Eugenia L. O'Brien
Artistic / Executive Director

A graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Dance, Eugenia O'Brien is the founder of Portland Ballet. She is a leader in the field of innovative educational programming involving dance collaborations in the arts. She continues to bring national and international figures to Portland Ballet as choreographers, teachers, and performers.

Leslie Gibbons
Director of Development / Pre-Ballet Instructor

A graduate of Georgetown University, Leslie focuses on program and funding development. She has studied ballet intensively in New York and Washington, D.C. and has performed with Portland Ballet on numerous occasions. Leslie now teaches in the Pre-Ballet Program.

Nicole Getchell
Principal Dancer / Syllabus Program Director
Rehearsal Director / Instructor

With her Degree in Dance from Virginia Intermont College, Nicole trained with Portland School of Ballet and Andrei Bossov, performing for both Portland Ballet Company and Bossov Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer. She currently oversees the PSB Syllabus Program and serves as Rehearsal Director for Portland Ballet Company.

Vanessa Beyland
Assistant to the Director / Teen Workshop Director
Instructor

Vanessa is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Dance. She has performed professionally on both the east and west coasts and is an experienced teacher and choreographer with a background in Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Tap. With her experience in Arts Administration, Vanessa currently assists in the office and instructs classes for all levels at PSB.

Nell Green
Instructor and Resident Choreographer

Nell earned her B.F.A. in Dance Performance with High Honors form Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. From there her professional performing career moved to Denver, CO where she worked with David Taylor Dance Theatre and Helander Dance Theater. Her teaching and choreography was put to use with the Bolder Moves Body Project and Dance Center. She has performed and shown choreography in New York, Chicago, Boulder, Indianapolis and Tbilisi, The Republic of Georgia.

Lesley Tunstall
Director of CORPS Program

Trained in England, Paris and NYC. Her professional dancing and choreography career includes the Alterballetto Ballet Company in Italy, and numerous stage and television credits. She is co-founder and director of Puck's Theatre, and was the director of The Dance Academy of SC until furthering her training at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto in the teacher training program. There she received distinction in Cecchetti Associate and also taught in the junior associates program. We are glad to welcome Lesley to Portland Ballet.

Rachel Ganteaume-Richards
Instructor

Originally from Trinidad, Rachel has studied with the Joffrey School in New York, Maggie Black and David Howard. As a member of the Joffrey Ballet, she has performed both on stage and in television appearances. Upon moving to Maine, she was the ballet teacher for Ram Island Dance and performed with Portland Ballet. We are pleased to add Rachel to Portland Ballet's teaching roster.

Derek Clifford
Instructor

A graduate of Northwestern University, Derek danced in Mark Morris’ The Hard Nut from 1991-2000. He was a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company, and has danced with Douglas Dunn and Dan Wagoner. Most recently Derek has performed with Portland Opera Repertory Theater and can be seen in The Victorian Nutcracker.

Lawrence Golan
Music Director

Lawrence Golan currently teaches and conducts at the Unversity of Denver. He served most recently as Concertmaster for the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and continues his Portland affiliation with Portland Ballet and the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra.

Recent Guest Artists:
Andrei Bossov, Karen Montanaro, Kennet Oberly, Larissa Sintsova, William Pizzuto, Peter Kalivas, Eleanor D’Antuono, Noble Barker, Richard Rein, Claudia Jill Stoltman, Susan Osberg, Adrienne Hawkins

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