LOUISVILLE BALLET SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
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- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Admin
- Coordinator
- Administration Coordinator / the
Amber Wickey is originally from Tenafly New Jersey, where she began her training at Nunnbetter Dance Theater under the direction of Leath Nunn. She graduated from Butler University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Pedagogy. After dancing with the Louisville Ballet Studio Company for two years, she joined the Company in 2022. During her time in the Studio Company, she enjoyed performing roles alongside the Company in their mainstage productions, including the pas de trois in George Balanchine's Emeralds, a soloist in Dysart Award winner Anne Jung's #fourwithsix, and Confidence Fairy in Adam Hougland's Sleeping Beauty. Amber is excited to continue bringing dance to the Louisville community.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Staff Member
- Community Engagement Manager
- Uniform Manager
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- Resident Character Artist, Phillip Velinov
Ashley Thursby Kern grew up in Richmond, Missouri and began her studies in tap, jazz, and ballet from Tammie Sullard and Tanya Duncan. She received her formal training at age 9 from the Kansas City Ballet School on full merit scholarship and went on to study at The School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, LINES Pre-professional Program, and Jillana. After spending her senior year as a Student Apprentice with KCB she went on to study Ballet and Journalism through Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. There she had the privilege of being coached by Violette Verdy, Helen Starr, Cynthia Gregory, Deborah Wingert, and Michael Vernon, and was awarded the Friends of Music Scholarship and the National Society of Arts and Letters award.
In 2008, Ashley joined Louisville Ballet and enjoys dancing in the classics as well as contemporary works by Val Caniparoli, Ma Cong, Adam Hougland, and Amy Seiwert. Ashley is a passionate advocate for the power that performance art can give to a community, and was honored in receiving the 2015 Artist Enrichment Grant for her choreography through the Kentucky Foundation for Women. After a day of dancing Ashley teaches within the Louisville Ballet School and at Core Fluency Pilates. Ashley has also recently assumed the role of the mind. body. balance. Program Manager.
Job Titles:
- Tessitura Data Consultant
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
Brienne Wiltsie grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and danced professionally with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's company for two seasons after training in both their high school and graduate training programs. Favorite memories of performing in her hometown include Swan Lake and Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs. Her love of being on stage then brought Brienne to Louisville, where she enjoyed performing with Louisville Ballet for two seasons (2009- 2011).
This year marks the beginning of Brienne's 11th year teaching in The Louisville Ballet School (2011-present). She feels incredibly fortunate to work with the Pre-Professional students and the Louisville Ballet Youth Ensemble. Brienne also became a certified Pilates instructor since moving to Kentucky, and whether teaching or practicing, she loves being involved in Louisville's Pilates community.
Brienne returned as a Company Dancer during the 2018-2019 Season under the artistic direction of Robert Curran. She has treasured every minute of being able to perform in both classical and new works, and is especially grateful for the opportunity to take on the role of Odette in Robert Curran's Swan Lake, Russian Girl in George Balanchine's Serenade, and the principal lady in Jerome Robbins' In G Major.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Staff Member
- Artistic Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Principal / the
- School Principal
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Daniel Scofield joined the Louisville Ballet as a company member in 2022. During the previous season as a Louisville Ballet Studio Company dancer, his stage appearances included: In G Major by Jerome Robbins restaged by Phillip Neal, Center Russian in Val Caniparoli's The Brown-Forman Nutcracker, #fourwithsix by Dysart Award winner Anne Jung, and a Rose Adagio Gentleman in Adam Hougland's Sleeping Beauty. Earlier, he performed as a guest artist in Robert Curran's Coppélia (2015) and Alun Jones' Sleeping Beauty (2017).
A Louisville native, Daniel began his performing arts training at the Oldham County School's Arts Center. He trained at multiple local studios and national intensives prior to attending college at Butler University where he graduated Cum Laude in 2021, receiving a B.S. in Dance/Arts Administration and a Minor in Business. While at Butler, Daniel appeared in Paul Taylor's Piazolla Caldera, Gerald Arpino's Light Rain, Patrick de Bana's Falling Sky, and in Butler Ballet's Firebird, The Nutcracker, and The Sleeping Beauty.
David X. Thurmond is the former Deputy Secretary of the Kentucky Education Arts and Humanities Cabinet and the Director of Strategic Planning and Government Relations with the Kentucky Department of Education. A former Director of Statewide Education and Vice President for Programming at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, he is also the founding Director of Kentucky's Governor's School for the Arts. He established both the Education Program of Louisville Ballet and the Dance Department at the Youth Performing Arts School (YPAS). He has served as a Director of Instructional Support for the Oldham County Schools. As Executive Director of the Sacred Heart School for the Arts he lead the school to a new standard of excellence, producing more than twenty-one main stage productions, forty eight music recitals, and a full schedule of community based classes in music, dance, drama and visual art. He is also the former director of development for the Louisville Theatrical Association and the Louisville Area Salvation Army. Mr. Thurmond is also among the founding associates of MEETT ASSOCIATES, an international marketing, events and trade firm. He currently serves as consultant for Education, Development and Strategy for Kentucky to the World.
Mr. Thurmond graduated Cum Laude from Bellarmine University in Louisville. He received his M. Ed. from the University of Louisville and successfully completed the Kentucky Department of Education's Kentucky Leadership Academy for school administrators as well as the Alternative Certification Program in School Administration at Eastern Kentucky University. He is a graduate of both Leadership Louisville and Leadership Louisville's Bingham Fellows. He serves on the steering committee of Leadership Louisville's Encore Louisville and as an advisor to Ignite Louisville.
His journey in the arts began in high school as the lead singer/dancer for his rock ‘n roll band, The Ravens! His illustrious artistic career took flight as a lead dancer with Louisville Ballet and quickly expanded to teaching, coaching and choreography. Over the span of his amazingly diverse career, he has performed, taught, and choreographed for performing arts organizations throughout the South and Midwest. For the 2009 - 2010 season, Louisville Ballet audiences were thrilled to witness Mr. Thurmond's return to the stage in the title role of Don Quixote, and as the villainous Von Rothbart in Swan Lake. In the spring of 2013, he appeared again with Louisville Ballet as the Prince of Verona in Romeo and Juliet.
As an actor, he last appeared on stage as John Clark in the Eve Theatre production of CALENDAR GIRLS. He also recently appeared as Doctor Who #12 in All the Whos in Whoville for AFYL Productions. As a teaching artist, students in both public and independent schools across Kentucky have been "Dancing with David" for many years; attending his master classes, performing his choreography (representative productions include Pirates of Penzance, Oklahoma, Beauty and the Beast, South Pacific, Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music and Shrek); learning from his multimedia presentation in Kentucky Educational Television Dance Toolkit and participating in his life affirming dance classes for the Kentucky Center for the Arts' Arts in Healing Program. Mr. Thurmond is a frequent artist in residence with various Louisville healthcare organizations, including Baptist Health, Kentucky One and Frazier Rehabilitation Institute. As a business consultant, he also presents his engaging team building program called "Dance With Your Team in Mind."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Manager of Ticketing Operations
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- Content Marketing Coordinator
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- Artistic Staff Member
- Senior Ballet Master
Job Titles:
- Artistic Staff Member
- Rehearsal Director
Job Titles:
- Artistic Staff Member
- Artistic Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Resident Lighting Designer
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Patron Service Coordinator
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- SECRETARY of the Board of Directors
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- Community Engagement Staff Member
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
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- VICE PRESIDENT of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
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- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
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- PRESIDENT of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Leadership Team
Sarah Bradley grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where she began her training with Cincinnati Ballet. After training in their academy, she joined the company as a Junior Trainee, and was promoted to Trainee. She later was invited and joined Cincinnati Ballet II, where she had the opportunity to work with Val Caniparoli, Septime Webre, and Jennifer Archibald. Sarah then joined City Ballet of San Diego as an Apprentice in 2018. In 2020 she joined Louisville Ballet as a Studio Company member where she enjoyed roles such as Guardian Swan in Robert Curran's Swan Lake and Rose in Val Caniparoli's The Brown-Forman Nutcracker. Sarah joined Louisville Ballet as a company member in 2022.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Engagement / Production Staff
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the HONORARY BOARD
Job Titles:
- Registration Enrollment Manager / the
- Registration Manager
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors