Founder + Artistic Director

Rose Hutchins

Karielle Silk Photography

Ballet Bloom Project Founder and Artistic Director Rose Hutchins (she/her), is a Maine-based dance artist, educator, choreographer, and photographer. She holds a BFA in Dance (Ballet) from Utah Valley University and an MFA in Dance (Contemporary Choreography and Performance) from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

A native of Reading, Pennsylvania, Hutchins trained at Berks Ballet Theatre and attended summer intensive programs at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and the School of Ballet Arizona before going on to study dance at a collegiate level. While an undergraduate student, Hutchins published "Sociopolitical Influences on the Creation of the Ballet Giselle," a peer-reviewed article receiving the distinction of "best paper" in the arts division of The Journal of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. As part of Hutchins's graduate thesis, she developed and tested a somatic-based contemporary ballet technique curriculum aimed at enhancing dancers' proficiency in contemporary ballet. This research culminated in her choreographic work, Essence (2020), which she created in collaboration with composer Allen Russell. Completed remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, the piece was featured in the mini-documentary NEW STAGE, alongside Hutchins’s reflections on the creative process.
Hutchins’s performance career includes dancing with Ballet Bloom Project, Maine Dance Company, Maine State Ballet, Safe Haven Ballet, and as a freelance artist. With over two decades of teaching experience, Hutchins has taught in diverse settings, inspiring students ranging from beginner to professional with her somatic-informed approach to ballet pedagogy. A prolific choreographer, Hutchins’s work is known for its emotional resonance, musicality, and dynamic imagery. Notable works include her full-length contemporary ballet, The Little Mermaid (2024), set to original music by composer Evan Hart Marsh; The Fairy Queen (2021), developed in collaboration with the Portland Bach Experience; Embark (2016), selected for Regional Dance America/Pacific; and Degas (2015), which placed first in the emerging division of Utah Regional Ballet's Choreography Design Competition. Recently, Hutchins has delved into the world of dance photography, bringing her embodied knowledge to a new medium through which she enjoys capturing the ephemeral beauty of dance both on stage and behind the scenes.

Dance Artists

Jennifer Bourgeault

Kurt Brown

Jennifer Bourgeault holds a B.A. in Dance from DeSales University where she studied the classical Modern techniques of Limon, Cunningham, Horton, and Taylor as well as the Cecchetti method of Ballet under Trinette Singleton. Additionally, Jennifer has trained with the Paul Taylor dance company and David Parsons dance. While in Philadelphia, Jennifer was a soloist with the Opera Company of Philadelphia’s “The Pearl Fishers” and “Aida”. Upon returning to her native state of Maine in 2006, she established Collective Motion (CM), a collaborative modern dance company. With CM she has had the opportunity to work with Maine’s best dancers and choreographers presenting work throughout Maine and New England. Most notable Maine performances include, “The Magic of Christmas” with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Maine Island Dance Festival, and “Been here Before” an evening work by Collective Motion. In 2013 Jennifer founded Collective Motion Arts Center. With over fourteen years of teaching experience in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Pointe, and Modern she looks forward to sharing and exploring the craft and art of dance for many years to come.

Audrey Bendel

Rose Hutchins

Audrey Bendel is currently a student at Dean College pursuing a BFA in dance performance. This is her second time performing with Ballet Bloom Project and she has also previously danced with the University of Southern Maine and with several theatre companies in southern Maine. Post-grad, she hopes to pursue performing professionally and hopes to eventually become a licensed dance therapist. 

Matthew Clement

Matthew Clement has been dancing for over fifteen years, with professional training in ballet as well as tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop. He has performed in many local productions, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Cinderella, and has also competed in regional competitions both as a soloist and in group routines. Matt graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2025 with a degree in Information Technology and is excited to keep sharing his love of dance with the community.

Emma Davis

Sarah Beagan

Emma Davis joined Ballet Bloom Project in the summer of 2025, after her work as a journalist brought her to Maine. In 2021, she graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and leadership studies from the University of Richmond, where she minored in dance and captained the university's concert dance company, University Dancers. Emma has collaborated with and performed pieces by a range of artists, including Francesca Harper, Camille A. Brown and Alexandra Damiani. A New York native, Emma spent her childhood training at American Ballet Studio and performing with the American Dance Theatre of Long Island, with stints at the Kirov Academy of Ballet and Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet. 

Nathan Duszny

Nathan Duszny is a New Hampshire native that started his professional career at
the young age of fifteen. He performed at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH all
through his teenage years. Productions include “Chicago”, “Singing in the Rain”,
“Joseph and the amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat”, “Cats”, and many more. He was
also a proud member of the American Show Dance Team and had the opportunity to
compete at the World Championship in Riesa, Germany for two years in a row. After
high school he moved abroad to Tokyo, Japan to work for Disney. After three years
overseas performing in a variety show called “One Man’s Dream”, he moved to New
York City and danced for small dance companies including The Chase Brock
Experience and The Next Stage Project. His Musical theater career took off in 2010
when he had the honor of touring with Radio City’s “Christmas Spectacular!” featuring
the famous Rockettes. Other past productions include “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast”
national tour, “The Aluminum Show”, “Flashdance the Musical” 1st national tour, the NY
Stage and Film Festival’s play of “Finks”, “Cats”, “Hello Dolly” featuring Sally Struthers,
“Hairspray”, “Chicago”, “She Loves Me”, and most recently the 1st National tour of
“Finding Neverland”. He is currently a proud member of NSquared Dance, New
Hampshire’s premier dance company based in Manchester!

Laura Faherty

RAND Corporation/Diane Baldwin

​Laura Faherty joined Ballet Bloom Project in January 2024. She has had the
pleasure of performing in Atlanta (with Gathering Wild), Buenos Aires (with La
Companía de Danzas Karina Roldán), and as a founding member of the San
Francisco-based company, RAWdance. She also was a guest artist with the José
Limón Dance Company. Laura graduated from Princeton University with a degree
in History and a Certificate in Theater and Dance. There, she danced in works by
Jessica Lang, Rebecca Lazier, and Ze’eva Cohen, and studied choreography with
David Dorfman. She received the Department of Dance’s Francis LeMoyne Page
Award for distinctive achievement in dance and was a member of the student-run
hip-hop and contemporary dance company, BodyHype. A public health/health
policy researcher with RAND and a pediatrician at Maine Medical Center, Laura is
a former competitive Scottish highland dancer who represented the United States at
the World Highland Dance Championships in Scotland. She lives in the Portland
area with her husband (who she met in BodyHype!) and two daughters.

Hannah Haines

Baylee Call

Hannah Haines is a dancer, choreographer and educator based in Southern Maine. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in Anthropology, and Dance with a concentration in performance and choreography from Skidmore College in May 2019. While at Skidmore Hannah had the opportunity to perform works by Skidmore faculty Denise Warner Limoli, Erika Pujic, Mary Harney, Jason Ohlberg, and works by Earl Mosley, Ohad Naharin, Paul Taylor, Danny Grossman, and Isadora Duncan. She has studied as an Apprentice with Lori Belilove and the Isadora Duncan Dance Company, and performed as a freelance dancer with Ballet Bloom Project under the direction of Rose Hutchons, and Natural Opposite Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Holly Stone. Hannah has presented her own choreography in film and live performances at Engine Gallery, The Frances Tang Teaching Museum, and the American Dance Festival's Movies by Movers film festival. She was selected to participate in the panel  “How to be an Ethically Engaged Anthropologist: Activism and Advocacy through Partnership and Collaboration” at the Northeast Anthropological Association Conference 2019, and to present at NYU’s 2020 Mapping Cultures conference for her theoretical research investigating using dance film as an ethnographic method. Hannah teaches ballet, contemporary, and modern dance to students ages 8 through adults throughout Southern Maine and is a 200 hr Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200). She is currently the director of Biddeford Movement Map—a collection of virtual and live movement based events and offerings that explore the history and development of Biddeford, ME. 

Elly Lovin

Allison Lamb

Elly Lovin grew up studying classical ballet and pointe with Robert Thomas and Miyoko Kato of the Joffrey Ballet. She earned a BFA in Dance from the University of Iowa with a focus in ballet, modern dance and performance, learning from many influential instructors including Basil Thompson (Royal Ballet), Alan Sener (Louis Falco Company), George de la Peña (American Ballet Theater, “Nijinsky” film) and Armando Duarte. Elly has been a movement educator since 2008, offering yoga, barre, creative dance and ballet programs for all ages at studios and schools. She has lived, worked and danced in Taipei, Chicago, and New York City, and has called Maine home since 2015. She began dancing with Ballet Bloom Project in 2019 and is grateful for the opportunity to continue developing as an artist and performer within a wonderful and supportive community. Elly is a Registered Dance Movement Therapist and holds a Master’s degree in Dance Movement Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. She believes that movement is our right and inheritance; a form of love and a force for good.

Olivia Robbins

Ruth Ganev Photography

Olivia Robbins dances professionally and teaches Pilates on the Seacoast of NH. She began her career at 13 with Peterborough Dance Theatre; moving into more serious training under Elisa Gerasin at Great Bay Academy of Dance in 2016. Before Olivia’s professional years, she expanded her training and education at Northeastern Ballet Theatre and University of New Hampshire with their Ballet Company. Entering the professional world, she danced for Safe Haven Ballet for two contracted seasons.

Focusing on expanding her diversity, Olivia attended classes and intensives at Ballet RI, NSquared, STYX and Lila Productions to name a few; She most recently traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina under Nathan Moyer’s DanceAbroad program. In Spring 2022, she started her journey into theatre, acting and choreographing with New World Theatre playing the lead of “The Unborn” in David Beardsley’s world premiere of “Holy and Unruly.”

Olivia currently dances on Julie Hebb’s Annex Contemporary Dance Company and freelances on the Seacoast of NH and ME. She’s taught Ballet and Conditioning classes to all levels throughout her career, now guest teaching Pilates at local dance studios. Her passion is storytelling through movement and it’s a joy for her to bring it to audiences.

Stephanie Salmi-Pepin

Rose Hutchins

Born in Miami, Florida, Stephanie Salmi-Pepin began her training with Ballet Master Orsino del Valle and later at the Miami City Ballet School. At fourteen, she was granted a full scholarship to continue her pre-professional training at the HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, graduating four years later as her class Valedictorian. Summer intensives training included the National Russian Ballet Seminar, the HARID Conservatory, North Carolina School of the Arts, The Hartford Ballet, and the Milwaukee Ballet School.

Stephanie started her professional dancing career with the Montgomery Ballet, and later returning close to her home town with Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida. Before her relocation to Greenville, Maine, she danced as a principal with Ballet Wichita in Kansas. During her time in Maine, Stephanie helped run a nonprofit organization, Greenville School for the Arts, alongside her husband, John, while she taught various dance styles to her local community including a program where she volunteered to teach ballroom dance to long-term dementia patients and residents of the C.A. Dean Nursing Home.
Stephanie also toured the state of Maine with The Robinson Ballet's Nutcracker Season at the Collins Center with The Bangor Symphony Orchestra in Orono, ME. For the past three fall seasons and close to her heart, her most recent performances have been in Kittery, Maine with Dance Annex Studio's production of The Nutcracker under the Artistic Direction of Julie Hebb. This past Spring, she danced as a soloist in Angela Grassie's production of Cinderella in Durham, NH, for Corinne’s School of Dance Ballet Company of Rochester, NH.

In addition to her performance experience, Stephanie has been on staff at The Dancexchange in North Miami, FL, The Montgomery Ballet School, Artistree, The Pointe School of Dance, Wichita School of Performing Arts (WSPA), Bethal College Academy of Performing Arts (BCAPA), close to her current home at the Piscataquis Regional YMCA and also the Boothbay Regional YMCA and Montessori School. She currently teaches Ballet, Pre-pointe, and choreography. This past summer of 2024, Stephanie was invited to be a guest Off- Ice ballet instructor at the Ice Vault Figure Skaters Camp in Augusta, ME, and for the Ice Dance International's Adult Figure Skaters Camp in Dover-Foxcroft, ME. She also participated in the 2024 LILA Dance Festival with choreography by Meghan McCoy.

To Stephanie, family means the most to her and she tries to balance herself with taking care them. Her husband, John, and daughter Kristalyn are her encouragement and support. After a recent diagnosis of a family member, Stephanie was inspired to create a new piece on her students entitled “Memory” themed on Alzheimer's disease and dementia that was recently performed at the Waterville Opera House as part of TNT's Dance Studio's production of "Game On".

Kelsie Steil

Zeb Pease

Kelsie Steil is a dance artist, physical actor, choreographer, and director. As a performer, she has worked with choreographers Amanda Whitworth, Hannah Haines, Kristen Stake, Lizzy Mulkey, and Rose Hutchins. Her performance practice spans contemporary dance, physical theater, and character-based work, including drag king performance and immersive studies in Commedia dell’Arte.

She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Adventure Education with a Minor in Dance from Plymouth State University, where she received the 2018 Contemporary Dance Ensemble Award for achievements in choreography. During her undergraduate training, she had opportunities to work with guest choreographers Helen Simoneau and Jesse Robb.
In addition to her performance work, Kelsie creates original, character-driven dance-theater productions and dance films presented throughout New England at SPACE Gallery, Lila Dance Festival, Engine, Franco Center, Dance Annex, Hill Arts, City Theater, and Mechanics’ Hall. Her original evening-length work, Split My Soul, premiered in 2025, was presented at Mechanics Hall in 2026, and will be presented at Judson Memorial Church in New York City in December 2026.

She is the founder of Creature Works, through which she develops original dance works, multidimensional projects and collaborations. Her collaborative work includes CRAVING THE MYSTIC, adapted into an award-winning film by filmmaker Jennifer Hoffer, and Rummage Lane, a full-length duet co-created with Hannah Haines.
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Learn more: creatureworksdance.com

Nathan Straussberg

Rose Hutchins

Nathan Straussberg is 23 years old and studies at the University of New Hampshire. He danced for 10 years at Kathy Blake Dance Studio in Amherst, New Hampshire, learning styles such as hip hop, jazz, lyrical, and theatre dance. While working on a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, he first started learning ballet in the spring of 2023 and became a member of the UNH Ballet Company for the 2023-2024 season. In the UNH Ballet Company, he had the opportunity to perform in Don Quixote as a Toreador and Basilio, and in the 2024 UNH Spring Ballet Showcase, he worked with guest choreographer Zach Bettie-Neagle from Nsquared. He performed as Siegfried in the Black Swan Pas de Deux at both the University of New Hampshire and Northeastern Ballet Theatre in March and May of 2024. During the summer of 2024, he studied Argentine tango under guest choreographer Alejandro Figliolo with Lila Productions, and also performed the Blue Bird Pas de Deux from Sleeping Beauty at the 2024 Lila Dance Festival. He now continues to dance for the UNH Ballet Company while completing a master’s degree in ocean engineering.

Rachel Watson

Michelle Merrill

Rachel Watson joined Ballet Bloom Project in 2021. She completed her BFA in Dance and BA in Biological Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2017— discovering an enriching, complementary interplay between the two. While attending UCSB, she had the opportunity to perform works by Anna Halprin, Yvonne Rainer, José Limón, Andrea Miller, and Jacqulyn Buglisi, along with many other wonderful choreographers. Rachel has performed in England, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and NYC. Following graduation from undergrad Rachel had the pleasure of teaching and performing professionally in the San Francisco Bay Area. She moved to Maine in the summer of 2020 and has not looked back, enjoying performing, reveling in the seasons, and spending time outdoors. Rachel is a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist and holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University. She has a deep appreciation for the knowledge contained within the human body and the power of movement in healing, transformation, and expression.

Sallie Werst

Tim Avery

Sallie Werst grew up in New Hampshire and received her early training at Southern NH Dance Theater under Patricia Lavoie dancing lead roles including Giselle’s Peasant Pas de Deux, Gamzatti in La Bayadere, The Drayad Queen in Don Quixote, the Black Swan Pas de Deux, and Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She also studied at VT Chamber Ballet, Bossov Ballet Theatre, CPYB, and Ballet Austin. Sallie received her Bachelor's of Business from Pace University in NYC during which time she was part of the scholarship programs at Ballet Academy East and STEPS on Broadway, training classically with such esteemed ballet teachers as Darla Hoover, Peter Frame, Cheryl Yeager, Finis Jhung, and Nancy Bielski and hip hop with Buddha Stretch, Jonathan Lee, and Vandana Hart. Upon graduation, Sallie traveled to Africa to take part in developing a dance outreach program in Arandis, Namibia. She returned home and took on a new perspective dancing as a New England Patriots Cheerleader on the NFL sidelines and at Super Bowl XLVI. Sallie has taught a multitude of genres across her home state and the country over the past 19 years including having had the pleasure of serving on faculty at Regional Dance Americas Northeast Festival in '18 and ‘23 as well as their National Choreography Intensive in '19. She has danced as a member of Saving Grace Dance Ensemble, Nsquared Dance Company, and as a freelance artist and continues to enjoy growing and sharing her love of all movement!

Margaret Wiss

Frederick Wiss

Margaret Wiss (she/her) holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Columbia University, Master of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in choreography from NYU Tisch School for the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Kinesiology from Mount Holyoke College. Her choreographic and screendance work has been presented across the United States and she has been commissioned by PDX Contemporary Ballet, North Atlantic Dance Theatre, The Harvard Ballet Company, and the Five College Dance Department. She has taught for Mount Holyoke College and Tisch School for the Arts Dance Department Future Dance Makers and Dancers Program. Wiss has performed professionally in Boston and has worked with Pilobolus Dance Theater, Sidra Bell, Jennifer Hart, and Kinsun Chan. She values the vitality of collaboration and is currently researching and writing a book on the subject.

 Collaborators + Guest Creators

Satomi Itohara

Sunao Noto

Satomi Itohara began her ballet training in her home town of Yamaguchi, Japan. Following a move to the United States, she continued her education at Utah Valley University, where she graduated with a BFA in Dance. Satomi moved to New York to train and was invited to join the Joffrey Concert Group under the direction of Davis Robertson. In high demand as a freelance dancer, she has worked with independent choreographers and companies in NYC, and toured around the nation. She enjoys choreographing and has presented her works in major dance festivals and showcases in NYC such as The Dance Gallery Festival, Dumbo Dance Festival, The Identically Dance Festival, and many others.  Currently, she teaches a wide range of students from infants to adults at studios in Tokyo and its suburbs. She has kept choreographing contemporary ballet works for recitals, competitions, and festivals in Japan and abroad in addition to working as a dancer.  Her works have been shown in countries such as India, Mexico, Singapore, and Japan. Young dancers she choreographed on and coached have won prizes in competitions in Japan.  

Cristian Laverde Koenig

Cristian Laverde Koenig holds a Bachelor's Degree in Classical Ballet and began his professional career under the legendary Alicia Alonso, performing a vast repertoire on national and international tours. He went on to dance as a soloist with Hartford Ballet and Ballet Internationale, working with renowned ballet masters such as Josefina Mendez, Alla Osipenko, Flemming Flindt, and Irina Kolpakova. He then joined Maximum Dance Company and later Milwaukee Ballet as a principal dancer, expanding his repertoire with works by Ivonice Satie, Jean-Christophe Blavier, Lila York, and Christopher Gable among others.

As a freelance artist, Laverde Koenig has performed worldwide, collaborating with companies such as Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Oakland Ballet, and the National Ballet of Slovakia, as well as participating in the inception of dance projects such as Infinite Movement Ever Evolving (iMEE). His repertoire spans classical and contemporary works, ranging from Petipa’s classics to the likes of Balanchine, Tudor, Tharp, Duato, and Graham, as well as world premieres by Maurice Causey and Karole Armitage. In addition to performing, he has taken on leadership roles, serving as Rehearsal Director for Armitage Gone! Dance and Tabula Rasa Dance Theater, contributing to the development of new productions.

A dedicated mentor and teacher, Laverde Koenig is a sought-after master instructor, leading company classes for Gibney Company and New York Theatre Ballet. Additionally, he teaches open classes at popular dance studios in New York City, including Steps on Broadway, Peridance, and Broadway Dance Center, and enjoys sharing his expertise with the next generation of dancers.

Evan Hart Marsh

Angie Seacliff

Evan Hart Marsh is a composer, dance artist, and educator currently based in California. His exploration in music evolved alongside his career in dance where he has collaborated with choreographers, filmmakers, and performance artists creating original scores and songs.

He studied composition and film scoring at the New England Conservatory of Music and participates in ongoing education in mixing and sound design. Evan's creations have been featured in live performances, films, media, podcasts, and more.

For him music is a way of sonic storytelling. His soundscapes experiment with elements of electronic, global, jazz, and new age. His work aims to evoke worlds and environments that transcend our current experience. 

To listen to Evan's music vist evanhartmarsh.com

Colin Minigan

Magaret Wiss

Colin Minigan is a Massachusetts-born composer whose recent music is concerned with natural phenomena, and the relationship between static and fluid elements of musical composition and performance. In addition to concert music, he has frequently collaborated on dance projects with performances throughout the Northeast as well as in Minnesota and Oregon. Colin is also an active songwriter. Colin obtained his B.A. in Music Composition and minor in Asian Studies from Skidmore College in 2016, M.M. in Music Composition from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2020, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Music Theory and Composition at the University of California, Davis.

Portland Bach Experience

Christina Wnek

Portland Bach Experience tears down barriers and challenges preconceived notions about classical music by offering immersive events, interactive educational programs, and intimate concerts at our annual June festival. Committed to creating programs that are distinct, deep, and connective experiences, we bring award-winning artists to Maine to share musical productions that cultivate resilience, nurture individual growth, and feed our collective hunger for connection.

Allen Russell

Christal Wagner

Allen Russell is a violinist, composer and instructor based in Milwaukee, WI. He began his musical studies on the violin at age 5, and studied at the String Academy of Wisconsin with Mimi Zweig and David Becker before later going on to study with Jerome Franke and Dr. Bernard Zinck. Allen has performed with his Hot Swing quartet Swing Chevron at festivals such as the Midwest Gypsy Swingfest, as well as historic venues such as the Green Mill. With the string quartet Tontine Ensemble, Allen has participated in premiering the new works of modern composers and has had his own compositions performed in collaboration with Milwaukee Ballet, UWM Dance, Danceworks Inc., Water St. Dance, Danceteria, and Hyperlocal. Allen is a registered Suzuki Violin instructor and holds a Master of Fine Arts in String Performance and Pedagogy from UW Milwaukee. 

Margaret Wiss

Frederick Wiss

Margaret Wiss (she/her) holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy from Columbia University, Master of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in choreography from NYU Tisch School for the Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Kinesiology from Mount Holyoke College. Her choreographic and screendance work has been presented across the United States and she has been commissioned by PDX Contemporary Ballet, North Atlantic Dance Theatre, The Harvard Ballet Company, and the Five College Dance Department. She has taught for Mount Holyoke College and Tisch School for the Arts Dance Department Future Dance Makers and Dancers Program. Wiss has performed professionally in Boston and has worked with Pilobolus Dance Theater, Sidra Bell, Jennifer Hart, and Kinsun Chan. She values the vitality of collaboration and is currently researching and writing a book on the subject.