Sergio Neglia (Ballet) is the founder and Artistic Director of Neglia Ballet Artists. Born in Argentina, Neglia began studying ballet at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires. At 13, he won a scholarship to the famed Bolshoi Ballet, and at sixteen was a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet, hand picked by George Balanchine. He went on to study under, and danced with some of ballets most famous names, including Nureyev, Godunov and Baryshnikov. He has been a finalist and won awards in several International Competitions, including a silver medal at the Prix de Lausanne, considered one of the world’s most prestigious competitions. Neglia has danced as a soloist with Cincinnati Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Santiago Ballet of Chile and many other companies worldwide. In addition to appearing as a guest performer, Neglia is a sought after instructor and has taught master classes throughout Japan, Argentina and the U.S. and was on the summer faculty of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Neglia’s original choreography is recognized for his dramatic and theatrical interpretations, including
Baba Yaga,
Spartacus,
Don Quixote and
Romeo and Juliet, and
The Nutcracker. An inspiration to the local community, he was recognized as the Hispanic Artist of the Year by Hispanics United of Buffalo in 2006.
Heidi Halt (Ballet) is the founder and Executive Director of Neglia Ballet Artists and The Neglia Conservatory of Ballet. A Buffalo native, Halt has performed and taught extensively across North America for more than 25 years. She has performed nearly all the classical repertory as well as works by Balanchine and many renowned contemporary choreographers. Halt has danced with the Buffalo Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theatre, Ballet Randolph in Miami, the Cincinnati Ballet Company and the Scapino Ballet of Rotterdam. Halt returned to Buffalo in 1994 to establish the Neglia Conservatory of Ballet with her husband Sergio Neglia and has been one of the main instructors since its inception. To further her teaching skills, Halt has completed several teacher training courses at the National Ballet School of Canada in Toronto. Through the years the Conservatory has earned a reputation of great success with students pursuing careers in dance or going on to study dance in Universities. Halt has been a guest teacher at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Studio Maestro (now Manhattan Youth Ballet). In 1999 Halt and Neglia formed Neglia Ballet Artists giving Buffalo a true professional performing company. Halt plays a major role in directing and producing all Neglia Ballet Artists productions
Kerry Ann Ring (dance appreciation) earned her BFA in dance from the University of New Mexico and her MFA in choreography and dance performance from Mills College in Oakland, California. She has performed as a company member with the Nevada Dance Theatre, Delta Festival Ballet, the Santa Fe Opera, Bill Evans Dance Company, and Molissa Fenley and Dancers. She trained in the Cecchetti Method under the direction of Norma Gelose and has studied at the Joffrey Ballet School, National Academy of the Arts, as a “Young Artist” scholarship recipient for the American Dance Festival, and the Paul Taylor School. Two of Ring’s choreographic works have been chosen for the American College Dance Festival’s Gala Performance. Ring has performed in new works by several renowned modern dance choreographers. Currently, Ring choreographs and performs for Buffalo Contemporary Dance and Nimbus Dance. Since moving back to Buffalo, she has also had the opportunity to perform with Elaine Gardner’s Pick of the Crop and Neglia Ballet Artists while choreographing for the Zodiaque Dance Company, the Zodiaque Studio Dance Ensemble. Ring is a member of the Cecchetti Council of America and continues to study the graded Cecchetti Syllabi under the private direction of Lisa Taylor. She completed her Grade Six (Intermediate) Teacher’s examination in the spring of 2007. In addition to her work as choreographer and freelance performer, Ring teaches numerous dance courses at D’Youville College. Ring is on faculty at the University at Buffalo and teaches course in ballet technique, modern dance technique, and mind/body integration. Ring is a Core Faculty member for the Dance Masters' of America ballet program.
Beth Elkins (Pilates) was a member of Milwaukee Ballet, BalletMet of Columbus and Toronto’s Xing Ballet before moving to Buffalo, New York. There she performed principal roles with Neglia Ballet Artists, Pick of the Crop Dance, and Buffalo Contemporary Dance. Elkins directed the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet in Jamestown, New York from 1996-2000 and served as Ballet Mistress to the Festival Dancers in Chautauqua Institutions Dance Department, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. Elkins is a Core Dynamics-certified Pilates instructor who currently owns and operates the Pilates loft. In 2005, Elkins and her husband, Brad Wales, founded nimbus dance, a multi-media dance company. Since then, nimbus has performed to sold-out audiences at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Gallery 164, and, with The Real Dream Cabaret, at the opening of the new Burchfield-Penney Arts Center. Elkins taught Pick of the Crop’s Seedling Company, and was on faculty at the Neglia Conservatory of Ballet, American Academy of Ballet, and Buffalo Inner City Ballet. Elkins has taught Master classes at The Nichols School, Buffalo’s Visual and Performing Arts High School and University at Buffalo’s Dance and Theatre Department.
Jennifer Huffman (Modern, Choreography) is from the small town of Festus, Missouri. She attended Webster University in St. Louis where she received a BFA in dance and was awarded the Edward Chase Garvey Memorial Scholarship for three consecutive years. While at Webster, she performed with the Webster University Dance Theatre and choreographed and taught at Motion Express Dance Studio. As a professional, Huffman has performed with such distinguished groups as David Dorfman’s Dance Out of Seasons, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montreal’s and Neglia Ballet Artists
The Nutcracker,
The Slaughter Project,
Paul Taylor 2 in Esplanade,
Move directed by Tanya Shea and Natasha Jansen, and was an apprentice with Inside Chicago Dance Company for one season. Huffman has been a member of Lehrer dance in Buffalo for two years. She currently teaches at Neglia Conservatory of Ballet and Darlene Ceglia’s Dance Project.
