Founder & Artistic Director

Edward Ellison is the founder and artistic director of the Ellison Ballet - Professional Training Program in New York City.  As a dancer, teacher, ballet master, and coach, Mr. Ellison has traveled the world.  He has served as ballet master for Boston Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Alberta Ballet, and has taught for such companies as American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and Houston Ballet. Mr. Ellison has also taught for the schools of San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, several universities and colleges throughout the U.S., as well as Steps on Broadway.  Through his detailed technical and artistic influence, Mr. Ellison's students have been awarded numerous top prizes in international ballet competitions: Moscow IBC; USA (Jackson) IBC; Youth America Grand Prix; World Ballet Competition; and Tanzolymp-Berlin. Graduates of EB-PTP can be seen dancing for some of the most prestigious companies across the globe, and his school has received the YAGP Outstanding School and Outstanding Teacher Awards. Mr. Ellison has also been featured in articles in Dance Magazine, Pointe, and Dance Spirit.

Artistic Associate

Jason Ambrose began his studies at the Virginia Beach Ballet Academy and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. He is an alumnus of the Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program where he was coached and mentored by master teacher Edward Ellison. Jason was personally invited by St. Petersburg Conservatory Dean and former Mariinsky (Kirov Ballet) Director, Oleg Vinogradov, to St. Petersburg, Russia as the first African American to study in their Ballet Masters and Choreographers Degree Program and to dance with the Ballet Theatre of the St. Petersburg Conservatoire. Jason is a highly sought after teacher, coach, and choreographer which has led him to teaching at numerous ballet schools and companies across the nation such as the San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Tulsa Ballet and Oklahoma City Ballet. He was a coach to the 2020 Prix de Lausanne Second Prize Winner, he has received the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and WBAC Grand Prix Outstanding Teacher Award, and has been featured in Pointe and Dance Magazine. Ambrose has served as Resident Choreographer for Ellison Ballet, NYC, Ballet Master and Associate Director at Elite Classical Coaching, and a judge and teacher for Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and Japan Grand Prix. He was a Men’s Faculty member and the Children’s Division Principal at the San Francisco Ballet School from 2020-2023 where he taught Levels 1-8 and SFB Trainees. Mr. Ambrose is thrilled to join the faculty of Ellison Ballet and looks forward to the exciting future ahead.  

Born and raised in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ms. Valeikaite graduated with honors from the National Ballet Academy Vilnius (Vaganova-based). As a student, she received her first major break at the age of 18, debuting in the title role of “Giselle,” whereupon she was promoted to soloist in the Lithuanian National Ballet Company. In 1981, she received a full scholarship to study at the Bolshoi Theater with teachers M. Semionova, T. Vetrova, and B. Akimov. A principal dancer for 10 years with the company, her roles include “Giselle,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Swan Lake,” “Raymonda,” “Nutcracker,” "La Sylphide,” and “Coppelia”. Additionally, she appeared as a guest artist with V. Vasiliev—E. Maximova Company in the U.S.A., France, and at the celebration of the 50th Anniversary Gala of V. Vasiliev at the Bolshoi Theater and R. Page’s “The Nutcracker” in Chicago. In 1988, Ms. Valeikaite received prizes in the International Ballet Competitions in Moscow, Varna, and Paris. Upon moving to Germany in 1992, she became a principal dancer and Bonn Ballet and Essen Ballet. Her roles include: “Romeo and Juliet,” “Three Sisters,” “Cinderella,” “Hamlet”, choreographed by V. Panov & “Before Night Falls”, choreographed by Nils Christy, “Adagio Hammerklavier”  by Hans van Manen, “The Four Last Songs” by Rudi van Dantzig, “7 Symphony” by Toer van Schayk. In 2000 and 2001, Ms. Valeikaite worked as an assistant choreographer in the new production of S. Prokofiev’s “Classical Symphony” and “The Rite of Spring”, choreographed by X.Peng-Wang at the National Ballet Company Vilnius, Lithuania and Central Ballet Company in Beijing, China. In 2001, Ms. Valeikaite moved to the U.S.A. In 2003-2014, she taught at Ballet Arts in Worcester, MA and from 2007-2014, she was a ballet mistress and faculty member at the Festival Ballet Providence in Rhode Island. Since 2014, Ms. Valeikaite has been a faculty member at the Ellison Ballet.

Eva Janiszewski has had the honor to study with great classical artists throughout her career including Gelsey Kirkland, Elena Sherstneva, Vera Solovyeva, Nikolai Levitsky, Irina Kolpakova, and Lyubov Fominich. Ms Janiszewski has also studied character dance in St. Petersburg, Russia with Yekaterina Mikhailovtseva. After graduating from the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Ms. Janiszewski became Gelsey Kirkland’s first Principal Character Artist in her company. In later years, she went on to freelance and perform with several companies, including a guest performance with Open World Dance Foundation, where she danced the Mazurka in Misty Copeland’s premiere of Cinderella. Ms Janiszewski has taught ballet and character at numerous schools in the United States as full time faculty as well as summer faculty, including Gelsey Kirkland Ballet, The Hartt School, Joffrey Ballet Character Program, Forrest Academy of Ballet New York, and Ellison Ballet. In 2016, Ms. Janiszewski started Eva Janiszewski Ballet, a school in NYC for young gifted artists. Her students have won the gold medal and Jury distinction awards in the solo and ensemble categories at several competitions in the United States. In 2023, Ms. Janiszewski received the Outstanding Teacher award from both Youth America Grand Prix and National Ballet Competition, in addition to the Outstanding School award from NBC. In 2023, Ms. Janiszewski was honored to join the full time faculty of Ellison Ballet. 

Gaiane Akopian graduated from the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St,Petersburg, Russia and the Yerevan State Choreographic College, where she had the privilege to study under the two ballet legends, A. Vaganova’s former students F. Balabina, and N. Dudinskaya. Ms. Akopian has been on faculty at the Ellison Ballet Summer Intensive, Joffrey Ballet School Trainee Program, Joffrey Ballet School Summer Intensive, and Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in NYC. She has choreographed and prepared students for competitions as well as staged numerous ballet performances. Gaiane performed around the world and has been recognized by critics worldwide. She danced in numerous classical and contemporary ballets and performed as principal dancer with the Armenian National Ballet Theater, Thuringian State Ballet, Germany and GR Ballet Company. Some of her leading roles include Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Carmen, The Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardee, Cinderella, Firebird, A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Wolfe, Ara Beautiful, Scheherazade, Eugene Onegin, Enigma, CanCan, Les Liasons Dangereuses, and various Balanchine pieces. She was acknowledged by the critics of the Ballet International Tanz Aktuell European magazine as one of Germany’s best dancers, in 1995, and won the Grand-Prix as the dancer of the year in 1997. In 2002, Ms. Akopian was praised in the Musis Sacrum book titled “100 Years Theaterhaus Gera”, (Germany). In 2006, she appeared in “Amazing Women of West Michigan” book among the most influential women of the West Michigan community. She worked with figure skaters in Patterson Ice Center, Greater Grand Rapids Figure Skating Club, MI - registered with the United Skates Figure Association. Ms. Akopian worked as a Founder Artistic Director, and Board Of Directors member of Michigan Ballet Academy. Ms. Akopian is very committed to excellence, likes to share her rich stage experience and feels very proud of her students who perform professionally in various ballet companies after studying under her guidance. 

Sofia Ioffe is a master dance instructor, choreographer, and cultural ambassador with over 35 years of experience rooted in the world-renowned Russian ballet tradition. A graduate of St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts, she led the award-winning youth ensemble “Young Leningrader” for more than two decades and was honored with the title of Distinguished Cultural Worker of Russia. Since moving to New York, she has brought her expertise to the American dance community, teaching Vaganova-based ballet and character dance across Brooklyn and Staten Island, including at Brighton Ballet Theater. She serves as a bridge between classical Russian technique and American performing arts, inspiring students of all ages with discipline, musicality, and deep artistic insight.

Bo Kyung Lee is a New York-based choreographer, dancer, and artistic director of BK Dance Project. She received her Ph. D. from the Department of Living Dance and Performing Arts at Hanyang University in South Korea in 2011, where her research centered on contemporary movement practices and performance methodologies. Her choreographic work has been presented extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including at institutions and festivals such as the Queens Museum, 92Y Dig Dance Series, WestFest Dance Festival, The Bang Group’s All of Seoul, Seattle International Dance Festival, Water Festival for Contemporary Arts (Bulgaria), Festival S.O.U.M (Paris), Printemps Coreen (Nantes), TANSSIN LUMOA International GALA (Helsinki), Fukuoka Fringe Dance Festival, Seoul International Choreography Festival, and MONOTANZ Seoul. Her work has also received numerous invitations from acclaimed international choreography and dance festivals, reflecting the global reach and resonance of her artistic practice. Lee is the recipient of multiple awards, including the Gold medal from Contemporary Dance Association of Korea (2002), the Presidential Prize at the 7th Nagano International Performance Competition in Japan (2005), The Best Dancer Prize (2007) and Best Repertory Prize (2009) from Performing Arts&Film Reviews (PAF), the Dance Vision- New Dancer Award from the Modern Dance Promotion of Korea(2011), and Frist Prize at the International Choreography competition for the Mature Contemporary Dance Soloist in Mexico City (2018). Her teaching career spans a wide range of educational settings, including Jeonju Fine Arts High School, Korea Art High School, Hanyang University, Ithaca College, Peridance Center, and multiple youth and community programs in both the United States and abroad. She has also led workshops at Rutgers University, Queens Museum, and youth arts organizations in Bulgaria, among others. She teaches all levels of contemporary dance, including absolutely beginneradvanced beginner level (Open classes) and intermediate- advanced level (Certificate Program). She currently serves as a full-time faculty member at Peridance Center. Lee’s pedagogical approach emphasizes technical clarity, somatic awareness, spatial intelligence, and the development of expressive and sustainable movement practices. In addition to her stage work, Lee has contributed to dance film as a movement director and choreographer for TheRiver, directed by Yiran Shu(NYU), and SUPERNOVA, directed by Carolyn Beyer(Pratt Institute). These collaborations extend her research into embodied narrative and physical dramaturgy within cinematic contexts. Through BK Dance Project, Lee continues to develop repertory, strengthens educational initiatives, and leads interdisciplinary collaborations that support emerging artists and elevate contemporary dance within both academic and professional spheres.

CATERINA RAGO is an Italian-born, New York-based choreographer, dancer, educator, producer, and the Founder and Artistic Director of CRDANCE Company and its educational division, Tecniche di Danza Moderna (TDM). Founded by Rago in 2007, CRDANCE is an Italian-American modern dance company dedicated to mapping new ideas onto the history of dance. Known for its visceral and emotionally charged movement language, the company brings together performance, education, artistic research, mentorship, and international exchange while honoring the traditions of modern dance as a foundation for new choreographic possibilities. A native of San Lucido, Italy, Rago trained at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome before completing the Professional Training Program at the Martha Graham School and joining the Martha Graham Dance Company. Her career has since developed across performance, choreography, education, production, and the staging of historic modern dance repertory. Rago has received choreographic commissions from Ailey/Fordham University, Marymount Manhattan College, Wagner College, Accademia Nazionale di Danza, Steffi Nossen Dance Foundation, Peridance Center, and others, and was named an Emerging Choreographer by METdance in Houston. Her choreography has been presented at New York Live Arts, Peridance's KNJ Theater, the Martha Graham Studio Theater, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, Battery Dance Festival, and internationally. Selected works from Rago's extensive choreographic repertory include LUCE, FALL IN AUTUMN, LABIRINTO, MORSO D'AMORE, ALTA MAREA, and her newest work, LI ORA. ALTA MAREA, inspired by the legend of Cilla from Rago's native Calabria, premiered in New York in 2024 and continued its life through subsequent performances, including a 2026 presentation at Battery Dance Festival. As a regisseur and reconstructor, Rago has restaged Martha Graham's PANORAMA (1935) for the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome at SOIREES DANS, and has also brought PANORAMA to the Ravello Festival as part of Karole Armitage's AMERICAN DREAM. Her reconstruction work also includes Martha Graham's ACTS OF LIGHT: RITUAL TO THE SUN (1981). Rago is also the creator of TEATRO CRDANCE, an artistic platform bringing together performance, education, mentorship, residencies, interdisciplinary dialogue, and cross-cultural exchange. Through TEATRO CRDANCE, the company creates opportunities for established and emerging artists while expanding the role of modern dance beyond the traditional performance stage. Through Tecniche di Danza Moderna, Rago has also developed an international educational bridge between American modern dance traditions and a new generation of artists. In 2026, TDM celebrated its 10th edition in San Lucido, Italy, with intensive training in Graham Technique, CRDANCE repertory, choreography, interpretation, lectures, and public performance. Rago currently teaches Graham Technique in New York and joins the Ellison Ballet faculty for the 2026-27 season. Her teaching and choreographic practice combine the rigor, dramatic physicality, and expressive depth of the Graham tradition with a contemporary approach to movement, theatricality, and individual artistic voice

Elizabeth A. Sullivan was a professional ballerina with the Cleveland/San Jose and Boston Ballet companies. After earning a BA at Dartmouth College and an MA at Columbia University, Elizabeth returned to dance in her current capacity as a wellness coach, consultant, and teacher. Since 2011, she has taught workshops and seminars in the School of American Ballet, The Juilliard School, Ellison Ballet, the Boston Ballet School, Cary Ballet, Greenwich Ballet Academy, and the Kansas City Ballet School, among others. Elizabeth coaches young dancers and their parents in her private practice, helping them navigate the ins and outs of the dance world. Her dancers have trained at elite schools like the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet Schools in London, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and the JKO School at American Ballet Theatre; they have won medals at Youth America Grand Prix, Prix de Lausanne, been invited to compete at IBC Jackson and Varna, and received job offers from major world companies like American Ballet Theatre, the English National Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet. She is a certified Wellness Coach through the American College of Sports Medicine and Wellcoaches School of Coaching, as well as the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. For consultations or to enroll in her group or private coaching programs, please visit easullivan.com/discovery-session/