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Instructors and Staff
- Zanne
Colton
- Peter
Powlus
- Bon
Ellis
- Tammy
Adams Westafer
- Sharon
Mayfield
- Cammy
Fisher
- Jessica
Cohen,
- Jessica
King-Bailey
- Carlee
Snyder
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RON COLTON
Director Emeritus |
At the age of thirteen, Ron Colton entered his first
dance class in Detroit – that led him to a life
long career in dance. Ron moved to New York City, dancing
in musicals on Broadway, before joining the Slavenska-Franklin
Company touring Japan and the United States. He joined
the New York City Ballet in 1953 and toured Europe with
the Company. In 1958, Ron taught his first dance class
in Chicago and knew immediately that he had found his
calling. Drawing from his own impeccable dance training,
Ron’s move to Augusta in 1964 clearly changed
the face of the arts in Augusta. Whether being in his
class or watching his dancers perform, you knew you
were in the presence of a master. As a Dance Magazine
critic noted, “Whenever the director of a resident
company complains that his community is too small to
yield good material for him to train, I cannot help
but think of Ron Colton…He doesn’t “find”
material. He makes it.”
Ron is on the advisory
panel for the Governor’s School for the Arts,
South Carolina, and has served as a panelist for the
South Carolina Arts Commission. He has been a consultant
for the National Endowment for the Arts and, at the
request of the Governor of Georgia, was for twelve years
on the Dance Panel of the Georgia Council for the Arts.
In 1981, he received the Governor’s Award for
Achievement in the Arts. Ron has served with the Greater
Augusta Arts Council and is currently on the Board of
Directors of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional
Ballet Association. On four occasions, Ron has been
host director to the Regional Dance America/Southeastern
Regional Ballet Association Festival in Augusta. He
has twice served as Chairman of the Choreographer’s
Conference.
With talent, insight,
faith and good humor, Ron Colton has had an immense
impact on dance in the Southeast as a teacher and director.
He created and grew the Augusta Ballet for thirty years
taking it from a fledgling civic troupe to a professional
company. His legacy of dance in Augusta continues to
flourish in the newly established Dance Augusta. |
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ZANNE COLTON
Zanne as Odile in Augusta Ballet's Swan Lake |
If
one word characterizes Zanne Beaufort Colton,
it is "presence." She has that magical ability
to compel our attention, on stage and off. What is the
source of this presence? Her vitality? Her sense of
total dedication? Whatever the source, it is no wonder
she has achieved true stardom, not only in dancing,
but in directing, teaching, administering, publicizing
in all the many jobs she does so well.
A great performer is always a creator, not merely a
mimic. Augusta audiences remember Zanne's poignantly
unforgettable Swan Queen, her uniquely flirtatious Swanilda
and passionate Giselle. It is her uniqueness that has
prompted the creation of ballets especially for her,
such as Episode, Mandolina, and The
Rookery. She is Augusta's premier contribution
to the world of dance. For Zanne, that's the only world
there is.
Beginning her studies at age six, her first instructors
were Alexis Dolinoff and Sallie Carlson. Upon Ron Colton's
arrival, she was immediately recognized as an outstanding
student, and after four years of intensive study with
Colton, she received a full Ford Foundation scholarship
with Balanchine's School of American Ballet. Notable
instructors throughout the years have included Vera
Volkova, Muriel Stuart, Robert Barnett, Duncan Noble,
Stanley Zompakos and Stanley Williams. She appeared
with the Charleston Ballet Company and as a principal
soloist with the Atlanta Ballet. She was also one of
the original members of the Atlanta Ballet's professional
touring ensemble.
An experienced teacher/ballet mistress, she has set
ballets throughout the Southeast and was selected to
perform professionally at several nationally sponsored
choreographers' conferences. She has served as a panelist
for the Artists-in-the-Schools and the Artist Initiated
Programs of the Georgia Council for the Arts. Zanne
is currently serving as a Dance Panelist for the Georgia
Council for the Arts.
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PETER POWLUS
Peter, appearing as as Ole
Devil Anse, and tapping
up a storm as Sam Bush
jams in Peter's sensational
hit ballet The Legends of
the Hatfields & McCoys |
Peter
Powlus has had a broad range of dance experience. He
has developed a rare versatility and a unique style
which he now brings to the Augusta Ballet. Peter has
worked in television, film, opera, dinner theatre, theme
parks, historical drama, mime theatre, children's theatre,
fashion shows, industrials, and repertory dance. He
recently served as choreographer for the 1999 Georgia
Games Opening Ceremonies which were hailed as "the
best" in the Games history. Peter has danced with
the Augusta Ballet since 1985 and assisted with the
re-staging of several works (including Beauty and
the Beast and Guys and Dolls among others.)
He was given the opportunity in 1993 to choreograph
his first full-length ballet, Carmen, which was re-staged
to critical acclaim in 1996 and again last season. Since
his first effort as Resident Choreographer in 1993,
he has been prolific with his creative contributions,
including full-length versions of Dracula,
Romeo and Juliet, The Bittersweet Saga
of Sugar Cane and Sweetie Pie (with the
Wynton Marsalis Septet), Marsalis Encore, and
The Three Musketeers. Many of his shorter works
have been recognized by Regional Dance America. Two
have been placed on the prestigious RDA Choreography
Plan, and several others have been presented at regional
festivals. In the spring of 2000, Peter offered his
interpretation of the children's classic, Peter
and the Wolf and in the spring of 2001, his adaptation
of The Legend of the Hatfields & McCoys
featuring Sam Bush. The response was overwhelmingly
enthusiastic, prompting an encore presentation in the
spring of 2002. Another of Peter's choreographic efforts
was the collaborative dance noir Casablanca.
Last season in celebration of the 40th anniversary of
the Company, several of Peter's classic works were presented
including Carmen, Romeo & Juliet
and Peter & the Wolf. This season will
highlight the presentation of Peter's ever-popular The
Three Musketeers with live local musicians and
the premiere of a new work, Under a Cajun Moon,
featuring musicians Wycliffe Gordon and Ted Nash from
Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Peter's teaching experience is equally diverse and extensive.
He is currently a faculty member of the Augusta Ballet
School and is much in demand throughout the southeast
as an instructor of Master Classes. He has served the
Georgia community as a member of the Georgia Council
for the Arts Dance Panel for Organizational Grants.
Peter and his wife, Debra, are the proud parents of
Callaway Melissa.
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Carlee
Snyder
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Carlee
Snyder began her ballet training at the age of five
with Ron Jones Academy of Ballet. At the age of thirteen
she joined Jones’ Augusta Dance Theatre as a principal
dancer, performing lead roles in Copellia, Paquita,
Nutcracker, and Etudes. Carlee attended
summer training programs with Central Pennsylvania Youth
Ballet, American Ballet Theatre in Alabama, Joffrey
South, and the Burklyn Ballet as a scholarship student.
At age fourteen Carlee joined the Augusta Ballet School
as a trainee under the direction of Zanne Colton. She
appeared in Dracula, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker.
Carlee has performed as a guest artist in the role of
the Sugarplum Fairy with the Augusta Dance Theatre.
She dances now with Dance Augusta under the direction
of Zanne Colton and teaches primary level classes at
the Evans branch of the Augusta Ballet School. When
Carlee is not dancing or teaching, she is a student
at Augusta State University. |
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Tammy
Adams Westafer
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Tammy
Adams Westafer began studies at the Augusta Ballet School
at the age of fifteen. She became an apprentice at sixteen
and a Company member the following year. Tammy attended
Brenau University (The Women's College), graduating
cum laude with a B.A. in Ballet Pedagogy. While there,
she performed as a soloist with the Gainesville Ballet.
She has also appeared with North Carolina Dance Theatre
in their production of The Nutcracker and with
the Center Dance Ensemble in Phoenix, Arizona. Tammy
has attended summer workshops at the Alvin Ailey American
Dance Center, the Atlanta Ballet School, SC Governor’s
School for the Arts, and on scholarship at the Pennsylvania
Academy of Ballet and the Ririe-Woodbury Modern Dance
Workshop. Tammy has received an individual artist grant
from the Georgia Council for the Arts as well as the
Monticello award for emerging choreographers from Regional
Dance America (SERBA). This award sent her to the National
Choreographers Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since
then, Tammy has had many works commissioned by regional
ballet companies all over the southeast, including the
Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education.
With
the Augusta Ballet, Tammy has been seen as the Sugar
Plum Fairy, the Dewdrop Fairy, and the Arabian in The
Nutcracker, a soloist in many repertory pieces,
a featured dancer in the Wynton Marsalis collaboration,
as the Rose in Beauty and the Beast, and the
Queen in Three Musketeers. Tammy was on the
faculty of the Augusta Ballet School for five years.
She has also performed in the Augusta Opera's productions
of West Side Story, The Merry Widow, and Carmen.
Recent accomplishments include teaching for Dance Place,
official school of the North Carolina Dance Theatre,
serving as Executive Director of the Gainesville Ballet
Company, and creating a dance program at Enka High School
in Asheville, NC. This past year, Tammy was honored
with the “Teacher of the Month” award from
Enka High School students and the Asheville Rotary Club.
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Bon Ellis
School Director
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Bon
Ellis began her dance training with Sallie Carlson,
founder of the Augusta Civic Ballet, as one of the Company’s
youngest members. Continuing her studies with Ron Colton,
she became a soloist with the Augusta troupe. While
attending the North Carolina School of the Arts as a
merit scholarship student, Bon spent her summers studying
with the School of American Ballet, the Joffrey School,
the Atlanta Ballet and the Twyla Tharp Workshop. After
graduating with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy
from the State University of New York at Stony Brook,
Bon opened her own dance studio in Albany, NY and performed
with a theater/jazz group there. From 1985 - 2001 Bon
was a soloist and Ballet Mistress with the Augusta Ballet
as well as a teacher and business administrator of the
Augusta Ballet School. Retired from the Company, Bon
continues to teach and oversee the management of the
Augusta Ballet School. |
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Sharon
Skepple Mayfield
Photos: Steve Labuzetta
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Sharon
Skepple Mayfield was born in Antigua, West Indies and
raised in St.Croix US Virgin Island where she began
her studies in dance with the Caribbean Dance Company.
Skepple studied as a scholarship recipient and graduated
from the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1989 under
the guidance of Dianne Markham, Mabel Robinson, Richard
Kuch and Richard Gain. She became a member of Garth
Fagan Dance in 1988 followed by a promotion to a principal
soloist in 1990. Fagan has created major roles for her,
including Telling a Story, Moth Dreams, Two Pieces of
One: Green, which won Skepple a New York Dance and Performance
Award ABessie@ in 1999. As a principal soloist with
Garth Fagan Dance, Skepple has performed with Don Pullen,
Keith Jarrett, D.D. Jackson, Carlos Ward, Billy Bang
and appeared on PBS Great Performances: Griot New York
with the Wynton Marsalis Septet.
In addition to her many roles in the company, Skepple
taught company classes on tour and at home at the Garth
Fagan Dance School in Rochester, New York. She taught
master class workshops for Garth Fagan at the University
of North Carolina, North Carolina School of the Arts,
Winthrop College, Skidmore College, Wayne State University,
Maui Fine Arts Center, George Mason University, and
other schools and universities throughout the United
States and abroad.
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Cammy
Fisher
Pilates Instructor
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Cammy
was trained at the Augusta Ballet School with Ron and
Zanne Colton and has over twenty years experience as
a professional dancer with the Augusta Ballet, Augusta
Opera and various dance companies in California including
Theater Ballet of San Francisco. Cammy has also been
on the dance faculty of the Augusta Ballet School, Davidson
Fine Arts Magnet School, Charleston County School of
the Performing Arts, The Art Factory and the Jesse Norman
School of Arts after school program.
THE
METHOD® PILATES
Joseph Pilates
developed this system of over 500 exercises during
the early 1900’s. His goal was to strengthen
and stretch the muscles and to integrate the mind
with the body.
The Pilates Method
is a no-impact workout that includes a series of specific
movements tailored to the individual. The Pilates
Method improves coordination, balance, control, and
agility and is great for working around injuries.
Pilates addresses obesity, osteoporosis, repetitive
stress symptoms, sports application, and corrective
exercises.
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Jessica Claire Cohen
Instructor |
Jessica
Claire Cohen began her training at the age of four with
the Augusta Ballet School. She attended summer training
programs with North Carolina Dance Theatre, American
Ballet Theatre and under scholarship with the Atlanta
Ballet. Jessica was a member of Augusta Ballet II and
has appeared in Dracula, The Three Musketeers, Carmen,
The Legend of the Hatfields & McCoys, Duncan Noble’s
Symphony 13 and The Nutcracker. At the age of 17, Jessica
moved to Charlotte, NC at the invitation of the North
Carolina Dance Theatre as a Trainee. She went on to
continue her training with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.
While there, she performed in The Nutcracker and La
Bayadere. As an apprentice last year with the Alabama
Ballet, she performed in Swan Lake as well as George
Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and The Nutcracker.
She was a guest artist with the Tulsa Ballet performing
in Balanchine’s Western Symphony. Jessica has
recently returned home and is currently teaching Primary
Division classes for the Augusta Ballet School and coordinating
Dance Augusta’s outreach program. She is very
excited to be joining Dance Augusta for this wonderful
holiday tradition.
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Jessica King
Instructor |
Jessica
King, a native of Portland, Oregon began dancing at
the age of eight at the Mt. Hood Ballet Academy in Gresham,
Oregon. Upon entering high school Jessica studied with
Patricia Brewer Jones at the Northwest Academy. She
continued her training at the Pacific Artists Center
in Portland, Oregon, at the Jillana School in New Mexico,
the Burklyn Ballet Theatre in Vermont and the Dance
Theatre of Harlem in New York City. She began dancing
professionally in 2002 here in Augusta dancing for Zanne
Colton and Peter Powlus. Some of her roles include the
Cat in Peter Powlus’ Peter and the Wolf, Jill
Bahr’s Hearth of Embers, and the Spy in Powlus’
The Three Musketeers. After dancing here for three seasons,
she spent a year in Annapolis dancing with Ballet Theatre
of Maryland. Jessica is happy to be “home”
again in Augusta and once more dancing under Zanne Colton’s
direction.
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