{"id":23,"date":"2011-04-04T15:04:03","date_gmt":"2011-04-04T19:04:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vrdt.maxlapides.com\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2026-10-15T15:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T19:58:32","slug":"faculty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/company-information\/faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOHN MEEHAN (Professor of Dance\/VRDT Director<\/strong>)<\/h2>\n

Australian born, John Meehan has been a member of the international dance world as performer, teacher, choreographer, adjudicator and artistic director for more than 50 years. Meehan studied at The Australian Ballet School, joined The Australian Ballet in 1970 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1974. He joined American Ballet Theatre as Principal Dancer in 1977 where he danced leading roles in all of the classics as well as contemporary works by many of the world\u2019s leading choreographers.<\/p>\n

Meehan was a frequent guest artist with the New York City Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada and has partnered many of the world\u2019s great ballerinas including Dame Margot Fonteyn, Natalia Makarova, Merrill Ashley, Gelsey Kirkland, Cynthia Gregory, Eva Evdokimova, Karen Kain and the Australian ballet stars Marilyn Rowe and Marilyn Jones.<\/p>\n

John began choreographing early in his career. His ballets entered the repertoire of The Australian Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Company and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He was Artistic Director of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet from 1990 to 1993, and of The American Ballet Theatre Studio Company from 1997 to 2006. Meehan\u2019s former ABT Studio Company students became principal dancers in the following companies: ABT, New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, the Bolshoi Ballet, The Dutch National Ballet, The Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and the Houston Ballet.<\/p>\n

Meehan has twice served as President of the Jury at the Prix de Lausanne and has been a juror at the Moscow International Ballet Competition, the Youth America Grand Prix as well as the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson Mississippi.  In 2015 he was named to succeed Edward Villella as President of the Jury of the USA IBC. In 2005-06 John was invited to teach at Vassar College as Professor of Dance before traveling to Hong Kong where he was appointed Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Ballet in 2006. He returned to Vassar in 2009 to join the faculty of the Department of Dance as Professor of Dance and Director of Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre. In 2013 Meehan was named to the Frances Daly Fergusson Chair in the Humanities at Vassar College.<\/p>\n

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LESLIE P SACHS (Lecturer in Dance\/faculty choreographer\/Assistant Director VRDT)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Born and raised on Manhattan\u2019s Upper West Side and now based in Beacon, New York, she has spent her career creating, performing, and teaching throughout New York City, the United States, and Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Leslie began her dance training with the New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, establishing a foundation in classical ballet before immersing herself in contemporary dance practices. This evolution from classical to experimental forms continues to inform her choreographic voice, one that values physical rigor, curiosity, collaboration, and the expressive potential of the moving body.<\/p>\n

She is an alumna of the High School of Performing Arts, Bard College, and the University of Washington, where she earned her MFA in Dance. Leslie has held faculty and guest artist positions at Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, Balettakademien in Stockholm, the University of Massachusetts, the Neuch\u00e2tel Summer Festivals in Switzerland, Dance Space Center in New York City, and numerous other institutions.<\/p>\n

Her choreography has been presented throughout the United States and Europe. As both an educator and artist, Leslie is committed to fostering creative inquiry through collaboration, improvisation, and the development of authentic artistic voices.<\/p>\n

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WINSTON DYNAMITE BROWN (Adjunct Instructor in Dance\/faculty choreographer)<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Dancer, Teacher, and Choreographer. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Winston studied at Missouri State Ballet, The University of Missouri Kansas City (BFA in Dance recipient), and The Center Dance under the mentorship\/tutelage of Tyrone Aiken.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Winston danced for several leading contemporary dance companies, including Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Wylliams\/Henry Contemporary Dance Co., Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Dance Heginbotham, Kyle Abraham\/A.I.M, Sean CurranCo., and Pilobolus. Winston\u2019s performances at The Metropolitan Opera includes Aida<\/em>, Onegin<\/em>, and the ground-breaking 2021 production of Fire Shut Up in My Bones<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Winston co-directs The DynamitExperience<\/em>, a dance company based in NYC which he co-created in 2019 with his wife Latra Ann Wilson, that serves as a platform for creative investigations and community engagement. As a choreographer, Winston has produced new works for The DynamitExperience as well as Wylliams\/Henry Contemporary Dance Co., Adelphi University, DANCEWAVE, UMKC, Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, Joffrey Summer Intensive, Brooklyn Arts High School, The Ailey School (BFA, Certificate, Junior, PPAS divisions & extension program).<\/p>\n

Winston has an illustrious teaching career, inspiring students of diverse backgrounds at schools and programs around the country, including Dalton High School (NYC), DANCEWAVE (NYC), KC Ballet School (MO), Le Dance Studio (MO), American Ballet Theatre (NYC), Ballet Arts (NYC), Manhattan Movement Arts Center (Manhattan Youth Ballet, NYC), The Joffrey Ballet School & Contemporary\/Jazz (NYC), Ailey Camp (MO, KS, NJ, NY), and The Ailey School (NYC).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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 LISA HARVIE (Faculty Choreographer)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Originally from Ottawa, Canada, Lisa Harvie is a New York City based dancer, educator and choreographer. She holds her MFA in Dance from Montclair State University and is a graduate of the University of Toronto. She is a member of Actors Equity and of the Royal Academy of Dance (A.R.A.D.).<\/p>\n

Ms. Harvie is a long-standing faculty member at Steps on Broadway, teaching for both the open Professional Division and for the Steps Youth Program. As well as teaching at Vassar, she is on faculty at Montclair State University and is a guest artist at Iona College. She has taught at NYU’s Strasberg Institute, Joffrey Ballet School, The School at Columbia, Connecticut Dance Conservatory, Cumbrae Dance Center, and has given master classes for Open Jar Institute, Verb Ballets, Destination Broadway, the British Association of Dance, and the Elan Awards in New York City. She has choreographed for the Foolish Theater Company in New York City, as well for Gateway Playhouse (Associate). She has showcased a multitude of pieces at Steps on Broadway and has worked with high school theater departments in setting full length musicals.<\/p>\n

National and regional performance credits include West Side Story<\/em>, My Fair Lady<\/em>, Carousel, Singin’ in the Rain<\/em>, Oklahoma<\/em>, Footloose<\/em>, Kiss Me Kate<\/em>, and Scrooge<\/em>. Lisa performed at the Hudson Theater in a tribute to the late Broadway producer David Merrick, with choreography set by Karin Baker. She worked with Patricia Wilcox for the 20th Anniversary Concert Performance of Rags <\/em>at the Nokia Theater, and appeared in the New York workshop production of The Great White Way.<\/em> In addition to her work in musical theater, she has danced with the Ottawa Ballet at Canada’s National Arts Center.<\/p>\n

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PATRICK GALLAGHER (Music Director)<\/h2>\n

DAVID FERRI (Lighting Designer)<\/h2>\n

David Ferri, Lighting Designer and Technical Director, has worked with prominent choreographers such as Pina Bausch, Shen Wei, Doug Varone, Jane Comfort, Eiko and Koma, David Rousseve and Ballet Preljocaj. He has been the Production Manager for the prestigious American Dance Festival since 1996 training upcoming designers in America. Recipient of 1987-1988 Bessie Award for his design of Doug Varone’s “Straits,” and 2000-2001 Bessie Award for Sustained Achievement in Lighting Design, Mr. Ferri was also resident lighting designer and technical director at PS 122 in NYC from 1985-1991. Mr. Ferri lives in New York between his travels and projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOHN MEEHAN (Professor of Dance\/VRDT Director) Australian born, John Meehan has been a member of the international dance world as performer, teacher, choreographer, adjudicator and artistic director for more than 50 years. Meehan studied at The Australian Ballet School, joined The Australian Ballet in 1970 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1974. He joined […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":14,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":53,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6344,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/6344"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/vrdt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}