Faculty

Debbie Schod - Children’s Program

Ms. Shod was educated at Bay Path College in Massachusetts and specialized in early childhood education. Her dance training included Frank Hatchet, Joe Tremaine, Charles Kelly, Luigi, and Henry LeTang. She also taught for six years at the Galipeau School of Dance in Massachusetts. In addition, she ran her own dance program “Dancing with Debbie” in Trumbull, CT. She specializes in early childhood dance education and helps instill the love of dance in her young students.

Todd Hall - Ballet

Mr. Hall began his training with the Festival Ballet in Rhode Island and then continued in New York City at the School of American Ballet and Joffrey Ballet School. As a professional dancer, he performed with the Boston Ballet and Washington Ballet. He has been a guest artist with a number of ballet companies in the United States and currently teaches and choreographs throughout the Northeast and overseas.

Joan Kunsch - Ballet

Choreographer, teacher, and poet, Joan Kunsch, is part of the faculty at Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, where she is Associate Director Emerita. Besides further projects in London (The Royal Ballet School, White Lodge and the R.A.D.), Stockholm (The Swedish Ballet School), Reykjavik (Iceland's National Ballet School), Oslo (Den NorskeBalletthoyskole & Kirkenaer Balletskolen), The Hague, Canadian cities, D.C. and 32 of the United States, she has served as Ballet Mistress to MOMIX and Ballet Mississippi. She has given

teacher training, master classes and courses in university dance departments (Butler, SMU, Univ. of Utah, SUNY-Binghamton). Students she has trained or co-trained have joined over sixty professional dance companies. Her choreography includes works for concert stage, sacred space, television and outdoor sites. She has written for Pointe Magazine, and her poetry book "Playing With Gravity," published by Antrim House in 2007, has been followed by a poetry CD in 2011.

Scott Thyberg - Ballet

Mr. Thyberg was the resident choreographer and Ballet master at Nutmeg Conservatory (1998-2002). He performed with the Pittsburg Ballet Theatre and completed a teaching internship at the Dutch National Ballet School. He also received pedagogical training at the Paris Opera ballet School. He has taught at Ballet Academy east (NYC) and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. His choreographic works have been performed through out the Country and have been commissioned by soloists for the New York international Ballet Competition, Prix de Lausanne, and Youth America Grand Prix.

Alexi Tchernichov - Ballet

Mr. Tchernichov received his early education at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. A graduate of the Vaganova Choreographic Institute in St. Petersburg, he is the son of Elena Tchernichova, former Principal Ballet Mistress of American Ballet Theatre. Mr. Tchernichov has a vast classical ballet background which he shares in daily lessons and repertoire rehearsal.

Peter Nevin - Ballet

Mr. Nevin trained and performed with the Westchester Ballet Company. In 1994, he joined Wichita Falls Ballet Theater as principal soloist. He performed principal roles in numerous productions including, Harem Scarum, Hi-Tek Aztec and Tapestry. In 2002, Mr. Nevin returned to the East Coast and regularly performs as a a guest artist throughout Connecticut and the New York area.

Carey Nevin - Ballet

Ms. Nevin began her ballet studies with The Royal Academy of Ballet under the direction of Doris Driver and continued with the New England Academy of Dance. Ms. Nevin earned her teaching certificate in ballet, modern and jazz from the School of the Hartford Ballet and performed as an apprentice with the Company under the direction of Michael Uthoff. She has choreographed and performed with the New Canaan Town Players, New Cannan Summer Theater, The Westport Dance Center and Woodbury Academy.

George Ziminski - Private Ballroom Instruction

Mr. Ziminski is a professional, certified ballroom dance instructor. He was the 1997 USISTD Theater Arts Champion. He performed with the Albano Ballet, Footnotes, Co-N-Tempo and is also a member of the Woodbury Ballet Company.

Diane Kearns - Jazz, Tap

Ms. Kearns was a student of Frank Hatchet, Charles Kelly and Savion Glover. She was the former Artistic Director of DanceMaker Studio in Southbury. She continues to teach Jazz, Tap and Hip Hop throughout the State of Connecticut. Currently, she teaches Jazz at the Westover School in Middlebury and teaches the intermediate and advanced level Jazz and Tap classes at the Woodbury Academy.