Debra Collins Ryder

Dance

Bio:

• Education: B.A. in Ballet and Ballet Teaching, with honors, Virginia Intermont College; additional training with the Joffrey Ballet on full scholarship

• Dance experience as a principal dancer with the Hartford Ballet, performing leading roles in works by Balanchine, Uthoff, Taylor, Pilobolus, Limon and many others; and, Ann-Marie D'Angelo's Festival Ballet, performing in Tribute to Pavlova

• Chosen to create a new work danced to Neely Bruce's Geopgraphic Preludes, as a winner of the Connecticut Dance Alliance Choreographic Award in 2003

• A performance of her choreography of the English Folk Song Suite won a Gold Medal and the Judges Choice Award at the 2000 North American Ballet Competition

• Former Associate Director of the Eastern Connecticut Ballet, Inc.

• Guest Teaching/Coaching at the School of the Hartford Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Pioneer Valley Ballet (MA) and St. Paul's School, Concord, NH

• Hartt Community Division faculty member since 2006