Artistic and Administrative Staff
PETER STARK (Artistic Director, Next Generation Ballet, Dance Department Chair) is an internationally renowned teacher of ballet wunderkinds. He has coached gold medal winners for many International Ballet Competitions (IBC) including New York, Seoul and Helsinki. Additionally his students won to two Grand Prix at the Youth America Grand Prix New York finals and a Princess Grace Award. His students are dancing in every major American ballet company. Under Stark’s direction, Orlando Ballet School was twice haled in The New York Times saying his students were "breathtaking" and displayed "a joyous appetite for movement." Stark danced leading roles with Washington Opera, Washington Ballet, Boston Ballet and New York City Ballet and trained at the School of American Ballet. His teachers include Andre Eglevsky, Stanley Williams, Richard Rapp and Fernando Bujones. Stark has successfully choreographed ballets for many organizations including Washington Ballet and Orlando Ballet and successfully staged works of Fernando Bujones. Stark judges dance internationally, and he has served on grant panels at the State level and for the National Endowment for the Arts. He received many honors including the Florida Arts Educator of the Year and was featured on the cover of Dance Teacher Magazine.
IVONNE LEMUS (Next Generation Ballet Mistress) began her dance studies at the Provincial Arts School in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and was selected to continue her training at the National School of Ballet in Havana, Cuba. She graduated from the National School of Ballet in 1986 and joined the Ballet National of Cuba, where she was trained by Alicia Alonso, Josefina Mendez, Loipa Araufo and Laura Alonso. Lemus was promoted to soloist in 1996 and later joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada. She has appeared in both classic and contemporary works, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, Les Sylphides, La Fille Mal Gardee, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Raymonda Theme and Variations, Apollo, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, Carmina Burana. Lemus has also participated in numerous International Ballet Festivals through the Ballet National of Cuba, Festival Cervantino Mexico, Arts Festival Scotland and the Summer Festival Spain, and has performed in more than 30 countries including those in Europe, South America, Australia, Asia and in the United States. As a teacher and coach, Lemus has taught at Costal Dance Center in South Carolina, Jose Mateo Ballet Theater, and most recently, at Boston Ballet and Harbor University in Boston. In 2006, she coached an International Ballet Competition gold medalist, and in 2007, she coached the Dance Olympics gold medalist. Lemus joined the Patel Conservatory as a full-time ballet instructor in August 2007 and is the Ballet Mistress for Next Generation Ballet. During her time at the Patel Conservatory, Lemus’ students placed first at the Youth America Grand Prix regional semi-finals (2008 and 2011); won the Silver Medal at the 2011 World Ballet Competition; won the 2011 YAGP regional semi-final Grand Prix; won the 2011 Gold Medal in the Junior Division at the YAGP Finals; and won the Silver Medal at the 2011 YAGP Finals in the Ensemble category.
MELISSA STAFFORD (PCYB Principal) studied ballet with Marcia Dale Weary at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) in Carlisle, Pa. She also spent four years as a student teacher at CPYB under Weary’s guidance and worked as a substitute teacher for the Pre-Ballet program under Anna Marie Rabassi-Davis. After teaching for a children’s dance program at Houghton College (where she earned a B.A. in Psychology), Stafford joined the ballet faculty of Peabody Dance in Baltimore, Md., in 2001. With Artistic Advisor Barbara Weisberger and Artistic Director Carol Bartlett, Stafford helped revise the Peabody Dance ballet curriculum, and was appointed full-time faculty in 2002 and Ballet Program Coordinator in 2005. She also taught part-time in the Goucher College Dance Department and remained on the CPYB Summer Ballet Program faculty during this time. Stafford joined the Patel Conservatory as Ballet Principal in August 2006. In addition to her teaching credits, Stafford has choreographed several original works for ballet students that have been performed in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland, and received the 1999 RDA/Northeast Region Monticello Award for emerging female choreographers.
LAURIE JONES (PCYB Assistant Principal) started dancing at one of America’s most prestigious schools, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB), with Marcia Dale Weary as well as with Ballet Arkansas with Lorraine Cranford. Jones performed a variety of principal roles with CPYB including the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and Balanchine’s "Concerto Barocco." She went on to continue studies at the School of American Ballet with Alexandra Danilova, Suki Shorer and Stanley Williams. Jones has taught ballet extensively at CPYB for more than a decade, in addition to Ballet Mississippi (with Fernando Bujones), Allegheny Ballet Company, Ballet Arkansas and Orlando Ballet School under the direction of Peter Stark. Jennifer Dunning from The New York Times has praised Jones’ choreography stating that it is “a perfect showcase for classical training that nurtures a joyous appetite for movement.” She worked at several Carlisle Project choreographer workshops both as a dancer and choreographer. Jones has created works for Ballet Mississippi, CPYB and Ballet Arkansas. She has set ballets for Ballet Omaha, CPYB and Ballet Arkansas working with Edward Meyers, Fleming Ryborg, Sean Lavery, and Violette Verdy.
SUSAN DOWNEY (Dance Instructor, Cross Department Dance Coordinator) began her passion for dancing at age 4 in Oklahoma and never stopped. Her summer training in early years was at TCU, in Ft. Worth, Texas. She left for California at 18, and studied Musical Theater at U.S.I.U. in San Diego. She became an Actors’ Equity, Screen Actors Guild Member and enjoyed a diverse 10-year singing and dancing career that took her all across America. The last 20 years were spent in the N.Y. area where she began her teaching career. Downey was the Director and lead dance teacher for the United States Military Academy at West Point's Child and Youth Services program and was also Head Tap Teacher for 12 years at Step by Step dance studio in New York state. Forever a student, Downey attends classes, workshops and performances to stay fresh and current. Being a part of the Patel Conservatory and their vision for education in the arts is a huge thrill. She teaches youth and adult Patel Conservatory students tap, jazz, hip-hop and classes in the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet program. Downey also teaches dance, musical theater and drama to kids in the H.O.S.T. program in Hillsborough Co. Public School District.
ASHLEY HILTON (Dance Administrative Supervisor, Dance Instructor) is a graduate from the University of South Florida (U.S.F.) where she earned a B.F.A in Dance Performance and a minor in Business. While at U.S.F, she received a summer talent grant to study at the Parson’s Dance and Merce Cunningham Summer Intensives. She has had the privilege of working with such artists and choreographers as Michael Foley, Sandra Robinson, Jeanne Travers, Gretchen Ward Warren and Nina Watt. After graduation, Hilton was asked to be the graduate assistant to Sandra Robinson for the Fundamentals of Ballet course at the University of South Florida. Hilton has performed with MusInc. – An Artist Collective, as well as produced, choreographed and performed in Mosaic Dance Concert at the Straz Center. Her choreography has been seen in Moving Current Dance Collective’s 2008 NewGrounds performances and Hillsborough Community College’s Four Days of Dance. She is a Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Versa Dance Company. Hilton teaches Preparatory and Level 1A for the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet and ballet at Metropolitan Ministries partnership school, a Hillsborough County School opened to meet the educational needs of homeless and at risk students in the Tampa Bay area. She is also the Dance Administrative Supervisor for the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet and Next Generation Ballet.
LINDSAY KOHN (Dance Intern/Ballet Instructor) graduated from the University of South Florida with her bachelor’s degree in Dance Studies with a concentration on Injury Care and Prevention. During her time at USF, she was privileged to study with Sandra Robinson, Michael Foley, Gretchen Ward Warren, Julio Montano, Sasha Yapparov, Paula Nunez, Merry Lynn Morris and Lynne Wimmer. Kohn has studied ballet since the age of three first at the Princeton Ballet School in New Jersey under Septime Webre and Graham Lustig, and then at the Princeton Dance and Theatre Studio under the training of Susan Jaffe and Risa Kaplowitz. Kohn furthered her ballet training by attending summer intensives such as Orlando Ballet School, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Miami City Ballet and Steps on Broadway. In her free time, Kohn likes to scuba dive, kayak, play guitar and travel. Kohn is excited to teach Creative Movement II and Dress up and Dance this year at the Patel Conservatory.