Artistic & Administrative Staff

Karen Russo Burke, Artistic Director, Dayton Ballet. Karen danced leading roles by world famous choreographers Gerald Arpino, Antony Tudor, Jose Limon and Paul Taylor in her 11 year career as a principal dancer for American Repertory Ballet. Karen has taught at DBS for 17 years and was Director of DBII Senior for 12 years.

Abigail Beam, Director, DBII Senior Company. Abbie studied extensively with Dayton Ballet and Pontecorvo Ballet Studios. She is the children’s rehearsal assistant for The Nutcracker. Abbie has performed with Dayton Ballet II and Ballet de Jeunesse. She was seen as a guest artist in Dayton Ballet’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Swan Lake, America’s Robin Hood, and her favorite, The Nutcracker. Abbie graduated from Wright State University.

Megan Reckamp Forney, Director, DBII Junior/Outreach programs. Megan graduated from Wright State University with a BFA in dance. Megan has danced with Dayton Ballet II Senior. She has been the recipient of the Miss Josephine and Hermene Schwarz Award, Dancer Peer Award and the Walter J. McCaslin Memorial Award. Megan had the featured role in Bushido at WSU. You have seen her dance in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Nutcracker, There was a Time, and The Three Musketeers with Dayton Ballet.
 
Carol Jean Heller, Director, Dayton Ballet School, danced with Ballet Repertory, NYC. She owned and operated a dance school for 10 years, and was a faculty member and examiner for Dance Masters of Ohio. Carol Jean taught ballet and musical theatre at the Living Arts Center and has been on the DBS faculty since 1987. She has also choreographed extensively in the Dayton area.