Meet Our Faculty
Our experienced dance teachers bring decades of professional training, performance, and passion to every class at BCV Dance Center in Columbia, MD.
Cindee White
Founder & Director
Cindee performed in the National Ballet's Nutcracker as a child under the direction of Frederick Franklin in Washington, DC. She earned her degree in dance from Towson State University and danced professionally in Cherokee, NC before co-founding the Ellicott City Cancan Dancers. In 1983, Cindee started Ballet with Cindee Velle (BCV) in the Long Reach Community Center in Columbia, MD. In April 2023, the studio moved to a new location on Red Branch Road under the name BCV Dance Center. Cindee founded The Columbia Chamber Ballet in 1991, which continues to perform The Nutcracker annually. She has completed dance teacher workshops in the Vaganova method and studied at The Maryland Youth Ballet and Broadway Dance Center in NYC.
Aimee Velle Moran
Co-Owner & Competition Director
Aimee earned her BFA in Dance Performance from East Carolina University, where she received the "Outstanding Senior Award" for dance. She began training at age three at BCV and was a member of the Columbia Chamber Ballet for nine years. Aimee has performed with the Baltimore Opera in Aida, danced with Royal Caribbean on the Enchantment of the Seas, and performed with Deviated Theatre and Vaught Contemporary Ballet. She has been teaching children and adults of all ages since she was fourteen. Aimee is the Competition Director and Co-Owner of BCV Dance Center.
Rachel Otten
Senior Administrative Assistant & Instructor
Rachel holds a B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland College Park. She performed with The Howard County Ballet Company under the direction of Kathi Ferguson from 1998 to 2008 in productions including The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty. Rachel teaches technique classes for beginning through advanced students and coaches competition students of all ages and levels.
Nikki Kelly
Program Coordinator & Marketing Manager
Nikki received her early dance training at BCV, where she danced with The Columbia Chamber Ballet and won many awards on the competition team. She earned her BFA in dance performance and education from Towson University, where her junior composition was chosen to be showcased at the prestigious American College Dance Festival. Nikki has won numerous awards for her choreography at local, national, and world dance competitions. She has performed with The Collective, The Harford Ballet Company, Merge, Deviated Theatre, and Vaught Contemporary Ballet.
Anna Carlisle
Marketing Assistant
Anna began dancing at age three at BCV and earned her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Towson University. Her senior capstone performance, "Unmasked," showcased her choreographic vision. After graduating, Anna moved to New York City and attended Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester, training intensely under industry-leading choreographers and teachers. Anna believes in creating a safe, inclusive space for dancers to express themselves through movement — and most of all, have fun!
Amy Spears
Instructor
Amy started dancing at BCV at age four, where she studied ballet and jazz. She was a member of the BCV competition team, winning awards in numerous regional and national competitions, and performed in The Nutcracker with The Columbia Chamber Ballet. Amy has been teaching for BCV Dance Center for over 22 years and her daughter is now on the BCV competition team as well — continuing the family tradition.
Caryl Maxwell
Guest Artist in Residence
Caryl performed with the Metropolitan, New York City, and Philadelphia Lyric Operas, as well as the Radio City Music Hall Ballet and the Larry Richardson Modern Dance Company. She holds a B.A. from Mercer University and certificates in the Cecchetti technique earned on scholarship with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. A former faculty member at Towson State University, Caryl directed Caryl Maxwell Classical Ballet and the Ellicott City Ballet Guild for over 25 years. She currently serves as Director of Schools for Dance for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO).
Catherine Rach
Instructor
Catherine began dancing at BCV at age three and was a member of the Columbia Chamber Ballet and Competition Team. She continued her training at Howard Community College and became a member of The Howard County Ballet in 2002, performing in their Nutcracker and spring shows. Catherine currently teaches satellite programs for BCV Dance Center.
Claire Kobulnicky
Instructor
Claire began dancing at age four and received her training at both BCV and Caryl Maxwell's Classical Ballet, where she studied ballet, pointe, and a variety of other dance forms. She graduated from Grove City College with a B.S. in Elementary Education and served as Head Choreographer for the college's dance troupe "Orchesis." With over 20 years of teaching experience, Claire brings her lifelong passion for dance to the students at BCV Dance Center.
CJ Cunningham
Hip Hop Instructor
CJ is a Howard Community College Dance Company alumnus who has been dancing most of his life and teaching since age 18. He has learned from choreographers who work with Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, America's Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance. CJ runs his own company "Fusion Entertainment" and crew "FloMotion." His style mixes many kinds of dance into hip hop, bringing high energy and creativity to every class.
Debbie Braun
Instructor
Debbie has been a dance instructor in the Mid-Atlantic region for over 35 years and has been teaching at BCV for 33 of those years. She co-directed the Ellicott City Cancan Dancers for over 35 years, bringing her extensive experience and dedication to dance education to generations of students.
Emily Drechsler
Ballet & Pointe Instructor
Emily holds an M.A. from George Washington University and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University. She trained at Ballet Repertory Theater (NM), Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Chambersburg Ballet Theater, and Center for Ballet Arts (VA). Her performance repertoire includes The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, and Firebird. Emily is passionate about diversity and disability accessibility in dance.
Emily-Rose Brock
Instructor
Emily-Rose is currently attending Towson University as a Dance Performance and Choreography Major (B.F.A.) with a PreK-12 Dance Education Concentration. She has been dancing at BCV since age two and was a member of the BCV competition team for seven years. Emily-Rose danced in The Nutcracker with the Columbia Chamber Ballet for 13 years and started teaching at age 15.
Gail Rondon
Instructor
Gail started dancing at Baltimore City Ballet at age 13 and went on to dance with Disney on Parade, touring the US, South America, and Europe. She lived and taught in Los Angeles for four years and performed in Bogota, Colombia for three years. A long-time Cancan dancer and collaborator with BCV, Gail brings a wealth of international performance experience to the studio.
Katelyn Otten
Apprentice
Katelyn is currently a Freshman at East Carolina University studying Dance and Business. She started dancing at BCV at age two and was part of the Columbia Chamber Ballet for 15 years and the Competition Team for 16 years. Katelyn attended the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts intensive and holds the national title for 2022 Ms. Premier Starpower.
Leslie McKay Rufolo
Instructor
Leslie earned her BFA in Dance from Towson University and has over 20 years of dance experience teaching, performing, and choreographing in the Baltimore area. She teaches ballet, jazz, tap, musical theater, modern, tumbling, and gymnastics. Leslie also directs programs at Chapelgate Christian Academy.
Shelly Masone
Instructor
Shelly has been teaching dance for over 25 years and has been at BCV since 2000. She was a soloist for Kitchen Sink Dance Company and a graduate of the Pennsylvania Governor's Arts School in Jazz. Shelly holds a B.S. from West Virginia University and has performed live on ESPN at the Hula Bowl. Her students have competed nationally, winning numerous top ten and overall awards.
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