Kait Weber - Executive Director

Kait Weber received her early dance training at The Dance Center, the official school of the Brandywine Ballet.  She went on to train at the Washington Ballet, Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts and Wilmington Academy of Dance.  Kait is a graduate of Towson University where she earned her BA in Mass Communications as well as pursued the Dance Performance major, graduating Cum Laude.  While an honors scholarship recipient at Towson, she performed with the Towson University Dance Company and performed lead roles in the Nutcracker as well as several other classical and contemporary works.  She also performed with the Baltimore Ballet in various productions and taught ballet, modern and jazz at the school for five years. After graduation, Kait pursued her communications career, working as an account executive for advertising and public relations agencies in Baltimore. Kait joined Ballet Chesapeake in 2010 and is the current Executive Director of the Ballet Chesapeake and Managing Director of the Dance Conservatory of Maryland.

Mr. Nelson began his training under Joyce Morrison and continued full-time at the

School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City, the Kirov Academy of Ballet in

Washington, DC, and the Ecole-Atelier Rudra Béjart in Lausanne, Switzerland. His

regular teachers at these institutions included Andrei Kramarevsky, Peter Boal, Vladimir

Djouloukhadze, and Azari Plissetski. At SAB, Mr. Nelson was selected as one of four

students to create an original work for the SAB Student Choreography Project. At the

Vail International Dance Festival in 2000, he studied with Jacques Namont of the Paris

Opera Ballet School and Pyotr Pestov of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

As a dancer, Mr. Nelson's répertoire included Les Sylphides (Poet), Giselle (Peasant

Pas de Deux), and Swan Lake (Pas de Trois), among others. He has taught at The

Washington School of Ballet and Mercersburg Academy. Mr. Nelson’s staging credits

include Les Sylphides as well as excerpts from the classical repertoire and original

choreography. Mr. Nelson was a cofounder, and later sole owner and director, of Ballet Conservatoire

XIV , bringing conservatory-style training to a small group of carefully selected dancers

from 2015-2020. In 2019, Mr. Nelson presented students for American Ballet Theatre

National Training Curriculum Student Examinations, with each student achieving a level

of distinction of Merit, Honors, or High Honors.

Mr. Nelson is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT

Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT

National Training Curriculum. He continues to attend professional development classes

and workshops at ABT.

Sarah Brown received her early dance training at Towson University’s Children’s Dance Division, Rage Box Contemporary Dance Center, and Carver Center for Arts & Technology. She went on to train at Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts as a Jazz Dance major, where she participated in master classes with a number of professional artists including Sonya Tayeh, Desmond Richardson, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Sarah finished her schooling at Towson University, where she earned her BA in Mass Communications, Public Relations. She spent the past 4 years dancing and performing with the Baltimore Blast Cheerleaders and was Captain on the team for 2 of those years. Sarah loved the platform the team gave her and was humbled to be a part of their community outreach opportunities. Sarah has worked professionally in the event planning and marketing field for the past several years and is excited to join DCM. 

Caroline Anderson, a Maryland native, began her ballet training at the age of three and studied the Vaganova method under the direction of Anya Ivanova-Bojko, Pasha Kambalov, Kristina Kambalov, and Joan Beatson at First State Ballet Theatre. Additionally, Caroline cultivated a strong foundation in Jazz, Lyrical, Tap, Contemporary, Character and Modern at Cecil Dancenter under the direction of Tina Travers. Her musical theatre training under Richard Mahoney, Chris Rose, and Kathy Cammett led to numerous performances, including her memorable role as Morticia in The Addams Family. Caroline had the honor of performing in Viktor Plotnikov’s Hope, which earned first place at the 2018 World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Florida and placed in the top 12 at the 2018 Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York. 

Caroline was a company member of Ballet Theatre of Maryland from 2018-2025. Her repertoire includes Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, Les Sylphides, Napoli, La Sylphides, Coppelia, Firebird, and The Nutcracker. In 2022 she had the opportunity to dance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC for Christmas in Ukraine with the Ukrainian musical ensemble Gerdan. Caroline has been teaching and choreographing many styles of dance for six years and has choreographed for the Tidewater Theatre summer and youth productions of Chicago, The Addams Family, Be More Chill, Moana Jr. and Descendants. She has coached students for classical ballet competitions and her students have been accepted to prestigious summer intensives, to include American Ballet Theatre and Joffrey Ballet. Caroline is eager to inspire her students with her love of dance. 

Clara Margarita Garcia is a well-rounded dance performer, coach, choreographer, and actress based in the DMV.  She spent the past two years as Head Coach for Ave Maria University’s varsity dance team in Florida.  Before coaching, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Catholic University of America with a Bachelor of Music in musical theatre and a minor in dance.  Clara trained and competed with Edna Lee Dance Studio (now Artistic Movement Academy of Dance) under award-winning teacher and choreographer Ashely Canterna Hardy, and attended intensives at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, the Peabody Conservatory, Maryland Youth Ballet, and more.  Some of her roles in Maryland Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker included “Clara,” “Dew Drop,” and “Spanish Soloist.”  She was awarded numerous scholarships with Dance Masters of America and placed 11th overall nationally as a title competitor.  Aside from performing, Clara has choreographed for several musicals including Carousel, Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, and Godspell.

Anya Ivanova began her ballet studies at the Perm Ballet Academy in the former Soviet Union and later studied at the Frunze Ballet Academy. Upon graduation from Frunze, she performed with Cheliabinsk Opera and Ballet Theater as principal dancer. After accepting an invitation to become a principal dancer with the Donetsk ballet, Miss Ivanova toured the eastern United States. From 1994 to 1999, she was a principal dancer with the Russian Ballet Theatre of Delaware, and in 1998 she was a finalist in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. Miss Ivanova is a featured guest artist and ballet mistress with ballet companies throughout the United States. Noted for her lyrical style, Miss Ivanova performed roles in many of great classical ballets, including Swan Lake, Giselle, Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet and more. Her repertoire also includes many contemporary works by choreographers, including Daniel Baudendistel, Leslie Browne, Robert LaFosse, Scott Joovovich, and Matthew Neenan. For over 25 years, Miss Ivanova has been teaching advanced level classes in ballet companies throughout the Mid Atlantic States, including Oxford Center for Dance, Russian Ballet Centre, Longwood Performing Arts, Brandywine Ballet Company, Anna Marie Dance Studio, and she has also performed master classes in many other ballet schools and academies.

Brianna Papparotto brings a unique blend of artistic flair and technical know‑how to our team. Initially trained in ballet, Brianna’s background as a dancer naturally evolved into roles in costume design and wardrobe management, giving her strong insight into both performers’ needs and costume aesthetics. She oversees costume planning, fittings, and on‑stage costuming for all company productions.

Michelle Houser has been an integral part of the Ballet Chesapeake community for over 10 years. She trained as a dancer for 14 years at the Dance Conservatory of Maryland, the official school of Ballet Chesapeake, where she developed a deep love for the art of ballet and a strong connection to the company’s mission and values. Her years as a student gave her unique insight into the demands of performance and the beauty of storytelling through dance.

In 2014, Michelle began photographing Ballet Chesapeake performances, capturing the artistry, emotion, and behind-the-scenes moments that bring each production to life. As the company evolved, so did Michelle’s photography, her work has matured into a distinctive style that reflects both her deep understanding of dance and her commitment to showcasing its magic. Whether behind the lens or supporting the dancers backstage, Michelle brings dedication, creativity, and a lifelong connection to Ballet Chesapeake in everything she does.

John Gardner began his ballet training at age twelve. In 1978, he joined American Ballet Theatre and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 1984. Mr. Gardner's diverse repertoire include many soloist and principal roles, representing an extensive range of styles and affording him the opportunity to work with many of the great choreographers of the 20th centruy, including Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Twyla Tharp. In 1991 Mr. Gardner joined Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project. Mr. Gardner created numerous roles during his time with White Oak Dance Project and toured extensively. He returned to American Ballet Theatre in 1995, where he danced a wide variety of roles until 2002. He is currently working at both the professional and student levels, and has taught, choreographed, and staged ballets for professional companies and schools in the U.S. and Europe.

Amanda McKerrow has enjoyed a career as one of America's acclaimed ballerinas. She has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981. Ms. McKerrow joined American Ballet Theatre in 1982. Since then, she has been the recipient of numerous other awards, among them, the Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship in 1986, the Deane Sherman Award for Excellence in the Field of Dance in 1988, and the New York Woman Award for Dance in 1991. In 2000 Ms. McKerrow, together with her husband John Gardner, began staging the works of Antony Tudor for the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust. Since retiring from performing in 2006, she devotes the majority of her time to teaching, coaching, and staging ballets for professional companies around the world.