Deanna Doty,
Director
 Deanna opened Champaign Ballet Academy in 1998
to provide children, youth and aspiring dancers with professional
quality training in
ballet. Her students are accepted into internationally recognized
professional training programs where directors praise the superior
quality of training gained at Champaign Ballet Academy. Deanna
is founder and artistic director of the Champaign
Urbana Ballet,
which gives dancers an opportunity to present their talent and
training in professionally choreographed productions.
Deanna trained at the Evanston School of Ballet, Ellis-Du Boulay
and with Kirsten Simone of the Royal Danish Ballet. She completed
her training with Harvey Hysell and joined Ballet New Orleans,
dancing corps through principal roles. She has danced with the
Robert Ivy Ballet in Charleston, South Carolina and the Lexington
Ballet in Kentucky, and as a guest artist with Ballet Alaska,
Piccolo Spoleto Festival and Ballet Mississippi.
Deanna has staged several full ballets, including The Nutcracker
which is presented annually at Krannert Center for the Performing
Arts. Her choreography and teaching are lauded by the Illinois
Arts Council and dance professionals fortunate to work with
her and her students.
Donna Warwick, Young Children's Instructor
Donna
has taught children’s arts programs in Central
Illinois since 1994, and created the Artsfusion program
for early childhood
education combining music, movement and art appreciation.
Donna is a certified elementary teacher with over
18 years of dance
experience. Parents particularly appreciate Donna's
energetic approach to instructing
toddlers and young children and her concern for developing
respect and creativity in the classroom.
Emily Buss, Assistant
Dance Instructor
 Former Champaign Urbana Ballet company dancer and recent Wellesley College graduate Emily Buss returns to CU Ballet as ballet mistress this season. She performed with Champaign Urbana Ballet for six seasons, from its inception in 1998 until 2004, dancing roles such as Spanish and the Arabian Princess in The Nutcracker, the Duck in Peter and the Wolf and Medora in Le Corsaire. During this time she also studied with Deanna Doty at the Champaign Ballet Academy. Ms. Buss has expanded her training at the Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts and with the University of Geneva Student Ballet Company in Switzerland. In addition, she was involved with Wellesley's AscenDance Ballet Company as teaching coordinator, choreographer and performer. Emily succeeds Michelle Ziegler who moved to Evanston, IL to pursue her doctorate in physical therapy at Northwestern University. Known for her excellence in working with young dancers and creativity in the classroom, Emily has acclimated quickly.
Tracy McCabe, Adult Instructor
 Tracy has over 20 years of ballet training, most recently with Fury Gold in Chicago, IL and previously with Delores Lipinski of Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance, Grace Lutrell Nanavati of Springfield Ballet Company, and Robert DiCello and Philip Johnston of the University of Illinois, among others. He is an assistant dean for the College of Business at UIUC and is a board member and producer for Champaign Urbana Ballet.
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