GREATER NIAGARA BALLET COMPANY - Key Persons
Dominic Giambra successfully completed his 200-hour yoga teacher certification course, facilitated by HEAL BFLO and Power Yoga Buffalo, in Spring 2023. He has spent the last decade studying, performing, and choreographing dance; he's now excited to explore the possibilities of fusing the two disciplines! Dominic spends time as a Certified Wastewater Operator at the Buffalo Sewer Authority, happily supporting his community and the environment. He strives to be a leader for inclusion and accessibility, and an example of how to live a powerful life-on and off the mat. Join Dom at GNBC for an amazing season of flowing and growing!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Members
Mary Pappagallo. A long time GNBC Member, Mary also teaches primary, beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate ballet for the company. She began her dance training from a young age locally in Buffalo, NY and furthered her dance education while attending the University at Buffalo graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Since graduating, Mary has had opportunities to teach in local studios to dancers of all ages and choreograph works for both stage and video. She has also performed in places from community theaters to large commercial locations. Mary is a member of the Cecchetti Council of America (CCA) and holds both a Teachers and Professional Intermediate Certification in the CCA Method.
Mary Schnepf. In addition to co-directing the GNBC Mary teaches pointe, intermediate and advanced ballet for the company. She received her M.F.A. in Dance from the University at Buffalo and has completed various teacher training programs including Level 1 and 2 of Dance Masters of America and all levels of the Horton Teacher Training Workshops with Ana Marie Forsythe at the Ailey Extension in New York City. Under the direction of Beverley Feder, she completed all the Cecchetti student examinations including the Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma in April 2021. Mary currently teaches ballet, jazz and modern dance in higher education having taught at Erie Community College, the University at Buffalo, and the College at Brockport.
Mary's main goal as a teacher of dance is to mentor proficient and innovative performers, scholars and artists who will contribute their talents to enrich and engage both the dance world and public at large. Her goal is for her students to gain a full understanding of their art and through this understanding push the boundaries of dance to reveal new ways of expression. Mary utilizes a somatic and physics-based approach with full consideration of anatomy for students to maximize their technique in a positive learning environment.
Mary Schnepf has performed with the Greater Niagara Ballet Company for many years both as a principal dancer and as a soloist in productions including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Les Patineurs, Les Sylphides, and Pas de Quatre among others. She is excited to return to the company in her new role as Artistic Director after directing the contemporary ballet company, Ballet ex Machina, for several years. She has choreographed pieces for the GNBC, Buffalo Aerial Dance, Ballet ex Machina and the MFA dance program at the University at Buffalo including Red Poppy, La Danse, For Ellen, End Transmission and Murmuration.
Ms. Schnepf earned her Bachelor's degree in Theatre Design with concentrations in costuming and set design from Buffalo State College. She later earned her M.A.H. in Film & Performance and her M.F.A in Dance from the University at Buffalo. She completed internships at Artpark (musical theater) and Late Night with Conan O'Brien (NBC). She has an interest in interdisciplinary art including screendance. Her short dance film, Where Emptiness Lies, was presented at the 2018 as part of the 40 North Dance Festival in California and her most recent dance film, As Within, So Without, recently premiered with the Zodiaque Dance Company at the University at Buffalo.
She has performed with various dance and theater companies including the GNBC, Configuration Dance Theater, Neglia Ballet Artists, The National Ballet of Canada, Red Thread Theatre, Buffalo Aerial Dance and Torn Space Theater. Ms. Schnepf received her Cecchetti dance training at the Feder School of Classical Ballet. Under the direction of Beverley Feder, she completed all the Cecchetti student examinations including the Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma in April 2021. She has also studied ballet and modern dance with Finis Jung, Joseph Cipolla and Ana Marie Forsythe. In addition to her own dance studies, Ms. Schnepf currently teaches ballet, jazz and modern dance in higher education. She is an Assistant Professor in the Humanities at Erie Community College, an adjunct instructor of ballet at the University at Buffalo, and recently taught ballet as a Visiting Guest Instructor at the College at Brockport.
Phil Wackerfuss is a performer, teacher, and choreographer from Chicago, IL. He received his bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, graduated from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy, and earned his Masters of Fine Arts in Dance at The University at Buffalo which focused on research of psychological flow states, ritual dance, and electronic dance art. He has presented classes at Chicago National Association of Dance Masters and taught at SUNY Fredonia, the University at Buffalo, Arthur Murray Ballroom Dance, and Center Dance's contemporary series. His performance career includes various theater and dance companies across the country including First Folio Shakespeare Festival in Chicago, VADCO Modern Dance, INASIDE Chicago Jazz Dance, and LehrerDance in Buffalo. He