Tara Miller, Artistic Director

Tara, a native of Columbus, Ohio, began her training at the age of three. She studied ballet, tap, and jazz throughout her childhood.  Her decisions to audition into a college dance program lead her to begin classes in modern with Susan Van Pelt. She also began assistant teaching in the children’s division classes. In 1994 Tara was accepted into the top ranked dance department at the Ohio State University. While obtaining her Bachelors in Arts she trained under Melanie Bales, Susan Hadley, Karen Eliot, Victoria Uris, and Bebe Miller. In 1995 she attended the Paul Taylor Summer Intensive in New York City. Following her love of teaching she began her teaching career with the Columbus Youth Ballet. She served as the children’s division ballet teacher as well as the modern teacher and choreographer for four years under the direction of Shir Lee Wu. While a part of the faculty she also became a rehearsal director for the Nutcracker as well as set several modern pieces on the pre professional company. She graduated with a Bachelor in Arts with honors in 1997 from the Ohio State University. That summer Tara attended the Chautauqua Ballet’s teacher intensive under the direction of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and Patricia McBride, former prima ballerina with the New York City Ballet. It was upon completing that intensive that her decision to focus on teaching and not performing was made and she set out to create her own children’s ballet syllabus that would be implemented into several ballet schools across the city.

In 1999, Tara, along with co-founder Alisa Bernard, opened the New Albany Ballet Company. Her dream of creating the “ideal dance school” was well received in the New Albany community. The school has grown to include over 650 students ranging in age from toddlers to adult students.  In 2002 Tara became sole owner of the school. In the coming years the school has established itself as one of the premier ballet programs in the city. Her commitment to hire a professional faculty has allowed the school to provide the best ballet, tap, jazz, and modern training. The New Albany Ballet Company provides each student the best dance training, most professional performance experience, and opportunity to train in one of the finest dance facility in the State.

In 2003 Tara founded the New Albany Children’s Ballet Theatre, a not for profit 501c3 youth company. Her goal was to create a youth performing company that would stage professional repertoire and ballet performances while keeping the burden of the cost off of its dancers. The Theatre has had successful donation campaigns. The Theatre hosts its own Father Daughter Ball which has been a sold out success each year. NACBT has received generous donations from the Wexner Family, the Hinson Family Trust, Lexus, Schottenstein Homes, and various other community organizations.

Tara, along with her husband Darren and two children Madeline and Isabella, reside in New Albany. 

Amy Tremante

Amy began her professional ballet training at the Dallas Ballet Academy in Dallas, Texas. She studied under the tutelage of Vivi Flindt, former director of the Royal Danish Ballet School. She also studied with Madame Nathalie Krassovska of the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo, Thom Clower, ballet master of the Dallas Ballet and Anna Donovan of the Irish National Ballet. In high school, Amy also attended the Arts Magnet High School in Dallas where she studied Vagonova under Dennis Marshall, former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet and Tauna Hunter, former principal dancer with Ballet West and the Dallas Ballet. Throughout high school, Amy also studied jazz and modern dance. In the summers, she studied at the Boston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Royal Danish Ballet. Amy also danced as a student corps de ballet member of the Dallas Ballet under Flemming Flindt. In her senior year, Amy was one of 20 dancers nationwide to compete in the Presidential Scholars for the Arts Competition where she earned a level 2 award in ballet and a level 4 award in jazz.

 In 1990, Amy joined the North Carolina Dance Theatre under the direction of Salvatoire Aiello. She went on to guest with the Delta Festival Ballet of New Orleans and was chosen by Flemming Flindt as a member of an international cast of dancers brought together for the premiere of his ballet, Lucifer’s Daughter, which was created to celebrate the Queen of Denmark’s 25th wedding anniversary. Amy then moved on to join the Tulsa Ballet Theatre and was promoted to the rank of soloist. While in Oklahoma, Amy also had the opportunity to perform in several musical theatre productions including an outdoor summer long production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! 

 After completing her professional dance career, Amy went on to complete a B.A. from the Ohio State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with Distinction in English. After graduation, Amy began teaching ballet full time. She has served as the Director of Ballet for the West Virginia Governor’s School for the Arts and also as a faculty member for the Burklyn Ballet in Vermont and the Northpointe Dance Academy in Ohio. She has been a guest teacher and choreographer for the New American Youth Ballet in Indiana, the River Cities Dance Company in Kentucky and Cherry Street Dance Studios in Oklahoma. Amy currently teaches at the New Albany Ballet Company in Ohio. In addition to teaching ballet in both the progressive and pre-professional divisions, Amy sets classical ballets for the school and creates choreography. Amy continues to travel to guest teach and choreograph for other youth ballet programs. Amy enjoys her time away from dancing with her husband, Vince, and her son, Evan.

Christine Mangia

Christine Mangia is currently performing with Balletmet for her ninth season.  A native of Columbus, Ms. Mangia trained at Columbus Youth Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet School, and Wright State University. Christine is a recipient of an Arts Achievement Award from WSU and the Josephine and Hermene Schwartz Award from Dayton Ballet where she began her professional career.  She has guest taught and choreographed for several youth companies across the Midwest, has participated in the 2006 and 2008 Columbus Choreography Project and is on faculty at the New Albany Ballet Company. She has had the pleasure of performing at Symphony Space in NYC, the Joyce Theatre on two occasions and also twice at the Gala of International Ballet Stars.   Christine has performed many leading roles in her career, some favorites include Daisy Buchanan in the Great Gatsby, Lucy in Dracula, Desdemona in Othello, Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Liberty Bell in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, and Giselle in Giselle.

Judy Spring

Judy began dancing at the age of four. She studied tap with Jimmy Rawlins, Jacquie Hardy Wright, and Dorie Cooper. Judy took over Jacquie Hardy Wright’s studio and continued to build it into her own program. She ran the successful program for over thirty years. During that time she continued to study with tap legends, Paul Draper, Bob Audy, Debbie Dee, Savion Glover, and Greg Russel.

Judy has been recognized nationally for her own tap technique and choreography. Her students have been recognized nationally and many of them have gone onto dance professionally both here in the States and abroad. Judy serves as the sole teacher and director of the tap program for our school. Her strengths as a tap teacher have grown the tap program at the New Albany Ballet Company to include well over 80 students each year ranging in age of three to our adult tappers. Judy’s tap students have come from all over the Columbus area to train with her. Judy will teach all levels of tap and the youngest levels of Jazz next season.

Megan Spain

Megan received her early dance training with Ballet Met. She danced on scholarship with Ohio University before transferring to WRIGHT State University to train with Jan Rodriguez, Suzanne Walker, and Pat White. While studying dance performance and pedagogy for her eventual BFA cum laude in dance, she danced with WSU Dance Ensemble and was a member of Dayton Ballet II.

Megan has performed solo and principle roles with Footprints Contemporary Ballet and The Lancaster Ballet, as well as Columbus Dance Theatre. As a member of CDT, she danced the role of The Mad Woman/Penitent in Matchgirl and the mother figure in Kennet Oberly’s Presence of Memory in which Barbra Zuck ,of the Columbus Dispatch, proclaimed Megan’s mother figure as “gorgeous”. For Roberta Taylor, through CDT and Ballet Classique, she has danced countless principle roles and corps roles, including LA Lionne in Gaite Parisienne and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.

Passionate about sharing classical ballet with others, Megan enjoys 12 years of teaching experience. She has produced several story ballets to benefit Children’s Hospital and has won awards for her choreography. Megan holds a high standard for her students as well as herself and although busy with two young sons, makes the time to dedicate herself to preserving her art form. Megan will be teaching in the progressive ballet program this season.

Jennifer Mekhjian

Jennifer has trained with Atalier de Ballet Classique, Columbus Dance Theatre, Atlantic Ballet Company, Ballet Met, and the Columbus Youth Ballet. She has performed both corps work and solo variations in the Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty. Jennifer has also worked with Opera Columbus in Aida and Hansel and Gretel.

Jennifer’s knowledge of the RAD method of teaching ballet, Vaganova, and Ceccetti as well as her Bachelors of Education in Elementary Education makes her an ideal children’s ballet teacher. She comes to our program with experience teaching ballet to children ages three and up and has conducted rehearsals for the Atlantic Ballet Company’s Nutcracker. Jennifer’s love for children and her strong desire to make ballet fun and an enriching experience is displayed in all her classes. Jennifer will be co teaching the Little Ballet I and II, Primary Ballet, Ballet 1A, and General Division Ballet classes.

Molly Hogan

Molly Hogan, native of Columbus, began dancing at the age of seven. Her technique training started in classical Ballet under the direction of Shir Lee Wu at the Columbus Youth Ballet. While at CYB she performed in their annual Nutcracker productions.  In her high school career she continued her dance training to include modern and jazz at New Albany Ballet Company with Tara Miller. While at New Albany Ballet Company she was placed in the Pre-Professional division which gave her many performance opportunities. 

Molly furthered her training at summer intensives, including Long Beach Ballet Arts, Dayton Contemporary Dance, and Dayton Ballet, and the Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop.

Molly continues her passion of dance as she is currently teaching ballet, modern, and jazz to students ranging from two years old to eighteen  years old. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from The Ohio State University. While at OSU she performed in works created by Susan Hadley and Michael Kelly Bruce as well as studied under Karen Elliot, Susan Hadley, John Giffin and Susan Dromisky.  Molly has also been building her professional career working with local choreographers which include Kristina Isabelle and High Jinks Dance Company (2005 Columbus Fringe Festival), Natalie Marrone and The Dance Cure (2007), Nicole Cafera (2004- present), and most currently, Sarah Hixon and Hixon Dance (2007-present).  Molly is excited to begin her fifth year teaching at New Albany and to be teaching the Pre Professional Modern classes.

Stephanie Sestak

Stephanie Sestak started dancing much like most of our students; at her home town dance studio in St Joseph, Michigan. By the time she was in high school she started teaching ballet, tap, and jazz.  While attending Western Michigan University she studied and performed with the Kalamazoo Ballet Company. She soon relocated to Kansas City, Missouri where she started to study Ballroom Dancing. It is there where she taught and competed in Ballroom. Stephanie took some time away from dancing to start a family. Four children later she has returned to dancing at The New Albany Ballet Company. She has been on staff for three years and enjoys teaching the Little Ballet classes. Stephanie will be taking over as the Pre Little Ballet teacher this season. Being a mother of four young children, Stephanie is the perfect teacher for our young two year olds.

Kara Sayre

Kara has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education K-8 from The Ohio State University. She was a pre-school teacher in Knoxville, Tennessee. She also taught 3rd and 4th grade in Blacksburg, Virginia, along with 7th and 8th grade summer school.

Kara started dance lessons at age 3 until age 18. One of her dance teachers was a former NYC Rockette. She took ballet, jazz, hip/hop, tap, and tumbling. Along with performing in annual recitals, she performed in musicals such as “The King and I ” and “The Can-Can”. She also attended dance conferences in New York City to further her dance training in tap, jazz, hip/hop, and ballet with prominent choreographers that also trained Alfonso Ribeiro (The Tap Dance Kid, Michael Jackson Pepsi video, and The Fresh Prince).

Kara started cheerleading when she was in grade school. She won several competitions and was the captain and choreographer in high school. She was voted best dancer out of 500 girls at an Ohio State cheerleading camp her senior year. She also won an Ohio State cheerleading camp competition her senior year in high school and was invited to go to London, England to perform in the Lord Mayor of Westminster’s New Year’s Day parade. She was on the Ohio State Dance Team her freshman year at Ohio State. Then, she became an Ohio State varsity cheerleader. She taught at cheerleading camps grades K- 12 for Cheerleaders of America (COA) for three summers traveling throughout the United States. She also judged several cheerleading competitions for COA as well.

Kara, her husband Jay, and daughter’s Emily and Hannah live in New Albany. She enjoys sharing her love of dance with her own children and the students here at the New Albany Ballet Company.

Sarah Kidd

Sarah Kidd started dancing ballet at age five at her local dance studio in Dublin, OH. When the New Albany Ballet Company opened for its first season in 1999, Sarah began her more prestigious training there, which at this point in time also included jazz, modern, tap, and character. After high school, Sarah danced as a corps de ballet member of the Richmond Ballet for two years and then as a member of the Starr Foster Dance Project, a modern company in Richmond, for one year. When she returned to Columbus, Sarah became a teacher at her alma mater - she loves teaching and working with children 2-6 years old as part of NABC’s Children’s Division. Additionally, Sarah is a student at The Ohio University’s School of Allied Medical Professions majoring in Health Science as she begins her pursuit of becoming a Physical Therapist.

Bridget Sirak

Bridget brings 18 years of teaching experience to her classroom. She began teaching while attending Capital University, where she earned a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. She then chose to combine her love of teaching with her love of dance. She has many fond memories of her dance teachers and hopes to leave the same positive impact on her students. She focuses on jazz and tap for students from 3-18, and enjoys teaching the beginner to advanced levels. 

During college she worked for NCA in the Dance Division where she taught summer camps, workshops, and judged competitions. She was selected as a “National Top Ten Veteran Staff” member from across the entire country. She has also coached and choreographed for several local high school cheerleading squads.

Bridget has trained with numerous convention faculty members at NYCDA, WCDE, LADF, and LA Dance Magic. She has also trained under several teachers at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in New York City. She has taken classes with some of the great jazz teachers such as Gus Giorando, Frank Hatchett, Shiela Barker, and the newer names of Mia Micheals, Mandy Moore, and Ray Leeper.  Some of her favorite tap classes have been with Mike Minery, Gil Stroming, Mike Shulster, and Shea Sullivan.

Bridget has spent most of her years teaching students at the competitive level. Her dancers have earned many regional and national titles at Showstoppers, KAR, Showbiz, NYCDA, StarPower and more. 

Bridget, and her husband John, reside in New Albany with their three daughters.

Ashley Doyle-Lucas, PhD

Education & background

• Bachelors of Fine Arts, Ballet Performance, University of Utah, UT – 05
• Doctorate in Nutrition in Sport and Disease, Virginia Tech, VA – 10
• Dietetics Program, The Ohio State University, OH - Present

Experience and Interests

Ashley began her training in classical ballet in Washington state, however she graduated high school from the HARID conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida. She completed her BFA in ballet performance at the University of Utah and danced professionally with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and later, The Richmond Ballet. Following her dancing career she attended Virginia Tech where she completed her PhD in Nutrition in Sport and Disease. Her research focused on energy metabolism and the overall health of female athletes, in particular ballet dancers. Her manuscripts are published in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science.

Ashley is now a lecturer in the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University and teaches both ballet and nutrition to dancers across the state of Ohio. She also develops and implements nutrition education programs for adults at the local YMCAs. Ashley is currently completing the requirements necessary to become a registered dietitian. She is a member of IADMS, ADA, and ACSM.