dance school in Leesburg - about the Loudoun School of Ballet faculty

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305H East Market Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20176
703.771.3200

about our faculty

We are proud of our far-reaching reputation for quality and excellence, and our faculty is the reason for our reputation. Our accredited, award-winning instructors have national and international performing and teaching experience, and we encourage them to take advantage of every opportunity to improve their instructional techniques and repertoires.

Karin Cernigliagraduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performance.

Karin has taught tap, ballet, jazz, and modern dance classes at several studios throughout the D.C. Metro area. She has been with Loudoun School of Ballet since 2006 teaching Beginning and Beginning/Intermediate ballet.

Sharon Haeg, a teacher and mentor in our Contemporary department, enjoys sharing her passion for dance with her students.

Sharon received her dance training at the Northland School of Dance, where she performed with their Junior and Senior companies. She graduated from Minnesota State University and taught Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, and Hip-Hop classes at Metropolitan Dance Alliance, in addition to being a member of the University dance team, while she was an undergraduate.

She received scholarships from West Coast Dance Explosion and LA Dance Force, and toured with her instructor, Corrie Mae Rolf, as her assistant during a summer tour of Dance Olympus before moving to northern Virginia.

Sheila Hoffmann-Robertson, founder of the The Loudoun School of Ballet, studied dance at the University of Maryland and with the Washington School of Ballet and performed with the Maryland Dance Theatre and the National Ballet Company. She is certified with the Cecchetti and Vaganova Councils, is a member of Dance Masters of America, and has taught, choreographed, and lectured professionally for more than 35 years. In addition to having taught and lectured throughout the United States, Mrs. Robertson has accepted invitations to Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Austria.

Jill Hughes received her early training at the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet under the direction of Lupe Serrano, and attended the Philadelphia High School for Performing Arts. While a student in the conservatory dance program at SUNY Purchase, Jill supplemented her training in NYC with Finis Jung, Steps, and The Joffrey Ballet.

Ms. Hughes has performed with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Bristol Ballet, SUNY Dance Corps, and Arlington Dance Theatre, where she was frequently paired with Dana Tai Soon Burgess. She has also performed in many musical theatre productions, and has taught and choreographed for many schools in Northern VA over the last decade.

Ms. Hughes stresses the development of musicality, personal artistry and a clean technique, while working safely within the body’s natural constraints.

Cherie Maroni, Director of Guidance and our Preschool Department, is originally from the New England area, and began dancing at the age of 3. She has more than 20 years of dance, performing, and teaching experience, and has studied Ballet, Tap, Jazz and Lyrical at schools throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

Cherie has a degree in Exercise Science from New Hampshire Technical College. She is a certified fitness instructor and is also CPR and defibrillator trained.

In addition to being the school's Guidance director, Cherie teaches in both the Ballet and Contemporary departments. She says she enjoys working with the students and parents to optimize their dance experience and watching them develop into beautiful dancers.

Sharon Mercke, Director of Contemporary Dance.
Artistic Director, JAZZ&CO DANCE
Sharon received her degree from James Madison University and continued her dance training in New York City and at George Mason University. She became the school's first Director of Contemporary Dance in 1991.

She has both performed and choreographed regionally in musical theater productions including A Chorus Line, West Side Story, and 42nd Street, and taught dance as an adjunct faculty member at Shenandoah University. Her choreography has been performed at NYCDA, WCDA and the Youth America Grand Prix. Sharon founded and developed the school's contemporary dance company which has evolved into JAZZ&CO DANCE, a pre-professional performing company which she directs with Kristen Stanley.

Her goal as a teacher and director is to provide strong technical instruction in an encouraging environment in which students will grow and flourish.

Maureen Miller received her early dance training in Newcastle, Australia. She successfully completed all the Royal Academy examinations, including Solo Seal. Her training then continued on scholarship at Rosella Hightower Centre de Dance Classique in Cannes, France.

Her professional career began at the age of 18 with the Slovene National Ballet Company in Yugoslavia. While dancing with the Slovene National Ballet Company, she toured in France, Germany, Italy, and Austria, and performed as guest artist and soloist with the Paris Opera Ballet in Cannes, France. After Yugoslavia, Ms. Miller traveled to the United States where she joined the Maryland Ballet Company in Baltimore. There, under the direction of Petrus Bosman, she performed as soloist and served as Ballet Mistress.

Ms. Miller is an acclaimed choreographer and has been a valued and well-respected teacher in the metropolitan Washington area for many years. Honored in Who's Who among American Teachers in 2000, 2004, 2005, and 2006, her teaching experience includes The Maryland Youth Ballet, The Washington School of Ballet, The Joy of Motion Dance Center, Capital Ballet, and Arlington Center for Dance. She has owned and directed her own school and is the former Ballet Mistress to D.C. Contemporary Dance Theater. She is also the Artistic Director for the Loudoun Ballet Company.

Elizabeth Nahser Originally from Atlanta, Liz received the majority of her training at the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, and also studied at the American Ballet Theatre and the Cleveland San José Ballet. She has trained under some of the world’s most notable instructors, including Maniya Barredo, Robert Barnett, Marianna Tcherkassky, Edward Villella, and Nan Giordano.

Ms. Nahser is a graduate of Mercyhurst College, Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and concentrations in performance, teaching, and choreography. While attending Mercyhurst, Ms. Nahser received academic and dance merit scholarships, the President’s Award for Excellence in Fine and Performing Arts, the “Living the Mission” award, and served as the Artistic Director of the Mercyhurst College Liturgical Dance Ensemble.

Ms. Nahser has taught in a wide variety of styles and techniques at private studios, public schools, workshops, and universities, and her choreography has been performed at concerts and competitions all over the country. She has also performed with several professional ballet companies, including the Manassas Dance Company and the Lake Erie Ballet. Her classical repertory includes La Bayadere, Coppelia, Don Quixote, Giselle, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. This is Ms. Nahser’s sixth year with the Loudoun School of Ballet.

Lisa Pinkham, Assistant Director of the Pre-School Department, has been teaching dance in Northern Virginia since 2000 and has been with us since 2005. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology, minors in Dance and Psychology and a concentration in Education. She trained primarily under Jean Brown and for her senior dance thesis she choreographed, directed and performed an original piece for the UNH dance company. She was offered a Fulbright scholarship in modern dance.

Lisa performed and trained throughout New England while working in the fields of cardiac rehabilitation and college student ministry. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.

Lisa integrates her training to nurture strong habits in dance technique, self-discipline and character in an environment of creativity, dramatic expression, and respect. She is most influenced in teaching proper technique by Lisa Howell and in educational philosophy by Charlotte Mason. Recently, she has performed as Mother and Queen in Loudoun Ballet Company’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake respectively and presented children’s ballets with the National Children’s Prayer Congress.

Candra Preshong has trained with Michelle Sarson,
Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz, and master instructors all over the country through classes and continuing education workshops. She has extensive training in jazz, lyrical, ballet and contemporary modern techniques and has been teaching since 2000.

After forming her own professional contemporary company, Fusion Dance, along with Kellie Payne, she and Kellie have now broadened their master teaching and choreographic skills to the pre-professional level with their company, Impact Dance. This pre-professional program is all inclusive and allows the younger dancer the opportunity to get the highest level of technique and experience concert choreography.

Performing with Fusion Dance has allowed her to grace the stages of the Lincoln Theater, the Lisner, the Jack Guidone, Ernst Cultural Center, and the Lang Theater.

Candra enjoys the satisfaction that comes from training dancers and helping them achieve their full potential through a mixture of technique, style, and conditioning.

Tammy Skov , Office Manager, has been with The Loudoun School of Ballet for more than ten years.

Her background includes experience in various office settings, including the federal government, the Loudoun County Public School system, and property management.

Prior to joining our staff, Tammy worked directly with the public, interacting with individuals on various levels, which she says was good preparation for her current position.

Lisa Startsman received her early training at the Canton Ballet in Ohio. She attended the University of Akron on scholarship where she trained with Jerry Burr and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ballet. She continued to train with the Ohio Ballet and in New York City with Nancy Bielski and Robert Blankshine. Ms. Startsman performed with the Canton Ballet, The Experimental Dance Ensemble, and The Cleveland Opera.

Ms. Startsman has been teaching in the area for more than 18 years. She has been recognized as an Outstanding Educator by the Governor’s School for Humanities and Visual and Performing Arts of Virginia. She is certified with the Cecchetti Council, passing all of her teacher’s exams with honors. Currently, she teaches an enrichment program for the Washington Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. Ms. Startsman is the Assistant Director of the Ballet Department at the Loudoun School of Ballet and the Ballet Mistress for the Loudoun Ballet Company.

Charles Wilkinson, Director

A lifelong educator and musician, Charles Wilkinson has managed business operations for the Loudoun School of Ballet since 2005. He was a founding member of the Loudoun Ballet Company, serving as board chairman from 1986-1991 and as president from 1992-1994. Beyond having taken a few turns as Drosselmeyer in “The Nutcracker,” he is not a dancer, and his admiration for the dedication, determination, and ultimately, the grace of our students and instructors is unconditional.