Faculty
CINDEE VELLE as a young dancer performed in the National Ballet’s production of the “Nutcracker” under the direction of Frederick Franklin in Washington, DC.
As child she studied with Miriam Williamson in College Park, MD. As a
teenager she studied with Ellen Young at the Ellicott City Theater Ballet
and later with Caryl Maxwell in historic Ellicott City, where she was one of the
original company members if the Ellicott City Ballet Guild. She also
performed in and choreographed several musicals in high school, and in college
in local community theatre. Upon completing her B.A. in dance from Towson State University, she danced professionally in “Unto These Hills” in Cherokee, N.C.
Since 1983 she has directed her own dance school, Ballet with Cindee Velle,
at the Long Reach Community Association in Columbia, MD. She also directs several after-school dance programs in
the Baltimore/Washington area. Cindee currently co-directs and performs with the
Ellicott City Can Can Dancers. She has a special interest in worship dance,
choreographing and performing in liturgical performances on special occasions.
The Columbia Chamber Ballet was started under her direction in 1991 and continues to perform throughout the year at
seasonal events, competitions, malls, museums, and senior centers. Cindee has completed several dance teacher workshops in the Vaganova method, and
workshops with Finis Jhung in New York City. She continues to take dance classes
in local studios and frequents classes at The Broadway Dance Center in New York City.
DEBBIE BRAUN teaches Jazz, Tap and Ballet extensively throughout Howard County
and beyond. In addition to being on the faculty at Stonehouse she has developed
and instructs our PTA dance program at Centennial Lane Elementary School. She
also co-directs and performs with the Ellicott City Can Can Dancers. She has studied Jazz with Wally Saunders, Paula Lynn and Tim Roberts. Debbie was awarded a scholarship at the Maryland Ballet under the direction of Danny Diamond.
To keep current with the latest dance styles and trends in dance education she
attends dance classes and seminars at studios in Washington DC, New York City
and locally. She also directed the Hip Hop Kids who performed at the Preakness Celebration. Her acting credits include “Runaway Bride”, “Cecil B. Demented” and numerous TV commercials.
KATHY CULLER earned her teaching degree in Early Childhood Education from Frostburg State University. She has taught Preschool, Kindergarten and second grade. Her early dance training was with Peggy Lynne. She continued her studies with Sylvester Campbell, Caryl Maxwell and Kathi Ferguson. She has attended teachers’ workshops in the Vaganova system of classical dance. Kathy has danced locally with the Ellicott City Ballet Guild and the Ellicott City Can Can Dancers.
RACHEL OTTEN is an alumna of The University of Maryland College Park with a B.A. in Dance and an A.A. in Business. While attending Maryland, she studied with Modern, Choreography and Jazz artists Ed Tyler, Maurice Fraga, Ludovic Jolevelt, David Parsons, Giselle Mason, Alzine Wlitz, Alvin Mayes, Anne Warren, Mim Rosen, Sylvia Drucker, and Maria Rodgers. Rachel has been performing with The Howard County Ballet Company under the direction of Kathi Ferguson since 1998. Rachel’s various productions include: The Nutcracker, Alice and Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Cinderella and she is currently the Artistic Director’s
Rehearsal Assistant. Rachel teaches technique classes to beginning through advanced students at Ballet with Cindee Velle
and coaches competition students of all ages and levels. In addition to being an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer, Rachel has worked extensively with The Aurora Dance Company.
KRISTIN LESSANS has over 20 years of experience in teaching Ballet to children and adults, choreographing and directing dance workshops. She has earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree from Towson University in Dance Performance and Choreography. Kristin performed with Camille Izard and Dancers, the Ballet Theatre of Annapolis and the Ellicott City Ballet Guild. For more than a decade she has devoted herself to being a dance worship leader at Living Water Fellowship and the New Heritage Churches, where she choreographs and plans special events that integrate the performing arts.
Kristin founded and currently instructs the dance program at Chapelgate
Christian Academy.
SHELLY MAYKUTH has been teaching dance to both children and adults for over ten years. She taught and choreographed Tap, Jazz, Acrobatics, Lyrical, Gymnastics, Ballet, Preschool and Exercise at Kat & Co. Dance Studio, Morgantown, West Virginia and Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. She was soloist for the Kitchen Sink Dance Company directed by Michael McGowan and has instructed summer dance camps at West Virginia University and at local dance studios. Shelly is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Arts School, majoring in Jazz. She has her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University with a major in marketing and a minor in Dance and Spanish. In 1994, she performed live on ESPN at the Hula Bowl. Shelly has attended numerous classes, clinics and workshops with the Canadian Dance Company, Step Stewart, Fiona Morris, David DeMarie, Joe Tremaine and Katy Lyon Palmbo. Shelly and her students have competed nationally, receiving numerous top ten and overall awards.
CARYL MAXWELL, guest artist in residence, came to this area from New York City, where she performed with the Metropolitan, New York City and Philadelphia Lyric Operas, the Radio City Music Hall Ballet and the Larry Richardson Modern Dance Company. She holds a B.A. degree form Mercer University and certificates in the Cecchetti technique, earned while on a scholarship with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. She has attended numerous teaching seminars including the National Ballet of Canada and those in the Vaganova Syllabus, as well as teaching seminars to dance instructors. Ms. Maxwell, a former faculty member at Towson State University, the Maryland Ballet and the Marietta Civic Ballet in Georgia, has guest taught at numerous schools throughout the region. Most recently she directed Caryl Maxwell Classical Ballet and the Ellicott City Ballet Guild for over 25 years in historic Ellicott City, MD. Currently she is Director of Schools for Dance for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and is giving
master classes throughout Maryland.
NIKKI SLACK is currently pursuing her B.A. in Dance Performance and Education at
Towson University. At the age of seven, she began taking dance classes at
Turning Pointe dance studio in Catonsville. At age eleven Nikki started her
choreography career by directing dance routines for various home school
productions such as "Lost in Time," and "You're a Good man Charlie Brown." Nikki
came to Ballet with Cindee Velle in 2001 where she participated in many of the
productions put on by Cindee Velle. Nikki later joined the competition team for
which she choreographed many pieces and won awards for her choreography. She
also was a member of the Columbia Chamber Ballet, performing the Nutcracker at
local festivals, museums, malls and senior centers. Nikki's teaching experience
began as an assistant teacher while she was an advanced dance student. Recently
she taught creative movement to children in the Howard Count Head Start summer
enrichment program. Currently she teaches dance classes at our PTA program at
Centennial Elementary School.
LESLIE MCKAY RUFOLO first began dancing in musicals and variety show. She
went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Towson University in Dance,
majoring in Performance and Choreography. She has performed with the Towson
Ensemble Dancers, The Ellicott City Ballet Guild and other musical theatre
productions. Ms. Rufolo has been teaching , choreographing and directing in the
Baltimore area for more than 20 years. She has taught for Towson University
Children's Dance Division, Caryl Maxwell Classical Ballet, Dance Expressions and
Ballet with Cindee Velle. She also enjoys choreographing and performing
Liturgical dance for area churches. Ms. Rufolo is excited to be teaching again
for Ballet with Cindee Velle.
SHANI (CANDACE) MCKINDRA
started dancing at the age of 6,
at Arabesque Dance studio in Columbia for 2 years. She then transferred to
Ballet with Cindee Velle, where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Tap, and
participated on the competition team and The Columbia Chamber Ballet. Throughout
High School, she continued at the Studio, and joined the Dance Team at Oakland
Mills high school. Upon graduating from high school, she went to Virginia
Intermont College where she studied Ballet, Pointe, Modern, and Jazz for two
years. Shani then transferred to Point Park College in Pittsburgh where she
studied Jazz, Ballet, Modern, Tap, Folk, and Dunham technique. She graduated
with a B.A. in Dance, with a concentration in Jazz. She has attended several
Master classes, continues to take class and had the opportunity to perform with
Neil Young on stage. Shani is thrilled being back home with Cindee Velle's
Studio. She also teaches at Worthington's P.T.A Program, and St.Patrick's
Catholic school.
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