American Ballet Theatre

After performing in musical theater productions as a child, Sean Stewart began his study of jazz dance and tap with Lisa Clark at the age of 10. He began studying ballet two years later with Yanina Cywinska and was a professional ballet dancer by the age of 14, having joined the Joffrey II Dancers in New York under the direction of Jeremy Blanton and Gage Bush Englund. He studied for a year at the Paris Opera Ballet School before joining American Ballet Theatre.

Sean has performed with Lar Lubovitch's company, as well as Complexions, Alabama Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, and Washington Ballet, and originated a role in “The Times, They Are A' Changin'“, a musical play directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp. Sean performed as a dance double for the character of Sergei in the film Center Stage. 

He has taught at the ABT Alabama Summer Intensive, the ABT online summer intensive, and the ABT Tampa Summer Intensive, at Eglevsky Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet School, and has served as a judge and teacher for YAGP. He has also served as the artistic coordinator and rehearsal director of the ABT Apprentice Program, assistant director and ballet master at CoLab Dance, ballet master for Hamptons Dance Project, ballet master, stager, and company teacher of Duncan Lyle Dance, and guest ballet master for the ABT studio company. Sean is a fully certified teacher with the ABT National Training Curriculum. He is a company class teacher at American Ballet Theatre.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Leonard Brito (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) began his training with Projeto Primeiro Passo and later studied at Escola Estadual de Dança Maria Olenewa, Centro de Arte Nós da Dança, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and The Ailey School. He danced with Ailey II and then with Ballet Hispánico for five seasons. Brito has performed with the Mariinsky Ballet, Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, and Focus Cia de Dança. In 2015, he received the III Brazilian Modern Dance Congress Award. He has performed works by Robert Battle, Cassi Abranches, Jae Man Joo, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Marcelo Misailidis, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Eduardo Vilaro, and Anabelle Lopez Ochoa. Brito is also proficient in capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art. He has appeared in the FX series POSE, Willy Chavarria’s film Safe From Harm, Out magazine, Hong Kong Dance Magazine, on the covers of Made in Brazil and SSAW, and in many other campaigns. He joined the Company in 2024. 

Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Choreography

Kristina Desjardins began her dance training at The Adams School of Dance in Vermont. She then joined The Vermont Chamber Ballet, where she danced leading roles such as Clara, Dew Drop Fairy, and Sugar Plum Fairy. She performed with New York City Ballet’s summer seasons at Saratoga Performing Arts Center and studied at Boston Ballet for their summer intensives. After graduating from Rutland High she moved to New York City to study Musical Theater at American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Since then she’s joined New York City based companies such as ELSCO Dance, GIG(Get it Good), Metaphors&similiesDance, and Enzo Celli’s VIVOBallet. She has worked for Dublin Worldwide Spirit Productions in numerous shows all over the USA. Kristina’s been fortunate to work as a dancer and choreographer in music videos shot in L.A., New York, and London. Locally she’s choreographed musical theater shows at Merchants Hall and Castleton State College. Kristina is the Artistic Director of ENTITYDANCE and has presented her own works at Dixon Place, Junction Dance Festival, Beacon Bonfire, and Manchester Library. She is focused on bringing more dance to Vermont.

Aerial Silks, Lyra, Trapeze

Maia grew up in western Massachusetts, and found her love for aerials at the New England Center for Circus Arts. As a teenager she toured with the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, and she is now an aerial coach for Smirkus Camp during the summers. She was the president of the Columbia Circus Collective from 2021-2022 where she instructed, directed, and performed in shows at Columbia University. Maia has performed with the New York Circus Project, Cirque Us, Catamount Arts, Muse ABCirque, and more! Lyra is Maia’s aerial apparatus of choice, but she has a warm place in her heart for silks and trapeze. She is so excited to bring more aerial opportunities to Burlington, VT!

Hip Hop, Jazz

Rose Bedard is a dynamic figure in the dance community, embodying roles as a freelance artist, choreographer, and educator through her LLC, "2INSPIRE Dance." Her passion for dance is evident in her boundless energy and dedication, which she channels into teaching and choreography. She has established strong community connections wherever she goes, fostering lasting relationships with her students and collaborators.

Rose's teaching reaches beyond traditional dance studios; she imparts her knowledge at the Flynn Theater, public and private schools, and universities both within and outside Vermont. Her commitment to education is indicated by her recent month-long school residency, where she engaged with students and from preK to 5th grade.

In addition to teaching, Rose continues her own artistic growth through training in cities like Montreal, NYC, and Boston. She serves as the artistic director of "SynRgy," her own dancecompany, and contributes to the Slow Shapes Dance Company.

Her impact extends to coaching the Mt. Mansfield Union dance team for 18 years, guiding them to numerous championships in jazz and hip hop within the Vermont Northern Athletic Conference and the Vermont State level. Her teams consistently place in the top ranks at theNew England level, a testament to her coaching prowess and the dedication of her students.

Beyond teaching and coaching, Rose shares her expertise as a dance judge for Elite Dance Challenge, evaluating competitions across New England. Her philosophy centers on continuous growth and making a difference in people's lives, echoing sentiments encapsulated in quotes she resonates with, such as those by Joe DiMaggio.

Ballet, Pointe

June is originally from Syracuse, NY, where she began her dance training in ballet at Center of Ballet and Dance Arts. After high school, she continued her training with a focus on modern dance at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in NYC and received a BFA in Dance Performance at SUNY Purchase in both ballet and modern. She also attended the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Steps on Broadway in NYC, both on full scholarship. She then performed and taught dance in New York and became a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor. June moved to Vermont in 2004 and began choreographing and teaching master classes and dance intensives at various schools throughout the state. In 2008, she opened Lines for the Body, a dance retail store, in Williston. Lines for the Body is now the Lines Vermont Store, and June is a Co-Founder of the Lines Vermont Studio.

Ballet, Variations

Megan began training in classical ballet and Russian character dance at the age of 9 at Seiskaya Ballet Academy on Long Island, New York. She danced at a pre-professional level throughout high school, studying under world-class teachers and performing twice a year for large audiences at the Staller Center at Stony Brook University. After devoting most of her young life to dance, Megan decided upon a hiatus in her 20s. After a move to Vermont and its cold winters in 2010, Megan resumed her training, discovering she loved and appreciated dance even more as an adult. In 2015 and 2016, Megan had the pleasure of originating the principal role of Farmer in Farm to Ballet, performing at farms across Vermont and for a PBS broadcast. She has also danced in music videos, performed the role of Sugarplum in the Church Street Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony, and performed and choreographed for “Dancing with the Burlington Stars” at the Flynn.

Megan began teaching ballet in 2018, and is an American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum certified teacher in levels Pre-Primary through 5.