faculty

Fern K. Helfond

is the founder of L'Ecole de la Dance,

the official School of the Mount Laurel Ballet and has been

its director since 1961. She is a New Jersey Department

of Education certified teacher with a Bachelor of Science

degree from Temple University. As a member of the

Cecchetti Council of America, Mrs. Helfond is a qualified

teacher's coach and her school is certified for national

examinations each year.

Viktor Yeliohin

, member and former soloist of the

Donetsk Ballet Company of the Ukraine joined our faculty

in 1992. He choreographs the children's parts for the

Donetsk Ballet Company's Nutcracker productions in the

United States in addition to creating new works for our

annual Spring Concerts.

Monica McGowan

, founding member and former

principal dancer of the National Dance Theater Company

(NDTC) of Jamaica, helps our students develop a

multicultural facet of dance with her Caribbean Folk

expertise. Miss McGowan, a member of Cecchetti Council

of America, joined our diverse faculty in 1990 for special

workshop classes.

Stasia M. Boti

, a graduate of Stockton College, holds a

degree in Dance and Biology

as well as a

octorate in

Physical Therapy

. Dr. Botis

is a member of the

Cecchetti

Council of America. She has performed with

universities

and major dance companies, receiving

awards for her

performing and choreography.

Jennifer Zellers

began studying ballet with Fern Helfond

and Viktor Yeliohin at L’Ecole de la Dance and continued

her dance education in Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet’s

pre-professional division. She has also attended several

summer programs including The Cecchetti Council of

America’s International Summer School, The Kirov

Academy, American Ballet Theater, and Wissahickon

Dance Academy under the tutelage of Vadim Pisarev and

Inna Dorofeyeva. By day, Jennifer is a physical therapist at

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and had the

opportunity to tre

at dancers at the Washington Ballet as a

physical therapy student at Body D

ynamics in Arlington, V

Lindsey Grites Weeks

is currently pursuing her

Doctorate in Dance at Temple University. She received her

Master’s in Dance Education from New York University,

where she was awarded “Outstanding Achievement in

Graduate Dance Education” for excellence in performance,

choreography, and pedagogy. NYC performances include

92nd Street Y/ Harkness Dance Center and Ailey Citigroup

Theater with Deborah Damast and Dancers. Lindsey

received her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Rutgers

University. She is a member of the National Dance

Education Organization, DanceNJ, and Associated Dance

Teachers of NJ. Lindsey is currently training for teacher

certification in the Cecchetti method.

Nicole Y. Roberts

is a Towson University graduate with

a BFA in Dance Performance and Education. Ms. Roberts,

a member of the Cecchetti Council of America and

graduate of L'Ecole de la Dance, is a certified K-12 dance

teacher in both New Jersey and Maryland. She has

received awards in performance and choreography.

Faculty