Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive
Faculty
2025 COMPLETE FACULTY TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON
KBI Artistic Director, Paloma Herrera, leads a class in the Studio Complex Building
Paloma Herrera
KBI ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Paloma Herrera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began her training at the age of seven. In January 1991, having just turned 15 years old, she moved to New York and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet. After only six months, she joined the American Ballet Theatre and, in 1995, became the youngest Principal Dancer in American Ballet Theatre history at age 19. She has appeared in ballets ranging from Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake, to Apollo, The Prodigal Son, and Stepping Stones. She has appeared as Guest Artist with great ballet companies around the world, including New York City Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Teatro Colon, and National Ballet of Cuba, to name a few. She retired from American Ballet Theatre at the end of November 2015, right before turning 40. Since that, she moved back to her home, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and continued to teach all over the world.
In 2016, she wrote her autobiography that was presented at Feria del Libro in 2017. That same year, she also launched her own perfume Paloma Herrera, in 2019 her second fragrance Paloma Herrera Passion, and in 2022 her third fragrance Paloma Herrera Fantasy.
In Argentina she received the award: Konex de Platino, Maria Ruanova and distinctions by the Honorable Camara de Diputados de La Nación, Medalla del Bicentenario by the government of the Buenos Aires city, among many others, and since 2012 she is a member of the gallery of popular idols of the Argentine Government House.
In 2017, she became the artistic director of Ballet Estable del Teatro Colon, where the company has grown immensely since she arrived. She resigned in 2022.
FACULTY
kevin mckenzie
Born in Burlington, Vermont and trained in Washington, DC by Mary Day, Kevin McKenzie won a silver medal in the Varna International Ballet Competition in 1972. After starting his professional career with the National Ballet of Washington under the direction of Fredrick Franklin and Ben Stevenson, he moved to New York City to work with the Joffrey Ballet before joining American Ballet Theatre as a soloist in 1979 and promoted to Principal dancer that same year.
After enjoying a full performing career with ABT, he became Artistic Associate with the Washington Ballet and in 1992 was appointed Artistic Director of ABT. During his 30 years in that position, he nurtured 3 generations of ABT dancers while establishing and overseeing the ABT Studio Company, The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, The ABT National Training Curriculum, The ABT Innovation Initiative for choreographic development as well as welcoming Alexie Ratmansky as the Artist in Residence at ABT to create some of the most treasured additions to ABT’s repertoire in the company’s experience.
Retiring from his position at ABT, Mckenzie has turned his attention back to Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, an institution he co-founded in 1991 and now serves as Chairman and Artist Advisor.
Martine van hamel
Martine van Hamel studied ballet in Copenhagen, Java, The Hague, Caracas, and Toronto. She leapt to widespread acclaim by winning The Gold Medal, and the seldom awarded Prix de Varna, at The International Ballet Competition in 1966. She went on to stardom, first with The National Ballet of Canada, and followed by two illustrious decades as a Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. From 1992 to 1997, she regularly performed with Nederlands Dans Theater III. She still performs character roles with American Ballet Theatre. A Co-founder of Kaatsbaan Culutral Park, which is dedicated to the preservation of professional dance, van Hamel directed the Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive summer intensive where she continues to teach. She also teaches for the JKO school and Studio Company of American Ballet Theatre.
Lorin Mathis
Mr. Mathis began his training at Ballet Arts Minnesota before training at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. Some of his most influential teachers included Bonnie Mathis, Lirena Branitski, Flemming Halby, Jorge Esquivel, Johan Renvall, and Ricardo Bustamante. In 1999, Mr. Mathis was hired as an apprentice with San Francisco Ballet. He continued to dance with SFB for two seasons as a member of the Corps de Ballet, before joining Alberta Ballet, Boston Ballet, and Philadelphia Ballet. During his performing career he danced leading roles by choreographers such as Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Jirí Kylián, Mikko Nissinen, Anthony Tudor, Jorma Elo, Helen Pickett, William Forsythe, John Butler, Jerome Robbins, and Nacho Duato. National and International touring has allowed him to perform throughout the United States, Canada, China, England, Ireland, and Spain.
Retiring from performing in 2016, Lorin’s mentoring experience includes teaching for Pennsylvania Ballet School, Artifact Dance Project, Saint Paul Ballet Company and School, Ballet Royale, Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota, BC Dance, and has attended the ABT National Training Curriculum. Lorin has served as Associate Artistic Director for Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive, where he has been teaching, coaching, and choreographing since 2017. During the year Lorin teaches Ballet Technique, Men’s Technique, Ballet Repertoire, and Pas de Deux at the University of Arizona School of Dance.
GUEst faculty
Elizabeth FErrell
Elizabeth Ferrell was born in St. Louis, Missouri and began her training with Alexandra Zaharias. At age 14, she was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet and upon graduation was chosen by Peter Martins to receive the Danish American National Cultures Exchange scholarship to study with the Royal Danish Ballet. In 1985, Elizabeth was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to become a member of American Ballet Theatre where she danced from 1985 to 1998. During that time she appeared in much of the classical and contemporary repertory. She also performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, New York City Opera, Alessandra Ferri’s “Stars of the American Ballet”, and most recently Hong Kong Ballet. She can be seen in several “Dance in America” programs for PBS, Herbert Ross‘ movie “Dancers” and Frederick Wiseman’s documentary “Ballet”. Elizabeth took part in the inaugural teacher training program of ABT’s National Training Curriculum and is now an ABT certified instructor. She has taught at Ballet Hispanico, Peridance Center, Gibney Dance, and Steps on Broadway in New York, Danceworks in London, and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and has guest taught in the U.S., London and Hong Kong. Since 2016, Elizabeth has been teaching for both the Children’s Division and Pre- Professional Division at the JKO School of American Ballet Theatre and for the ABT Summer Intensive program in New York.
LUCIANA PARIS
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Luciana Paris began her ballet training at the age of seven with Elena Perez. From 1991-1996 she studied at the Colon Theater Superior de Art Institute with Katty Gallo and Raul Candal. Paris is a recipient of a Colon Theater Foundation Scholarship, based on her outstanding qualifications at Colon Theater Superior Ballet Institute. She won a Gold Medal at the Latin American Dance Competition in 1995. In December 1996, Paris joined Julio Bocca’s Ballet Argentino as a principal dancer and became Bocca’s dance partner. From 1997 to 2001, Paris and Julio Bocca danced together classical, neoclassical and modern repertoire. Paris joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in October 2001. She was appointed a Soloist in August 2015. Her repertoire with the Company is vast. In 2012 American Ballet Theatre designated Paris as a Certified Teacher.
Adrienne schulte
Born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Adrienne Schulte began her ballet training with Marcia Dale Weary at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet at the age of seven. She continued her studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School in France from 1996 to 1998 before joining the American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 1998.
Schulte joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in January 1999. In 2007, she moved to London and danced as a First Artist with the English National Ballet for two seasons. Schulte rejoined American Ballet Theatre in September 2011. Schulte retired from American Ballet Theatre in July 2015. She received her Teacher’s Certification with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and has been a guest teacher with CPYB, Ballet Academy East, Eglevsky Ballet, Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre, and Dallas Ballet Center. Adrienne was on faculty during the 2016–17 academic year at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Children’s Division and again for the 2021–22 academic year with the JKO Pre-Professional Division. Schulte is currently on faculty at Greenwich Ballet Academy since 2018, and a returning faculty member for Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensives.
guest choreographers
GEMMA BOND
Gemma Bond was born in Bedfordshire, England. She received her training at the Royal Ballet School. Bond was contracted to The Royal Ballet in 2000 as a member of the corps de ballet, later being promoted to First Artist in 2003. Bond remained with the Royal Ballet until 2008, when she was invited to join American Ballet Theatre, where she danced as a member of the corps de ballet till 2019. Whilst dancing with American Ballet Theatre Bond rediscovered choreography, she created and performed some of her first works at American Ballet Theatre’s Choreographic Incubator.
CALVIN HILPERT
alvin Hilpert began his pre-professional training at age 12 with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. At age 15, he transitioned his studies to the San Francisco Ballet School, where he trained under the tutelage of Jorge Esquivel and Parrish Maynard. Following this training, Hilpert joined the KUNST-STOFF dance company, performing on multiple international tours. Ever in pursuit of deeper knowledge, he decided to expand his understanding of contemporary movement at the Palucca Hochschule für Tanz in Dresden, Germany. While in Dresden, he was scouted to join the Saarländisches Staatstheater, where he had the pleasure of performing works by many acclaimed European choreographers, as well as creating a new piece for the company himself.
After gaining this new perspective on dance, movement, and art-making, Hilpert returned to the States to rejoin KUNST-STOFF dance company as an Artistic Contributor. During this second stint, he collaborated on creating several works with the company’s Artistic Director in addition to developing and performing multiple works of his own. From there, he accepted an invitation to join the Budapest Dance Theatre, where he continued to refine his movement vocabulary and artistic vision.
Due to injury, Calvin transitioned from the stage to focus his energy on teaching, coaching, and choreographing. Through this transition, he has taught at schools including the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy, the Ruth Page Center for Dance, and the Princeton Ballet School. Additionally, he served as the Rehearsal Director for Milwaukee Ballet II and American Repertory Ballet under the direction of Ethan Stiefel. Currently, Calvin is a faculty member in the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin.
Maria konrad
Maria A. Konrad is an accomplished choreographer and educator whose work spans the worlds of classical ballet, contemporary dance, and opera. She has choreographed for major ballet companies across the United States and abroad, including Kansas City Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet and Nashville Ballet. Her choreography has been commissioned for galas at venues such as Lincoln Center, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the International Nervi Festival and for the Andrea Bocelli 2025 Concert Tour.
Maria is also an experienced dance educator, known for her approach to bridging the lines between ballet and contemporary dance. Maria has taught at respected institutions including The Colorado Ballet School, Nashville Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet School, Next Generation Ballet, The Harid Conservatory and Youth America Grand Prix. She has also served as a guest instructor and was part of the faculty at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. As a master teacher and judge for YAGP, she has mentored the next generation of dancers and choreographers.
Her achievements have earned her multiple accolades, including "Outstanding Choreography" awards from YAGP in 2015 and 2017 and ADCIBC Finals in 2017. She received "Outstanding Choreographer" recognition at the YAGP 2022 International Finals presented by Pointe Magazine recognizing her entire body of work. Maria has collaborated with orchestras such as the Palm Beach Symphony and Oklahoma Philharmonic and maintains a creative working relationship with composer Karen LeFrak.
In addition to her work in the studio and on stage, Maria is the host of Barre Talk, a YouTube series for So'Danca, where she interviews prominent figures in the dance world. She has also worked with fitness brand Eleven by Venus
Jessica Lang
Photo © Rosalie O'Connor
Jessica Lang is an American director and choreographer based in New York City. She is Resident Choreographer at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet.
Since 1999, Lang has created more than 100 original works on companies worldwide including American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the National Ballet of Japan, The Joffrey Ballet, and her eponymous company Jessica Lang Dance, among many others.
For more than two decades, Lang has worked extensively for American Ballet Theatre. Her original creations on the main company include Her Notes, Garden Blue, and ZigZag with the legendary Tony Bennett, as well as Let Me Sing Forevermore which was performed on the ABT Across America nationwide tour and featured regularly on Celebrity Cruise entertainment programs. Lang has created seven ballets on ABT Studio Company including Children’s Songs Dance in collaboration with music icon Chick Corea. Additionally for ABT, Lang was part of the founding faculty of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, a teaching artist for the summer intensives and the Make-a-Ballet program, and served as a mentor and panelist for the Incubator program.
For opera, Lang directed and choreographed Pergolesi's Stabat Mater at the 2013 Glimmerglass Opera Festival that was presented at Lincoln Center’s White Light Festival in 2017 performed by Jessica Lang Dance. In 2016, she choreographed San Francisco Opera's production of Aida, directed by Francesca Zambello that was presented at Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, LA Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 2024, Lang co-choreographed Zambello's new production of Turandot for Washington National Opera and Salome for Des Moines Metro Opera.
Additional commissions include new works for the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra, The Harris Theater and the Chicago Architecture Biennial in collaboration with architect Steven Holl, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Guggenheim Museum for its Works and Process series. For fashion, Lang was the movement advisor for Carolina Herrera's Pre-Fall 2022 collection.
Lang was Artistic Director of Jessica Lang Dance from 2011-2019. Founded in 2011, the company toured and performed in over 85 cities presented by major venues including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Los Angeles Music Center, The Kennedy Center, The Harris Theater, New York City Center, Northrop Auditorium, Winspear Opera House, Tel Aviv Opera House, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, BAM Fisher and Helikon Opera, among many others.
She is the recipient of a 2018 Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, the 2017 Arison Award and a 2014 Bessie Award. She was nominated for The Critics' Circle National Dance Awards for Best Digital Choreography in 2021 for Ghost Variations on Pacific Northwest Ballet and a Manchester Evening News Award in 2012 for Lyric Pieces on Birmingham Royal Ballet. She has been a fellow of New York City Center and The Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU, and in 2019 named a Caroline Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University. Lang’s work has also been performed by numerous educational institutions including The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase, NYU Tisch School of the Arts and University of Arizona, among many others.
Jessica Lang is originally from Bucks County, PA and a graduate of The Juilliard School under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. Lang is a former member of Twyla Tharp's company, THARP! where she toured and performed all over the world.
Lang is Artist in Residence at Sarasota Ballet. She was Artistic Director of Jessica Lang Dance from 2011-2019 where the company performed in over 85 cities presented by venues worldwide. She is the recipient of a Bessie Award, Arison award, Martha Hill Mid-Career Award, fellowships at NY City Center and NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, and named a Caroline Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence at Princeton University. Lang graduated from The Juilliard School and is a former member of Twyla Tharp's company, THARP! www.jessicalangchoreographer.com
Guest artists
Lauren Anderson
Native Houstonian Lauren Anderson danced with Houston Ballet from 1983 to 2006, performing leading roles in all the great classical ballets, appearing across the world to critical acclaim, and in the process, becoming one of Houston Ballet’s most beloved stars.
She trained exclusively at Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy from the age of seven. She joined Houston Ballet in 1983 as a Corps de Ballet, 1987 was promoted to Soloist and in 1990 became the first African-American to be promoted to principal dancer at Houston Ballet – and one of the few African-American ballerinas at the head of a major ballet company anywhere in the world.
She has performed across the globe as a guest artist. She created the title role in Ben Stevenson's Cleopatra, and her performance as Cleopatra received accolades from international critics. Anna Kisselgoff, dance critic for The New York Times compared her to the great Italian actress Eleanora Duse, and Christine Temin of The Boston Globe pronounced her "a powerhouse in interpreting the role that Stevenson created on her."
In January 2007, Ms. Anderson transitioned into Houston Ballet’s education department where she conducts master classes, and lectures to students on dance and her historic career as one of America’s most distinguished African-American ballerinas. In the spring of 2016, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture awarded her with a permanent exhibit. In fall of 2021 was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. Most recently, a production chronicling her life, Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson premiered at Stages Theater.
Leanne benjamin
After a dancing career that took her to the very top, Leanne Benjamin now uses her wealth of experience to nurture a new generation of dancers.
She was a principal of the Royal Ballet for 21 years, before retiring in 2013. She then began to coach for her former company and at major companies around the world including American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet and Australian Ballet. She has also established the Leanne Benjamin Awards to support pre-professional Australian and New Zealand dancers wishing to study in the UK and in 2023 launched All England Dance’s UK Young Dancer competition with theatre director and choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips.
Her expertise and knowledge make her much in demand as an international competition judge and motivational speaker.
Benjamin was born in Rockhampton, Australia before joining the Royal Ballet School at the age of 16. The following year, she won the Prix de Lausanne. Her exceptional talent was quickly recognised, and made Principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet touring company at the age of 22, before joining first English National Ballet and then the Deutsche Oper Ballet in Berlin, also as principal dancer.
There she met the renowned choreographer Kenneth MacMillan; he invited her back to the Royal Ballet where she stayed until her retirement at the age of 49. By then, she had tackled virtually every leading role in the repertory, gaining particular acclaim for her performances of Swan Lake, Coppelia, and Giselle and in ballets by MacMillan such as Requiem, Mayerling and Manon, but also winning admirers in works by Christopher Wheeldon and Wayne McGregor. She was famous for her virtuosity but also for the drama of her interpretations of works, new and old.
Since leaving the stage, she has dedicated herself to staging and coaching ballets to their new interpreters at ballet companies world-wide including the Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Australian Ballet.
Benjamin was Vice Chair of the governors of the Royal Ballet Companies, overseeing the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School. She was awarded the OBE in 2005 and made a member of the order of Australia in 2015. Among the many accolades she received during her career are the De Valois Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, and the Critics Circle Best Female dancer award, and represented Australia at the Coronation of King Charles III.
As a motivational speaker, she has addressed audiences in Britain and Australia on themes that include specific advice for dancers but also stretch well beyond her own profession, offering thoughts on women in society and culture. In 2021, she published her autobiography, Built for Ballet.
Making a significant milestone in Leanne’s career, in 2024, she served as Queensland Ballet’s first female, Artistic Director.