Irina Vakhromeeva
Cheryl Madeux
Andre Reyes
Cynthia Drayer
EAST STREET DANCE CENTER
DIRECTORS, FACULTY AND STAFF
DIRECTORS, FACULTY AND STAFF
Barbara Lazarus Kauff
Irina Vakhromeeva
Cheryl Madeux
Andre Reyes Cynthia Drayer Sabrina Hamilton Karen Michaels Jamie Schoen
Barbara Lazarus Kauff Director
received her early dance training at the High School of Performing Arts, New York, Juilliard and NYU where she studied with Robert Joffrey, Lucas Hoving, Pauline Koner, May O’Donnell and many of the luminaries of early modern dance. She went on to teach at Adelphi University Dance Department, Dana Hall, Boston Ballet, Boston Conservatory, and at Walnut Hill, where she initiated and helped establish the Walnut Hill Dance Department, Extension Division and Summer Programs. She has received numerous grants from the NEA, MCC and NEFA; served on the review panels of these funding organizations, received outstanding reviews of her work with Concert Dance Company of Boston in Dance Magazine, Boston Globe and the New York Times, and was one of three finalists in the Vestris Competition in Choreography with the Boston Ballet. Her work with CDC is archived at the Harvard Theater Collection, Harvard University. Most recently she was Producer and Director of the East Street Contemporary Dance Series and brought to the Valley Sankai Juku, Liz Lerman, and the Limon Company, to name but a few, and went on to become Director of Press and Public Relations at Jacob’s Pillow.
Irina Vakhromeeva Associate Director and Principal Instructor
was born in the small town of Saransk, Russia. At the age of 10 she was accepted into the Vaganova Academy, the official school of the world renowned Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg Irina studied under famed ballet artists of the Mariinski Theater with extensive training in Ballet Technique, the Classical Russian Repertoire, Variations, Character Dance, Acting, Historical Dance and Choreography.
Upon graduation from the Kirov Ballet Academy she was invited to perform with the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater. One year later she was invited to be a Soloist and Principal dancer with A. Adyzkhaeva and A. Zaklinsky, masters of the Bolshoi Theatre. Her repertoire included Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Paquita, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, La Fille Mal Garde, Snow Maiden, Corsaire, Italian Capprichio and many others. As a member of the company she toured the USA, Canada, Taiwan, China, Estonia, Lithuania, Hong Kong and Bulgaria.
From 1995-2003 Irina was Principal Dancer with Moscow Ballet. Later she became Childrern’s Ballet Mistress and Advance Person for Moscow Ballet’s United States Tour. She has choreographed for the Galveston Ballet Company and Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, where she also restaged La Bayadere, La Fille Mal Garde, Napoli, Les Sylphides, Carmen and DonQuixote. Irina has been a guest teacher at many colleges, universities and ballet schools around the country. This past season as Associate Director and Principal Teacher at East Street School of Ballet, she coached, choreographed and prepared four East Street ballerinas for the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City.
Cheryl Madeux
(Guest Ballet Instructor) received her training at Nutmeg Ballet under the direction of Sharon Dante and Donna Bonasera. Her professional career began with the Joffrey Ballet in NY at the age of 18. During her four years with the company she performed numerous works by Gerald Arpino and traveled throughout Europe. Later she joined Hartford Ballet as principal dancer and American Ballet Theater in NY. Among her accomplishments, Ms. Madeux was awarded first place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Ballet Competition at the age of 15, a finalist in the III Paris International Ballet Competition in France, a Presidential Scholar in Dance im 1990 and the only American finalist in the Prix de Lausanne Ballet Competition in Switzerland in 1990. Ms. Madeux continues to perform as a guest artist and has been asked to judge scholarship auditions for Dance Masters of America. She has privately coached and rehearsed many dancers and has recently received her certification in the new American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum Program for Primary level thru level 3. She will continue her certification in all the levels of the ABT curriculum and hopes to become an ABT affiliate teacher.
Andre Reyes
(Ballet Instructor) Andre Reyes is a San Francisco Bay Area native. He received his early dance training from his parents Benjamin Reyes and Josefa Villanueva at the Santa Clara Ballet School and continued his ballet training as a scholarship student at San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the American Ballet School. Andre has been Principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet and has worked with numerous world renowned choreographers. He has made Major Guest Appearances with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera, Smuin Ballet/SF, International Gala Performances and Kennedy Center and Major Television Appearances on Dance In America (WNET). He has served on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle and has over thirteen years of experience in teaching/coaching and assisting advanced level dancers in refining their skill. He and his wife Cynthia are currently Directors of the Boston Ballet School.
Cynthia Drayer
Cynthia Drayer (Ballet Instructor) received her early training at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois and the Joffrey American Ballet Center in New York City. She danced with Ballet Repertory Company in New York before joining Houston Ballet, where she danced as a Soloist for five years. In 1985 she was invited by Helgi Tomasson to join San Francisco Ballet, where she danced as a Principal until 1991. Cynthia has been featured in the works of many world-renowned choreographers. She has served on the faculties of Cornish College of the Arts, Washington Academy of Performing Arts, Marin Ballet and Boston Ballet’s SDP. Cynthia co-directed the Santa Clara Ballet from 2000 – 2001 and co-founded and directed Volee Dance in Palo Alto, California, with husband Andre Reyes. She is also a certified New York City Ballet Workout Instructor. Cynthia has performed with the San Francisco Opera since 1998. She made her national television debut on Great Performances as Lolo, in the San Francisco Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Most recently, Cynthia performed in the San Francisco Opera world premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic and in the featured Pas de Deux in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Cynthia currently serves as the Classical Ballet Program Head at Boston Ballet School.
Jamie Schoen
(Pilates Instructor) Jamie grew up in Amherst and pursued her dream of a professional ballet career throughout her teen years. She left high school after her freshman year to be home schooled so as to focus more of her time on training. She was accepted to the Walnut Hill Performing Arts High School in Natick, MA, where she sustained a series of injuries that forced her to take time off from dancing. It was during this time as well as throughout her dance training that she became well acquainted with varied types of physical rehabilitation therapies including: traditional physical therapy, aquatic therapy, massage and neuromuscular therapy, acupuncture, and craniosacral work. Having studied Pilates for eight years, Jamie recognizes Pilates as a truly positive tool in diagnostic work as well as rehabilitation for all types of bodies. Jamie sees Pilates as a form of movement and body conditioning that can be applied to any person's daily life. Jamie brings her personal movement history, knowledge and experience with therapies to The Fix and to her students.
Sabrina Hamilton
(Lighting Designer) is the Artistic Director of the Ko Festival of Performance, held each summer on the Amherst campus. For many years she worked with the New York theatre company Mabou Mines as Lighting Designer, Production Manager, Stage Manager, Performer, and Assistant Director. Other credits include work at the New York Shakespeare Festival and 6 years as Route Lighting Designer for New York’s Village Halloween Parade under the direction of Ralph Lee. International lighting credits include work in Bologna, Florence, Milan, London, Grenada, Geneva, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Bristol, Havana and Tampere, Finland. She holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and double M.F.A. in Directing and Lighting Design from UMASS and has been on the faculties of Hampshire, Williams and Trinity Colleges, and Long Island University, and served as the Program Director of the M.F.A. Theatre Program at Towson University for 2006-7.
Karen Michaels
(Modern Dance Instructor) Biography coming soon.
Andre Reyes Cynthia Drayer Sabrina Hamilton Karen Michaels Jamie Schoen
Barbara Lazarus Kauff Director
received her early dance training at the High School of Performing Arts, New York, Juilliard and NYU where she studied with Robert Joffrey, Lucas Hoving, Pauline Koner, May O’Donnell and many of the luminaries of early modern dance. She went on to teach at Adelphi University Dance Department, Dana Hall, Boston Ballet, Boston Conservatory, and at Walnut Hill, where she initiated and helped establish the Walnut Hill Dance Department, Extension Division and Summer Programs. She has received numerous grants from the NEA, MCC and NEFA; served on the review panels of these funding organizations, received outstanding reviews of her work with Concert Dance Company of Boston in Dance Magazine, Boston Globe and the New York Times, and was one of three finalists in the Vestris Competition in Choreography with the Boston Ballet. Her work with CDC is archived at the Harvard Theater Collection, Harvard University. Most recently she was Producer and Director of the East Street Contemporary Dance Series and brought to the Valley Sankai Juku, Liz Lerman, and the Limon Company, to name but a few, and went on to become Director of Press and Public Relations at Jacob’s Pillow.
Irina Vakhromeeva Associate Director and Principal Instructor
was born in the small town of Saransk, Russia. At the age of 10 she was accepted into the Vaganova Academy, the official school of the world renowned Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg Irina studied under famed ballet artists of the Mariinski Theater with extensive training in Ballet Technique, the Classical Russian Repertoire, Variations, Character Dance, Acting, Historical Dance and Choreography.
Upon graduation from the Kirov Ballet Academy she was invited to perform with the Saratov Opera and Ballet Theater. One year later she was invited to be a Soloist and Principal dancer with A. Adyzkhaeva and A. Zaklinsky, masters of the Bolshoi Theatre. Her repertoire included Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Paquita, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, La Fille Mal Garde, Snow Maiden, Corsaire, Italian Capprichio and many others. As a member of the company she toured the USA, Canada, Taiwan, China, Estonia, Lithuania, Hong Kong and Bulgaria.
From 1995-2003 Irina was Principal Dancer with Moscow Ballet. Later she became Childrern’s Ballet Mistress and Advance Person for Moscow Ballet’s United States Tour. She has choreographed for the Galveston Ballet Company and Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, where she also restaged La Bayadere, La Fille Mal Garde, Napoli, Les Sylphides, Carmen and DonQuixote. Irina has been a guest teacher at many colleges, universities and ballet schools around the country. This past season as Associate Director and Principal Teacher at East Street School of Ballet, she coached, choreographed and prepared four East Street ballerinas for the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City.
Cheryl Madeux
(Guest Ballet Instructor) received her training at Nutmeg Ballet under the direction of Sharon Dante and Donna Bonasera. Her professional career began with the Joffrey Ballet in NY at the age of 18. During her four years with the company she performed numerous works by Gerald Arpino and traveled throughout Europe. Later she joined Hartford Ballet as principal dancer and American Ballet Theater in NY. Among her accomplishments, Ms. Madeux was awarded first place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Ballet Competition at the age of 15, a finalist in the III Paris International Ballet Competition in France, a Presidential Scholar in Dance im 1990 and the only American finalist in the Prix de Lausanne Ballet Competition in Switzerland in 1990. Ms. Madeux continues to perform as a guest artist and has been asked to judge scholarship auditions for Dance Masters of America. She has privately coached and rehearsed many dancers and has recently received her certification in the new American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum Program for Primary level thru level 3. She will continue her certification in all the levels of the ABT curriculum and hopes to become an ABT affiliate teacher.
Andre Reyes
(Ballet Instructor) Andre Reyes is a San Francisco Bay Area native. He received his early dance training from his parents Benjamin Reyes and Josefa Villanueva at the Santa Clara Ballet School and continued his ballet training as a scholarship student at San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the American Ballet School. Andre has been Principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet and has worked with numerous world renowned choreographers. He has made Major Guest Appearances with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera, Smuin Ballet/SF, International Gala Performances and Kennedy Center and Major Television Appearances on Dance In America (WNET). He has served on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle and has over thirteen years of experience in teaching/coaching and assisting advanced level dancers in refining their skill. He and his wife Cynthia are currently Directors of the Boston Ballet School.
Cynthia Drayer
Cynthia Drayer (Ballet Instructor) received her early training at the National Academy of Arts in Champaign, Illinois and the Joffrey American Ballet Center in New York City. She danced with Ballet Repertory Company in New York before joining Houston Ballet, where she danced as a Soloist for five years. In 1985 she was invited by Helgi Tomasson to join San Francisco Ballet, where she danced as a Principal until 1991. Cynthia has been featured in the works of many world-renowned choreographers. She has served on the faculties of Cornish College of the Arts, Washington Academy of Performing Arts, Marin Ballet and Boston Ballet’s SDP. Cynthia co-directed the Santa Clara Ballet from 2000 – 2001 and co-founded and directed Volee Dance in Palo Alto, California, with husband Andre Reyes. She is also a certified New York City Ballet Workout Instructor. Cynthia has performed with the San Francisco Opera since 1998. She made her national television debut on Great Performances as Lolo, in the San Francisco Opera’s production of The Merry Widow. Most recently, Cynthia performed in the San Francisco Opera world premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic and in the featured Pas de Deux in Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Cynthia currently serves as the Classical Ballet Program Head at Boston Ballet School.
Jamie Schoen
(Pilates Instructor) Jamie grew up in Amherst and pursued her dream of a professional ballet career throughout her teen years. She left high school after her freshman year to be home schooled so as to focus more of her time on training. She was accepted to the Walnut Hill Performing Arts High School in Natick, MA, where she sustained a series of injuries that forced her to take time off from dancing. It was during this time as well as throughout her dance training that she became well acquainted with varied types of physical rehabilitation therapies including: traditional physical therapy, aquatic therapy, massage and neuromuscular therapy, acupuncture, and craniosacral work. Having studied Pilates for eight years, Jamie recognizes Pilates as a truly positive tool in diagnostic work as well as rehabilitation for all types of bodies. Jamie sees Pilates as a form of movement and body conditioning that can be applied to any person's daily life. Jamie brings her personal movement history, knowledge and experience with therapies to The Fix and to her students.
Sabrina Hamilton
(Lighting Designer) is the Artistic Director of the Ko Festival of Performance, held each summer on the Amherst campus. For many years she worked with the New York theatre company Mabou Mines as Lighting Designer, Production Manager, Stage Manager, Performer, and Assistant Director. Other credits include work at the New York Shakespeare Festival and 6 years as Route Lighting Designer for New York’s Village Halloween Parade under the direction of Ralph Lee. International lighting credits include work in Bologna, Florence, Milan, London, Grenada, Geneva, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Bristol, Havana and Tampere, Finland. She holds a B.A. from Hampshire College and double M.F.A. in Directing and Lighting Design from UMASS and has been on the faculties of Hampshire, Williams and Trinity Colleges, and Long Island University, and served as the Program Director of the M.F.A. Theatre Program at Towson University for 2006-7.
Karen Michaels
(Modern Dance Instructor) Biography coming soon.
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