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At Brass City Ballet, our faculty is the heart of our training.
We are proud to have a dedicated team of professional dancers, choreographers, and educators who bring passion, experience, and excellence to every class.

Our instructors are committed to nurturing each dancer — from the youngest beginner to the aspiring pre-professional — in a supportive and inspiring environment. With training that blends classical ballet with contemporary and creative movement, our faculty fosters strong technique, artistry, and confidence in every student.

Whether you’re taking your first steps or preparing for the stage, our faculty is here to guide you every step of the way.

Julio Alegria is a passionate dance and ballet teacher and mentor to young professional dancers.  His positive and “happy” attitude toward dance and life and his work ethic reflect on stage in both his own performances and in those of the students he instructs.  Mr. Alegria joined Brass City Ballet as Associate Artistic Director in September 2023.

Julio was born and raised in Mexico City and received his training from the National Arts Center and the Centro de Educacion Artistico Frida Kahlo.  Upon moving to the United States, he entered the Joffrey Ballet School’s training program on scholarship and has also studied at the Boston Ballet School, The Banff Center for the Arts in Canada, Ballet Hispanico, Ballet Academy East, and Ballet Austin.  Among the famed instructors Mr. Alegria has studied with are Gelsey Kirkland, Eleanor D’Antuono, Cheryl Yeager, Darla Hoover, Nadege Hottier, Karina Elver, Elizabeth Walker, Eva Evdokimova, Reyna Perez, David Howard, Fabrice Herrault, Peter Frame, and Richard Bowman.

Julio has danced for companies and choreographers in Mexico, Canada, Europe, and the United States, including Dance Theater of Harlem, Alabama Ballet, Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Gelsey Kirkland Studio Company, Eglevsky Ballet, Atlantic City Ballet, Merce Cunningham Trust, Ardentia, Bronx Opera Company, and Compañia Nacional de Danza (Mexico City).  Previously, Mr. Alegria served as Ballet Faculty Instructor & Rehearsal Master at Ballet Theatre of Scranton; Ballet Faculty Instructor at Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s Ballet Guild of the Lehigh Valley; Assistant Director at Scranton Civic Ballet; and Head Dance Instructor and Supervisor at Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center and the Brighter Choice Community School in Brooklyn.  Mr. Alegria also was Founder and Artistic and Executive Director of NEPA Ballet in the Poconos, Pennsylvania.

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Alison Rose began ballet lessons at the age of six and continues to train as an adult.  She studied many years with Balanchine dancer Dorothy Burdette and European soloist, Marthe Krueger.  Her training continued at Hofstra University with Joffrey II ballet master, Lance Westergard.  Other influential teachers have been Muriel Stuart, Karen Festog, Dan Sas, Linda Freyer, Dieter Riesle, and Mimi Wallace.  In addition to many other roles, Alison has performed the lead roles of Clara, Snow Queen, and Sugar Plum Fairy in Danbury Music Centre’s Nutcracker. During her time as a member of the Danbury Ballet Company, she also performed in various other ballets, including Graduation Ball and Stars and Stripes.  Mrs. Rose enjoys all dance forms and has also studied jazz, lyrical, modern, tap, ballroom, and flamenco.

Mrs. Rose is a CT state-certified teacher and has taught English in local secondary schools.  She has been teaching ballet for thirteen years to students ages 5 through adult at various studios in Connecticut including Academy of Dance Arts, Sas School of Dance, Freyer Academy of Ballet, and now Brass City Ballet.  In addition to recital pieces, Mrs. Rose has choreographed several ballet productions, including The Nutcracker, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Danse Macabres, and Rodeo.

Mrs. Rose truly enjoys teaching and encourages all students to reach their full potential.  She believes the art of ballet can help instill self-discipline and foster a sense of achievement and confidence in her students that will carry over to other aspects of their lives.

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Eleanor Barisser is a Brass City Ballet alumna and graduate of The Taft School (2008). She earned her BA in Dance and French from Barnard College, where she performed with the prestigious Barnard Project at New York Live Arts, collaborating with renowned choreographers including Ori Flomin, Kyle Abraham, Sidra Bell, Emery LeCrone, David Parker, and Karla Wolfangle.

Eleanor has performed with The Bang Group in Nut/Cracked and was a featured choreographer in the West End Theater’s production of Soaking WET in New York City. She currently guest teaches at Brass City Ballet and has choreographed two original works for the BCB Company, bringing her professional experience and creative voice back to her home studio.

Mrs. Russo began dancing at 18 months, studying tap, jazz, and ballet for the first sixteen years, and then continuing her dance education at Naugatuck Valley Community College’s dance program with Professor Elena DelVecchio Rusnak. While at NVCC Mrs. Russo studied modern,  dance pedagogy, social/ballroom, jazz, and ballet. Along with her studies she attended master classes with Lori May, Jim May (both of the Anna Solokov Company), Jim Clark (Bob Fosse extraordinaire), Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance, and Pilobolous. Mrs. Russo attended Central Connecticut State University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Psychology and later received her Master’s Degree and Certification in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport. 

Caitlyn Sullivan is a versatile and dedicated artist whose passion for dance is at the heart of her creative journey. With a love for movement and meaning, she will step into her first season with Ballet Hartford, continuing to refine her artistry as both a dancer and storyteller. In addition to her work as a performer, Caitlyn is a committed teacher who finds fulfillment in nurturing the next generation of dancers. She is also pursuing a Bachelor’s degree through Southern New Hampshire University’s online program, thoughtfully balancing her academic studies with her artistic passions.

Caitlyn received her foundational training at The Nutmeg Conservatory, where she studied under esteemed faculty members including Victoria Mazzarelli, Timothy Melady, Joan Kunsch, Alexei Tchernichov, and Eleanor D’Antuono. After graduating from Nutmeg’s pre-professional program, she joined the Fort Wayne Ballet as a trainee under the direction of Karen Gibbons-Brown. Her training has been enriched through summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Rhode Island, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Fort Wayne Ballet, The Nutmeg Conservatory, and the Maritime Conservatory for Performing Arts in Halifax. She is trained in Vaganova ballet, modern, pointe, partnering, character dance, jazz, and musical theater, with additional  experience in Pilates and figure skating.

During her time at Nutmeg, Caitlyn performed numerous featured roles in The Nutcracker, including the Sugar Plum Fairy, Dewdrop Fairy, and Snow Queen. She has also danced a wide range of classical excerpts such as Aurora’s Wedding Pas de Deux; The Rose Adagio; the Grand Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire, The Nutcracker, and Act 3 La Bayadère; along with a variety of classical variations. In addition to traditional works, Caitlyn has performed original choreography by Victoria Mazzarelli and Thel Moore, spanning both classical and contemporary styles, as well as Solar Flares from Moses Pendleton’s MOMIX. During her time in Indiana, she danced corps de ballet roles in Fort Wayne Ballet’s professional productions of The Nutcracker and Romeo and Juliet. She has also appeared as a guest artist with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet and Dimensional Dance, and has performed in the televised Hallmark film Sugar Plum Twist.

In addition to her performance background, Caitlyn has choreographed original works and actively engages in ballet and skating programs by guiding and mentoring students. Her deep passion for movement and storytelling continually drives her development as both an artist and educator.

Information coming Soon!

Our Founder

Elizabeth was born and raised in Aruba before moving to Athens, Greece, Madrid, Spain, and Brussels, Belgium, and finally settling in London, England to train professionally at the Rambert School. Upon graduation, she danced professionally with the Hartford Ballet in Connecticut, Syracuse Ballet Theatre, the Saeko Ichinohe Dance Company in NYC, and made guest appearances in Europe and the U.S.  While dancing, she furthered her training with former New York City Ballet dancers, Melissa Hayden and Wilhelm Burmann, in New York City.  She pursued her studies in modern dance under the tutelage of Ms. Ernestine Stodelle, the world-renowned authority, at the time, on modern dance pioneer, Doris Humphrey.

Her professional teaching career includes Syracuse Ballet Theatre and the Istanbul State Conservatory in Istanbul, Turkey.  She met her former husband in Turkey and married in 1982. Upon moving back to the USA, she founded the Waterbury School of Ballet in Waterbury, CT, in 1985 which became a non-profit organization in 1989, now known as Brass City Ballet.

She has choreographed several original, full-length ballets such as the The Night of the Magic Ornaments, The Party and The Fantastic Toyshop, as well as modern dance works for Brass City Ballet.  Her work with St. Mary’s Children’s Theatre in Waterbury has included such works as Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, and Peter Pan.  In 1993, she received the Arts Recognition Award from the City of Waterbury. She has served on Waterbury’s Community Visions Task Force and the School and Community Fine Arts Committee of Waterbury. In 1993, her work was selected for the New Dance, New Haven Choreography Competition.  In 1999, she conceived and co-founded the first Connecticut Choreographer’s Forum and co-directed the subsequent three Forums. Ms. Barisser served on the Advisory Board of the CT Dance Alliance.  In 2006, she became a founding member of the Arts and Culture Collaborative of the Waterbury Region and currently chairs its Governing Council.

Ms. Barisser taught at The Taft School as Director of Dance from 2001-2008. From 2009-2011, she was adjunct facultjy at Westover School in Middlebury, CT. She serves on the CT Arts Alliance Network, a statewide arts advocacy organization