Gayle Micca

Gayle Micca, director, received her first classical ballet foundation with the Greensboro Civic Ballet and at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1975. She continued her education in the Hartford Ballet Teacher Training Program and danced professionally for the Nutmeg Ballet Company and the Gallery Dancers of Litchfield, CT. She taught classes in Classical Ballet and Modern Dance at the Nutmeg Ballet and Torrington School of Ballet before opening Valley Ballet in 1980. Gayle is also certified as a professional trainer and a nutrition specialist and continues to update her dance education each summer with workshops, conferences, seminars and technique classes.

Linda Presnyakova

Linda Presnyakova, ballet mistress, was trained in classical ballet by the Dance Academy and Ballet School of Moscow, Russia. She taught at the Moscow School of Ballet and was a dancer with the Moscow Conservatory Dance Troupe. She served as principal ballerina and received several awards for excellence. Linda received her degree in dance from the Hartford Conservatory and has since been employed by the Conservatory as ballet teacher in the certification program as well as in the general division. She has been teaching at Valley Ballet since the Fall of 1994.









Michelle Micca

Michelle Micca received her dance training from Valley Ballet, Nutmeg Ballet, and Elon University and at the University of Ghana where she studied and performed West African Dance. She has spent summers and weekends studying at various dance festivals including American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, the North Carolina Dance Alliance, and Wesleyan Dance Masters. Michelle has studied and performed choreography for or by noted choreographers, Taina Isaac, Jennifer Archibald, Liz Maxwell, Laura Dean, Chuck Davis, Stafford Berry Jr., Ruth Adrien, and Lila York. She has has been rehearsal assistant to Taina Isaac, Lauren Kearns, and Chuck Davis.

Michelle has performed as soloist at the 2007 North Carolina Dance Festival and at Elon University. She has been tagged as a promising choreographer having already had her works performed at Bates Dance Festival and the North Carolina Dance Alliance. Michelle will receive her B.F.A. in dance performance and choreography in May 2010.

Jennifer Hazen

Jennifer Hazen is a certified dance instructor having received her degree in dance from the Hartford conservatory. She is also certified by the Physical Mind Institute in advanced Mat Pilates. She has taught at Earl Mosley's Life dance Company and Project Poetry Live. Jennifer has choreographed for the Warner Stage company, Goshen Players, Lewis S. Mills, Litchfield High school, and Torrington High school. She has danced in several musicals including Cinderella, Evita, Jekyll&Hyde, Phantom of the Opera, and Guys and Dolls. Jennifer continues to feed her passion for Dance by studying with various choreographers and dance companies.