Our Faculty
"The instructors invest in you as a dancer and as a person."
--Covenant Ballet Parent
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Founder & Artistic Director
Instructor since 1987
Marla Hirokawa
Training: Hilo School of Ballet, Honolulu City Ballet Apprentice, and B.A. at the University of California at Irvine
Dance Instructor Adjunct: Kingsborough Community College and Manhattan Marymount College
Former New York City Ballet Education Dept. Teaching Artist
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Student Program Ballet, Boys Project, Covenant Ballet Principal Dancer
Instructor since 2016
Stephen Campanella
Training: Princeton Ballet School Scholarship Recipient, San Francisco Ballet School Summer Intensive Scholarship, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Graduate Program, B.A from Rutgers University
Professional Dance Experience: American Repertory Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Dances Patrelle
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Early Steps
Instructor since 1990
Sheila Ledgin
Training: Covenant Ballet Academy, Brooklyn Dance Center
Former Covenant Ballet Theatre dancer
D.O.E. Para-Professional
Student Program Ballet
Instructor since: 2010
Nanako Kitagawa
Training: The École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower in France and Goh Ballet Academy in Canada
Professional Dance Experience: USA Ballet Company,
Connecticut Ballet, Long Island Ballet & Atlantic Ballet
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Student Program Ballet
Instructor since 1999
Brenda Neville
Training: BA in Dance Pedagogy (Cum Laude) at Butler University Indiana , Milwaukee Ballet School, Ailey School, American Ballet Theatre School
Founder and Artistic Director of Neville Dance Theatre
Former Principal Dancer with CBT
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Summer Intensive
Instructor since 2008
Jose Rivera
Training: BA in dance from Julliard School, School of American Ballet, the Gallman’s Newark Dance Theater School and the Dance Theater of Harlem
Professional Performance Experience: in Germany and the U.S., Former Principal Dancer with CBT
Student Program Contemporary, Boys Project, CBT Teaching Artist, Covenant Ballet Principal Dancer
Instructor since 2008
Matthew Westerby
Training: BA (Honors) Dance Theatre from Laban Centre, London with Graduate Diploma in Advanced Performance (practical credits for MA)
Professional Dance Experience: Europe and the U.S.
Founder and Artistic Director of the Matthew Westerby Company
Gabrielle Ayoub
Early Steps
Instructor since 2018
Training: Covenant Ballet Academy Alumni, Manhattan Youth Ballet, La Guardia High School, Summer Intensives with Peridance, Nutmeg Conservatory, NYSSSA Ballet, and Boston Ballet
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Sylvia Bernal
Student Program Ballet
Instructor since 2019
Training: BFA in Fine Arts and BFA in Art History at University of Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia, MA in Dance Education and ABT Ballet Pedagogy at New York University, Certification in Progressing Ballet Technique
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Rebeccah Brann
Early Steps, Student Program Modern, CBT Teaching Artist, Covenant Ballet Principal Dancer
Instructor since 1995
Training: Covenant Ballet Academy Alumni, Alvin Ailey Certificate of Dance Graduate
Founder and Artistic Director of HopeDanceNYC
Certified Personal Trainer
Mandy Chan
Student Program Ballet, CBT Teaching Artist, Covenant Ballet Principal Dancer
Instructor since 2003
Training: MFA in Dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts (scholarship), BFA in dance (First Class Honors) at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Certified Pilates, Yoga instructor, and registered Somatics Movement Therapist
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Kristin Licata
Junior Company Advisor, Student Program Ballet, CBT Teaching Artist, Covenant Ballet Principal Dancer
Instructor since 2007
Training: BFA in dance from the Fordham University -
Alvin Ailey Program
Professional Dance Experience: Matthew Westerby Company, Ariel Rivka Dance, Valerie Green Dance Entropy
ABT© Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT© National Training Curriculum.
Joseph Tudisco
Student Program Modern/Jazz
Instructor since 2008
Training: David Howard Dance Center, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, Ailey School, SUNY Purchase College, Brooklyn Academy for the Performing Arts
Professional Performance Experience: The Andy Williams Show in Branson, MO, Former Principal Dancer with CBT
Arrow & Beauregard
CBT Mascots
(Otherwise known as Bow & Arrow)
Arrow since 2014
Beauregard since 2019
Training: School of Hard Knocks, Puppy School and lots of treats
No professional experience.