Nicole Hattler received her formal training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she graduated in classical ballet in 1987. She trained under many renowned teachers such as Duncan Noble, Robert Lindgren, Marina Eglevsky, Mimi Paul, Robert Denvers, and extensively with Melissa Hayden. She also trained at the San Francisco Ballet School (with scholarship), Pacific North West Ballet, and Charleston Ballet Theatre. After spending years as a free lance artist, she became Artistic Director of the Asheville City Ballet in 1996. Over eleven years, she choreographed many original full length productions including Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan as well as performing at the Festival of North Carolina Dance and the North Carolina Dance Gala. After moving to Colorado in 2011 with her husband and three children, she became Artistic Director of the Vail Youth Ballet Company and staged the Wizard of Oz and the Nutcracker at the Vilar Center of Performing Arts in Beaver Creek. She also enjoyed teaching at the Summit School of Dance in Frisco, CO and as a guest teacher at Absolute Dance in Grand Junction and High Attitude Dance Academy in Gunnison. She is thrilled to be here with her family in Telluride and share her life’s passion at Palm Arts Dance.

Jessica holds a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder where she studied Pre-Medical Sciences, Humanities & Dance. Mrs. Galbo attended the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York City, where she completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive, and has a passion for teaching, choreography, film and art. Jessica is the former Mountainfilm Director of Education Programs, and currently serves as an emcee. Jessica has also choreographed and directed Telluride Fashion Week Gala fashion shows and currently serves as TAB Executive Director. She lives in Telluride with her husband Mark, and their four children.

Katie has been dancing since she was 4 years old. She is trained in ballet/pointe, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip-hop, and has delved a bit into ballroom. She graduated from Towson University in Maryland with a BS in Psychology, and was also a part of her college's dance company. She has performed professionally and recreationally, competed, choreographed, and taught. She is also a certified yoga instructor. She believes that movement is medicine, art is essential to human development, and she is delighted to share her passion for dance with this special program that is Palm Arts.goes here

Kelsey has a life long passion for dance as she began taking classes at the age of 3. Growing up she practiced ballet, modern, lyrical, jazz, tap and hip-hop. She attended Mass College of Art and Design where she earned her BFA in Interrelated Media. Her undergraduate work focused in performance art, stagecraft, produciton, arts administration, and creating shared experiences. During her time in Boston she continued to expand her dance practice and trained in contemporary, contact improvisation, and African dance.

Kelsey is also a certified yoga instructor and has been studying somatic release practices. She enjoys integrating all of these movement and embodiment practices while facilitating dance classes. Kelsey currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Telluride Dance Collective and is an Ensemble Member and choreographer with Telluride Theatre.

Shannon is the co-owner of All About Dance, located in downtown Chicago and is known there as Studio Guru Galore. She has an extensive dance background that includes ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop training. She began dancing at the young age of two, when her ballet teacher made an exception for her, admitting Shannon to class due to her unusual ability. Given her love for performing, Shannon participated in numerous dance competitions and pageants over the years. She has held several national and local titles including Miss Troy, Michigan, which qualified her for the Miss Teen Michigan USA Pageant. Shannon continued to dance throughout college. During her junior year, she joined the Synergy Dance Team at Northern Arizona University. Before All About Dance, she also taught at a prestigious studio in Brentwood, CA, while also volunteering dance classes at the Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood. Shannon has taken this philosophy worldwide in starting an annual dance camp in Lamardelle, Haiti, where for the past three years she along with other teachers, staff and students have spread the love of dance during a weeklong camp for 150 Haitian students.

Laya Barak is a New York City based Director, Choreographer and educator. Born and raised in Detroit Michigan, Laya began her training at the Annette and Company School of Dance under Annette Bergasse and Emmy award winner Joshua Bergasse. She later spent many years at the Edge Performing Arts Center and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles. She graduated from Indiana University with a BA in Arts Administration Dance and Business. While at Indiana, Laya along with 5 other students in the individualized major program, helped shape what became the curriculum for a Dance Major at Indiana University.

Join our special guest teacher Laya Barak, Telluride Aids Benefit Director/Choreographer, and learn from her extensive background in the dance industry. Her workshop style class is an opportunity for students to develop in dance conditioning and learn fun upbeat choreography. The class will incorporate styles of hip hop and commercial street jazz. This class is an open level format and all are encouraged to join.

Shirley began her dance training in the UK with the Royal Academy Of Dance, and when she was eight years of age immigrated to Australia and continued her training in the R.A.D and received the highest award of the Solo Seal when she was 16 years old. She joined the Australian Ballet Company and danced in the corps de ballet before moving to London where she joined the London Festival Ballet. Shirley then joined London City Ballet as one of the founding members and continued to dance soloist and principal roles with the company for eight years.

After retiring from performing, Shirley returned to Australia and studied for the Royal Academy Dance Teacher’s Certificate. After receiving high honors in the exams, Shirley proceeded to open up her own Dance Academy in the Blue Mountains, outside Sydney, where she had 200 students enrolled in Ballet and Jazz. Shirley moved to Telluride in the early 90’s and started the Telluride Dance Academy. She retired from full time teaching to raise her two children, although continued teaching many classes intermittently throughout the last decade. Shirley also traveled to New York and completed the ABT Dance Teacher’s training course.

Valerie Madonia is the director of Colorado Ballet Academy since fall 2013. She began her training with Maris Battaglia at the American Academy of Ballet in Buffalo, NY and then trained at the National Ballet School of Canada from 1975-1979. She danced professionally for more than 20 years with the National Ballet of Canada from 1979-1981 , at American Ballet Theatre 1981-1986 and at the Joffrey Ballet 1987-1997. She began her career as a member of the corps de ballet and eventually established herself as a leading ballerina with the Joffrey.

She has been teaching for over 20 years, ages 7-adult, served on the faculty at the New School University in NYC from 2000-2003, taught for the Joffrey Ballet School since 1996 and directed the Joffrey School South Workshop in Georgia from 2003-2010. She teaches biannually in Yokohama, Japan and teaches master classes at The Four Corners Dance Experience and for the Regional Ballet Association Festivals. She is also an adjudicator and master teacher for the Youth American Grand Prix. Madonia has been a guest teacher for: The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Alaska Dance Theatre, Louisiana Delta Ballet, Colorado Ballet and Boulder Ballet.

During her tenure as Artistic Director of the Telluride Society for the Performing Arts from 1998-2002, she helped found the Telluride Dance Academy. She served as the Artistic Director and a teacher at the Telluride Dance Academy from 2006-2010. From the fall of 2011-2013, she taught and directed for Palm Arts Dance in Telluride, CO.

Keri Sutton graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and has been teaching children for over 15 years. She was excited to bring that experience to the dance classroom where she has been teaching Hip Hop, Tap and Ballet classes. Keri started dancing at the age of 5. She has participated in workshops, master classes and performed/competed on the company dance team. She is also a certified fitness instructor. Hoping to spread her love for dance to all her students, she is thrilled to be teaching for the Palm Arts Dance Program.