ANDREA THOMPSON - Artistic Director 

HOMETOWN:  Gresham, OR

TRAINING:​  Stites Studio of Dance
                       Ballet Oregon
                       The School of Oregon Ballet Theater 
                        Joffrey Ballet School (New York City)

CAREER:   Jefferson Dancers - Company Dancer
                   Oregon Ballet Theater - Company Dancer
                

SARAH FUHRMAN - Ballet 

HOMETOWN:  Portland, OR

CAREER:  Sarah Fuhrman trained with The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre under Haydee Gutierrez and James Canfield. She spent time in St. Petersburg, RU for additional training with the Mussogrsky Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Sarah joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as a company member and danced corps and principal roles. She moved on to dance with Colorado Ballet, State Street Ballet and most recently danced principle and soloist roles with Nevada Ballet Theatre, as well as acting as rehearsal assistant for the company and academy. She is now a member of the Eowyn Emerald and Dancers contemporary dance company and instructor at several Portland dance centers.

CANDALEE WREDE - Ballet

CAREER:   Candalee Wrede comes to Northwest Classical Ballet with a wealth of knowledge and extensive teaching background. Candalee trained with Marcelle Renoux in the Cecchetti Ballet method and Luigi style Jazz. At 14 she became the soloist for their company before heading to the University of Oregon to major in dance, simultaneously pursuing Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) studies with a former San Francisco Ballet instructor. After a genetic knee defect derailed her professional dance aspirations, Candalee reset her goals and made it her mission to become the best ballet instructor she could. Her passion and dedication has paid off.
She began her teaching career as Ballet Mistress for the National Academy of Gymnastics teaching classes and choreographing for aspiring Olympic gymnasts. She continued to work with numerous internationally recognized competitors and performers in the genres of ballet, freestyle skiing, ice skating, dance conditioning, body building and musical theater.
Throughout her career, Candalee has owned her own studio, developed training programs, choreographed original children’s ballets and added aerobics, step and dance conditioning to her certifications. She has continued to research and study dance history (establishing the Dance History program at Sam Barlow High School), various dance methodologies, multiple styles, and designed ballet training programs for both dancers and athletes. Ultimately she was awarded an Honorary Teaching Certificate by the State of Oregon.
Candalee has had the privilege of teaching for many of the best studios in the Oregon/Washington area. She acted as Assistant Director and instructor for Classical Ballet Academy for nearly a decade and is currently the Artistic Director at Grande Finale Dance Studio. She is also a frequent guest artist for numerous schools and studios in the Pacific Northwest. Utilizing her own successful training methodology, Candalee desires to continue instructing and mentoring young students as well as instructors with hopes of preserving the classical ballet technique as she was taught, so that it lives on in following generations.

ROBYN DALKE - Ballet 

HOMETOWN:  Portland, OR

CAREER:  Robyn has a heart for dance, especially ballet and contemporary. Starting in ballet at the age of 3, Robyn branched out into other styles of dance such as: jazz, lyrical, hip hop, modern, and contemporary. She has both performed in, and choreographed for, numerous recitals, competitions, and productions. At Western Oregon University, where she minored in dance, Robyn found a passion for movement exploration and teaching. She has taught for several years now and enjoys introducing a fresh perspective of dance to her students.

​GERARD REGOT -  Advanced Contemporary 

​HOMETOWN:  Barcelona, Spain

TRAINING:   Estudi Anna Maleras
                        Guido Tuveri
                        Risa Steinberg

CAREER:   Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Israel  - Company Dancer
                    Dance  Journey - Soloist 
                    Polaris Dance Theatre - ​Company Dancer
                    Horizon 3 - Co-founder, Principal Dancer

DANIEL RUTIS - ​Ballet, Boys Ballet 

HOMETOWN:   Hillsboro, OR

TRAINING:   Maricar Drilon, Long Beach Ballet (Summer)

CAREER:  Northwest Classical Ballet - Honorary Dancer
                   Regional School of Ballet - Guest Principal 
                   Abernethy Performing Arts - Guest Principal 
                   Gallery Ballet & Tap -  Guest Artist
                   Dance Fusion NW -  Guest Artist
                   Northwest Conservatory of Dance - Guest Principal 
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