FACULTY BIOS
James Reardon
Founder ~ Artistic Director
JAMES REARDON is a native Bostonian whom most people will remember for his outstanding soloist career with the Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams and Violette Verdy. Other companies he has worked with include the Royal Ballet of Flanders, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Cincinnatti Ballet, Opera Company of Boston, Erie Ballet, and Festival Ballet of Rhode Island. James' training began with a Ford Foundation Scholarship at the Boston Ballet and continued under scholarships at the schools of the Joffrey, Harkness, American Ballet Theater, and Stuttgart Ballet companies. James has worked with such notable choreographers as Agnes deMille, John Cranko, Choo San Goh, Anna Sokolow, Ruth Page and Leonide Massine. He has danced principal and soloist roles from the Balanchine repertoire including Tarantella, Pas de Dix, Phlegmatic in Four Temperaments, Valse Fantaisie, Stars & Stripes, Symphony in C, and La Sonnambula. James has recently participated in a Vaganova Workshop at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a Teacher's Symposium at the Chataugua Institue with Jean Pierre Bonnefous, Violette Verdy and Patricia McBride. James founded the Boston Dance Company in 1992 with Clyde Nantais. Since its inception the Boston Dance Company has been performing Nutcracker throughout New England in such venues as Salem State College, Lynn Memorial Auditorium, Collins Center for the Performing Arts, Strand Theatre in Dorchester, Rochester Opera House in New Hampshire, Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Worcester State College, Bridgewater State University, and throughout New England. Boston Dance Company has also produced major performances at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston, New England Life Hall and Cape Cod Community College. Boston Dance Company has been honored to be the only Ballet Company selected to run workshops and perform in the Massachusetts Dance Festival for the past 2 years.
Clyde Nantais
Founder ~ Associate Artistic Director
CLYDE NANTAIS holds a BFA from the Boston Conservatory and a Master of Education degree from Temple University. From 1971-1974 Mr. Nantais performed chorus and leading roles in Equity summer stock and dinner theatre productions of such Broadway musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and Guys and Dolls. He then danced with the Boston Ballet for seven years and taught in its school for seventeen years. From 1980-1988 he was on the Faculty of the Boston Conservatory and Ballet Master of the Boston Conservatory Dance Theatre. Between 1980 and 1990 Mr. Nantais worked as a Guest Artist, Choreographer, Ballet Master and/or Master Teacher with numerous companies including Ballet Santo Domingo, Berkshire Ballet, Festival Ballet of Rhode Island, Pioneer Valley Ballet, Ithaca Ballet and Ballet Arkansas. From 1990-1992 he was Principal Ballet Teacher for the National Institute of the Arts in Taipei, Taiwan. Upon his return to Boston in 1992, he founded the Boston Dance Company with James Reardon. Since 1992 Clyde has been teaching at the Boston Dance Company, the Charlotte Klein Dance Centers in Worcester and Westboro, the New Art Center in Newton, and at the Franklin School of the Performing Arts where he has choreographed over 25 Broadway shows. He was also on the faculty of Dean College from 2000-2004. He returned to the faculty of Boston Ballet in 2001 and is also currently on the Musical Theatre Faculty of the Boston Conservatory where he teaches Advanced Ballet. Mr. Nantais is also an
accomplished costume and set designer and his teaching competencies include all levels of Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Variations, Men's Ballet, Jazz and Yoga. Mr. Nantais has staged or choreographed over 50 ballets for more than 30 colleges, schools or companies internationally.
Erika Wolf
Ballet Mistress
ERIKA WOLF. Ballet Mistress, enters her 13th season with the Boston Dance Company as dancer, Ballet Mistress and teacher in the school. Prior to dancing with BDC, Erika danced with the Louisville and Connecticut Ballet Companies. She trained at NWCA in New York under the direction of Mimi Wallace, and at the Joffrey Ballet School. She spent her summers at DanceAspen and at Burklyn Ballet Theatre, where she also served as Resident Choreographer for three years. In addition, Erika's choreography has been set on the Louisville Ballet and the Boston Dance Company. She received a Somerville Arts Council Artist Fellowship Grant for her ballet Progressions in 1999. Erika holds a BA degree in psychology from Harvard University and a PhD in clinical psychology from Boston University.
Mariale Celimen was born in Caracas,Venezuela March 05, 1974, she started her dance studies in Ballet & Modern when she was 4 years old. She trained in Venezuelan Folk, Ballroom, Corporal Expression, Ballet, Contemporary Modern, Theatre, Acting, Jazz, Afro Cuban, and other Latin American Dance Disciplines.
Molly Wheat
Molly Wheat has been teaching ballet in the Boston area since 2000. Her early training was with Carol Jordan, Jill Silverman and Christiane Clark. At thirteen, Molly went to study with Jose Mateo and after five years in the school she joined Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in 1992. Molly danced in the company for 15 years, performing in original ballets choreographed by Jose Mateo as well as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Molly's contribution to the ballet world expanded throughout the years as she taught dancers of all ages in various schools, including Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, The Dance Inn, LaPierre School of Dance, Boston Dance Company, The Boston Conservatory and Harvard University's Dance Company. Molly provides performance opportunities through the Ballet with Molly vacation dance programs where the students choreograph their own pieces. Ballet with Molly also runs workshops teaching the fundamentals of ballet to beginning adults. Molly performs her original choreography with her multi-generational, amateur dance group the Molly Wheat Dance Ensemble. Molly is enthusiastic about sharing her love of the art of ballet in a fun and nurturing environment.
Julia Mifsud-Stetson
Julia was introduced to dance at the age of three with the Medina Academy of Classical Ballet. There she completed Grades III-V with distinction. Later becoming the teaching assistant to the Creative Movement and Pre Ballet classes at the age of thirteen. She was selected to join the Ohio Youth Ballet Company. She went on to Cincinnati and attended The School of Creative and Performing Arts. She was among the student dancers selected to represent the school while performing in Japan. After high school, Julia chose to attend the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. She completed her BFA as a Dance Major with emphasis in ballet, while simultaneously completing all prerequisites for a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy.
Julia is a certified instructor of the Burdenko Method at the The Burdenko Water and Sports Therapy Institute. She has also has trained under the Royal Academy of Dance, Vaganova, Balanchine, Cecchetti, and Paul Taylor techniques. Julia has taught and danced professionally with the Cincinnati Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Ballet Quad Cities, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, and the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and has performed with Boston Dance Company. She feels that providing dancers a well rounded curriculum, blended with the joy of dance are keys to success.
Enrique (Henry) Oliveras, LMT, AOBTA, NCCAOM, is a dancer from conception raised in Salsa, Merenque, Bachata, later Hustle, Expressive Free Style Improv and later still, more formal studies in Hip Hop, Jazz Funk, West African Dance and a short stint in Modern Jazz. Enrique has led classes at the Jose Mateo Ballet School Dance for World Peace, Mass Ballet School, privately and also leads classes in; light weight, resistance band and cardio dance as well as Internal Martial Arts 7 Medical Qigong througout New England senior & fitness centers. Feel free to contact Enrique with any questions at 781 859 8097.
Elena Greenspan