RSB Faculty 

Scroll through and get to know RSB's incredibly accomplished faculty members who will be instructing your child this dance season. We, at The Raleigh School of Ballet, are so fortunate to have such talent in each one of our faculty members.  

Susan Galdy

Originally from New York City, Susan Carlin Galdy received her early training from the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School and Robert Joffrey’s American Ballet Center.  She was awarded a full scholarship to the Harkness Ballet Program where she trained under David Howard.  Ms. Galdy holds a B.F.A. in Dance from SUNY Purchase and continued her training under scholarship with Finis Jhung.  She has performed professionally with New York’s Theatre Dance Collection and The DeYoung Dance Theatre.  Ms. Galdy has served on the faculties of several studios in New York City, the University of Massachusetts, and Meredith College.  She joined the faculty of The Raleigh School of Ballet in 1991 and became Associate Director of the School in 1999.  Ms. Galdy was named Director of The Raleigh School of Ballet in the fall 2002 until her retirement in June 2021.  She is thrilled to remain on the faculty of The Raleigh School of Ballet.

Ashley Hathaway

Ashley Hathaway is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina where she began her ballet training at age 6 at the Raleigh School of Ballet.  Having grown up in the capital city, she was chosen to be part of Carolina Ballet’s productions from a young age and was the very first Clara in The Nutcracker.  Ms. Hathaway continued her education at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and has also trained at the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Jacob’s Pillow.  Upon joining Carolina Ballet, Ms. Hathaway’s featured roles include Lucy in Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Dracula, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Juliet in Robert Weiss’ Romeo & Juliet.  In the summer of 2018, Ms. Hathaway was picked to dance at the National Choreographers Initiative in Irvine, California.

Rachel Lee

Rachel Lee holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She currently is a teacher for NC Arts in Action, a non-profit organization that is committed to using dance, music and performance to instill self-esteem, perseverance and excellence in children. Rachel has been teaching all genres of dance for over twenty years and loves sharing her passion with others. Rachel began her dance training at The Raleigh School of Ballet and was a member of Raleigh Dance Theatre, under the direction of Ann Vorus. She has trained at the UNCSA summer program and was awarded scholarships for the summer programs at the America Dance Festival in Durham and New York City. As a professional dancer, her favorite credits include North Carolina Theatre’s production of “South Pacific”, New York City Opera’s production of “The Mikado”at Lincoln Center and the National and International tours of the Tony-nominated Broadway show “Swing!”. Rachel has also competed as a professional ballroom dancer and is a certified Zumba and Pilates instructor. She lives in Cary with her husband, Daniel and their three energetic children.

Megan Marvel

Megan Marvel grew up in Raleigh and trained at The Raleigh School of Ballet until moving to Pittsburgh at sixteen to study with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School-Schenley High School Program.  Other training included The School of the Atlanta Ballet, and the Houston Ballet Academy.  Ms. Marvel returned to Raleigh to obtain a Bachelor's degree in psychology from NCSU, and became a member of the NCSU Dance Company under the direction of Robin Harris.  She has continued to perform and choreograph for the NCSU Dance Company since 1994, and keeps a Master of Fine Arts in Liberal Studies Degree from NCSU, focusing on Choreography and Dance Design. Ms. Marvel also served as the Assistant Director of the NC State Dance Program. Ms. Marvel joined The Raleigh School of Ballet's faculty in 1997 and became Associate Director of RDT in 2006.

Natalie Morton

Natalie Morton Natalie Morton has been a part of North Carolina's dance community for over 20 years. She began her training at The Ballet School of Chapel Hill and graduated from Meredith College with a degree in Dance and Theater. After dancing in New York City she returned to North Carolina and began teaching, dancing and performing. She is currently performing with Black Box Dance. Ms. Morton has been a faculty member of The Ballet School of Chapel Hill for 14 years, teaching Pre-Ballet, Jazz, and Contemporary. She has also served on the faculties of Carolina Ballet's and The Raleigh School of Ballet’s Summer Intensive programs.

Kim Stinson

Kim Stinson began dancing at the age of 4, in Michigan, with Bohaty School of Dance. She studied all forms of dance, but especially loved ballet. While there, she won numerous national dance titles. She also danced at Flint Institute of Music before attending Paavola School of Dance and Young People’s Ballet Theatre (YPBT) with Denise Paavola in high school. While dancing with YPBT, she performed many leading roles, but her favorite role was Annie in Dale Brannon's Little Orphan Annie.  Kim attended many different summer programs, including Broadway Dance Center and Harkness Center in NYC, New York, and Point Park University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. After high school, she majored in dance at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, before dancing with Dayton Ballet II in Dayton, Ohio. She has also had the opportunity to perform on stage with “Weird Al” Yankovic. Throughout her dance career, Kim has worked with many notable teachers and choreographers, including Kat Wildish, Frank Hatchett, Michèle Assaf, Lane Napper, Greg Russell, Nicholas Petrov, Dermot Burke, and Karen Burke. Kim has taught at Frankenmuth Dance Academy, Bohaty School of Dance, and YPBT. She just recently moved to the Raleigh area with her husband and 5 young kids.

Maggie-Kate Howard

Maggie-Kate Howard began her training at age 4 at Dallas Ballet Center. At age 17 she became a trainee at Avant Chamber Ballet in Dallas, TX. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, TX and graduated with the Kevin Brown Award for Outstanding Performance in Ballet. She has attended American Ballet Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Carolina Ballet summer-intensive programs. After graduating high school, Maggie-Kate joined the School of Carolina Ballet in Raleigh, NC on full scholarship as a pre-professional student. In 2021 she signed a professional contract with Carolina Ballet and danced with the company until 2024. Maggie-Kate is passionate about all dancers receiving quality ballet training.

Roxane Lessa

Roxane had her initial dance training at the Boston Ballet with Sydelle Gomberg and Boston Ballet Faculty and performed in the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker production annually. Her initial training was in the Cecchetti syllabus and in later years she was trained under the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus and exams. She attended high school at the Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts in Natick, Mass. Following high school, Ms. Lessa studied for two years at the Royal Ballet School in London prior to moving to New York where she trained with Finis Jhung, David Howard and Maggie Black. She has danced professionally with Finis Jhung, The Washington Ballet, Eliot Feld Ballet, and Minnesota Dance Theater.

Kymberlee Paterniti

Originally from Western NY, Kymberlee began her ballet training at a young age with the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet in Jamestown, NY. During her time there, she studied under the direction of many great directors, including Jean Pierre Bonnefoux, Chelsea DeStefano, Beth Elkins, and Monika Alch. She attended many summer intensives, including Chautauqua Institution, PYB, and Ballet MET. Kymberlee graduated from Fredonia State University in 2008 where she earned a Bachelors Degree in Psychology with a minor in Art. Post graduation she joined the faculty at Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet. She also continued training and performed many classical pieces including Paquita, Les Sylphides, and the Odalisques Pas De Trois from Le Corsaire. In 2010, she joined Configuration Dance Theatre, under the direction of Joseph Cipolla. There she performed many of Cipolla’s original contemporary works. Kymberlee moved to North Carolina is 2011 and joined City Ballet of Wilmington as a faculty member where she taught for five years, until relocating to Holly Springs in November of 2015. She holds her Mat Pilates Certification through In Balance Pilates Studio, and is currently the Executive Director of All Starz Children’s Academy.

Danielle Lang

Danielle began dancing at Lehman’s studio at age 11 and became a member of the company Ballet Lehman USA. With that company she had the opportunity to perform the Nutcracker as well as compete in Sochi, Russia. Danielle attended Virginia Commonwealth University on scholarship for dance and choreography where she had the opportunity to work with numerous dance professionals from all over the world. She has performed pieces such as Jose Limon’s Choreographic Offering at the Kennedy Center and BET”s 2009 Spring Bling. Danielle has worked with shows such as The Lion King, Burn the Floor, Shrek the Musical and other on and off Broadway shows. She likes to take classes in NYC, various conventions to keep her dance styles updated.

Paige Risley

Paige brings over five years of experience as an Acrobatic instructor, blending the artistry of ballet, contemporary, and lyrical foundations into her teaching. As a former competitive athlete, she understands the dedication and discipline required to excel and channels that into her instruction. Known for her exceptional leadership skills, Paige is deeply committed to fostering a positive and inspiring environment where young dancers can build confidence, develop new skills, and achieve their full potential. Her passion for acrobatics and dance shines through in every class, motivating students to explore their creativity and push their boundaries.

Amy Gagnon

Amy began her ballet training in up-state New York with Ruth Frawley and Joan

Kunsch, and later with Gilbert Reed and Tina Price. She also studied at the New York State Summer School of the Arts, Saratoga, NY, The American Dance Festival, Durham, NC, and was awarded a full scholarship to the Harkness Ballet Program where she trained at The David Howard Dance Center, NYC. She received a BFA in ballet concentration from Purchase College, Purchase, NY, under the direction of Bettijane Sills, Rosanna Seravalli, Gayle Young, and Kazuko Hirabayashi and has extensive training in Balanchine, Cecchetti, Vaganova and Martha Graham techniques. She is also trained in Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals and Children’s Yoga. She performed leading roles in The Nutcracker, Serenade, Who Cares? Sleeping Beauty and The Four Temperaments. Amy danced professionally with the Berkshire Ballet. She has taught at Ballet Academy East, in New York City, Easter Seals, in Valhalla, NY, Brass City Ballet, Middlebury CT, Caleco Ballet Studio, North Salem, NY, and New England Academy of Dance, in New Canaan, CT and was also a dance administrator for Ballet Academy East, Caleco Ballet Studio and The Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. Amy is an

 ABT ® Certified Teacher, National Training Curriculum levels Pre-Primary to Level Five and is Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Certified, Junior, Senior and Advanced levels.

Dale Cusumano

Originally from New Jersey, Dale trained in New York City at the School of American Ballet and also under the tutelage of Nanette Glushak, Melissa Hayden, and Wilhelm Burmann. Dale’s training lead her into a 15-year career dancing with Richmond Ballet, Ohio Ballet, and Ballet Oklahoma. Across this time, she danced corps, soloist, and principal roles in classics such as Swan Lake, La Bayadere, and Giselle to Balanchine ballets including Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante, Who Cares, and Donizetti Variations to contemporary pieces choreographed by Laura Dean, Lambros Lambrou, Heinz Poll, and more.

After her retirement from stage, Dale pursued an academic goal earning a doctorate in the field of education and then working as a school psychologist. Most recently, she followed her heart and passion for dance and returned to the studio to nurture the love for ballet in others.

Michael Doerner

Michael Doerner began his ballet training in 1979 at the age of ten on scholarship with Muncie Ballet Theatre in Muncie, Indiana, under the direction of Kay Knight. During his high school years, he continued his studies in the Ball State University Ballet Youth Program, where his exceptional promise earned him full scholarships to two summer intensive programs at the School of American Ballet in New York City.

Following high school, he studied with a Montreal-based ballet company performing at Ball State University. Recognizing his talent, Artistic Director Eddy Toussaint invited him to continue his training in Montreal, where he accepted a full scholarship to the Ballet Eddy Toussaint École de Danse in 1987.

In 1988, Michael signed his first professional contract with Ballet de Montréal under the direction of Eddy Toussaint. Following the company’s closure due to financial difficulties, he auditioned for the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto, where he was awarded a full scholarship. After completing two years of training, he joined the National Ballet of Canada as an apprentice in 1990 and was promoted to the corps de ballet the following season. During his nine-year career with the company, he performed under the artistic leadership of Reid Anderson and James Kudelka.

His repertoire with the National Ballet of Canada included numerous featured and character roles, including Puck in The Dream, the Beggar Chief in Manon, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, and the Jester in Cinderella. He was also an original cast member of James Kudelka’s acclaimed The Four Seasons, which was later filmed and received international recognition.

In addition to his work with the National Ballet of Canada, Michael appeared as a guest artist with BalletMet and later joined Alberta Ballet under the artistic direction of Mikko Nissinen. While there, he performed the principal role in Helgi Tómasson’s Much Ado… and danced the leading pas de deux in Jean-Paul Comelin’s Eternal Spring alongside acclaimed ballerina Gavin Larsen. It was in Alberta that he  was elevated to the principal role of the Cavalier in the Nutcracker choreographed by Mikko Nissinen.  Michael danced the lead in a one act Raymonda also choreographed by Mikko Nissinen. He later joined Ballet San Jose under Artistic Director Dennis Nahat, where he enjoyed a successful seven-season career performing a diverse classical and contemporary repertoire.

Following his retirement from the stage in 2008, Michael devoted his attention to his family and to the next generation of dancers. In 2010, he relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he began teaching as Ballet Master, instructor, and choreographer at Destiny Dance Institute in Wake Forest. Over more than seven years, he trained students of all ages and levels, coached dancers for competitions and pre-professional programs, staged classical repertoire, and choreographed original works. His students have gone on to study and perform with prestigious summer intensives, university dance programs, and professional training institutions throughout North America.

During his time at Destiny Dance Institute, Michael worked alongside Hong Yang, now Director of the Raleigh School of Ballet. He has since returned to the stage in character roles, including Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker and the King of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland.

Michael’s teaching philosophy reflects more than two decades as a professional dancer. He is committed to developing strong classical technique, artistry, musicality, and healthy movement practices while fostering confidence, discipline, and a lifelong appreciation for the art of ballet.

Kevin Garcia

Kevin is originally from The Canary Islands(Spain), graduated at the Professional Conservatory of dance ” Carmen Amaya” (Madrid) and moved to the United States after receiving a full scholarship and apprenticeship with Peridance Contemporary Dance Company in 2014 (New York). In 2017 received a contract with Les Ballets Trockadero de Montecarlo (New york) performing as a Principal ballet dancer in stages around the world such as Opera di Milano in Italy, Bunkamura Theatre in Japan or Opera Bastille in Paris until 2025, Known as Elvira Khababgalina in Trockadero for 8 years he danced soloist and principal roles from their extensive repertoire, Swan Lake, Paquita, Esmeralda, Flames of paris, Symphony, Napoli, Go for Barroco, Vivaldi suites, Stars and Stripes Forever, etc.. working with choreographers like Elena Kunikova, Gio Rvelo, Durante Verzola and many more. Relocated to Durham,NC to pursue a career as a ballet teacher, choreographer and private coach while performing as a Principal guest artist for companies around the world.