Nell Shipman

Artistic Director

Nell Shipman began her training in Massachusetts and continued her studies in Indianapolis, Indiana with Marek Cholewa and Rosanna Ruffo. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance with High Honors from Butler University, and has performed and shown choreography throughout the US and abroad. Shipman joined Portland Ballet as a dancer in 2004, before assuming the role of Artistic Director in 2015 and Director of Portland School of Ballet in 2016.

With Portland Ballet, Shipman has performed many leading roles, including the title role in Giselle and the lead in Andrei Bossov's Carmina Burana. She’s appeared as a guest artist with Portland Symphony Orchestra, Good Theater, Best of Broadway, and Opera Maine. Shipman's evening-length choreography includes a Victorian Nutcracker, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, Tales By Poe, A Harlequinade, Firebird, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Sylvia. Her contemporary works include Four Seasons, Impetus, First Principles of Hope and Enjoyment, PushMePullYou, Somebody, and Spoke of the Wheel - to name a few. She created the Building Ballets series for schools, which presents educational versions of classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, and Don Quixote. Shipman is currently a Visiting Instructor at Colby College, and has created works in collaboration with many local and national arts organizations.

Melissa Martens Yaverbaum

Executive Director

Melissa Martens Yaverbaum is the Executive Director of Portland Ballet. With three decades of national experience from the world of museums and libraries, Melissa brings to the position a track record in strategic visioning, community partnerships, coalition building, and a passion for the arts and humanities. Previously she led the Council of American Jewish Museums for a decade, and has also worked with the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Newberry Library, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Field Museum, and Glimmerglass Opera. She has special fluencies in the art of storytelling and in nurturing thriving communities.

Jennifer Jones

Company Rehearsal Director & Instructor

Jennifer Jones came to Portland after four seasons as a Principal Dancer with The Northwest Florida Ballet. Previous to dancing in Florida, she danced as a Soloist with Montgomery Ballet, and an Apprentice with Dance Connecticut. Her repertoire includes lead roles in Don Quixote, the Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Balanchine's Concerto Barocco.

Jennifer guested in Tennessee and Georgia and danced in Jean Grand-Maitre's Uroboros, Oskar Antunez's Gatsby, and Antunez's Alice in Wonderland. Her Portland Ballet credits include The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, By Request, The Victorian Nutcracker, Nell Shipman’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the title role in Giselle. Jennifer danced with Portland Ballet from 2010-2020 and now serves as the company’s Ballet Mistress.

Sabir Yapparov

Pre-Professional Division Director

Sabir Yapparov received his academic and ballet training at the Perm Ballet Academy in Russia and studied with some of the finest teachers. He was a soloist with the Sverdlovsk Academic Theatre of Opera & Ballet and with the Bolshoi Theater in Uzbekistan and was a principal with the Odessa Academic Theater of the Opera and Ballet in the Ukraine.

Mr. Yapparov danced leading roles in classical, neo-classical, and contemporary ballets, and was invited as a guest principal throughout the former Soviet Union, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Finland, India, Spain, and Canada. He worked as a ballet master with the Sarasota Ballet for eleven years, serving one year as Associate Artistic Director, and was a Visiting Professor at the University of South Florida School of Theatre and Dance. Mr. Yapparov was part of the guest faculty at North Carolina School of the Arts and served as the Assistant to the Artistic Director at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., and and as Principal at the School of Cincinnati Ballet. He now directs Portland School of Ballet’s Pre-Professional Division, helping aspiring dancers prepare for their next steps.

Jamie Grant

Lighting Designer

Jamie has been the resident Lighting Designer for Portland Ballet since 2002 with works that include: Harlequinade, Sylvia, Persephone & Hades, Momentum, Jack the Ripper, A Victorian Nutcracker, Giselle, Firebird. Other Lighting Design credits include- Portland Stage: Last Ship to Proxima Centauri, Ring of Fire, Where We Stand. Maine State Music Theatre: Jersey Boys, Great Balls of Fire, Christine & Patsy. Portland Symphony Orchestra: The Magic of Christmas. Opera Maine: Rigoletto, Madama Butterfly, La Fille Du Regiment, Hansel und Gretel, Romeo et Juliette, Barber of Seville, Don Giovanni. Colby College: Break, Burn, Build,  Wendy and the Neckbeards, End of Men. UMaine Orono Dept. of Theater: Post Office, A Man of No Importance, The Wolves, Stupid F’n Bird, Big Love, The Cherry Orchard. USM Dept. of Theater: Unlock’d, Night Sky, Merry Wives of Windsor, Company.  Jamie is also the General Manager of the Westbrook Performing Arts Center.

Amy Baxter

Costume Director

Amy Baxter is a skilled dance costume manager with a passion for ballet and over 20 years experience. Her journey began when her daughters started dance classes, leading her to explore the world of costumes and igniting a commitment to the art of dance. Amy created original designs for notable productions, including A Victorian Nutcracker, A Harlequinade, Sylvia, Giselle and  A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Specializing in ballet costuming, her work focuses on the design, fabrication, repair, and reconstruction of costumes, ensuring that each piece enhances the performance and brings to life the creative vision of the artistic director. In addition to her work with Portland Ballet, Amy has collaborated with several dance companies in Virginia and New York City.

Clare Crane

Operations Director

Clare Crane graduated from Syracuse University magna cum laude with a B.S. in Drama (Theater Management), and additional focuses in Human Development & Family Science and Music Performance. Clare joined Portland Ballet in 2020 as Operations Coordinator and became Operations Director in 2025. Before joining Portland Ballet, she held roles at Portland Conservatory of Music and spent several summers working at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, ME. Clare’s passion for the arts began in childhood when she became involved in marching band and stage crew.

Krista Woodbridge

Grant Writer

Krista Woodbridge has a B.A. in classical languages from Haverford College, an accounting certificate from Santa Fe Community College, and a M.L.S. in Library and Information Science (Reference Librarianship) from Southern Connecticut State University.  She joined Portland Ballet as its office manager in 2015 and transitioned to a contributing role as its grantwriter in 2017.  Her passion for the arts dates back to childhood summers playing in Interlochen Arts Camp orchestras.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ryan D'Wolff Munro — President

Samantha Marinko — Vice President

Kelly Johnson — Secretary

Ry MacLoughlin — Assistant Treasurer

Fairfield Bonsall

Justin Clark

Chelsea Britten

Torie DeLisle

Warren Graver

Braden Paynter

ADVISORS

Eric Altholtz

Butch Baxter

Alison Bromski

Bob Leger

Melissa Lin

Meghan Newell Reedy

Jim Shaffer

Barrett Takesian

Ellen Weaver