Faculty
Select from the names below to read their biographies:
Georgia Deane
Laura Young
Susanna Vennerbeck
Cynthia Marnik
Sabrina Stand
Patti Travis Sawyer
Jennifer Nealon
Heather Courtemanche
Jennifer Emerson
Georgia Deane: Artistic Director & Founder
Georgia Deane is the artistic director and founder of the Deane
School of Dance and the Greater Milford Ballet Company in Mendon,MA.
She has been a dance teacher for 50 years, a professional performer
of voice and dance, a musician, chairman of the Salem Cultural Arts
Commission, Chairman of the Milford Arts Council, President of the
Dance Masters of America and Dance Teachers Club of Boston, and
a teacher’s teacher for dozens of dance teachers worldwide.
She has taught for dance seminars and teacher conventions of leading
dance organizations in the United States and abroad. She is also
a competition judge for the National Dance Council of America.
During Georgia’s early years, she studied dance, voice, violin,
piano, and guitar. As an aspiring actress, she attended EmersonCollege
and graduated from CurryCollege, majoring in theater arts and dance.
After college, Georgia and her two sisters, Helen and Maryann Deane,
toured on the RKO circuit performing trio harmony and dance with
stars such as, Frankie Fontaine and Red Buttons. The sisters also
performed in the New England area at nightclubs and did numerous
commercials on radio. From that time to the present, Georgia Deane
has studied regularly in New York and New England with master dance
teachers such as, Luigi, June Taylor, Paul Hakon, Paul Draper, Peter
Gennaro, Harriet Hoctor, Gus Giordano, Marina Svetlova, E. Virginia
Williams, to name a few.
Georgia has two children, Cynthia Marnik and Dean Avellis, who
are also performers and teachers. Miss Georgia also has 8 step-children,
3 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.
In 2007, Georgia is planning a big celebration of the 25th anniversary
of the Greater Milford Ballet Company’s “Nutcracker”.
Laura Young: Principal of Boston Ballet
School, Metro West Studio, Principal of Dancelab - Choreographer
for Greater Milford Ballet Company's "The Nutcracker"
 Young
was appointed principal of Boston Ballet School’s Boston Studio
in 1994. From 1986 until 1994, she was director of Boston Ballet’s
International Summer Dance Program. From 1986 to 1996, she directed
Boston Ballet II, a group of young professional dancers that performed
with Boston Ballet and presented lecture demonstrations throughout
the Northeast. As director of BBI, Ms. Young choreographed five
works for the group, Albinoni Suite, Champ Dances,
Deadlock, A Place of Sound and Mind, and the two-act
story ballet Rumpelstiltskin. Currently Ms. Young is a faculty
member and Principal of Boston Ballet’s Metro West Studio and
Principal of DanceLab, a summer intensive for young ladies aged
12-16.
Ms. Young has given guest master classes at the Boston Conservatory
where she has also staged Napoli and Pas de Quatre,
Walnut Hill School, Harvard Dance Program, Alwin School of Dance
in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, Festival
Ballet Providence, Worcester Performing Arts School, Dance Place
of Newburyport, Academy of Ballet Arts in Chelmsford, Ashland (KY)Youth
Ballet, Cape Cod Conservatory, Mid-Cape Ballet Academy, National
Dance Theatre of Bermuda, Granite State Ballet, Lexington (MA Ballet,
Florida Ballet Arts School in Sarasota, Northeast Regional Ballet
Festival, Dance Masters of New England, who made her the first Honorary
Member of Dance Masters of America Chapter 5, and Greater Milford
Ballet, where she has staged a production of Nutcracker for
the past eighteen years. She was named a “Grand Bostonian”
for the city’s 350th gala celebration, and received a “Citation
for Special Achievement” at the Eighth Annual Elliot Norton
Awards.
Born in Boston, Ms. Young was one of the most celebrated American
dancers during her performance career. With a repertoire of more
than 65 leading roles in classic, modern, and contemporary ballets,
her performances were noted for superior technical skill and dramatic
energy by critics around the world. Ms. Young was best known for
her interpretations of the title roles in Giselle, Romeo
and Juliet, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Sugar Plum
Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Swanhilda in Coppelia,
Tarantella Pas de Deux, Rodeo, The Four Temperaments,
Allegro Brillante, and Kitri/Dulcinea in Don Quixote
opposite Rudolf Nureyev. She performed with Fernando Bujones in
La Sylphide, and in his stagings of Esmeralda Pas de Deux
and Raymonda Act III; with Edward Villella in Apollo
and Stars and Stripes; opposite John Meehan and Mr. Bujones
in Giselle; with Alexander Kolpin in Napoli, and with
Frank Augustyn in Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux. A highlight in
her career was the opportunity to dance with Margot Fonteyn in Les
Sylphides in the Nocturne. “It was a most inspiring and
illuminating experience.”
Ms. Young performed extensively abroad as part of the first American
balletic tour of China by Boston Ballet in 1980, in two tours of
the United States and Europe with Rudolf Nureyev in Don Quixote,
and in triumphant performances of Swan Lake as Odette/Odile
with Mr. Nureyev in Boston Ballet’s London debut in July 1981.
Young gave her final performance with Boston Ballet in her signature
role as Kitri-Dulcinea in Don Quixote on May 21, 1989.
 Susanna
Vennerbeck: Master Teacher
Ms. Vennerbeck’s affiliation with Georgia Deane dates back
to 1970 when, at four years old, she began studying dance with Georgia
and her sister Helen in a small church in Salem, Massachusetts.
In 1976 her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas where she had
the opportunity to study and perform with William Martin-Viscount.
While living in San Antonio she also spent two summers studying
with Robert Joffrey at the Joffrey Ballet Workshop. She returned
to Natick, Massachusetts to attend high school at the Walnut Hill
School for the Performing Arts where she studied dance under the
direction of Sydelle Gomberg. Her training also included summers
spent in New York at the School of American Ballet, the Joffrey
Ballet School and the American Ballet Theatre School.
 At
the age of seventeen Ms. Vennerbeck joined the Hamburg Ballet in
Hamburg, West Germany under the direction of John Neumeier. As a
member of the corps de ballet her repertoire included Neumeier’s
Mahler’s Symphony III, Mahler’s Symphony IV,
and Saint Matthew’s Passion. While with the Hamburg
Ballet, Ms. Vennerbeck toured to Ottawa, Toronto, Chicago, Paris
and New York.
In 1985 Ms. Vennerbeck received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA
Fellowship for outstanding young artists. In that same year she
returned home to join Boston Ballet under the direction of Bruce
Marks. She was promoted to soloist in 1991. Her notable roles with
Boston Ballet included the Sugarplum Fairy and the Snow Queen in
The Nutcracker, the Baby Swans and the Pas de Trois in Swan
Lake, the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, the lead in
George Balanchine’s La Sonnambula, the Third Theme in
George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, and Juliet in
Choo San Goh’s Romeo and Juliet.
Ms. Vennerbeck was thrilled to renew contact with her former teacher
when she was invited by Miss Georgia to perform the role of the
Sugarplum Fairy at the Greater Milford Ballet Association’s
1989, 1990 and 1991 performances of The Nutcracker. Ms. Vennerbeck
retired from her performing career in 1994 and began teaching for
the Greater Milford Ballet Association and the Deane School of Dance.
Ms. Vennerbeck graduated magna cum laude from Brown University
in 1999 with a degree in French Studies. She currently resides in
Stow, Massachusetts with her husband and two young sons, Cameron
and Jude.
 Cynthia
Marnik: Cynthia Marnik has taught tap, jazz, ballet, aerobics,
ballroom, and Spanish dancing since the 1970’s. Although she
is affiliated with the Deane School of Dance in Mendon and Salem,
MA, she also teaches classes for other dance studios on the North
Shore. A member of the Deane Family, she has experience as a professional
dancer, singer, and actress. She has also been on the faculty for
DMA and DTCB seminars.
In addition to her study of dance with her mother and aunt, Georgia
Deane and Helen Deane, she has studied with E. Virginia Williams,
Sydney Leonard, Madame Valentina Periaslavic, Marina Svetlova, Paul
Draper, Harriet Hoctor, June Taylor, Paul Hakon, Gus Giordano, and
Luigi, to name a few.
She is the Director of the Salem Children’s Theater, former
member of Boston Ballet, choreographer of about 50 musical theater
productions, former Chairman of the Salem Arts Council, a school
teacher, Director of a Miss America preliminary pageant, and an
event planner.
Studio & Guest Faculty
 Sabrina
Stand: Sabrina Stand was born and raised in Massachusetts. She
has a Bachelor of Arts Dance Major and Business Minor from Dean
College. After studying dance at the Deane School of Dance for the
past fifteen years, Sabrina is now a member of the faculty. She
is currently a Ballet, Tap and Jazz instructor, an assistant dance
instructor for The Nutcracker and an Office Manager for the Deane
School of Dance. Attending Master Classes and special teacher courses
at DMA and DTCB seminars, makes Sabrina a talented and welcomed
addition to the school.
Patti Travis Sawyer: Graciously has
joined us in teaching ballet and tap programs. She is a graduate
of Dean College.
Jennifer Nealon: Joining us many years now, Jennifer leads our very successful Irish dance
program.
Heather Courtemanche: A graduate
of Roger Williams University with a degree in Marketing and a Minor
in Dance and a returning Deane alumni, now teaches some of our ballet
and tap classes.
 Jennifer
Emerson: Ballet, Pointe, Jazz & Tap Instructor. Born in
Rhode Island, Jennifer Emerson grew up in Massachusetts and received
her training at the Deane School of Dance (Greater Milford Ballet
Company). Her senior year at Franklin High School she won Franklin's
Junior Miss Program, and received individual awards in talent, scholarship,
fitness and presence and composure. She danced in a number of ballets
with the Greater Milford Ballet Company including The Nutcracker
(Dew Drop Fairy and Marzipan Shepherdess, along with numerous corps
roles), The Sousa Suite (First and Second Regiment Lead), Cinderella,
Les Sylphides and Rhapsody in Blue. After graduating with a BFA
in Glass from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1998, she went
back to teach and choreograph for the Deane School of Dance and
is now part of the faculty, teaching ballet, pointe, jazz and tap.
At Deane, she has choreographed dozens of ballet, jazz and tap routines.
Her extensive training comes from Georgia Deane, Laura Young (Boston
Ballet), Susanna Vennerbeck (Boston Ballet), Patti Beando, Rhee
Gold (choreographed Jennifer's award winning Aladdin dance), Ann
Beretta Morsilli and Myles Marsden. Her dance tool-kit includes
costume design and dance history, and she is a skilled web developer
Project Manager for MetLife Auto & Home in Warwick, RI. She
manages the Greater Milford Ballet Company's web site and is part
of our guest faculty now. She currently resides in Barrington, RI
with her husband, Eric, daughter, Freya and son, Bjorn.
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