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 frequent classes at the Maryland Youth Ballet and the Broadway Dance Center.

Aimee is the founder of Merge, which she began in early 2010.  She received her BFA in Dance Performance from East Carolina University in May 2008.  She began training at the age of three at Ballet with Cindee Velle in the Baltimore/Washington area, where she was also a member of the Columbia Chamber Ballet for nine years.  She has received training in a variety of dances styles including, ballet, jazz, lyrical, pointe, tap, and modern.  Most recently she performed with Royal Caribbean as a dancer on the Enchantment of the Seas.  Aimee has also taught children and adults of all ages in multiple areas of dance since she was fifteen.  Aimee is very passionate about her dancing and hopes to continue growing in her professional career, along with her teaching.  Aimee is the Competition Director of Ballet with Cindee Velle. 

Rachel is an alumna of The University of Maryland College Park with a B.A. in Dance.  She has also studied Accounting 101 at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of 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 and Sylvia Drucker.  Rachel performed with The Howard County Ballet Company under the direction of Kathi Ferguson from 1998-2008.

Rachel’s various productions include: The Nutcracker, Alice and Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.  During her time with The Howard County Ballet, she was also the Artistic Director’s Rehearsal Assistant. Rachel currently teaches technique classes to beginning through advanced students at Ballet with Cindee Velle.  She also coaches competition students of all ages and levels.  In addition to being an accomplished dancer, teacher and choreographer, Rachel is the Administrative Assistant of Ballet with Cindee Velle.

Caryl is our guest artist in residence, who 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.

Shani 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.

Nikki received her early dance training at Ballet with Cindee Velle, during which she danced with The Columbia Chamber Ballet and won many awards on The Competition Team at local and national dance competitions.  Nikki continued her dance training at Towson University earning a BFA in dance performance and education.  Her junior composition piece was chosen to be showcased at the prestigious American College Dance Festival.  Nikki has taught a wide variety of dance styles for many years at multiple studios in the area.  She has won many prestigious awards for her choreography at local, national and world dance competitions.  She has performed at TU, and danced with The Collective, The Harford Ballet Company, Merge, Deviated Theatre and Vaught Contemporary Ballet.

Anna is currently attending Towson University and is expected to graduate in spring 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography.  Anna started her dance training at the age of three with Ballet with Cindee Velle. During her 15 years with BCV, she studied Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, and Jazz.  She was on the BCV Competition team for 5 years and a member of the Columbia Chamber Ballet for 7 years.  While in high school, she was also an assistant dance teacher at Ballet with Cindee Velle.  While at Towson University, she has studied Ballet, Pointe and Modern.  She has attended dance intensives with Joffrey Ballet in New York City and Paul Taylor Modern Dance Company at UMBC.  Most recently, she studied dance and culture abroad at the Gerlev Sports Academy, Denmark.  She spent one month studying contemporary, hip hop and capoeira.  Anna loves working with children and is excited to continue developing her dance and teaching skills.