2024 Summer Intensive Instructors
Week 1: July 8th – 12th
Martha Chamberlain
Ms. Chamberlain started dancing at age 5 at the Media Fellowship House. She later began training at The Dance Center, with Donna Muzio, in West Chester. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet from 1984-87. She began studies at the Pennsylvania Ballet School in 1987 and was given an apprenticeship with the Pennsylvania in the fall of 1989. After a month she was promoted to the corps de ballet and from there, she rose through the ranks to become a principal dancer, after her debut as Juliet, in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, in 2000. She retired from dancing in April of 2011. In her 21 years at Pennsylvania ballet. Ms. Chamberlain danced a wide variety of leading roles, from classic full-length story ballets to iconic works by George Balanchine to cutting edge contemporary ballets.
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In addition to her dancing career, she also started a career in costume design. Her first professional experience was designing for Christopher D'Amboise when he was the artistic director for the Pennsylvania Ballet. Over the past 20 years she has designed for many choreographers such as Jorma Elo, Matthew Neenan, Helen Picket, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Claudia Schreier, and Meredith Rainey. She also has a dancewear business, Chamberlain Goods, that specializes in custom dance wear. She joined the University of the Arts dance faculty in the fall of 2013 and is currently a master lecturer as well as the Wardrobe Supervisor for the dance department.
Week 2: July 15th-19th
Alexei Borovik
Mr. Borovik was born in Russia and began his ballet training at the age of ten at the Perm Ballet Academy. Upon graduating in 1979, he was invited to join the Perm Ballet Theatre. His reputation quickly established itself, and in 1982 he was elevated to Premiere Dancer. Alexei was awarded the Second Prize at The Artistic Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1984. In 1987, he won the Gold Medal at The Sixth Concourse International Ballet Festival in Peru and was honored with a decoration as "Merited Artist of Russia".
A highly sought-after guest artist, Alexei has made numerous appearances internationally and throughout Russia. In 1997, he toured China with The Stars of the American Ballet. From 1992-2006, Alexei was a Principal Dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet. His extensive repertoire includes principal roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Don Quixote, and The Nutcracker, among others. Along with leading roles in the classical repertoire, he has taken up additional assignments in the ballets of George Balanchine, including Apollo, Rubies, The Four Temperaments, Tarantella, Serenade, Theme and Variations, and Stars and Stripes. Alexei has also danced in such diverse pieces as Hans van Manen's Grosse Fugue, Paul Taylor's Arden Court, Lynne Taylor Corbett's Great Galloping Gottschalk, and has created roles in many new ballets. In June 1997, Alexei had the prestigious honor of being invited to return to his homeland of Russia to appear as Principal Guest Artist in The Perm Ballet Theatre's productions of Don Quixote and Giselle in celebration of their 125th Jubilee.
On October 13, 2006, Alexei retired from the Pennsylvania Ballet with a Gala Performance of Balanchine's Apollo. He gave his last performance with Perm Ballet in Russia in November 2006. Alexei has worked with Jeanne Ruddy Dance since January 2007, teaching ballet classes and expanding his career as a modern dancer. He is on the faculty as ballet teacher with the School of Philadelphia Ballet.
Alexei is very pleased to have the opportunity to work with all levels of students and is committed to providing the highest-quality ballet training in a fun and supportive environment.
Week 3: July 22nd – 26th
Melissa Rector
Originally from West Virginia, Ms. Rector started dancing at a young age with Monica Folio. She graduated from the University of the Arts in 1993.
Melissa has been dancing with Koresh Dance Company since its inception in 1991 and she is the company’s Assistant Artistic Director. Ms Rector is also an instructor at the Koresh School of Dance, where she teaches her unique style that blends modern jazz and Luigi technique. Her work has been performed locally at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, the Annenberg Center, Drexel University, the Grier School, and Brandywine Ballet.
Melissa frequently travels around the country to perform, to teach master classes, and to set choreography on students.
In 2008, she helped to establish the Koresh Youth Ensemble and she serves as their Artistic Director, setting both original choreography and company repertory on the group.
Week 4: July 29th & August 2nd
Meredith Rainey
Mr. Rainey began dancing at 15 in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale. In 1985 he became the first African American dancer of the Milwaukee Ballet. In 1987, he was invited to join the newly formed Pennsylvania-Milwaukee Ballet, when the collaboration ended, he remained with the Pennsylvania Ballet for 17 years—the majority of the time as a soloist—until his retirement in 2006.
Among other awards and fellowships, Meredith has been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship (1995 & 2002), the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Artist as Catalyst Grant (2001), the Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts (2002), a finalist for the Pew Fellowship in the Arts (2003), and a Pew Center for Arts and Heritage Grant (2010).
Meredith has been commissioned to create works for Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet X, Delaware Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, National Ballet De Cali, Danse4Nia Repertory Ensemble and institutions such as The University of the Arts, Drexel University, Stockton University, Goucher College, Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr College. His work has been performed in North and South America and throughout Spain.
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In 2009 Meredith founded and directed Carbon Dance Theatre a contemporary ballet company in Philadelphia. In 2014 after deciding to concentrate on more artistic projects Meredith closed the company and remained a sought-after teacher, mentor, and independent choreographer.
In the Fall of 2019 Meredith graduated with top honors as a member of the first cohort of candidates for the Masters of Fine Arts in Dance from The University of the Arts.