Sally Hart | Owner & Director
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
A former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet under the direction of Robert Joffrey. Sally performed at the grand opening of the Kennedy Center, with Kevin McKenzie, and in Joffrey Ballet classics Petrouchka, Trinity, Viva Vivaldi, and The Seasons.
After her dance career, Ms. Hart went on to become a professional make-up artist and worked on mov
A former dancer with the Joffrey Ballet under the direction of Robert Joffrey. Sally performed at the grand opening of the Kennedy Center, with Kevin McKenzie, and in Joffrey Ballet classics Petrouchka, Trinity, Viva Vivaldi, and The Seasons.
After her dance career, Ms. Hart went on to become a professional make-up artist and worked on movie sets, runway shows, and for modeling agencies. She began teaching ballet locally in 1992 and has produced many local dance productions. Sally has trained and mentored numerous students who have become professional dancers. Her unique curriculum includes a blend of English, Italian, and Russian techniques.
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
Veronica formerly danced with Charleston Ballet Theatre, San Diego Ballet, The Garage Contemporary Ballet, Charlottesville Ballet, and Keith Lee Dances. Veronica began her training with her mother, Sally Hart. She continued her dance education at the Virginia School of the Arts and the Joffrey Ballet School and was the recipient of severa
Veronica formerly danced with Charleston Ballet Theatre, San Diego Ballet, The Garage Contemporary Ballet, Charlottesville Ballet, and Keith Lee Dances. Veronica began her training with her mother, Sally Hart. She continued her dance education at the Virginia School of the Arts and the Joffrey Ballet School and was the recipient of several prestigious scholarships. Veronica has performed leading roles in many classical and contemporary ballets including Cinderella and Swan Lake, and choreographers have tailor-made roles for her. Her work with Keith Lee on his solo Mama Rose earned her an interview that is now in the Jerome Robbins archive in the New York Public Library.
Veronica has been teaching ballet, modern, and jazz for 22 years and is passionate about training and mentoring young people to be the best dancers and people they can be while on their journey with dance. She is a certified Stott and Balanced Body Pilates instructor and an ACE certified trainer. She helped to found and open Albemarle Ballet Theatre in 2005 and has served as Artistic Director since 2013. She works in many capacities at ABT: instructing, choreographing, writing, and directing original ballets and pieces, and in social media and marketing. Veronica also founded and directed concorDance Contemporary, a professional dance company based in Crozet from 2010-2015. During that time she produced seven full length productions, employeed 20 artists from San Diego to New York, partnered on community projects with Tom Tom Founders Festival and the University of Virginia, toured regionally through Virginia and Pennsylvania, and fundraised nearly $50k.
Nicky Coelho | Executive Director
Veronica Piller | Artistic Director
Nicky Coelho | Executive Director
Nicky began her training with her mother, Sally Hart, and furthered her studies at the Virginia School of the Arts, Maryland Youth Ballet, and, on scholarship, at the Joffrey Ballet School. She has danced professionally with Charleston Ballet Theatre, Robert Ivey Ballet, Mikerline Haitian Folkloric Dance Company, Dance Co, and James Sewel
Nicky began her training with her mother, Sally Hart, and furthered her studies at the Virginia School of the Arts, Maryland Youth Ballet, and, on scholarship, at the Joffrey Ballet School. She has danced professionally with Charleston Ballet Theatre, Robert Ivey Ballet, Mikerline Haitian Folkloric Dance Company, Dance Co, and James Sewell Ballet, where she also served as Company Manager and Company Liaison. Nicky was featured as a dancer in Only Dance Can Save Us, which was showcased at the Twin Cities Film Fest and is streaming on Amazon Prime. She has toured throughout the Midwest and East Coast and performed at the Toronto International Film Festival in a ballet inspired by Titicut Follies, the acclaimed documentary by award-winning filmmaker Frederick Wiseman. She also appeared in the music video for Dessa’s “Call Off Your Ghost.”
Nicky has more than 20 years of teaching experience at dance schools across the country and has directed several summer intensive programs. She has served as ABT’s Production and Stage Manager since 2005 and has choreographed several full-length ballets, as well as numerous original works in the school’s repertoire.
Anna Finan | School Coordinator
Anna Finan | School Coordinator
Anna Finan | School Coordinator
Anna began her ballet training at the National Ballet School in Bytom, Poland. She studied the Vaganova technique with Elisabeth Lebik, former principal dancer of the Silesian State Opera. At the age of 14, she participated in the acclaimed international ballet competition, the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, where she reached the half-
Anna began her ballet training at the National Ballet School in Bytom, Poland. She studied the Vaganova technique with Elisabeth Lebik, former principal dancer of the Silesian State Opera. At the age of 14, she participated in the acclaimed international ballet competition, the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, where she reached the half- final and was offered full scholarship to study at the Hamburg Ballet School in Germany. There she fine-tuned her technique and artistry with Marianne Kruse, Kevin Haigen and Ingrid Glindemann. After graduating from the school, she joined the Hamburg Ballet company directed by the renowned American choreographer John Neumeier. There she performed group and soloist roles in his various classical and modern ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Little Mermaid as well as works from other choreographers like La Bayadere staged by N. Makarova and Jewels by G. Balanchine. Upon retiring from the stage, she pursued a second career, becoming a risk manager at Germany's largest bank, Deutsche Bank AG. Yet, her love for movement never halted. She travelled to Thailand to became a certified Vinyasa Yoga instructor and, after moving to Charlottesville, VA with her husband and two boys in April 2016, she become NASM-certified personal trainer, Progressing Ballet Technique certified teacher and studied the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum in Pre-Primary though Level 7 with Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens. She loves teaching dance and passing on her lifelong ballet experience.
Jean-Marie Bralley | Instructor
Anna Finan | School Coordinator
Anna Finan | School Coordinator
Ms. Bralley began formal dance lessons at the Dance Studio/DanCenter in her hometown of Charlottesville, VA, at the age of four.
She trained at the School of Richmond Ballet (SRB) beginning at age ten and rose through the pre-professional ranks of the school, eventually achieving a two-year traineeship with the professional Richmond Ballet
Ms. Bralley began formal dance lessons at the Dance Studio/DanCenter in her hometown of Charlottesville, VA, at the age of four.
She trained at the School of Richmond Ballet (SRB) beginning at age ten and rose through the pre-professional ranks of the school, eventually achieving a two-year traineeship with the professional Richmond Ballet company during high school.
In 2007 and 2008, she was selected from approximately 3,500 national and international students to study and perform in American Ballet Theatre’s premiere summer intensive program in New York City, where she trained under several dance luminaries, including Kirk Peterson, Leslie Browne, Cynthia Harvey, and Jessica Lang.
In 2016, she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Humanities and a minor in French from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she was co-captain of the school dance team, helping to choreograph and plan routines and events.
She has trained and worked with dance professionals Miki Liszt and Robert Cook in Charlottesville. From 2016- 2020, she performed with Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company, and in 2019, she was named one of Piedmont Virginia Community College’s Distinguished Alumni. She is currently ballet mistress at Gryphon Gymnastics.
Outside of the studio, Jean-Marie is an avid reader and writer, having freelanced for publications, such as the USO and Wallflower Journal. She is the author of Naomi Grace’s “Wonder-full” Christmas, which is available for purchase online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. She’s excited and thankful to begin teaching at Albemarle Ballet Theatre!
Emily Oleson | Instructor
Emily is a dance scholar who has studied a broad range of movement styles, from traditional Appalachian flatfooting, tap, and other percussive dances, to forms of Irish dance, partner dance, contemporary urban dances, and vernacular jazz. Emily's performance highlights include appearing with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Aulney-All-Bl
Emily is a dance scholar who has studied a broad range of movement styles, from traditional Appalachian flatfooting, tap, and other percussive dances, to forms of Irish dance, partner dance, contemporary urban dances, and vernacular jazz. Emily's performance highlights include appearing with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Aulney-All-Blues festival in France, Wheatland Music Festival, the Newport Folk Festival with Seeger's Clogging All-Stars, Jacob's Pillow's Inside/Out Stage, and a US State Department tour in Russia with The Meaning of Buck Dance, a collaboration with Good Foot, Urban Artistry and Baakari Wilder. She received her MFA in Dance at the University of Maryland College Park in May 2012 and a certification in Laban-Bartenieff Movement Analysis in 2015 from the Laban-Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Dance at Temple University. Photo credit K. Opare.
Ashley Geisler | Guest Instructor
Mrs. Geisler studied with the Old Dominion Ballet Company in Norfolk, Virginia, under the husband and wife team of Istvan and Nelli Ament.She spent her summers training with Nina Sakhnovskaya of the Vaganova Academy.
During her tenure at ODU Ballet, Ashley performed the roles of Marzipan, Chinese, and Russian in The Nutcracker, and the lea
Mrs. Geisler studied with the Old Dominion Ballet Company in Norfolk, Virginia, under the husband and wife team of Istvan and Nelli Ament.She spent her summers training with Nina Sakhnovskaya of the Vaganova Academy.
During her tenure at ODU Ballet, Ashley performed the roles of Marzipan, Chinese, and Russian in The Nutcracker, and the lead roles in performances of Snow White and The Fairy Doll. After completing her undergraduate and graduate work in Russian Language and Literature at the University of Virginia, Mrs. Geisler returned to ballet at Albemarle Ballet Theatre. She has been teaching and choreographing at ABT since 2006 and has performed with concorDance contemporary.