Staff & Faculty

STAFF

JOSÉ MATEO, Founder

SCOTT FRASER, Managing Director

MAGDALENA GYFTOPOULOS, Administrator & Dorchester Studio Principal

EMILY SLEVIN, Studio Programs Manager

ISOBEL CHANG, Marketing Associate

VY PHAN, Development Associate

SHANNON SHERIDAN, Senior Development Officer

LIBBY BULLINGER, Studio Programs Assistant & Children’s Nutcracker Coordinator

ANDREW GRESKO, Facilities Manager

FACULTY

MAGDALENA GYFTOPOULOS

Magdalena Gyftopoulos received her dance training at the Boston Ballet School with Anne-Marie Holmes, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and José Mateo Ballet Theatre Young Dancer’s Program as a scholarship student.

Magdalena joined the company at José Mateo Ballet Theatre in 2006, and is a member of the teaching faculty.

In addition, Magdalena has worked with various other dance companies in the Boston area including Mariah Steele’s QuickSilver Dance, Tony Williams’ BalletRox, and Contrapose Dance where she has had the opportunity to work with choreographers David Parker, Sydney Skybetter, and Gianni Di Marco.

LIBBY BULLINGER

Libby is a choreographer and dance educator from Boston, MA. She is a graduate of the Young Dancers Program at JMBT where she performed as a member of YouthWorks and in many seasons of The Nutcracker. In 2022 she graduated from Mercyhurst University with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Dance Education. In college Libby choreographed over 15 works for stage and film, served as choreographer-in-residence for the Erie Contemporary Ballet, presented work at the American Collegiate Dance Association festival, and completed choreography and dancer wellness internships at Deos Contemporary Ballet. Libby is thrilled to return to Boston and the JMBT community to help bring the joy of dance to a new generation of students!

BETTINA INDACO

Bettina Indaco was raised in Holland and trained at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. She studied with teachers Linda Goss, Wim Vreeken, Sulamith Messerer, and Sonia Matcholli and was featured in a ballet documentary about the prestigious Conservatoire, Stap voor Stap.

After graduating and receiving her degree with high honors dancing the lead in Les Sylphides, she joined The Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam and performed in Europe and Asia. She has performed in traditional ballets such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Nutcracker in which her leading roles included Snow Queen and Dewdrop. She performed in contemporary ballets by Balanchine, such as Concerto Barroco, Serenade, Diamonds, Symphony in C, and The Four Temperaments. She has also performed in many ballets of Rudi van Danzig, Hans van Maanen, and Jiri Kylian.

In 1990, Bettina Indaco joined Ballet Theatre of Boston as a soloist and danced in Boston and throughout Massachusetts in ballets by Jose Mateo. Indaco has taught at Ballet Theatre of Boston since 1996.

In addition to teaching, Indaco holds master’s degrees in Dutch, English and Spanish.

ALISA KORKHIN

Originally from Boston, MA, Alisa received her training at the Boston Ballet School. After graduating from Brookline High School, Alisa moved to New York City to further her ballet training and dive into the professional ballet world. Over the years, Alisa spent her summers in many prestigious programs including the Boston Ballet Summer Intensive on a merit scholarship, Ellison Ballet School, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and the ABT summer program in New York with a full merit scholarship.

Alisa has danced with the Sibiu Ballet Theatre in Romania as well as the Israel Ballet in Tel Aviv for the past six years. Along the way, she has had the experience of collaborating with other companies such as the Panta Rei Dance Theatre based in Oslo, Norway. During her two years in Sibiu, Alisa performed soloist roles such as odalisques from Le Corsaire and one the three shades from La Bayadere. In addition, she performed in contemporary repertoire such as Parlez-Moi D-Amour by French choreographer Martin Chaix. Alisa toured to both South Korea and Luxembourg while dancing with the Sibiu Ballet Theatre.

During her time dancing with the Israel Ballet, Alisa had the opportunity to dance Serenade by George Balanchine as well as classics such as Giselle, Swan Lake, Paquita, and Sleeping Beauty. During her years in Tel Aviv, Alisa had the chance to share the stage with ballet stars such as Natalia Osipova, Marianela Nunez, and Vadim Muntigirov during their guest appearances with the company in the Tel Aviv Opera House. Alisa gained extensive contemporary dance experience dancing works by Sharon Eyal, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik Galili, and George Williamson. During the Israel Ballet’s 2022 tour to Germany, Alisa danced soloist roles in both Nova Carmen by Sharon Eyal, as well as Black Swan by Andonis Foniadakis.

ADAM MILLER

Originally from Providence, RI, Adam Miller trained at American Ballet Theatre School, The North Carolina School of the Arts, and The School of American Ballet. He was a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, and Hartford Ballet, and performed as a guest artist in the USA, Europe, Asia, and South America. He has served as a faculty member at the School of Pacific Northwest Ballet, and as the School and Outreach Director for Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Washington. Additional teaching credits include Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Vassar College, Duke University, The North Carolina School of the Arts, Lyon Opera Ballet, the St. Paul’s School, Veroneszh Ballet (Russia) and Boston Ballet.

Adam is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Provincetown Dance Festival, now in its 17th season, and is on faculty at the Portland Ballet. He has previously served on the board of Connecticut Dance Alliance and as a grant panelist for Connecticut Council for Arts and Tourism and the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. He is the recipient of an Artist Fellowship Award from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts for Artistic Excellence as well as grants from the Hartt School Faculty Development Fund and The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation.

BETTY ANN PLATT

Betty Ann has a vast array of dance, teaching and choreography credits. Her extensive career ranges from the San Francisco Opera Ballet to Broadway, National Touring Companies, international dance concerts, TV and film. Recently, she moved from Seattle where she taught credit dance classes at Bellevue College. As Chair of Dance she doubled the size of the department and added ballet to the curriculum. Additionally, Betty Ann directed and choreographed for the dance ensemble class, The Eastside Moving Company, which performed works by noteworthy local and national choreographers such as Anne Reinking and Mandy Moore. Betty Ann is delighted to join the faculty of José Mateo Ballet Theatre. 

BORIS RICHIR

Boris Richir, originally from Antwerp, Belgium, received his dance education at the Paris Opera Ballet School. He began his professional career in 2009 at the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden and joined Boston Ballet in 2014. He has performed soloist and lead roles in a wide repertoire ranging from The Nutcracker to contemporary pieces such as the ballets of William Forsythe. He has performed around the world on stages such as the Palais Garnier in Paris, The Bunka Kaikan Theatre in Tokyo, the Boston Opera House, the Saxon State Opera House in Dresden, and the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. He appears in the 2012 filming of The Nutcracker of the Semperoper Ballet Dresden by ARTE as well as the 2014 New Years broadcast on German national television, ZDF.

In 2012 he became assistant director of ART of Ballet courses and masterclasses, responsible for the organization of high level dance summer courses across Europe. In 2017 he founded United Dance, a company providing dance education to specialized populations in Europe and North America.

MARIA ROGLER

Maria began dancing at 4 years old in Dedham, Massachusetts, studying ballet with Renae Macciolli Mcleod and Letitia Guerrero, as well as at the International Ballet Academy of Norwell. She participated in multiple summer intensives at Festival Ballet Providence as well as international ballet competitions in Bari, Italy and Atlanta, Georgia.

After high school, she was offered a post-graduate position with the Festival Ballet Providence Company, where she trained through 2020 and 2021. In the fall of 2021, she became a trainee with Festival Ballet Providence and continues to dance in their company. She is excited to join José Mateo Ballet Theatre as a member of the faculty, and is delighted to share her ballet knowledge with the next generation of dancers. 

ELIZABETH ROOKEY

Elizabeth was born and raised in Framingham, MA. She received her early training at the Walnut Hill Community Dance Academy and went on to join the Walnut Hill High School in 2012. After graduating, she joined Ballet Austin for the 2016-17 season as a part of the Butler Fellowship Program. In 2021, Elizabeth graduated from the Hartt School with a BFA in Dance Performance and a concentration in Ballet Pedagogy. While at the university, Elizabeth trained extensively in ballet, Graham, Limon, contemporary and composition, and had the privilege to perform a myriad of works, including the lead in Martha Graham’s Chronicle, a solo from George Balanchine’s Valse-FantasieFascinatin’ Rhythm from Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Primavera in Jose Limon’s Dances for Isadora, and Lar Lubovitch’s Something About Night

PAYTON THOMPSON

Payton is a B.A. candidate in Theater, Dance, Media and Economics at Harvard University. She is a member of the Harvard Ballet Company and has guested for José Mateo Ballet Theatre. While she has trained in numerous styles of dance including lyrical, hip-hop, modern, musical theatre and jazz, her heart has always belonged to the ballet/contemporary ballet world. At age 13, Payton began training at International Ballet Academy where she performed many lead roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, Les Sylphides, and Odalisque. Following high school graduation, she was offered a trainee contract with Ballet West and spent the 2020-2021 season dancing with the company. While at Ballet West, she had the opportunity to perform soloist roles in Swan Lake, Pamela Robinson Harris’s Cinderella, and multiple contemporary ballets choreographed by Francisco Gella. Payton has also spent summers training on scholarship with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Francisco Gella’s Pre-professional Dancer Institute.

NASHAYA WORNUM

NaShaya is a female artist of the African diaspora whose distinct combination of  techniques of dance communicates humanity through storytelling. NaShaya began her dance career in Hip Hop and African Dance. She danced locally with her community already immersed in the culture, learning the significance of carrying on tradition. She began her formal training in ballet and modern dance at 4 Star Dance studio. From there, she went on to train at Boston Arts Academy where she furthered her knowledge of modern and ballet. Using a blend of learned techniques and forms, NaShaya strives to unite people in a global understanding that transcends race, gender, and class. 

Status photo

MICHAEL PONTIUS

COMING SOON

SUSAN BOURQUE

Susan is originally from West Palm Beach, FL where she received her early training under the
direction of Joan E. Miller at The Palm Beach Ballet Center. She concurrently attended the
Dreyfoos School of the Performing Arts and graduated as Ballet Major. Susan continued
studying at The Joffrey Ballet School and began her performance career with The Augusta
Ballet. In 2001, Susan joined José Mateo Ballet Theatre where she performed many roles in
annual productions of the Nutcracker including Snow Queen, Columbine, Arabian Coffee,
Marzipan and Dew Drop Fairy. Other ballets Susan has been featured in include Streams,
Danzones Balleticos, Isle of the Dead, House of Ballet and Arroz con Mango. In 2013, Susan
transitioned from the stage to the role of Ballet Mistress. As Ballet Mistress Susan worked
closely with Mr. Mateo on many aspects of production including costuming, casting and
coaching. Susan lives on the North Shore with her husband, Lance and their three children.

Sophia Kolodney

SOPHIA KOLODNEY

COMING SOON

AVERY SAULNIER de REYES

Avery Saulnier de Reyes is a freelance dancer and artist with City Ballet of Boston. Avery received her classical training at Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Lexington School of Ballet and Integrarte. Her roles include Garland Fairy and Little Red Hood in The Sleeping Beauty, original choreography by Gianni di Marco and Fanny Cerrito in Pas de Quatre. Additionally, She co-directs Northeast Arts, recently producing her first independent live programs. Avery has begun to explore work on film, performing with Columbia Pictures, ArtsEmerson, Carley Byers and in Cambridge Symphony Orchestra’s Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.

EMILY SLEVIN

Emily Slevin is an interdisciplinary instructor, dancer, and choreographer. Her dance training started in Frederick, MD under Sheri Mendelsohn, a former Rockette. While obtaining her degrees at DePaul University in Chicago, she served as the Lyrical Team Captain for the university’s dance company, where her choreography was performed in theaters across the city. She has set choreography and taught masterclasses for companies including the Viktor Yeliohin International Ballet Academy in Lancaster, PA, BSDA in Tampa, FL, and WestSide Performing Arts in Dublin, Ireland. Since 2022, she has been a competition staff member and competition judge for the national tours of Starpower and Precision Arts Challenge. Emily is proud to be an annual staff member at Malmö Dance Week in Malmö, Sweden and is a company member of DanceWorks Boston.

ISOBEL CHANG

Originally from New Jersey, Isobel trained pre-professionally at the New Jersey School of Ballet under founder Carolyn Clark, and had opportunities to perform with the New Jersey Ballet Company. She spent summers honing her ballet technique at intensive programs with the American Ballet Theatre (NYC), Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Isobel has performed works by Marius Petipa, George Tamal, Carolyn Clark, George Balanchine, Desmond Richardson, Alvin Ailey, Humberto Teixeira, and Margot Parsons, and in productions such as The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Swan Lake.

After attending Boston University, Isobel relocated to Singapore for five years where she taught dance and fitness. Her teaching experience ranges from all ages and levels, from baby ballet to adult dancers in both the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus, the Vaganova method, as well as her own signature open class style. Isobel is also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.

Since moving back to the US in 2023, Isobel is currently based in Boston working for Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre while continuing to teach dance and train fitness on the side.