Ballet Vermont Performance Company
Meet ChatchArtistic Director
Ballet Vermont & the Farm to Ballet Project 
photo credit: Tim Peters
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Chatch Pregger- Artistic Director, Principal Dancer
Chatch, grew up in Fair Haven, Vermont. When he was 15 years old he moved to CT to attend the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts to follow his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. His dream came to fruition when he joined Boston Ballet II in 1999 and was promoted to Boston Ballet the following year. Since then he has been a member of the Washington Ballet and the Houston Ballet, as well as a guest dancer with the Arizona Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theatre. He has performed works by Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson, Kirk Peterson, Nacho Duato, Trey MacIntyre, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Antony Tudor, Michael Pink, Stanton Welch, Septime Webre, and George Balanchine, as well as many ballets from the classical repertoire including Giselle, La Bayadere and Don Quixote. Locally, Chatch took part in Burlington’s Quadracentennial festival playing Samuel de Champlain in From The New World by Heddy Maalem. He also joined the Portland Ballet in 2010 to dance the role of Cavalier in their Victorian Nutcracker.
Chatch studied the Vaganova sylabus at the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts where he trained with master teachers including Eleanor D’Antuono, Kirk Peterson, and Elena Tchernichova. He received his early ballet training at the Adams School in Rutland, Vermont and attended summer programs at the Pittsburgh Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Hartford Ballet. Chatch is currently teaching Ballet at Spotlight Vermont where he especially loves making ballet accessible to beginner adult dancers.
2018 marks the fourth year of the Farm to Ballet Project after an extremely successful first three years. Chatch worked tirelessly to bring his vision to life and is excited about seeing the project grow. “I knew I would love the creativity of building a ballet company, but I was thrilled to discover the joy of bringing new audiences onto the farms to experience the art of dance,” he explains. Chatch's newest project, Bees & Friends, debuted in Fall 2017 and will be touring Vermont again in Fall 2018. He thanks his dedicated ballet students for helping him create Farm to Ballet and is very grateful to them for allowing him to express his creativity, vision, and for their trust and faith in him.
Chatch, grew up in Fair Haven, Vermont. When he was 15 years old he moved to CT to attend the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts to follow his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. His dream came to fruition when he joined Boston Ballet II in 1999 and was promoted to Boston Ballet the following year. Since then he has been a member of the Washington Ballet and the Houston Ballet, as well as a guest dancer with the Arizona Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Texas Ballet Theatre. He has performed works by Mark Morris, Ben Stevenson, Kirk Peterson, Nacho Duato, Trey MacIntyre, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Antony Tudor, Michael Pink, Stanton Welch, Septime Webre, and George Balanchine, as well as many ballets from the classical repertoire including Giselle, La Bayadere and Don Quixote. Locally, Chatch took part in Burlington’s Quadracentennial festival playing Samuel de Champlain in From The New World by Heddy Maalem. He also joined the Portland Ballet in 2010 to dance the role of Cavalier in their Victorian Nutcracker.
Chatch studied the Vaganova sylabus at the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts where he trained with master teachers including Eleanor D’Antuono, Kirk Peterson, and Elena Tchernichova. He received his early ballet training at the Adams School in Rutland, Vermont and attended summer programs at the Pittsburgh Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Hartford Ballet. Chatch is currently teaching Ballet at Spotlight Vermont where he especially loves making ballet accessible to beginner adult dancers.
2018 marks the fourth year of the Farm to Ballet Project after an extremely successful first three years. Chatch worked tirelessly to bring his vision to life and is excited about seeing the project grow. “I knew I would love the creativity of building a ballet company, but I was thrilled to discover the joy of bringing new audiences onto the farms to experience the art of dance,” he explains. Chatch's newest project, Bees & Friends, debuted in Fall 2017 and will be touring Vermont again in Fall 2018. He thanks his dedicated ballet students for helping him create Farm to Ballet and is very grateful to them for allowing him to express his creativity, vision, and for their trust and faith in him.
Image by Tim Peters
Jillian Wright
Jillian Wright first joined the company to be part of Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. “I watched a video of the production before I moved to Vermont, and was so enamored by its charm, and Chatch’s philosophy that dancers in all stages of development can perform,” says Jillian. “I felt a longing to be a part of the process.”
A native of Bennington, Vermont, Jillian returned to the Burlington area in 2016 after spending a number of years living and working in New York City. She has worked in arts management and accounting for several arts organizations and is currently Senior Director of People Operation & Controller, for Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization that supports artists/makers/creatives with the business-side of creating their work. When she’s not at work or in class, Jillian enjoys gardening, listening to the podcast Brave Little State, and hiking with her family.
Jillian’s life long love of dance started at age four during her first dance performance as a wild cat in the Berkshire Dance Theatre’s production of Peter Pan. She earned her Bachelor's in Dance Education and Arts Management at Marymount Manhattan College in New York. She taught modern, jazz, and ballet for ten years at the Steffi Nossen School of Dance in Westchester, NY.
“Farming typically can feel so distant from what ends up on our plates at home,” explains Jillian. Jillian says she’s excited to support Ballet Vermont and to perform again for her friends and family. “I’m excited to dance in natural light and hear all the sounds of nature as I perform.” She says that her family loves visiting the local farmer’s markets, sampling local cheeses and baked goods, and exploring the local bounty each summer. “We also enjoy gardening together and watching the magic of something grow.” This is also the first opportunity her two young children have had to watch her perform. “I’m so excited to share my joy of dance with them!”
Jillian Wright first joined the company to be part of Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. “I watched a video of the production before I moved to Vermont, and was so enamored by its charm, and Chatch’s philosophy that dancers in all stages of development can perform,” says Jillian. “I felt a longing to be a part of the process.”
A native of Bennington, Vermont, Jillian returned to the Burlington area in 2016 after spending a number of years living and working in New York City. She has worked in arts management and accounting for several arts organizations and is currently Senior Director of People Operation & Controller, for Fractured Atlas, a non-profit service organization that supports artists/makers/creatives with the business-side of creating their work. When she’s not at work or in class, Jillian enjoys gardening, listening to the podcast Brave Little State, and hiking with her family.
Jillian’s life long love of dance started at age four during her first dance performance as a wild cat in the Berkshire Dance Theatre’s production of Peter Pan. She earned her Bachelor's in Dance Education and Arts Management at Marymount Manhattan College in New York. She taught modern, jazz, and ballet for ten years at the Steffi Nossen School of Dance in Westchester, NY.
“Farming typically can feel so distant from what ends up on our plates at home,” explains Jillian. Jillian says she’s excited to support Ballet Vermont and to perform again for her friends and family. “I’m excited to dance in natural light and hear all the sounds of nature as I perform.” She says that her family loves visiting the local farmer’s markets, sampling local cheeses and baked goods, and exploring the local bounty each summer. “We also enjoy gardening together and watching the magic of something grow.” This is also the first opportunity her two young children have had to watch her perform. “I’m so excited to share my joy of dance with them!”
Image by Tim Peters
Maria Mercieca
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she moved to the United States when she was 6 years old, living in the suburbs of New York City. “When I was 10, we took a family trip to Stowe and I thought to myself, ‘I want to live here one day,’ but it wasn't until I was 26 that I made that dream a reality, moving first to Burlington and eventually buying a home with my husband in Shelburne in 2010.”
After a long hiatus from ballet, Maria is eager to reconnect with her childhood passion and to perform again. “I fell in love with the community of women involved with the company,” she explains.
Maria first started dancing in Buenos Aires and continued to study ballet at Poughkeepsie Ballet Theater in New York with her beloved teacher Tom Adair. She also attended the Joffrey Ballet School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and summer programs with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. “My most treasured experience as a dancer was participating in a two-week workshop with teacher Margot Fonteyn when I was 11 years old.”
“When we were getting ready to take the "stage" at our Billings Farm performance in Woodstock last summer, a lingering drizzle turned into a steadier light rain. We delayed a bit, but finally decided the show would go on. I was dancing in the opening number at that show and, within the first few minutes, the rain stopped. As I turned away from the audience to step into a pique attitude, my head tilted upward, I was greeted with a gorgeous full rainbow. You cannot recreate this type of natural beauty inside a theater,” she says.
Maria and her family support local agriculture and have been proud CSA members at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne, Vermont, for several years now. “We love spending time there, listening to live music, and eating food that was grown on the land we are standing on.”
Although it’s challenging to balance the time commitment with her family's schedule, Maria says she is lucky to work from home full-time. “I could not participate in Farm to Ballet if it weren't for the incredible support I receive from my husband, Michael. He knows how important dancing is for me and he makes the company a priority for our family. My girls, Violet and Sabine, have since started dancing and love seeing me perform. This summer, I'm thrilled to have Violet join us at the Shelburne Farms performance after she participates in the Farm to Ballet camp this June.”
Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, she moved to the United States when she was 6 years old, living in the suburbs of New York City. “When I was 10, we took a family trip to Stowe and I thought to myself, ‘I want to live here one day,’ but it wasn't until I was 26 that I made that dream a reality, moving first to Burlington and eventually buying a home with my husband in Shelburne in 2010.”
After a long hiatus from ballet, Maria is eager to reconnect with her childhood passion and to perform again. “I fell in love with the community of women involved with the company,” she explains.
Maria first started dancing in Buenos Aires and continued to study ballet at Poughkeepsie Ballet Theater in New York with her beloved teacher Tom Adair. She also attended the Joffrey Ballet School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and summer programs with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. “My most treasured experience as a dancer was participating in a two-week workshop with teacher Margot Fonteyn when I was 11 years old.”
“When we were getting ready to take the "stage" at our Billings Farm performance in Woodstock last summer, a lingering drizzle turned into a steadier light rain. We delayed a bit, but finally decided the show would go on. I was dancing in the opening number at that show and, within the first few minutes, the rain stopped. As I turned away from the audience to step into a pique attitude, my head tilted upward, I was greeted with a gorgeous full rainbow. You cannot recreate this type of natural beauty inside a theater,” she says.
Maria and her family support local agriculture and have been proud CSA members at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne, Vermont, for several years now. “We love spending time there, listening to live music, and eating food that was grown on the land we are standing on.”
Although it’s challenging to balance the time commitment with her family's schedule, Maria says she is lucky to work from home full-time. “I could not participate in Farm to Ballet if it weren't for the incredible support I receive from my husband, Michael. He knows how important dancing is for me and he makes the company a priority for our family. My girls, Violet and Sabine, have since started dancing and love seeing me perform. This summer, I'm thrilled to have Violet join us at the Shelburne Farms performance after she participates in the Farm to Ballet camp this June.”
Image by Tim Peters
Margaret A. Vizzard- is originally from Philadelphia, PA but has now lived in Vermont for the past twenty years. She is a Professor of Neurological Sciences at The University of Vermont College of Medicine. A physiologist by training, Margaret is a basic scientist studying the lower urinary tract with an emphasis on urinary bladder dysfunction including bladder overactivity and incontinence. She is also an educator who teaches Neuroscience to graduate students and residents. Four and half years ago, she returned to ballet after a very long hiatus wanting to use different parts of her brain. She is grateful to Chatch Pregger for his encouraging and inclusive teaching methods. She lives in South Burlington, VT with her very supportive husband, Declan, and their three children, Heather, Ethan and Lauren.
Image by Tim Peters
Sara Ziegler
Sara was raised in Fairfax, Vermont, “where the smell of fresh cut hay and cow manure dominate the summer air,” she explains. She loves being outside exploring her surroundings and getting dirty and does this often as a crops and soils coordinator for the University of Vermont Exension. “In my professional career I get to see Vermont’s working landscape in action every day. But I also see farmers struggling to keep up with the challenges of today’s economic, political, and climatic conditions.” She says that while she is troubled by the number of farms going out of business due to the many pressures that farmers face today, she believes that efforts like Farm to Ballet and Bees & Friends can make a difference. “These events get the general population out to farms to learn what farmers do, what challenges they face, and realize just how critical they are to Vermont’s economy and the health of its landscape. With this understanding, Vermonters can become invested and take stake in their local food system, supporting their neighborhood farmers.”
While she didn’t grow up on a farm, Sara says her family enjoyed a big garden where she spent her summer evenings “watering, weeding, picking off squash bugs, and harvesting vegetables.” Her mother, a weaver by trade, always dreamed of raising her own fiber animals, and they raised a small herd of alpacas. She started taking ballet classes at the age of five and continued this three days a week for twelve years.
“When I was a young dancer I experienced firsthand the pressure to ‘look like a ballet dancer,’ and being taller and bigger than all my peers, I knew I would never make the cut.” Luckily, that didn’t stop her from dancing. “I want all dancers to realize that if you love it, you should do it, and you should do it for yourself. I also hope that I can help expose Vermonters to the hard working, dedicated, strong, and integral farmers around our beautiful state.”
Sara also says that it takes commitment. “Producing a feature length ballet is a lot of work! The rehearsal schedule is rigorous. The dancers essentially train like professional dancers while balancing full-time jobs, families, and other activities. To add to the challenge, nothing can really prepare you for the unique physical challenges of dancing outside and in the grass.”
Sara was raised in Fairfax, Vermont, “where the smell of fresh cut hay and cow manure dominate the summer air,” she explains. She loves being outside exploring her surroundings and getting dirty and does this often as a crops and soils coordinator for the University of Vermont Exension. “In my professional career I get to see Vermont’s working landscape in action every day. But I also see farmers struggling to keep up with the challenges of today’s economic, political, and climatic conditions.” She says that while she is troubled by the number of farms going out of business due to the many pressures that farmers face today, she believes that efforts like Farm to Ballet and Bees & Friends can make a difference. “These events get the general population out to farms to learn what farmers do, what challenges they face, and realize just how critical they are to Vermont’s economy and the health of its landscape. With this understanding, Vermonters can become invested and take stake in their local food system, supporting their neighborhood farmers.”
While she didn’t grow up on a farm, Sara says her family enjoyed a big garden where she spent her summer evenings “watering, weeding, picking off squash bugs, and harvesting vegetables.” Her mother, a weaver by trade, always dreamed of raising her own fiber animals, and they raised a small herd of alpacas. She started taking ballet classes at the age of five and continued this three days a week for twelve years.
“When I was a young dancer I experienced firsthand the pressure to ‘look like a ballet dancer,’ and being taller and bigger than all my peers, I knew I would never make the cut.” Luckily, that didn’t stop her from dancing. “I want all dancers to realize that if you love it, you should do it, and you should do it for yourself. I also hope that I can help expose Vermonters to the hard working, dedicated, strong, and integral farmers around our beautiful state.”
Sara also says that it takes commitment. “Producing a feature length ballet is a lot of work! The rehearsal schedule is rigorous. The dancers essentially train like professional dancers while balancing full-time jobs, families, and other activities. To add to the challenge, nothing can really prepare you for the unique physical challenges of dancing outside and in the grass.”
Image by Tim Peters
Marya Carmolli
Marya has been part of the company since the very beginning! She started dance classes in second grade where she trained for eight years with Ilene Blackman in her hometown of Rutland, VT. She attended UVM and graduated with a BS in Medical Technology. She served in the Peace Corps in Yemen where she was evacuated after ten months due to a civil war. She lived in Oregon for eight years where she conducted Neuroscience research and was heavily involved in competitive Ultimate Frisbee. She then returned to her home state and now works at the University of Vermont as a Laboratory Researcher in clinical trials and global health research. After a twenty-six year hiatus from dance, Marya discovered Chatch’s ballet classes and has been involved in not only performing, but also with many other Farm to Ballet aspects including costume management, donor stewardship, merchandising, and advertising sales. She is proud to support the project because she views agriculture from the point of view of feeding people, “particularly individuals who may not have access to healthy food.” She loves the project because it also combines two of her favorite things—nature and ballet. She says her family, which includes four brothers and two sisters, has been very supportive of her commitment to the project. “My parents have been particularly supportive,” she added.
Marya has been part of the company since the very beginning! She started dance classes in second grade where she trained for eight years with Ilene Blackman in her hometown of Rutland, VT. She attended UVM and graduated with a BS in Medical Technology. She served in the Peace Corps in Yemen where she was evacuated after ten months due to a civil war. She lived in Oregon for eight years where she conducted Neuroscience research and was heavily involved in competitive Ultimate Frisbee. She then returned to her home state and now works at the University of Vermont as a Laboratory Researcher in clinical trials and global health research. After a twenty-six year hiatus from dance, Marya discovered Chatch’s ballet classes and has been involved in not only performing, but also with many other Farm to Ballet aspects including costume management, donor stewardship, merchandising, and advertising sales. She is proud to support the project because she views agriculture from the point of view of feeding people, “particularly individuals who may not have access to healthy food.” She loves the project because it also combines two of her favorite things—nature and ballet. She says her family, which includes four brothers and two sisters, has been very supportive of her commitment to the project. “My parents have been particularly supportive,” she added.
Image by Tim Peters
Kim Nowlan
Kim Nowlan joined the company for the first time to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019.
“I hesitated to audition for years because of scheduling issues and the time commitment in the summer. But my daughter just started taking ballet lessons this year and loves it, so honestly, I think I finally went for it to show her that mommy is a ballerina too,” says Kim. She lives in Essex Junction with her husband Travis, and son Xavier(7) and daughter Ramona (4).
A native of Randolph, Vermont, Kim lived in Switzerland as an exchange student for one year, and attended college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She moved to Burlington after graduating, and worked in the Burlington School District as a paraprofessional and special educator until the birth of her son. Since then she has stayed home to take care of her two children. “I am also a choreographer and have worked in a number of local schools throughout the years teaching dance and choreographing musicals.” She has served as the choreographer for the Lyric Theatre Company’s summer camps since 2007, and for the Chandler Center for the Arts Fourth of July youth musical in Randolph.
Kim has been dancing her whole life and majored in dance at Mount Holyoke College, where she “joyously explored every form of dance and movement offered, including Modern, Ballet, Contact Improvisation, West African, and Hip Hop.” She’s been an active member of Lyric since 2006, appearing onstage in twelve shows and choreographing two.
“I love that this production, and Bees & Friends, present ballet in a completely new way,” she explains. “Ballet can be perceived as a very rigid, uptight art form, but Farm to Ballet is so colorful, exuberant, out in the open air on the grass. Very far from a stuffy theater setting!”
Kim Nowlan joined the company for the first time to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019.
“I hesitated to audition for years because of scheduling issues and the time commitment in the summer. But my daughter just started taking ballet lessons this year and loves it, so honestly, I think I finally went for it to show her that mommy is a ballerina too,” says Kim. She lives in Essex Junction with her husband Travis, and son Xavier(7) and daughter Ramona (4).
A native of Randolph, Vermont, Kim lived in Switzerland as an exchange student for one year, and attended college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. She moved to Burlington after graduating, and worked in the Burlington School District as a paraprofessional and special educator until the birth of her son. Since then she has stayed home to take care of her two children. “I am also a choreographer and have worked in a number of local schools throughout the years teaching dance and choreographing musicals.” She has served as the choreographer for the Lyric Theatre Company’s summer camps since 2007, and for the Chandler Center for the Arts Fourth of July youth musical in Randolph.
Kim has been dancing her whole life and majored in dance at Mount Holyoke College, where she “joyously explored every form of dance and movement offered, including Modern, Ballet, Contact Improvisation, West African, and Hip Hop.” She’s been an active member of Lyric since 2006, appearing onstage in twelve shows and choreographing two.
“I love that this production, and Bees & Friends, present ballet in a completely new way,” she explains. “Ballet can be perceived as a very rigid, uptight art form, but Farm to Ballet is so colorful, exuberant, out in the open air on the grass. Very far from a stuffy theater setting!”
Image by Tim Peters
Katie Decker Katie has been interested in dance and performance since a very young age. She studied Jazz at David DeMarie in Buffalo, NY throughout her childhood and performed in a variety of local theater and musical productions. As an adult, she returned to dance and found an incredible adult dance community that she didn’t even know existed right here in Vermont! She fell in love with ballet, studying intensely multiple times a week, which soon led to the development of the Farm to Ballet Project, which she co-created with Chatch Pregger and a group of committed adult ballet dancers. In 2018, Katie and Chatch incorporated Ballet Vermont, a ballet company with a social mission. Ballet Vermont produces multiple ballet productions a year, hires amateur and professional dancers and musicians and runs several kids camps- and Katie coordinates and manages the whole thing: soup to nuts! Besides dance, Katie has almost 20 years of experience as an educator and administrator- most recently as Director of Centerpoint School, where she concluded a 17 year commitment to educating students with emotional and behavioral challenges. She has taught students from ages 3 all the way up to college age students across a variety of skill levels and content areas. Other interests include: spending time with her family and friends, being outside, listening to music (and singing it loudly), watching hysterical cat videos and eating tacos.
image by Amy Overstreet
Tai Nixa Peterson
Tai Nixa Peterson joined Ballet Vermont first to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. She learned about the Farm to Ballet audition from the Vermont Dance Alliance e-newsletter. “After having an exceptionally busy and difficult year prior, with no time to do the things I love, like dance, I saw the audition posting and immediately signed up!” She says she was enticed to audition because, “the mission of Ballet Vermont and Farm to Ballet is brilliant, and I’ve been patiently waiting to find a “dance home” since moving to Vermont.”
A native of New Hampshire, Tai studied at St. Lawrence University and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Anthropology and African Studies. As a student, she had the opportunity to travel in Nepal and Kenya. After college, she lived in Buffalo, NY for four years before moving and putting down roots in Vermont in 2017.
She and her husband, Conor, live on a quiet dirt road with their dog and cat. Tai is a fundraising professional in the nonprofit sector. Currently based in Waterbury, VT, she works at the Himalayan Cataract Project, a nonprofit organization that works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in the developing world.
Tai has danced since age 3 and has experience in tap, jazz, and ballet. She fell in love with modern dance in high school at Kimball Union Academy and focused only on that genre through college and into her mid-twenties. She has participated in summer intensives with the
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Salzburg International Ballet Academy in Austria, LehrerDance, and has worked with dancers in Nairobi, Kenya. After college, she also had the opportunity to perform in several productions with professional companies including
theatreKAPOW, Moné Dance Company, and was a dancer in musicals with Buffalo, NY's vibrant theatre community.
After taking a two-year hiatus from dancing, including a twelve-year hiatus from ballet, she is “grateful to have found and to be welcomed into the Ballet Vermont community.” She thinks the agricultural and artistic perspectives are intertwined and have many parallels in Farm to Ballet, including “the work ethic that goes into both farming and dance, the rituals and rhythms of the work, the struggles and joys, the processes and outcomes, and the communities that surround each.”
Tai is excited that this experience gives her the opportunity to take class, grow as a person, as an artist, to perform, and be part of the Vermont community which is such a beautiful and special place. “I am already an avid outdoor enthusiast, so combining my love for dance and for the outdoors is going to be absolutely blissful!”
Tai’s parents are both from Iowa and she has a lot of family in farming communities throughout the Midwest. “The concept of local food has always been ingrained in my mind since I was young.” She just moved into a house with a garden, a green house, and a (currently empty) chicken coop palace. “Although I’m still a beginner gardener, I find it very meaningful and I’m really excited to grow my own food.”
“This is exactly what my mind, body, and soul needed to get life back at center. I am the most happy and balanced when I am dancing and surrounded by nature, so this is really the most perfect place to be,” she says.
Tai enjoys canoe tripping in Algonquin Park in Ontario, hiking, traveling, visiting museums, cooking and baking, crafting, quilting, and yoga. “My go-to method of living life is to smile as much as possible!”
She says as an only child, her parents were always very supportive of her, driving her to rehearsals for so many years, attending every show no matter how far away it was, letting her explore her own creativity, and never saying no to her ideas. “I would not be where I am today without their never-ending love and encouragement.” She also credits her husband for his support. “We each have our own passions in life and he has inspired me to keep doing the things I love to do, even when they seem impossible.”
Tai Nixa Peterson joined Ballet Vermont first to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. She learned about the Farm to Ballet audition from the Vermont Dance Alliance e-newsletter. “After having an exceptionally busy and difficult year prior, with no time to do the things I love, like dance, I saw the audition posting and immediately signed up!” She says she was enticed to audition because, “the mission of Ballet Vermont and Farm to Ballet is brilliant, and I’ve been patiently waiting to find a “dance home” since moving to Vermont.”
A native of New Hampshire, Tai studied at St. Lawrence University and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Anthropology and African Studies. As a student, she had the opportunity to travel in Nepal and Kenya. After college, she lived in Buffalo, NY for four years before moving and putting down roots in Vermont in 2017.
She and her husband, Conor, live on a quiet dirt road with their dog and cat. Tai is a fundraising professional in the nonprofit sector. Currently based in Waterbury, VT, she works at the Himalayan Cataract Project, a nonprofit organization that works to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in the developing world.
Tai has danced since age 3 and has experience in tap, jazz, and ballet. She fell in love with modern dance in high school at Kimball Union Academy and focused only on that genre through college and into her mid-twenties. She has participated in summer intensives with the
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Salzburg International Ballet Academy in Austria, LehrerDance, and has worked with dancers in Nairobi, Kenya. After college, she also had the opportunity to perform in several productions with professional companies including
theatreKAPOW, Moné Dance Company, and was a dancer in musicals with Buffalo, NY's vibrant theatre community.
After taking a two-year hiatus from dancing, including a twelve-year hiatus from ballet, she is “grateful to have found and to be welcomed into the Ballet Vermont community.” She thinks the agricultural and artistic perspectives are intertwined and have many parallels in Farm to Ballet, including “the work ethic that goes into both farming and dance, the rituals and rhythms of the work, the struggles and joys, the processes and outcomes, and the communities that surround each.”
Tai is excited that this experience gives her the opportunity to take class, grow as a person, as an artist, to perform, and be part of the Vermont community which is such a beautiful and special place. “I am already an avid outdoor enthusiast, so combining my love for dance and for the outdoors is going to be absolutely blissful!”
Tai’s parents are both from Iowa and she has a lot of family in farming communities throughout the Midwest. “The concept of local food has always been ingrained in my mind since I was young.” She just moved into a house with a garden, a green house, and a (currently empty) chicken coop palace. “Although I’m still a beginner gardener, I find it very meaningful and I’m really excited to grow my own food.”
“This is exactly what my mind, body, and soul needed to get life back at center. I am the most happy and balanced when I am dancing and surrounded by nature, so this is really the most perfect place to be,” she says.
Tai enjoys canoe tripping in Algonquin Park in Ontario, hiking, traveling, visiting museums, cooking and baking, crafting, quilting, and yoga. “My go-to method of living life is to smile as much as possible!”
She says as an only child, her parents were always very supportive of her, driving her to rehearsals for so many years, attending every show no matter how far away it was, letting her explore her own creativity, and never saying no to her ideas. “I would not be where I am today without their never-ending love and encouragement.” She also credits her husband for his support. “We each have our own passions in life and he has inspired me to keep doing the things I love to do, even when they seem impossible.”
Image by Tim Peters
Ericka Cross
Ericka Cross first joined Ballet Vermont to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. “I saw my first performance of the production two summers ago with my adult jazz class and fell in love with the idea immediately!” A native of Northfield, Vermont, Ericka grew up surrounded by animals including cats, dogs, birds, fish, a horse, and chickens for a short time. “I named and cared for each and every one.” As a student at Johnson State College, she studied dance, music, and education and then moved to Burlington after graduation. She and her husband Andrew live in South Burlington with their dog Kachi and cat Obama.
Ericka started dancing at the age of fifteen and became hooked on teaching, choreography, and costume design in college. Shortly after graduation she created the VanDenCross Dance Company, creating and performing original works around Vermont. This summer, she hopes to grow as a performer and grow closer to the farming community. She says one of the more challenging aspects is learning all the French that is necessary to learn the steps of ballet. “I’ve enjoyed learning from my fellow dancers and growing new friendships along the way. Plus I love the idea of being a dancing chicken!”
Ericka Cross first joined Ballet Vermont to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. “I saw my first performance of the production two summers ago with my adult jazz class and fell in love with the idea immediately!” A native of Northfield, Vermont, Ericka grew up surrounded by animals including cats, dogs, birds, fish, a horse, and chickens for a short time. “I named and cared for each and every one.” As a student at Johnson State College, she studied dance, music, and education and then moved to Burlington after graduation. She and her husband Andrew live in South Burlington with their dog Kachi and cat Obama.
Ericka started dancing at the age of fifteen and became hooked on teaching, choreography, and costume design in college. Shortly after graduation she created the VanDenCross Dance Company, creating and performing original works around Vermont. This summer, she hopes to grow as a performer and grow closer to the farming community. She says one of the more challenging aspects is learning all the French that is necessary to learn the steps of ballet. “I’ve enjoyed learning from my fellow dancers and growing new friendships along the way. Plus I love the idea of being a dancing chicken!”
Molly Porter
Sara Stengel
Image by Tim Peters
Becky Miller
Becky first joined Ballet Vermont to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. A beginning dance student at the Flynn Center for the Arts, she said she enjoyed the “empowering and positive classmates, culture, and environment’ of ballet class. She moved to Burlington two years ago and attended UVM’s Business School. Born in California, she has also lived in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Nicaragua.
“I’ve been passionately pursuing education and activism in sustainability for the past 15 years,” says Becky. She is proud that Vermont is a model for agriculture and local food and says, “It’s important that we connect with the land that grows our food, and the people and animals that produce it! I’m thrilled to be part of an art project that helps make that happen through unconventional means.” Becky’s hope during her first season with the project is to share her joy of dance with others through performing, and build friendships with the strong, graceful, dedicated women of Ballet Vermont.
Movement is a big part of her life. “I practice yoga and have been learning aerial silks. I love to hike and backpack, and just started to learn to ski!” She is also a founding member of C.A.M.P! Collective of Burlington - the Circus Arts, Movement & Play Collective.
Sustainable and ethical food consumption has been central to her life and identity for a long time. “Local food has always been more difficult to attain as a standard, having lived mostly in big California, but in Vermont, I’m starting to take pride in local food,” she says. She also says that dancing more is great. “I’m feeling stronger and I love getting to learn the beautiful postures and sequences that I’ve admired in ballet for so long!”
Becky first joined Ballet Vermont to participate in Farm to Ballet Summer 2019. A beginning dance student at the Flynn Center for the Arts, she said she enjoyed the “empowering and positive classmates, culture, and environment’ of ballet class. She moved to Burlington two years ago and attended UVM’s Business School. Born in California, she has also lived in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Nicaragua.
“I’ve been passionately pursuing education and activism in sustainability for the past 15 years,” says Becky. She is proud that Vermont is a model for agriculture and local food and says, “It’s important that we connect with the land that grows our food, and the people and animals that produce it! I’m thrilled to be part of an art project that helps make that happen through unconventional means.” Becky’s hope during her first season with the project is to share her joy of dance with others through performing, and build friendships with the strong, graceful, dedicated women of Ballet Vermont.
Movement is a big part of her life. “I practice yoga and have been learning aerial silks. I love to hike and backpack, and just started to learn to ski!” She is also a founding member of C.A.M.P! Collective of Burlington - the Circus Arts, Movement & Play Collective.
Sustainable and ethical food consumption has been central to her life and identity for a long time. “Local food has always been more difficult to attain as a standard, having lived mostly in big California, but in Vermont, I’m starting to take pride in local food,” she says. She also says that dancing more is great. “I’m feeling stronger and I love getting to learn the beautiful postures and sequences that I’ve admired in ballet for so long!”
