio. She began her dance training with the Columbus Civic Ballet, and later, Ballet Metropolitan. Classic ballets performed during this period were under the direction of quest artist Vitale Fokine where he set Les Sylphides, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Petrouchka and Le Spectre De La Rose. Other ballets include The Nutcracker and Pas De Quatre.

After graduating from North Carolina School of the Arts, Kacy studied jazz, modern and ballet in New York City until joining the Washington Ballet in Washington DC. During her years with the Washington Ballet, Kacy danced many soloist roles under the direction of resident choreographer, Choo San Goh, including Birds of Paradise, Fives, Double Contrast and George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco.

In 1985 Kacy joined Ballet Florida and became their principal ballerina for ten years before retiring. She worked with a wide range of choreographers and danced leading roles and various World Premiere ballets including, Vicente Nebrada's George Sand, Cinderella, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, and Sebastian, Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias, Marie Hale's The Nutcracker, William Soleau's Rhapsody in Blue and Starry Night, Norbert Vesak's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mauricio Wainrot's Libertango, From Far Away and Anne Frank, Michael Smuin's Quattro a Verdi (QaV), Lambros Lambrou's Shostakovich, The Sculpture and Carmen.

Ms. O'Brien has been teaching and choreographing dance in Palm Beach County since 1981. Over the past twenty five years she has taught in the area's leading institutions, including Academy of Ballet Florida, Palm Beach Ballet Center, Southern Dance Theatre and Palm Beach Atlantic College. The dedication and love that she has for her students continues to encourage and inspire those whom she teaches. Photo (c) Steven Caras 




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   




ADMINISTRATION

Lois Hammel (Paris Ballet and Dance School Administrator) is no stranger to the performing arts. She performed many years with the Palm Beach Opera. In the 90’s, she quickly became an key “fixture” and well know personality in Palm Beach County as the School Administrator for Academy of Ballet Florida.

When The Academy closed, it was only natural for Mr. Feray to immediately scoop her up for Paris Ballet and Dance
…Where she performs many vital and important functions!