Karen T. Goodman, Associate Director, a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and the Weist-Barron School. She is certified to teach by the Dance Masters of America and has extensive training in jazz, tap, ballet, voice and theatre. Ms. Goodman has toured professionally throughout the U.S. and Europe. She has performed off-Broadway in national tours as well as in music videos and on cruise ships. Ms. Goodman has taught for New England Ballet since 1992 and became Associate Director in the spring of 1995. Ms. Goodman also serves as Associate Director/Children’s Ballet Mistress for New England Ballet Company. She has performed many roles for New England Ballet Company in Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake and The 40’s. She has also choreographed numerous works for New England Ballet Company, including Dancescapes and The 40’s. 

Steven Hyde – Ballet Master

Steven Hyde began his dance training at Ballet Florida under the artistic direction of Marie Hale in 1980. Steven was invited by Artistic Director Arnold Spohr to join the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1983 as a member of the corps de ballet.  In 1985 he was promoted to soloist and then became a principal dancer in 1987.  In 1990 he received the attention of the international ballet world as he partnered Laura Graham at the 14^th International Competition in Varna, Bulgaria.  Although not an official competitor, Steven nonetheless was awarded the certificate for Excellence in Partnering.  Mr. Hyde joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1992 and danced with them for three seasons partnering such ballerinas as Paloma Herrera, Amanda McKerrow and Julie Kent and Christina Fagundes.  He had the opportunity to work with Twyla Tharp dancing In the Upper Room and also with Jiri Kylian, performing his work Stepping Stones.  He has danced all of the classics and a wide variety of contemporary choreography.  Steven has been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for his strong dramatic dancing, quick turns and clean classical lines.  In 1998 and 1999, Mr. Hyde appeared in New England Ballet Company's™ production of Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum Cavalier.  In January 2000, Steven joined New England Ballet Company as Ballet Master and the faculty of the school teaching the pre-professional levels.  He has also taught and choreographed for American Ballet Theatreâ's™ Summer Intensive Program in Alabama from 2000-2003. He choreographed an original ballet, Syncopation, which was premiered by NEBC in the spring of 2001. 

Linda Giancaspro -- Ballet Mistress

Linda Giancaspro is the 1995 New York State Award of Excellence recipient for her work as a dancer and teacher.  Linda is currently the owner and director of the Artistic Dance Academy in New York City and travels as a master teacher and adjudicator for Dance Olympus, Dance Educators of America and the International Dance Challenge.  She has taught for prestigious locations such as Broadway Dance Center, Carnegie Hall, City Center Studios, Peri Dance, New Dance Group and St. John's University.  Linda began her dance training with the famed Istran Raborsky and Nora Kovach of the Bolshoi Ballet.  Her background includes extensive work in the Russian Vaganova syllabus of ballet with the Delaware Regional Ballet, Rabonsky Ballet, and American Ballet Threatre II.  Her career has flourished with the appointment to the staff of the New England Ballet Company in 2002 and was delighted to choreograph a new addition to New England Ballet Company's Nutcracker, The English Princess.

Victor Trevino -- Guest Faculty / Choreographer

Victor Trevino, began his professional dancing career at Ballet Florida as an original member. In its inception season he performed the male pas de deux Gemini with Kenneth Hopkins. This began his long association with Kenneth Hopkins. His choreographic credits include Romeo & Juliet Balcony Pas de Deux, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood, Peter & the Wolf, Act II/Act III Swan Lake and numerous other works. In 1996, Victor became artistic director of his own company, Les Ballets Grandiva, an all male comedic ballet troup, currently touring Japan and China for its 7th season. New England Ballet Company will add Mr. Trevino’s ballet Dracula to its repertory for its 2004-2005 Season.

Joanne Whitehill -- Guest Faculty / Choreographer

Joanne Whitehill began her training with the School of Connecticut Ballet in 1980.  She continued her studies with New Haven Ballet,  New England Ballet School, and Burklyn Ballet Theatre.  She danced professionally with Vermont Ballet Theatre, Allegro Dance Theatre, Nevada Dance Theatre and Oregon Ballet Theatre.  Joanne’s association with Kenneth Hopkins began in 1990 when she performed the Pas de Deux Spring Waters with him for her senior performance with Southern Connecticut State University’s Dance Theatre.  She holds a B.S. in Education from SCSU.  Her choreography Midnight Blue, and the Flower Fairies from Cinderella have been performed by the Burklyn Youth Ballet at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.  Joanne has staged Les Sylphides and her own choreography, including Concerto in G, Midnight Blue, and The Flower Fairies from Cinderella for New England Ballet Company.  She is currently the Artistic Director of Burklyn Ballet Theatre, a frequent guest teacher for New England Ballet School, and has served as Artistic Advisor, Ballet Mistress and Choreographer  for New England Ballet Company. In the spring of 2003, sbe staged her choreography for Cinderella for New England Ballet School.

William Pizzuto- Choreographer

Born in Tampa, Florida, Mr. Pizzuto began his dance training in South Florida with Ruth Petrinovic at the Atlantic Foundation for the Performing Arts with a full scholarship with the Harkness Ballet Foundation, NYC.  He performed as a featured soloist with the Ballet Spectacular and Ballet Concerto companies of Miami and was invited to tour nationally with Dame Margot Fonteyn and the Chicago Ballet. Mr. Pizzuto has performed as a Principal Danseur with Houston Ballet, Ballet West, Boston Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet de Santiago, Chile, Ballet Centrum, de Berlin, West Germany, Arima Ballet and Hara Ballet, Japan and has danced throughout four continents.  In 1990, Mr. Pizzuto was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov and choreographer Mark Morris to joint he White Oak Dance Project as an original member and toured works commissioned for the company.  His own choreography is in the repertoires of Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet II, Ballet New England, Ballet Florida, and Hara Ballet Companies, among others.  Mr. Pizzuto was the artistic director of Ballet New England in New Hampshire for several years and has taught at the University of Cincinnati.  Mr. Pizzuto first premiered his choreography of Act II and III of Romeo & Juliet for New England Ballet Company in 1995 where he danced the role of Romeo opposite Taylor Bain and he once again collaborated with New England Ballet Company for Romeo & Juliet in the spring of 2003.

Christina Fagundes -- Guest Faculty / Choreographer

Christina Fagundes, a native of California, was a finalist in the 1982 International Ballet Competition before joining the San Francisco Ballet. In 1985 Mikhail Baryshnikov invited Ms. Fagundes to join American Ballet Theatre and appointed her soloist in 1989. Ms. Fagundes’ extensive repertoire includes principal roles in the 19th century classics, Don Quixote, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, and Swan Lake. She has also been featured in ballets by Balanchine, Robbins, Tudor, Macmillan, Ashton, Morris, Kylian, Lubovitch, Welch, and Martins, many of which she created roles for. Since 1999, Ms. Fagundes has been a principal dancer with Suzanne Farrell Ballet dancing leads in Balanchine’s Apollo, Divertimento #15, Scotch Symphony, Tzigane, Elegie, and Meditation as well as Bejart’s Romeo & Juliet and Robbin’s Afternoon of a Faun. Ms. Fagundes teaches, choreographs and frequently appears as a guest artist, most recently with The Washington Ballet where she danced Concerto Barocco, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, and Tudor’s Leaves are Falling and Pillar of Fire. Ms. Fagundes recently graduated summa cum laude with a B.F.A. from Fordham University.