FACULTY

Olivia MacKinnon, Ballet and Artistic Advisor

Photo credit: savage.com
**Olivia MacKinnon** began her dance training at the age of three. At the age of 11, she was a company member under Mobile’s own Winthrop Corey. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, Olivia attended the summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full-time student in fall of 2010. She became an apprentice with NYCB in November 2012 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in October 2013. She was promoted to soloist in April 2023 and recently debuted at the Kennedy Center performing as Principle lead in “Emeralds” from George Balanchine's *Jewels*.
**FEATURED ROLES SINCE JOINING NYCB:**
GEORGE BALANCHINE: *Ballo della Regina, Divertimento from 'Le Baiser de la Fée', *"Emeralds" *from Jewels, The Four Temperaments, Glass Pieces,* George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (Coffee, Marzipan, Flowers, Dolls, Dewdrop), *Raymonda* *Variations*, *Scotch Symphony, La Source, Swan Lake, Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, La Valse, Western Symphony* (Allegro)
PETER MARTINS: *Eight Easy Pieces, The Sleeping Beauty* (Vivacity, Courage, Emerald), *Swan Lake* (Pas de Trois, Pas de Quatre, Princess)
JUSTIN PECK: *Copland Dance Episodes*
ALEXEI RATMANSKY: *Namouna, A Grand Divertissement, Pictures at an Exhibition*
JEROME ROBBINS: *Fanfare* (Cellos), *The Four Seasons* (Spring), *In the Night, Rondo*
**ORIGINATED CORPS ROLES IN:**
WARREN CARLYLE: *Something to Dance About*
JEROME ROBBINS: *Broadway to Ballet*
JR: *Les Bosquets*
LAUREN LOVETTE: *For Clara*
JUSTIN PECK: *The Most Incredible Thing, Principia*
GIANNA REISEN: *Composer's Holiday*

Oksana Kozhanova

Oksana Kozhanova has an illustrious ballet career that began in the world famous Vaganova Ballet Academy, where she received her MFA Master Degree of Ballet Artist with Honors Diploma. Currently she is a Master of Stage, professional Ballet teacher and choreographer. She toured throughout the world as a soloist and Principal dancer with the Moscow Ballet Company, Festival Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, International Ballet Company.

Ms. Kozhanova danced principal roles in many ballets, including The Nutcracker, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, La Fille Mal Gardée, Don Quixote, Paquita, Flame of Paris, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Cinderella, The Blue Bird, and many others.

As a Principal Guest Artist, Teacher and Choreographer, Ms.Kozhanova worked with Moscow Ballet Company in United States, Canada, Italy, International Ballet in Taiwan, where she staged La Bayadere, Les Sylphides, Carmen, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, her own choreography, The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Glinka Waltze, and others.

Her knowledge of the most current teaching methods and styles has produced many young dancers who have been accepted into some of the world’s greatest schools, including Bolshoi Ballet Academy and Vaganova Ballet Academy, Julliard School New York and University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and to professional ballet companies.

Jory Edmonds

**Jory** **Edmonds** is a current graduate student from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She has been dancing since she was three years old and danced competitively from the age of six. She has been teaching in various styles for eight years and previously taught at Prestige Dance Company in Oxford, Mississippi for three years while attending Ole Miss.
She has years of experience teaching ballet of all ages and was trained in ballet by Brian Williamson of Dance Theatre of Tennessee and Sarah Brady Cape. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Mississippi and has recently graduated with a Master’s of Science in Psychology from the University of South Alabama.

Elizabeth Catranis

**Elizabeth Catranis** began her dance career with Mobile Ballet at age three under the tutelage of Mrs. Pamela Thompson. During this time, Elizabeth performed in several productions of *The Nutcracker* as a Baby Mouse, an Angel, and a Doll. At age eleven, Elizabeth attended Joffery Ballet’s Summer Intensive in New York City.
In 2017, Elizabeth joined the newly established Classical Ballet of Mobile led by Artistic Director Mr. Winthrop Corey and Mrs. Pamela Thompson, Academy Director. That summer, she was accepted by the School of American Ballet into their Young Dancer Series taught by renowned faculty such as Kay Mazzo, Suki Schorer, Katrina Killian, and Megan Fairchild.
Welcomed into the Company of Classical Ballet of Mobile in 2019, Elizabeth was the youngest original member. In the summer of 2019, she studied with Carolina Ballet under faculty Jan Burkhard, Kiefer Curtis, Richard Krusch, and Margeret Severin-Hansen.
As a student of Classical Ballet of Mobile, Elizabeth’s repertoire includes Dewdrop (*The Nutcracker*), Hot Chocolate (*The Nutcracker*), Lilac Fairy (*Sleeping Beauty*), Queen of the Dryads (*Don Quixote*), and roles in *Le Corsaire*, *Walpurgis Night*, *Les Patineurs*, *Cinderella*, and *Paquita*.

Maggie Boudreaux

**Magdalene Boudreaux** began her ballet training with Broadway South in Mobile, Alabama at the age of three. The following year, she moved to Mobile Ballet where she performed in two productions of *The Nutcracker* as a baby mouse and a doll. In 2017, Magdalene joined Classical Ballet of Mobile in its opening year, where she has since continued to learn and perform under the guidance of Pamela Thompson, Jacqueline Bodet-Stepan, Oksana Kozhanova, Jeffrey Cain, Rebecca Davis Brown, Brennan Smith, and Lilli Etheredge. She was accepted into the Classical Ballet of Mobile Company at the age of 12, and has performed in numerous productions, including roles as Cleopatra (*Walpurgis Night*), Autumn Fairy (*Cinderella*), Candide Fairy (*Sleeping* Beauty), Columbine Doll (*The Nutcracker*), Lead Trepak (*The Nutcracker*), Sorceress and Town Girl in Mobile Opera’s *Le Villi*, and many roles as a core dancer, which she is especially fond of. She has attended several summer intensives at CPYB and Classical Ballet of Mobile. Magdalene has enjoyed working with young dancers since she began serving as a teacher’s assistant in pre-ballet and summer camp classes at the age of 11.

Emily Walton

**Emily Walton** began her dancing journey at the age of three. She has loved giving her time to Classical Ballet of Mobile as a member of the Company and as a teaching assistant since 2020. Emily has performed under the guidance of Pamela Thompson since joining CBM in its first year of operation. She has participated in multiple summer intensives with the Joffrey Ballet school, Alabama Ballet and most recently with Vanderbilt University’s dance team. She has also has enjoyed leading children in summer camps for several years.

As a Company member of Classical Ballet of Mobile, Emily’s roles have included the Breadcrumb Fairy (*Sleeping Beauty*), Helen of Troy (*Walpurgis Night*), Spanish Hot Chocolate and Mouse Queen (*The Nutcracker*). Through Classical Ballet of Mobile, Emily was also given the opportunity to perform with Mobile Opera in their production of *Le Villi* as a Sorceress and a Town Girl.

Caroline Hollingsworth

**Caroline Hollingsworth** began her dance journey later than most and fell in love with ballet. She progressed quickly and has enjoyed performing roles en pointe with Classical Ballet of Mobile.
Caroline’s roles have included Harlequin Doll, Snow Flake, and Flower in *The Nutcracker*, as well as a Sylph in the corps de ballet of *Le Sylphides* and in excerpts from *Les Corsair*.
Caroline has played the violin since age nine and enjoys playing weekly for her church. She is active in church, helping with Vacation Bible School and youth group, and is looking forward to working hard and progressing in the coming year.

Kirby Anderson

**Kirby Anderson** has a passion for heath and wellness. She brings over two decades of experience as a Group Fitness Instructor in various genres. She is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique Teacher, Spinning Instructor, Gravity Training Systems Trainer, Gravity Pilates Instructor and is currently working on her Comprehensive Classical Pilates certification. As a mother of a young dancer, Kirby understands the importance of full body conditioning and cross-training for control and injury prevention. She is excited to join CBM as an Instructor and looks forward to helping everyone achieve their goals.

Pamela Thompson, Academy Director and Artistic Director Emeritus

**Pam Thompson** has been a ballet teacher for more than twenty-five years, having taught in Mobile and Birmingham. She began her ballet training with Carol Graham, then continued in various programs, studying with Alexandra Danilova, Melissa Hayden, James Eaton, and others. She was a member of Mobile Civic Ballet under the direction of Duane Dishion, and teacher, Ann Duke. In Birmingham, she performed with the Birmingham Concert Ballet.
She graduated with honors from Samford University with a BA in English and Education. In 1999 she joined the faculty of Mobile Ballet under the direction of Winthrop Corey, serving as Associate Director of the school from 2007–2015, during which time she established the Student Choreography Workshop. A strong advocate of continuing education, she has participated in dance educator workshops with Marcia Dale Weary and Darla Hoover at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and at the Alabama Dance Summit, as well as numerous teacher observation opportunities in New York. Her life's passion is passing on the love and beauty of ballet through teaching young people to dance.

Mary Thomas MacKinnon, Guest Faculty

Photo credit: savage.com
**Mary Thomas MacKinnon** was born in Mobile, Alabama and began her dance training at the age of three. Ms. MacKinnon enrolled as a full-time student at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, in 2014.
Ms. MacKinnon became an apprentice with NYCB in August 2017 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2018.
**FEATURED ROLES SINCE JOINING NYCB:**
GEORGE BALANCHINE: *Agon, Ballo della Regina*, “Emeralds” from Jewels, George Balanchine's *The Nutcracker®* (Hot Chocolate, Flowers), *Raymonda Variations*
PETER MARTINS: *The Sleeping Beauty* (Vivacity)
JUSTIN PECK: *The Times Are Racing*
ALEXEI RATMANSKY: *Pictures at an Exhibition,* *Solitude, Voices*
JAMAR ROBERTS: *Emanon – In Two Movements*
JEROME ROBBINS: *The Concert, Fancy Free*
**ORIGINATED FEATURED ROLES IN:**
LAUREN LOVETTE: *The Shaded Line*
**ORIGINATED CORPS ROLES IN:**
JUSTIN PECK: *Copland Dance Episodes*
TILER PECK: *Concerto for Two Pianos*
ALYSA PIRES: *Standard Deviation*
GIANNA REISEN: *Judah*

Katherine Thompson, Guest Faculty

**Katherine Thompson**, a native of Mobile, danced professionally with Cincinnati Ballet and Alabama Ballet, and has guested with New Orleans Ballet Theater, Neglia Ballet in Buffalo, NY, The Patrick Notaro Dance Project in Cape Cod, MA, and Mobile Ballet. Katherine began her ballet training with Carol Graham, and continued her formal ballet training under the direction of Winthrop Corey and Ann Duke. She danced the role of Lucy in Mr. Corey’s widely acclaimed world premiere of *Dracula* in 1998.
While in high school, she attended summer intensives in New York City at The School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and the Joffrey Ballet School. Katherine was also Mobile County’s Junior Miss 1999 and an Azalea Trail Maid.
Upon graduating from St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Katherine attended the Indiana University School of Music's Ballet Department on the Dean's Scholarship. Katherine graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BA in Communication Management.
She resides in Birmingham with her two boys, and is on faculty at Briarwood Ballet and on the Board of Shelby County’s Distinguished Young Women.

Kelley Ann Mitchell, Guest Faculty

**Kelley Ann Mitchell** began her training at age 4 under Pamela Thompson at Mobile Ballet and later joined the company under Winthrop Corey. She has spent summers training at Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell at the Kennedy Center, Miami City Ballet, CPYB, Charlotte Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and City Ballet of San Diego. After falling in love with performing, she ultimately decided that this was what she wanted to do with her life. In 2013, she moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to train at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) under the late Marcia Dale Weary. She trained there for two years, and later joined Charlotte Ballet as a trainee. While in Charlotte, she was able to have Patricia McBride as one of her main teachers and was able to learn many Balanchine variations taught by Ms. McBride herself. After a year in Charlotte, she moved to Las Vegas to join Nevada Ballet Theatre, where she was able to perform in A *Choreographer’s* *Showcase* and work closely with the artists from Cirque du Soleil. She later joined City Ballet of San Diego for two seasons and was able to perform in many ballets by Elizabeth Wistrich including *Giselle*, *Firebird*, and *Mozart* *Concerto,* among others. She also fulfilled a career long dream of dancing in the full length *Serenade* by George Balanchine.
Kelley Ann is currently a company member with Ballet Palm Beach under Artistic Director Colleen Smith.

Lilli Etheredge, Guest Faculty

**Lilli Etheredge** was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. She began her dance training at Mobile Ballet and in 2019 she moved to California to train at The Colburn Dance Academy under the direction of Jenifer Ringer. Following her training at Colburn, she was in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division under the directorship of Peter Boal. While in Seattle, she performed in George Balanchine’s *The Nutcracker*, Kent Stowell’s *Swan Lake* and a number of new works by Pacific Northwest Ballet company dancers. This is Ms. Etheredge’s first season with New Jersey Ballet.

Brennan Smith, Guest Faculty

**Brennan Smith** began dancing at the age of three at the Gwinnett Ballet Theater where she performed in *The Nutcracker* and *Alice in Wonderland*. When she moved to Mobile, she began dancing at Mobile Ballet under the direction of Winthrop Corey and Pamela Thompson. She was accepted into the company and moved up in ranks to become a Senior Company member. During this time, she performed lead roles in ballets including *Dracula*, *The Nutcracker*, *Sleeping Beauty*, *Snow White*, and *Swan Lake*. She trained at other programs including Saratoga Springs Dance Intensive, New Orleans Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive, and The Suzanne Farrell Workshop. She has also been privately instructed by prominent teachers including Mary McCarthy and Daniel Ulbricht.
For about 10 years, she has taught ballet to dancers aged 3-18. She has choreographed dances for her students such as Baby Mice, Spanish, and Dolls in *The Nutcracker*. She graduated from McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and Spring Hill College with a Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences. She graduated from University of South Alabama’s College of Medicine, and is currently a resident doctor at USA Health.