Heidrun S. Robitshek – Artistic Director & Instructor – began her studies in Classical Ballet and Character in Heidelberg, Germany under the direction of Tatiana Sawitzkaya and Henryk Szymczak. She took the examination to be certified as a professional in Stuttgart, Germany and studied with Anne Wooliams of the Stuttgart Ballet. Ms. Robitshek danced professionally with the State Opera and the State Theaters in Pforzheim, and Heidelberg, Germany. Ms. Robitshek studied at the Palucca School in Dresden, Germany, with Gret Palucca, and in Cologne, Germany, with Ursula Borrmann. Since in the United States, Ms. Robitshek has studied with Gene Hammett, Susan Borree, Teresa Martinez, Perry Brunson, Maggie Black, G.T. Darvash, Oleg Tupine, Gennadi Vostrikov and has danced professionally with the Richmond Ballet, Norfolk Civic Ballet, Annapolis Ballet, The Common Glory Outdoor Drama with Howard Scammon and Myra Kinch, Cumberland Dance Company, and the Chamber Ballet of Williamsburg. She has worked with choreographers Anton Dolin, Valerie Deakin, Edward Stewart, Luis Fuente, Dariusz Hochmona, Myra Kinch, Florin Scarlat, Robin Comissioni, and Enrique Martinez. As Artistic Director of the Chamber Ballet, Ms. Robitshek produced or choreographed The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Fille Mal Gardée, Les Patineurs, The Blue Danube, Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Fairy Tale to Fairy Tale, The Secret Garden, The Magic Flute, and The Tales of Beatrix Potter. In alternating years Ms. Robitshek accompanies selected students to Heidelburg, Germany, where they participate in L’Art de la Danse, a cultural exchange program. This is a tradition Ms. Robitshek started in 1993. Ms. Heidi also teaches seminars in Mexico, the United States, and Germany. She teaches Ballet 2A-3, Intermediate-Advanced Ballet, Character Dance, Pas de deux, Beginning Pointe, and Intermediate Adult Ballet.
Adelle P. Carpenter – Studio Owner/Director, Instructor, Executive Director – Ms. Adelle is a Williamsburg native and is deeply passionate about promoting and preserving cultural arts in her community. She began her training at the age of ten as a protégée of Heidi Robitshek at the Chamber Ballet. She studied dance at Old Dominion University and has participated in numerous productions of The Nutcracker and other classical ballets for Chamber Ballet and other companies. Ms. Adelle attended summer studies at Ballet West and the Joffrey Ballet where she was offered a position in Joffrey II. She has competed in international dance competitions in Peru and Moscow and as a member of the Robitshek Dance Ensemble, performed in Heidelberg, Germany three times. Her full-length ballet roles include Swanhilda in Coppelia and Alice in Alice in Wonderland. In pas de deux, Ms. Adelle has danced Le Corsaire, peasant pas de deux from Giselle, the Snow pas de deux with the Old Dominion University Ballet and the grand pas de deux of The Nutcracker with the Chamber Ballet. She worked one season with Busch Gardens in the Festa Italia show before starting her family. She has served on the board of the Early Childhood Education School, Virgina Regional Ballet, Williamsburg Area Arts District Association and is currently serving on the board of Advocates for Live Performance Venue. Ms. Adelle earned her Adaptive Dance Certificate from the Boston Ballet in 2018, bringing Williamsburg’s first group dance class for children and adults with special needs. Ms. Adelle has been teaching and fostering the love of dance for nearly 30 years. Ms. Adelle co-owns the Virginia Regional Ballet, opening in Williamsburg 2007 and expanding to Yorktown in 2012. (Photo credit Corey Miller at coreymillerphoto.com)
Emily Buttolph has been dancing since she was three in many places and styles. She graduated from University of Iowa in 2020 with a BFA Dance and a BA in English and Creative Writing. In her time at Iowa, she had the pleasure of working with choreographers Kristin Marrs, Jennifer Kayle, Dr. Christopher-Rasheem McMillan, and Armando Duarte in faculty pieces, as well as many graduate student theses and indepen- dent projects. Ms. Buttolph moved to Chicago after college. She performed with Noumenon Dance Ensemble for two seasons and worked on several independent projects. After working for two years, Emily came to Williamsburg to attend William & Mary Law School.
Ainsley Carpenter has been dancing at Virginia Regional Ballet since she could walk. She has danced in multiple Nutcracker Ballet performances in ensemble and solo roles. She has attended the Richmond Ballet summer program, as well as Choreography Workshop and performance with acclaimed Broadway choreographer Richard Stafford. In 2022 she danced several principal roles in VRB’s Fairy Tale to Fairy Tale. She attends Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, pursuing dentistry.
Helen Gault, originally from Williamsburg, began her training at age three with the Chamber Ballet. She later trained at the Eastern Virginia School for the Performing Arts. She was chosen to participate in programs at the Joffrey Ballet in New York City, the Virginia School of the Arts, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Her first professional appearance was with The Music Theatre of Williamsburg. In 2003, Ms. Gault joined Virginia Ballet Theatre where she danced in roles such as Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade, Dream Clara in The Nutcracker and both the Firebird and the Princess of Immortal Beauty in Firebird. Further pieces in her repertoire include Rachmaninoff’s Divertissements, Lew Christensen’s Con Amore, Coppelia, Cinderella, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. She was a principal dancer for Ballet Virginia International and a guest artist with the Elbert Watson Dance Company. She has been teaching classical ballet for over fifteen years at various schools throughout Hampton Roads and during the summer intensives at The Washington School of Ballet.
Ashley Hall started dancing at 3 1/2 years old in Alamogordo, New Mexico. When she moved t Virginia, she continued her dancing at The Academy of Dance. There, she fell in love with competing and performing with the “Showbiz Kids”. She trained in tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, modern, hip hop, musical theater and contemporary. Ashley has competed in numerous competition circuits such as Showstopper, Star Quest, I Love Dance, Star Power, and Many more. Ashley was among elite dancers at these events, sometimes competing against future greats such as Travis Wall. Ashley had the opportunity to dance in charity events for Operation Smile with the “Showbiz Kids” as well. She moved on to Northampton Dance Studio to be trained by Debbi Davidson, former Radio City Music Hall Rockette and Vegas show girl. There she crafted her technique, and her love of dance and competing continuing to grow. She had the opportunity to dance with her team at the Special Olympics opening ceremony at Norfolk State University. She was part of the Tidewater Dance Theater, performing throughout the Hampton Roads community. Ashley began teaching at Northampton Dance Studios and trained young dancers and competitors for over 11 years. Shes joined the Virginia Regional Balley family in 2023. Ashley is a travel agent for AAA, and she holds a BA in History/Political Science from Old Dominion University. Aside from her time spent at dance, she enjoys spending time with family and traveling.
Angelique Jones has over 25 years teaching experience teaching ballet, jazz, and tap. Her dance experience spans many years of commitment to the arts. Her professional training includes study in the fields of ballet, jazz, modern and tap. She has performed with the Festival Ballet, Ruth Mitchell Ballet, LeFace Productions and various repertoires with Gotta Dance and Company. Prior to moving to Virginia, Angelique performed In the Atlanta area, she worked with Alex Pelham of Colors, Jimmy Locust, and Roberson Entertainment. She choreographed and produced numerous fashion shows and was selected to choreograph for Charelle. During the 1996 Olympics, she represented IBM and performed for athletes and guests from around the world. She was formerly ballet mistress with Roswell City Dance, before moving to Virginia. While in Virginia she taught for Virginia School for the Arts before teaching for Denise Wall’s Dance Energy for 22 years. We are excited to welcome her to the VRB family!
Miss Kira Morris started dancing at the age of three with Margie Williams Studio of Dance. She has studied many different styles of dance including ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, hip-hop and baton. She has performed in the Virginia Regional Ballet production of the Nutcracker in various roles including Russian, mask, candy cane, waltz, and party scene. She has also danced the role of Spanish in the Ballet Califia production of the nutcracker located in California. Aside from Nutcracker, she has competed and attended dance conventions growing up. Her love of teaching continued outside of dance when she completed her teaching degree at Old Dominion University. She feels very lucky to continue to share her passion of dance with students of all ages.
Marcus Rivera, PT, DPT, SCS, received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Christopher Newport University before earning his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Old Dominion University. He is board-certified as a Sports Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. A highly trained Physical Therapist with specialty expertise in sports rehabilitation and injury prevention. He believes that every movement has a purpose – either for sport, leisure or work. Restoring the body to that optimal function is his goal, achieved by a personalized plan for exercise, manual therapy or combination of methods. He graduated from Lafayette High School and remained in Hampton Roads for his undergraduate and post-baccalaureate education. He gives back to the community volunteering with Warhill High School Football team coaching offensive line and leading strengthening conditioning. Marcus donates his time to our studio, conditioning and training dancers. His knowledge of motion, kinesiology and overall mechanics benefits the classical Vaganova Ballet foundations our studio teaches. Marcus works several training sessions during the dance year with our dancers correcting strengthening and increasing range of motion. He is on sight during Nutcracker performances and rehearsals to aid and prevent injury with assessment. We are so grateful to have him on the VRB team.
Abby Sturgill is a dedicated ballet instructor with nearly a decade of experience inspiring dancers. Her journey includes training at the prestigious Oklahoma City Ballet. Following her time as a full-time dancer, Abby continued to share her passion by dancing and teaching through the dance minor program at Liberty University, as well as with their student-led Divine Call Dance Team. Beyond this extensive teaching experience, Abby is also a certified Pilates instructor, recognizing the importance of cross-training for dancers’ strength and flexibility. Furthermore, her psychology degree from Liberty University provides her with a unique understanding of student development, allowing her to foster a supportive and encouraging learning environment. Abby is dedicated to the holistic development of her students, and we are excited for our dancers to learn and grow under her guidance at Virginia Regional Ballet.