Director and Teacher- Robin Welch

Moving to New York at the age of 15, Miss Welch became a trainee of the prestigious Harkness House for Ballet Arts studying with such notable dancers and teachers as Pat Wilde, David Howard, Aubrey Hitchins, Barbara Cole, and Ruth Petrenovitch for ballet, Jack Cole, Matt Maddox for jazz,  Stuart Hodes and Janet Collins for modern, Percy Borde and Pearl Premus for African Dance, and Beatrice Kraft for Indian Dance.

Her professional career began at the age of 17 as a company member of New York City’s Harkness Ballet where she danced ballets choreographed by such luminaries of dance as Sir Anton Dolin, Alvin Ailey, Brian MacDonald, Jerome Robbins, John Butler, Benjamin Harkarvy, and Todd Bolender.  During that time, Harkness Ballet was the resident company of the Monte Carlo Opera House in Monaco and toured extensively throughout the US and Europe.

Since that time, Miss Welch has compiled an extensive background as a performer, choreographer, coach, ballet mistress, and artistic director. Miss Welch was co-founder, co-artistic director, and principal dancer for Connecticut Ballet, and principal dancer for Ballet Omaha from 1985 until 1991; later serving as its resident choreographer, ballet mistress and school director.

Miss Welch’s teaching credits include Boston Ballet, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, the Maeda Ballet in Japan, and the Cornish School of Ballet Arts.

Miss Welch is the choreographer of both the 1926 and the Imperial version of the Nutcracker that have been produced since 1999 at The Orpheum Theater and enjoyed by thousands. She has also choreographed many of traditional ballet classics such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, At the End of a String, and The Firebird.

In the 10 years she has been the Artistic Director of the Omaha Theater Ballet, ballet audiences have been treated to new innovative choreography from emerging choreographers, traditional classic ballets, and guests artist choreographers, singers, musicians, composers, and actors.

Robin is co-founder and co-artistic director of Heartland Youth Ballet, the regions only student company in the prestigious national organization, Regional Dance America.

Miss Welch is a life member in The National Registry of Who’s Who.

Assistant Director and Teacher – Rachel Vickrey

Rachel Vickrey received her early dance training from her parents, Robert Vickrey and Robin Welch, in New Haven, Connecticut. At the age of 11 she became one of the youngest students to be awarded a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School. She continued to study on scholarships at some of the most prestigious ballet schools in the U.S. and Canada eventually beginning her professional career at the age of 16.

Miss Vickrey has danced as a company member in Ballet Omaha, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Banff Festival Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater, and Omaha Theater Ballet. Her passion for expression and a clean versatile technique has given her many opportunities to perform a diverse variety of principal roles including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantasie, Allegro Brilliante, and Agon. She has performed works by such renown choreographers as Brian MacDonald, Salvator Aielo, Kennet Oberly, Charles Arnie, Loyce Holton, Lew Christensen, Alvin Ailey, Agnes DeMille, and Harrison McEldowney. Rachel has also performed in Aida, Carousel, My Fair Lady, Sampson and Delilah, All American Concert and Opera for the Cure with Opera Omaha. Over the years Rachel has danced numerous roles with Omaha Symphony. Recently, Rachel has become an artist for WhyArts? A non-profit dedicated to providing experiential arts workshops and residencies to individuals of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Rachel’s dance teaching credits include company class for the famous Cirque du Soleil Delirium, Mozart 101 for Opera Omaha, the Omaha Theater Ballet School, the Ballet School of Wilmington, Dance Works, Lake Erie Ballet School, Lincoln Midwest Ballet, True Academy, Southold Dance Theater and Robin Welch Dance Arts.

Rachel is co-founder and co-artistic director of Heartland Youth Ballet, the regions only student company in the prestigious national organization, Regional Dance America.

Rachel also teaches Pilates at Prarie Life Fitness. She received her Pilates certifications through both the PhysicalMind Institute and Polestar Education and has recently been certified as a Primary Group Exercise Instructor through the AFAA, a leading fitness association. Her passion for dance, vast background, deep commitment, love of children, and experiences as a mother, help to make her a favorite teacher for many ballet students.

Teacher – Deborah Carr

Deborah is a choreographer as well as a wonderful teacher. Following her performing career with Ballet Omaha, Connecticut Ballet and the Boston Festival Ballet, Deborah became the ballet mistress for the Omaha Theater Ballet as well as an invaluable teacher for the Omaha Theater Ballet School of Dance and Director of the Student Company.

Deborah has been an instructor at Creighton University and Ballet Midwest in St. Louis where she also served as their ballet mistress.

Miss Carr’s critically acclaimed choreography for Omaha Theater Ballet includes Tango Café and Pridelands, for which she was the recipient of a choreography award from the Nebraska Arts Council in 2004.

Teacher – Liz Reiter

Liz was the principal dancer and rehearsal director with the famed Gus Giordano Jazz Dance of Chicago from 1991 to 1994, where she also served as an instructor in the School. She was one of the original dancers of what is now known as, alexander michaels/Future Movement in Chicago, and has danced at the Andy Williams, Moon River Theater in Branson, Missouri, Music Theater of Wichita, and James P. Productions, of Chicago, Illinois.

She graduated cum laude from Oklahoma City University, which is often referred to as Broadway U. because of the exceptionally high percentage of graduates who go into careers on Broadway. After graduation, she stayed at O.C.U. as an instructor and is responsible for the training of many of the performers now on Broadway. She eventually went to St. Gregory’s University where she became the Department Head of Fine Arts and directed the dance program. Currently, Liz is an instructor at Creighton University.

She has been a master teacher for Dance Masters, Dance Teachers Association, Texas Association of Teachers, and many others. She is on the Board of Directors of Jazz Dance World Congress and the Oklahoma Community Dance Alliance.

Teacher – Vicki Harvey-Sanders

Vicki Harvey-Sanders recently announced her retirement as owner and director of the school she founded 25 years ago, Studio D. She has a vast amount of dance teaching and gymnastics experience and has performed in Community Theater musicals such as “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Sugar Babies,” “Gypsy,” “Funny Girl,”"Carousel,” and “The Wiz.” Vicki judges local, regional, and national dance competitions all over the U.S. As Vicki recently stated, “I may have retired as a studio owner, but I did not retired as a teacher. I still love dance and teaching children.” We are very fortunate to have Vicki joining us this year!

Teacher – Linda Runice

Linda Runice brings considerable talent and experience in all phases of live entertainment to Robin Welch Dance Arts. After studying at the University of Oklahoma, Linda moved to west Texas where she co-founded the Amarillo College Theatre School for Children. While developing that nationally recognized program, she also appeared in several national commercials and print ads and provided voice over talent for radio and television campaigns. After moving to Omaha, Linda taught theatre for Ballet Omaha and Omaha Studio Performing Arts. In addition to being an instructor and actress, Linda also managed the Center Stage Theatre for six successful seasons.

Teacher – Jessica Reed

Jessica Reed received her early dance training in Seattle, WA and furthered her training in the Omaha area with Ballet Omaha, the Omaha Theater Ballet School and the JCC Dance program. She had the privilege to study under the late Mary Waugh Taylor, and Sarah Brown, Robin Welch, Rachel Vickrey and Wendy Larson Cooper. She performed in several productions of Omaha Theater Ballet’s The Nutcracker, Omaha Dance Project as well as Grease and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Harry A. Burke High School.

Jessica is a 2009 graduate of St. Olaf College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance. She had the pleasure of working with many noted modern choreographers including Heather Klopchin, Anthony Roberts, Peggy Paver and Brad Garner, while performing and choreographing with the student modern dance company, Companydance. In the spring of 2009, she had the honor of her senior choreography project, A Family Portrait, adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

She is currently teaching at Robin Welch Dance Arts, the JCC Dance program and the South High School Dance Program. She is also performing and choreographing with UNO’s The Moving Company, Omaha Dance Project and Omaha Modern Dance Collective.

Teacher – April Quinn

In 2011 she was named Best Soloist at the Johnston Showzam! Solo Competition in Johnston, Iowa and was selected in 2010 and 2009 to be a member of the Nebraska All-State Chorus. Aditionally, April performs as the soloist with the Westside Concert Jazz Band and has appeared in select choirs at the Holland Performing Arts Center and the Qwest Center Omaha.

Teacher – Brittany Hanson (Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet)

Brittany is a senior at UNO where she is finishing her degree in Elementary Education. She served as an assistant teacher for the KinderCare Learning Center in Ralston in 2007 and as a lead teacher for school-agers at the KinderCare Learning Center in Papillion from 2007 until 2009.

Teacher – Jordan Koch (Creative Movement and Pre Ballet)

Jordan studied and eventually taught in Yankton, South Dakota under Dorota Dannenbring, formerly of the Warsaw National Dance Company. Jordan is a student of Elementary Education at UNO.