New England Ballet Company of Ithaca Faculty

Amy Walker O’Brien -  Children’s Ballet

Amy Walker O’Brien grew up in Ithaca where she received her early training from the Ithaca Ballet.  She graduated from State University New York, Purchase in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.  She was a former member of The Washington Ballet under the direction of Mary Day.  She also freelanced with the Connecticut Ballet and Sono Dance Company for many years.  Her repertoire includes works choreographed by Choo-San-Goh, John Goding, Philip Jerry, Nils Christe, and Lynn Cote. Amy has worked extensively with children of young ages, introducing dance as a creative medium that incorporates music, stories, art, and props.  Since moving back to Ithaca, she has taught at the NEBC of Ithaca, Amstrong School of Dance, and Ithaca College.
Assistant Professor, Ithaca College Theatre Arts Department

Rachel Lampert - Modern Dance

Rachel Lampert trained at New York University Tisch School of the Arts where she received a Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Dance.  She performed with her own company, Rachel Lampert and Dancers, from 1976 - 1990.  Rachel is a four-time recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowship, and was on the faculty of New York University Tisch School of the Arts from 1974 – 1981.  In addition, her choreography has been performed by companies all across the US and in Italy, Australia and China.  She is currently the Artistic Director of the Kitchen Theatre Company.

Lisa Chase -  Ballet, Jazz, Modern

Lisa Chase is a native of Ithaca, New York where she began her ballet training under the direction of Alice Reid.  As a teenager, she went to London where she received further training at the Urdang Academy.  At the age of 18 she was invited to join the Milwaukee Ballet under the direction of Jean-Paul Comelin and performed in classics such as “The Nutcracker” and “Coppelia,” as well as in the world premiere of the ballet “Florestan.”  Following was a brief stint at the Houston Grand Opera.  In 1982 she joined the Princeton Ballet as a soloist and performed in the company’s extensive Neo-Classical repertoire for four years.  In the summer of 1984 she danced in the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland where she was chosen to perform a solo in Frederick Ashton’s famous ballet “Façade.”  In 1986, Lisa joined the Des Moines Ballet as a principal dancer.  Her roles included Dewdrop Fairy and Snow Queen in “The Nutcracker,” the “Romeo and Juliet” balcony scene pas de deux, the title role of Alice in “Alice in Wonderland,” as well as numerous roles in various contemporary works.  In 1990, she made her musical theater debut in Vienna, Austria in the Andrew Lloyd Weber production of “The Phantom of the Opera.”  It was in Vienna where Lisa embarked upon her teaching, directing, and choreographic career.  In 1997, she choreographed and danced in the Austrian tour of “Broadway Musical Night.”  She also choreographed for the “Steve Barton Memorial Gala,” as well as for several productions for Vienna’s “Theater der Jugend.”  Lisa made her professional directing debut with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” for the Metropol Theater, Vienna.  She has also directed extensively for the Vienna Musical School.  In 1995 she joined the faculty of the “Performing Arts and Performing Center Austria.”  Her contemporary piece, “Shadowland,” choreographed for members of the school, won the European Open contest last year.  Lisa is thrilled to be on the faculty of the New England Ballet Company and hopes to be able to share her talents as choreographer with the company in the future.

Miranda Strichartz - Ballet

Miranda Strichartz trained at the Dance Circle Studio with Naomi Richardson Strichartz and Eugenia Wacker-Hoeflin and has taught ballet to children and adults for over ten years.  In 1995, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Cornell University and, in 2003, a Master of Arts degree in English from State University of New York, Albany.  She has danced with the Ithaca Concert Dance Company and has choreographed a number of performance pieces, including the full-length children's ballet Vassilisa in 1998.

Chandra Le - Pilates

Trained:  University of Nevada at Las Vegas (BA History), Southern Utah University (Dance)

Danced:  Southern Utah University Ballroom Dance Company

Pilates certification:  Department of Dance, University of Nevada at Las Vegas in conjunction with DK body Balancing

Diane Cahill - Ballet

Diane Cahill received her early ballet training with Magda Aunon and performed with the Ft. Lauderdale Ballet Classique. During high school, she attended summer study with the Boston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet among others. Diane is also a graduate of Florida State University where she earned her B.F.A in Dance and a B.A. in English Literature. While at Florida State, she studied ballet and modern with various artists including Suzanne Farrell, Alonzo King, Jowale Willa Jo Zollar, Lynda Davis, Sean Curran, Doug Varone, Jane Wood, Anjali Austin, and many others. While pursuing her degree, Ms. Cahill danced with the Tallahassee Ballet under the direction of Katherine Kashin and Joyce Straub. There, she created the role of Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Her other roles include Cinderella and Fairy Godmother in “Sleeping Beauty,” Soloist in “Strauss Waltzes,” and Mother, Russian, Spanish, and Flowers Demi-Soloist in “The Nutcracker,” among others. Later, she joined the Dance Repertory Theatre where she had the opportunity to perform Terry Creach’s “Kindred” and Jowale Zollar’s “Girlfriends.” After graduation, Ms. Cahill moved to New York City where she performed with Jana Hicks and debuted with The Bitter Poet and Dancers. In addition to her performing, Diane has taught ballet and modern for several schools throughout Florida and also in New York. Ms. Cahill now resides in Ithaca where she continues to teach and perform. 

Jim Eavenson -  Yoga for Dancers
 

Jim Eavenson teaches “Yoga for Dancers” at the studio.  “From an eclectic artistic, dance, music, and business background, I have found my place in practicing and teaching Yoga.  I began my practice at 13 years old in a forest outside Reading, Pennsylvania armed with a seemingly strange-to-that-land book, “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga.”  I ceremoniously laid the picture book in the pine-needle forest of a secluded spot and began to shape my body, mind and heart.  The years have passed, and I have come out of the forest, but not left behind the seeking of that creative spark that resonated with hope 30 years ago.  Inspired by the teachings of the Iyengars, Mary Dunn, Kevin Gardiner, Richard Freeman, David Life and Sharon Gannon and all the rest who seek a better way through higher consciousness, I continue to forge a path through the forests of teaching, practice, humanity, demons and gods.  I give generously of what I have learned along the way, and explore the challenges of our bodies, minds and hearts with enthusiasm and compassion.  My teaching is eclectic, passionate, detailed and intuitive.  I aim to challenge, inspire, heal and delight. For as much as I have learned about the body from dance, continued anatomy study, and consistent and passionate study with myself and others, Yoga continues to be for me a seeking of the calm, highly livable and meditative state of awareness that does not idolize the body’s accomplishments.  We seek refreshment of our faith in ourselves and others and use our practice as a tool for that consciousness.  Nevertheless, the body will become accomplished, and health and happiness will ensue, which is not such a bad thing, is it?” Jim has a teaching certificate from Richard Freeman’s Yoga Workshop, the first module of Jivamukti Yoga Center and directs Santosha Yoga Center in Ithaca.  He continues his studies in New York with Kevin Gardiner, apprenticing under him at the Iyengar Institute of New York.