Faculty
Lindsay Fischer, Director
A native of New York City, Lindsay Fischer graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School in 1978, and left Toronto to begin a career which took him to Lisbon, Amsterdam, New York City, and finally back to Toronto. His 18-year dance career included tenure as a principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet and New York City Ballet, and after retiring from the stage, he joined the artistic staff of Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). In addition to teaching, he created the School’s post-secondary program, and the dancer career planning program, both of which he managed until leaving NBS in 2007. As artistic director for YOU dance, a collaboration between the National Ballet of Canada and NBS, he leads a program to introduce students to the creative world of dance.
Mandy-Jayne Richardson
A graduate of the Royal Ballet School, in 1979 Mandy-Jayne Richardson joined the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet where she performed in ballets including Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Elite Syncopations, Brouillards, and Five Tangos. After dancing with the Dutch National Ballet for two years, she joined the New York City Ballet in 1988, expanding her Balanchine repertoire and performing in works by Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras. In 1999 she joined the artistic staff of the National Ballet of Canada, where she was named senior ballet mistress in 2005.
Stéphane Léonard
After beginning his dance training in Montréal with private teacher Natalia Izbinsky, Stéphane Léonard went on to study at the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg before dancing with the National Ballet of Canada from 1993 to 1995. He has also performed with the Rimsky-Korsakov Company in St. Petersburg. He joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1998 as a soloist and has been teaching full-time for the RWB School’s professional division since his retirement from performing in 2002, where he oversees the aspirant program and teaches ballet, variations and repertoire.
Peggy Baker
An acclaimed contemporary dancer, choreographer, and teacher, Peggy Baker began her professional career in Toronto in 1974 as founding member and later artistic director of Dancemakers, where she participated in more than 50 premieres by Canadian choreographers, including three of her own works. After performing with Lar Lubovitch’s company and Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, she established herself as a solo artist in 1990, known for her collaborations with outstanding choreographers, musicians, visual artists, and other creative people. Choreographer for Peggy Baker Dance Projects, she has taught at universities and professional training programs including Simon Fraser University, the Juilliard School, and York University. She is the first-ever artist-in-residence at Canada’s National Ballet School, appointed in 1992.
Cathy Taylor
After training with Canada’s National Ballet School and dancing for two years with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Cathy Taylor joined the teaching staff of the RWB School. Invited by Arnold Spohr to join the company’s artistic staff, she later became assistant to the artistic director, a position she held for 20 years. During her many years with the company, she worked with various artistic directors, international choreographers and teachers. Now on the faculty of the School of Dance in Ottawa, she also works as a guest ballet mistress with the RWB and Ballet British Columbia.
Nehemiah Kish
Originally from Michigan, Nehemiah Kish trained at Canada’s National Ballet School and joined the National Ballet of Canada in 2000, becoming a principal dancer in 2005. With the National Ballet, his repertoire includes lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, and Onegin. Kish danced a principal role in the world premiere of Matjash Mrozewski’s Wolf’s Court and performed in the company premieres of Eliot Feld’s A Footstep of Air and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia. He has performed as a guest dancer internationally, with companies including Stuttgart Ballet and Sadler’s Wells, and has also worked with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet and Christopher Wheeldon’s company, Morphoses.
Roberto Campanella
Artistic director of Toronto’s ProArteDanza Performance, Roberto Campanella is originally from Rome. He trained at the Scuola Italiana di Danza Contemporanea, and in 1985 joined the Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea, where he became a principal dancer. After dancing with Aterballetto, in 1993 he joined the National Ballet of Canada, where he was soon promoted to soloist. As a choreographer, Campanella has created new work for ProArteDanza, as well as companies and organizations including Ballet Jörgen, Arts Umbrella, and Corpus. After retiring from the National Ballet in 1996, he graduated from the National Ballet School’s teacher training program with distinction, and is now a sought-after guest teacher for companies including the National Ballet of Canada and Stuttgart Ballet.
Je-An Salas
A native of the Philippines, Je-an Salas trained at the Philippine High School for the Performing Arts and was a member of Ballet Philippines. She attended Canada’s National Ballet School’s professional program in 1990 and subsequently joined the National Ballet of Canada, where she was promoted to second soloist in 2001. She has created roles in numerous works including Matjash Mrozewski’s Wolf’s Court and A Delicate Battle, James Kudelka’s Cinderella and An Italian Straw Hat, John Alleyne’s Tristan and Isolde, Jean-Pierre Perreault’s The Comforts of Solitude, and Dominique Dumais’s one hundred words for snow and weight of absence. After completing the required course of study, she received her certification in Stott Pilates instruction in 2006, and is qualified to teach both mat and reformer classes.
Dancers
Further additions to this list of dancers will be confirmed shortly, including recommendations from Ballet Jörgen’s Bengt Jörgen.
Recommended by Andre Lewis, Royal Winnipeg Ballet
- Vivika Ballard
- Beth Lamont
- Tristan Dobrowney
- Sarah Davey
Recommended by Karen Kain, National Ballet of Canada
- Elizabeth Marrable
- Alexander Bozinoff
- Mark Dennis
- Claire Maurey
- Shino Mori
- Ryan Booth
- Sara Garbowski
- Eleena Lobsanova
- Brendan Saye
Recommended by John Alleyne, Ballet British Columbia
- Eric Burrough
- Connor Gnam
- Shannon Ferguson
- Alyson Fretz
Recommended by Mikko Nissinen, Boston Ballet
- Isaac Akiba
- Jeffrey Cirio
- Rachel Cossar
- Syliva Deaton
Recommended by Gradimir Pankov, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
- Christina Cecchini
Recommended by Jean Grand-Maître, Alberta Ballet
- Kathleen O’Brien
- Marika Sato
Repertoire
- George Balanchine’s Divertimento # 15
- Peggy Baker’s Julio Lumo
- Excerpt from Act II of La Sylphide
- New work by the recipient of the 2008 Clifford E. Lee Award
