Faculty

Jane Tyree, School Director and Co-Artistic Director

Jane Tyree was born in Florence, Alabama. She began her training with the Birmingham Civic Ballet and continued training at the University of Alabama dance department, where she received a B.A. in Arts Management and Dance Performance. Her professional experience includes the Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago, South Carolina Ballet Theatre/Ballet Michigan, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Delta Festival Ballet, Wisconsin Ballet Theatre and Southern Ballet Theatre of Orlando.   

In addition to her performance career, Jane was the Executive Director, Scholarship Director and Ballet Instructor for the internationally acclaimed Gus Giordano Dance Center in Chicago, and she has also served on the faculty of Lou Conte Dance Studio, South Carolina’s Columbia College, David Puszh Dance Company and the Joseph Holmes Dance Institute. Jane was recently recognized as a nominee for Woman of Distinction in the area of nonprofit management by Soroptimist International of Boca Raton and Deerfield Beach.

Since 1990, when Boca Ballet Theatre was founded, Jane has vigorously put her heart and soul into her work, bringing her vast experience as a talented performer and teacher to the stage and classroom alike.

Faculty

Cindy Surman, BBT4PD and Assistant to the Director

Cindy Surman began her early dance training in Houston, Texas, studying with Edna Herzog. After receiving a BBA from the University of Texas, where she was an All American Collegiate cheerleader, she moved to Boca Raton where she gained a reputation as an exceptional dance instructor. Cindy co-founded BBT4PD,  the Dance for PD® Program at Boca Ballet Theatre in 2013, and in 2018 became 1 of 7 certified Dance for PD® instructors in the world.  Area audiences have seen her in Boca Ballet Theatre presentations of Graduation Ball, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and the lead in Just Swingin’. She is one of the founding faculty members of the School of Boca Ballet Theatre, the program director for BBT’s College Dance Fair, and is the Assistant to the Directors.

Ines Aperlo Lopez, Ballet Instructor and BBT4PD

Born in Argentina, Ines Lopez began her ballet education and training under her mentor, renowned ballet mistress Cristina Sanchez. Her formative years under her wing were carried out in her hometown of Carlos Paz, Cordoba. With her guidance, Ms. Lopez was awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in several regional and international dance competitions and began her teaching career at 17. Seeking new opportunities abroad, she left Argentina in 2000 and relocated to Boca Raton, Florida. She quickly found a place to continue training and performing at Boca Ballet Theatre, sharing the stage with many ballet stars in productions of The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Flower Festival at Genzano. In 2003, she became an instructor for BBT, taking on most of the Children’s Division classes, becoming the anchor of that program. She is passionate about inspiring the youngest dancers at BBT to love the art and discipline of ballet through movement and music. A testament to her costume design and seamstress skills, Ms. Lopez has been the Wardrobe Mistress for BBT and the Harid Conservatory for 15 years, displaying her creations on our local stages.

Renee Rich, Instructor

Renee Rich has an extensive background as dancer, educator, producer and is known for her versatility in many dance genres teaching all ages. Ms Rich has been a professor in dance for the New World School of the Arts, the Florida International University and has been a master teacher and adjudicator for the prestigious “YoungArts” Scholarship Foundation and Competition program for over ten years.

She has received numerous awards locally and nationally for excellence, versatility,choreography and leadership. Ms. Rich was a principal dancer for the Freddick Bratcher Modern Dance Co, The Ballet Flamenco La Rosa dance company and the Mia Michael’s Movement Dance Company receiving rave reviews.

Renee specializes in teaching Creative Movement ,Pre Ballet, Primary Ballet, Modern dance, Tap, Jazz , Mommy & Me and more. Ms Rich is multilingual and certified in the Progressing Ballet Technique. She also created the “EnRich Barre” Ballet fitness program for adults. She has been a driving force in the South Florida dance community for over 25 years with references including Daniel Lewis Dean of Dance, New World School of the Arts, Janna Kirova, Kirova Ballet Academy.

Daniela Nascimento, Ballet Instructor

Daniela Nascimento is a Royal Academy of Dancing certified teacher originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil. She has 15 years of experience teaching ballet, pointe and character and 16 years of experience as a professional dancer. Daniela has performed locally for Boca Ballet Theatre and in Brazil for Ilara Lopes and Nice Leite Nucleo de Danca. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas in Sao Paulo and received her RAD certificates in 1997 from legendary ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn, the president of the Royal Academy.

Toby Lewellen, Ballet Instructor

Toby Lewellen is originally from Peoria, Illinois, where he trained at Peoria Ballet Academy. He then studied Dance and Arts Administration at Butler University. In 2011 he joined Ballet Arkansas, where he has performed in lead roles in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Coppelia, Swan Lake, Agnes de Mille’s The Other Pas de Deux, Christopher Wheeldon’s The American Pas de Deux, and George Balanchine‘s Who Cares? As well as dancing he was a Community Cast Ballet Master, working with the community cast to set and clean choreography for the Nutcracker and Cinderella. Mr. Lewellen also taught in multiple studios in the Little Rock Area. He also was the Summer Residence Director and Summer Faculty at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. He has also guested and performed all over the country including Boca Ballet Theatre.

Dennis Lue, Outreach Director

Dennis Lue was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in Queens, New York, where he fell in love with performing in his high school’s musicals and dance shows. He continued dance studies at SUNY Purchase where he earned a BFA. Dennis began his professional career with the Dance Theatre of Harlem Ensemble and as a featured dancer with the Metropolitan Opera. He went on to dance with Tulsa Ballet, Alberta Ballet in Canada, and appeared as a guest artist with Louisville Ballet, State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara, CA, and Boca Ballet Theatre. He returned to his musical theater roots when he joined the Broadway cast of Disney’s The Lion King where he also served as Dance Captain. Other musical theater credits include associate choreographer for Hello Dolly! and The Wiz at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY; performer in Susan Stroman’s Contact at Virginia Stage Company and Side Show at the Gallery Players; and performer and Dance Captain for West Side Story at La Scala Opera in Milan, Italy. As a teacher, he’s been on faculty at Ithaca College and Penn State University, and taught workshops at Elliot Feld’s New School. He is the Jazz dance instructor at the Harid Conservatory and a full-time faculty member and an outreach director at Boca Ballet Theatre.

Amanda Sewell, Ballet Instructor

Amanda Sewell is originally from Annapolis, Maryland, where she began her professional experience with Ballet Theatre of Maryland. She graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in 2011 and performed with Sarasota Ballet the following year. In 2012, Amanda joined Ballet Arkansas. During her 10-year career there, she enjoyed performing the roles of Cinderella, Odette, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Juliet. In addition to these roles, she performed in Agnes de Mille’s The Other; George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Glinka Pas de Trois, Valse Fantasie, and Donizetti Variations; Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias; Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations and Confetti; Harrison McEldowney’s Group Therapy; and world premieres by Kiyon Gaines Ross. Amanda also served as a Community Cast Ballet Master for Ballet Arkansas’ performances of The Nutcracker and Cinderella.

Carina Castañeda, Ballet Instructor

Carina Castaneda is a West Palm Beach, Florida, native and began her serious ballet training at Boca Ballet Theatre at age 10. While dancing at BBT, she performed roles such as the principal couple in George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie and Paquita pas de trois. She went on to attend the Houston Ballet Academy starting in 2014 to continue her training. Under the guidance of Cheryne Busch and Sabrina Lenzi, she performed repertoire in the Academy such as Stanton Welch’s Ladies and A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Performing alongside Houston Ballet’s second company, HBII, she performed as a soloist in Stanton Welch’s The Long and Winding Road and Garrett Smith’s Mortal Form. She was the Academy’s Ben Stevenson Scholarship Award Recipient for the 2015/2016 year. During this time, she also attended summer programs at the Houston Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the Harid Conservatory. Carina joined BBT as an instructor in 2021, continuing her passion for dance as a mentor to students.  

Andréa Gregori

Guest Faculty

Linda Maybarduk, Ballet Instructor

Linda Maybarduk born in New York City and raised in Orlando, Florida, received her early ballet training from Edith Royal. At fifteen, she entered the National Ballet School of Canada and, upon graduation, immediately entered the National Ballet of Canada. Throughout her long career, she danced many soloist and principal roles and was partnered by many of the greatest male dancers of her generation including Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshinikov, Anthony Dowell, Fernando Bujones, and Peter Martins. Since retirement, she has continued to perform as a guest principal character artist and is active as a guest lecturer and master class teacher. Linda is the author of two award-nominated books: The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev and James The Dancing Dog.

Heather Fryxell

Heather Sanders Fryxell was born and raised in Florida, where she received her early dance training with Mr. Thomas Armour. Upon leaving Miami, Ms. Fryxell attended the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, majoring in English literature and educational psychology while on a full tuition talent scholarship. During her educational experience, Ms. Fryxell danced extensively with both universities’ dance companies and toured the west as a guest artist. Ms. Fryxell then danced with the Atlanta Ballet before joining Southern Ballet Theatre (currently Orlando Ballet) as a principal dancer. During her eleven year tenure with the company, she also taught in the company’s school and served as a lecture demonstration coordinator from 1996-2000, directing performances for over 20,000 Orange county school students. In her last year with Southern Ballet Theatre, Ms. Fryxell directed the School of Southern Ballet Theatre. In addition to the positions Ms. Fryxell held at Southern Ballet Theatre, she also created her own dance therapy program to teach dance to adults with developmental challenges. In 2000, Ms. Fryxell co-founded the Central Florida Ballet and the Ballet Academy of Central Florida. There she danced in the professional company, taught and directed the school and student company. Ms. Fryxell’s teaching career has spanned 3 decades, teaching ballet to students of all ages and skill level at many schools throughout the country. Having also had extensive experience coaching dancers, Ms. Fryxell has had many award-winning students who have won top honors at national and international ballet competitions.

Accompanists