Faculty
Sandra Zellinger, Director
Sandra Zelllinger, a native of Miami, Florida, began her training with Thomas Armour at the Miami Conservatory where she performed with the Miami Ballet. After graduating from Duke University she began her Cecchetti teachers’ training with Sylvia Hamer and Marjorie Randazzo in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ms. Zellinger has over 30 years experience in teaching classical ballet. Upon moving to Raleigh, Sandra taught for John Lehman and performed with the Ballet Theatre Company of Raleigh, opening her own school, City Ballet, in 1991. In addition, she was a member of the Fine Arts Department at Ravenscroft School for 15 years. Sandra Zellinger is a certified member of the Ceccehtti Council of America presenting students and teachers for examinations.
Robb Beamon
Mr. Beamon has recently moved to the area from Kinston, NC where he was the owner/director of Studio ’86. He has studied dance for 26 years from various instructors, including Gregory Hines, Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano and Savion Glover. Robb holds a BS in Business Administration from ECU where he was a substitute tap instructor. He served as Chairman/Choreographer for Kinston’s Junior Miss Program, selected as the nation’s Most Outstanding Local program. He also served as talent coach for Dana Reason, Miss North Carolina, 2003. Robb has held the position of Co-Director of the Kinston Summer Theatre and ‘ Moppetts’ Children Theatre for four years. In addition to teaching at his own studio, he has taught pre-professional tap and jazz at the Greenville Civic Ballet.
Janette Boyd
Ms. Boyd received her early training with John Lehman in Raleigh. She received both a BFA in ballet and an MFA in performing arts administration from the prestigious ballet program at the University of Utah. Ms Boyd has taught for the University of Utah, Salt Lake Community College, Ballet West Conservatory, Youth Ballet Colorado, and the Vermont Conservatory of Ballet, among others.
Cherilyn Joy Lee Kirkman
A New York City native, Cherilyn’s path has included being a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet and the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet, a dancer with the Hartford Ballet in Connecticut, and a move to North Carolina to be one of the founding members of the Carolina Ballet. Throughout her career she performed diverse roles ranging from Juliet to Desdemona (The Moor’s Pavane) to the Jumping Girl (Who Cares?) along with those in other ballets by George Balanchine, Robert Weiss, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Kirk Peterson, and Tyler Walters. After a fulfilling career as a ballet dancer, Cherilyn continued her creative endeavors working in architecture and since then has decided to pursue her academic goals studying Spanish and Business at NC State University.
Andrew Lamar
Mr. Lamar received his classical training from the North Carolina School of the Arts and Houston Ballet Academy. He then earned a BFA from the Ailey School/Fordham University program in New York in 2002. He joined the Kansas City Ballet after college and was a company member for three years. In 2005, Andrew became a founding member of the Quixotic Performance Fusion, serving as an Artistic Associate for three years. Andrew focused much of his time on teaching ballet, modern, and creative movement for many schools, including Danceworks Conservatory Ailey Camp Kansas City, and the Community School of the Arts. He has created choreography for the Houston Ballet Summer Intensive, The Ailey School, Danceworks Conservatory, Kansas City Ballet’s annual In the Wings series, and a number of works for Quixotic Performance Fusion.
Suzi Landis
Ms. Landis is a North Carolina native with a degree in Communications and a minor in Dance from Appalachian State University. She was a dancer and choreographer with the Appalachian Dance Ensemble performing original ballet and modern dance pieces. She has ten plus years experience teaching dance from ages 3 to adult in tap, ballet, and jazz. Suzi is a certified Grade II Cecchetti teacher and has been a contributing writer to Dance Teacher Magazine and Dance Spirit Magazine.
Erica Locke
Ms. Locke has been studying dance for twenty years in the areas of ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, creative movement, and gymnastics as well as cross-cultural dance forms. She began her studies at the Thomas Studio of Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, PA, where she was later a member of the Thomas Dance Company. She has graduated with honors, earning a degree in Dance Studies and Anthropology at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Erica studied with many great artists at UNCG and at American Dance Festival including Jan Van Dyke and Gerri Houlihan. In addition to being a part of the staff at City Ballet, she is a full-time Kindergarten – 8th grade dance instructor and Arts Integration Coordinator at Sallie B. Howard School for the Arts. She is also a member of Blank Slate Dance Company out of Durham, NC.
Pablo Javier Perez
Mr. Perez is a Principal Dancer with the Carolina Ballet. He was born in Uruguay, graduated with the highest honors from the National School of Dance. In 1994 he won a silver medal at an international dance competition in Brazil. Mr. Perez has also danced with the Teatro de Colon de Buenos Aires. Me. Perez joined Carolina Ballet in its first season and has performed in All-Balanchine, Messiah, Innovations, Square Dance, Romeo & Juliet, and several premiere ballets with Ciompi Quartet.
Hong Yang Rooth
Ms. Yang Rooth is a former soloist with the Carolina Ballet. She came to North Carolina from Beijing, China where she studied dance at the school of the Beijing Dance Academy as a child and then graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy in 1995. She immediately joined the National Ballet of China and was a principal dancer there before going to Toronto, Canada where she danced with Ballet Jorgen Canada.
Sue Smith
Ms. Smith grew up taking classes through Pennsylvania Ballet and then expanded to jazz, tap, and modern dance. She danced with many companies in the Philadelphia area and earned a BA in Speech, Theater & Dance. Ms. Smith was a founding dancer with the Ballet South Company in New Jersey before marrying and moving to Connecticut. While establishing dance/movement/music programs in schools and recreation programs, Sue worked on her certification in Early Childhood Education. Upon receiving her education degree, she opened Miss Sue’s Hot Tots in 1995, a performing arts preschool! The Smith family then relocated to Raleigh, N.C. the summer of 1999.
Rosina DeVries
Ms. DeVries was born & raised in England where she received her early training at the Weston School of Dance studying Cecchetti Ballet with Elisabeth Swan. Ms. DeVries went on to study at the London College of Dance with Victoria Chappell where she received her ISTD teaching Diploma with Distinction and was awarded the Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. She also received the Diana Barker Award for Cecchetti two years in a row. After a year teaching in Greece Ms. DeVries moved to New York to teach at the Coupe Dance Studio for 12 years where she also had the pleasure of studying with Nanette Charise. Having taken some time off to raise her 4 year old twins Rosina is now very excited to get back to teaching and is very happy to be joining the City Ballet faculty.
To intensify our student’s training, City Ballet invites selected guest teachers to work with the intermediate and advanced students. Our guests have included Sarah Hollister, Margot Martin, and Edgar Vardanian formerly of Carolina Ballet, Debra Sayles-Senchak formerly of the New Jersey Ballet, Warren Conover from N.C. School of the Arts, and Tom Vacanti director of Pine Valley Ballet Company.
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