About Tacoma City Ballet

Executive and Administrative Staff

• Miss Erin M. Ceragioli, Executive Director, Artistic Director, Director of Tacoma City Ballet School, School Faculty
  Miss Ceragioli serves as the Executive and Artistic Director of Tacoma City Ballet, as well as the Director of Tacoma City Ballet School. For over thirty years, she has forged a reputation as a master teacher, as well as a choreographer who has staged many full-length ballets in the classical repertoire, and choreographed many original ballets. Miss Ceragioli began her primary study of classical ballet under Miss Archalee Correll, and continued her advanced study under the tutelage of such stellar teachers as Harold Christensen, Lew Christensen, Willam Christensen, Benjamin Harkarvy, Robert Joffrey, Janet Reed, and Maria Tallchief. After a short professional career, Miss Ceragioli studied the syllabi of the Danish, English, French, Italian, and Russian Schools of Ballet earning her teaching certifications. She joined the Faculty of The Jan Collum School of Classical Ballet in 1987, and after four years of serving on the School Faculty, as Ballet Mistress, and as Assistant Artistic Director of the Company, Miss Jan Collum appointed Miss Ceragioli as
  Co-Artistic Director of BALLETACOMA. In 1995, BALLETACOMA was re-christened Tacoma City Ballet, and Miss Jan Collum assumed the title of Artistic Director Emeritus formally passing her legacy to Miss Ceragioli.

• Ms. Kara O’Toole, Development Director, Adult Open Program Director, School Faculty
  Ms. O’Toole has been on faculty in the Dance Departments of the University of Washington, the University of Memphis, George Mason University, and Cornish College of the Arts. She has served as Executive/Artistic Director for Velocity Dance Center in Seattle, and as Executive/Artistic Director for Orcas Center on Orcas Island. As a performer, Ms. O’Toole danced professionally in the works of many notable choreographers including Jose Limon, Bebe Miller, Mark Morris, Vaslav Nijinsky, Paul Taylor, and Pat Graney. Ms. O’Toole holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Washington and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. Ms. O’Toole has been living in Tacoma with her family since 2018, and serves on faculty at Pacific Lutheran University, Tuladhara Yoga, and Seattle Theater Group in the Dance for Parkinson’s Program. Ms. O’Toole is thrilled to be working at Tacoma City Ballet as Development Director, and Adult Open Program Director, and Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

• Rebecca Jensen, Office Assistant, Receptionist

Artistic Staff and School Faculty

• Mr. Joel Myers, Assistant Artistic Director, School Faculty
  Mr. Myers received the majority of his classical ballet training at Evergreen City Ballet under Founding Artistic Director, Mr. Wade Walthall. While at Evergreen City Ballet, he danced the principal roles of the major ballets in the classical repertoire, as well as original choreography. From 2005-2011, Mr. Myers was Principal Artist with Donald Byrd’s Spectrum Dance Theater. He has also performed with Ballet Bellevue, Ballet Northwest, Coriolis Dance Collective, Dance Peninsula Ballet of Los Angeles, DASS Dance, 5th Avenue Theater, and Seattle Opera. Mr. Myers has taught and choreographed throughout the Pacific Northwest, and has established a reputation as a master teacher and innovative choreographer. Since 2009, he has taught, choreographed, and performed principal roles with Tacoma City Ballet. Mr. Myers serves as Assistant Artistic Director of Tacoma City Ballet Company, and as a Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

• Miss Melissa Lovejoy-Goldman, Ballet Mistress, School Faculty
  Miss Lovejoy-Goldman received her classical ballet training at Tacoma City Ballet School under the tutelage of Miss Jan Collum and Miss Erin Ceragioli. While continuing to perform with Tacoma City Ballet Company, Miss Lovejoy-Goldman attended the University of Washington and received her Bachelor of Arts. In 2001, she joined the Faculty of Tacoma City Ballet School and also served as General Manager of Tacoma City Ballet. Miss Lovejoy-Goldman is Vice President of Enterprise Engagement Resources at Northwest Credit Union Association, and continues to serve as Ballet Mistress of Tacoma City Ballet Company, and as a Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

• Mr. Travis Goldman, Ballet Master, School Faculty
  Mr. Goldman began studying classical ballet in Port Angeles at Miriam’s School of Dance. In 1980, Mr. Goldman continued his studies under Founding Artistic Director, Miss Jan Collum. He has studied under such master teachers as Hugh Bigney, Willam Christensen, Robert Joffrey, and Kabby Mitchell III. Mr. Goldman has danced principal roles in the classical, modern, and contemporary repertoire. Each season, he reprises his role as Herr Drosselmeyer in Tacoma City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Mr. Goldman is an award-winning choreographer, who has received regional acclaim for his innovative choreography, as well as a talented musician who has composed music for his original choreographies. In 1998, Mr. Goldman joined the Faculty of Tacoma City Ballet School. Mr. Goldman is Owner of North Coast Kayaks (NC Kayaks), and continues to serve as Ballet Master and Resident Choreographer of Tacoma City Ballet Company, and as a Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

• Miss Anne Milner, School Faculty
  Miss Milner began studying ballet at the age of eight. She began her formal classical training under the tutelage of Miss Erin Ceragioli and Mr. Joel Myers at Tacoma City Ballet School in 2015. While performing with Tacoma City Ballet Company, Miss Milner danced numerous corps de ballet roles, as well as principle roles. In 2019, Miss Milner departedfor Boise State University in Idaho. She was also accepted into the Idaho Dance Theatre where she performed from 2019 to 2021, and continued her classical training under Marla Hansen, Artistic Director of Idaho Dance Theatre. Miss Milner returned to Tacoma to begin her journey of attaining her Registered Nursing Degree. She is thrilled to be back at Tacoma City Ballet hired as one of the first Professional Dancers of Tacoma City Ballet’s Professional Company, and as a Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

• Miss Kristin Olson, School Faculty
  Miss Olson received her classical ballet training at Tacoma City Ballet School under the tutelage of Miss Erin Ceragioli. She later attended Western Washington University where she continued her dance training and received her BA. In 2012, she moved to South Korea and became a faculty member for an English immersion elementary school. Aside from teaching English, Miss Olson also started a very successful after school dance program. Following her great love of dance and movement, Miss Olson ventured to Thailand in 2016 to immerse herself in the study of Yoga and its instruction. After moving back to the United States, Miss Olson became the Arts Program Director, as well as Dance Instructor, for the Gordon Family YMCA. From 2018-2020, she served as the Arts Director for the entire program. In 2021, Miss Olson returned to Tacoma City Ballet and serves as a Faculty Member of Tacoma City Ballet School.

Theatrical Production Staff

• Salvatore Lucente, Technical Director, Set and Properties Design and Construction Director

• Madeleine Arnold, Wardrobe Mistress

• Walter Kilmer, Lighting Designer

• Jeffrey Lombardi, Lighting Designer Merlino Art Center Productions

• Bernard Kwiram, Tacoma City Ballet Orchestra Music Director

• Byeong W. Chae, Photographer

Ballet Class Piano Accompanists

• Jeff Anderson
• Marina Katsel
• Ryan Love