SOUTHEASTERN SCHOOL OF BALLET
COLUMBIA'S PREMIER BALLET SCHOOL
(803) 419-5512



Dear Friends,
It is with great pleasure that the Southeastern Professional School of the Arts Foundation presents tonight’s performance, I AM. This program culminates with the talents of numerous artists. We are proud to present a vast array of performances ranging from Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, and Character Techniques. We are so thankful to be surrounded by so many talented artists, but most of all thankful for your support of the Southeastern Professional School of the Arts Foundation. Your support is integral in our endeavor to promote the arts throughout the state of South Carolina.
Southeastern Professional School of the Arts Foundation (SPSA) is an empowerment organization dedicated to providing a disciplined study of high-quality arts particularly to low to moderate income families, at-risk youth, and survivors in the State of South Carolina. In 2009, SPSA was established as a 501C3 nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service based on the needs of its constituents. In order to offer low to moderate income families, at-risk youth, and survivors in the State of South Carolina the highest quality of art instruction, SPSA partners with local art organizations to provide Scholarships, After School Introduction Programs, Group Therapy, Workshops, Seminars, and Annual Performances. All programs are structured to 1) develop an appreciation of the Arts, 2) develop self-expression, 3) improve self-esteem and self-respect, 4) establish work ethic, 5) develop awareness of physical well-being and, 6) develop sensitivity and empathy. SPSA acts as a facilitating organization for coordinating the availability of the Arts in South Carolina. Services and resources are offered FREE for all of our participants through corporate and individual funding.
Thank you for helping us to achieve our goals and bring the arts to the greater Columbia community.
Please enjoy the show.
Sincerely,
Hillary Krieger-Toth
Executive Director
Southeastern School of Ballet’s Story
The Southeastern School of Ballet offers the highest quality of instruction in the various disciplines of ballet while simultaneously promoting cultural diversity in our student body and faculty. A structured and well-disciplined environment is essential in the study of ballet and is a priority to the faculty and staff at the Southeastern School of Ballet. We are committed to providing an environment in which individuality, creative expression, and a deep respect and appreciation for the arts is developed and refined. We seek to instill in every student critical life skills that can be attained through the study of ballet. Development of a strong work ethic, good self-discipline, proper respect for others, and high self-esteem are among those critical life skills.
The Southeastern School of Ballet provides the various techniques and training required for those who wish to experience the art of dance and movement, as well as those wishing to pursue a professional career. A wide variety of classes are offered within the curriculum to develop the student`s abilities as a well-rounded dancer. Instruction in Ballet, Pointe, Variations, Modern, Contemporary, Character, Stretch and Conditioning, and Pilates are provided to students that meet the eligibility requirements according to Southeastern School of Ballet’s syllabi.
To ensure that every student receives the attention and encouragement necessary to achieve success, we limit class sizes in each division. We help our students set and achieve realistic goals. Annual evaluations are conducted, which provide helpful feedback and help determine a student`s placement in the program. Above all, the Southeastern School of Ballet believes that each student's experience in the dance studio will provide the confidence and sense of accomplishment necessary to succeed in all aspects of their daily live
Southeastern Professional School of the Arts Foundation
Board of Directors
Executive Director – Hillary Krieger-Toth
Co-Executive Director & Treasurer – Cary Krieger
Board Member – Gabor Toth
Board Member – Kimberly Walker
Board Member – Jaquelin Bailey
Board Member – Haiqing Kaczkowski
Southeastern School of Ballet, LLC
Faculty
Owner/ Co-Artistic Director– Hillary Krieger-Toth
Owner/ Co-Artistic Director – Gabor Toth
Director of Modern and Contemporary – Terrance Henderson
Open Division Classical Ballet Instructor – Amy Shivar
Modern Instructor – Emily Jordan
Modern Instructor(s) – Tab & Kait
Dietician – Deborah Zippel
Sports Physical Therapist – Dennis Dotson
Guest Faculty – Szabolcs Varga (Former Boston Ballet Soloist)
Guest Faculty – Emily Entingh (Boston Ballet Second Soloist)
Guest Faculty – Petra Conti (International Principal Dancer)
Guest Faculty – Eris Nezha (International Principal Dancer)
A Special Thank You To Our 2023 Fundraiser Committee:
Alice Wofford, Jaquelin Bailey, and Ebony McBride. A special thank you to the Westwood Auditorium crew, Amy Shivar, Lee Price, and the SPSA Board of Directors for their support in making this event possible!
Guest Artists

Brooklyn Mack of Elgin, South Carolina, is an International Principal Guest Artist, most recently dancing with English National Ballet. He began his dance training at age 12 with the Pavlovich Dance School under Radenko Pavlovich and Milena Leben before receiving a scholarship to study at the Kirov Academy of Ballet. While at the Kirov he trained primarily under the auspices of Anatoli Kucheruk and Vladimir Djouloukhadze. After graduating from Kirov, Mr. Mack then apprenticed with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and later joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company. Mr. Mack spent three seasons as a principal dancer with Orlando Ballet before becoming principal dancer of The Washington Ballet where he danced for 9 seasons. Mr. Mack has danced a wide array of choreography, spanning many different styles between classical, neoclassical, contemporary, abstract, and modern works throughout his career.
Some of his notable awards include the Senior Silver Medal at the 2006 Jackson International Ballet Competition in Mississippi; the 2007 Princess Grace Fellowship Award; The Senior Silver Medal at the 2009 Helsinki IBC; the Marius Liepa Prize at the 2011 Boston IBC; the Silver Medal at the 2011 Korean International Dance Competition; the Gold Medal at the 2012 Boston International Ballet Competition; winner of the 2012 Istanbul Grand Prix; and the gold medal at the 2012 International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria.Mr. Mack has also been featured on ABC, NBC, NPR, Ebony Magazine, listed in the Grio’s Top 100 (2014), and was named as a top “25 [dancers] to watch” by Dance Magazine (2012).Mr. Mack is highly in demand as a guest Principal dancer the world over. In 2016, Mr. Mack made his debut on three of the world's greatest stages; at Covent Garden's largest theater; the London Coliseum, The historic Bolshoi in Moscow, as well as the illustrious and historic Paris Opera ballet's Palais Garnier stage. In 2017, Mr. Mack debuted in the Republic of Georgia at the Tbilisi Opera House. In 2018, Mr. Mack made his debut in the role of Solor during his debut on the Ukrainian National Opera's stage with the Ukrainian National Ballet in La Bayadere. In June of 2019 Mr. Mack made his debut on the Metropolitan Opera House Stage at Lincoln Center, NYC as a Principal Guest Artist with American Ballet Theatre. Most recently, Mr Mack was Principal Guest Artist with English National Ballet for half of their 2019-2020 season, dancing various works in their repertoire including Ben in Wheeldon's Cinderella, Prince in Wayne Eagling's Nutcracker, William Forsythe's Playlist, excerpts of Coppelia and Etudes, as well as reprising his leading roles in Le Corsaire.

Szabolcs (Sabi) Varga received his training at the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest, Hungary. In 1997 he was named "Best Young Dancer" at the International Rudolf Nureyev Competition. Upon graduation he joined Alberta Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen. There he performed principal roles in works by George Balanchine, Helgi Tomasson, and Christopher Wheeldon. In 2002 Nissinen invited Varga to join Boston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to second soloist in 2004 and to soloist in 2006. His repertoire with the Company includes Mikko Nissinen's Swan Lake (von Rothbart) and The Nutcracker (all principal male roles), Rudi van Dantzig's Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), Rudolf Nureyev's Don Quixote (Espada), Val Caniparoli's Lady of the Camellias (Gustave), Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and Lambarena, Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, John Cranko's The Taming of the Shrew (Lucentio), Jorma Elo's Plan to B, Carmen (Escamillo), In on Blue, Le Sacre du Printemps, George Balanchine's Duo Concertant and Serenade, Helen Pickett's Etesian, Lucinda Childs' Ten Part Suite, Mark Morris' Up and Down, David Dawson's The Grey Area, James Kudelka's Cinderella, Sir Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée, and Jiří Kylián's Sarabande, No More Play, Petite Mort, Sechs Tanze, Symphony of Psalms, and Bella Figura, Onegin from John Crancko's Onegin, Armand from Val Caniparoli's Lady Of The Cammellias. Varga retired from Boston Ballet in 2017 and now enjoys teaching collaborating with schools around the nation as well as dancing occasionally, most recently doing Drosselmeyer in Tony Williams's Urban Nutcracker.
Cast
Dance Selections
Act I
I Gotcha
Music: I Gotcha – Liza Minnelli
Choreographer: Terrance Henderson
Dancers: Mei Mei McArtor, Mackenzie Walker, Ava Sullivan
Dreamscapes
Music: Meteor Shower and Fireflies – Owl City
Choreographer: Amy Shivar
Dancers: Lydia Herden, Makenzie Goodwin, Jazmia Baker, Mallory Goodwin, Kacey Peterkin, Sophie Hays
Forest Fire
Music: I Need a Forest Fire - James Blake & Bonlver
Choreographers: Tab & Kait
Dancers: Ella McFarland, Eliza Blackwell, Ava Sullivan, Joanna Kinney, Maggie Lampl, Mackenzie Walker, Rebecca LaSalle, Mei Mei McArtor, Nekya Perry, Becca Golliher
Possibilities
Music: Possibilities – Lykke Li
Choreographer: Emily Jordan
Dancers: Olivia Wofford, Grace Bailey, Ellie Bailey, Leighton Ford, Alexandra Ricks, Camilla Pugh, Lydia Herden, Makenzie Goodwin, Jazmia Baker
Singularity
Music: Hien – Punnany Massif
Choreographer: Gabor Toth
Dancers: Mei Mei McArtor, Nekya Perry, Maggie Lampl, Becca Golliher, Joanna Kinney, Ava Sullivan, Eliza Blackwell, Mackenzie Walker,
Ella McFarland, Rebecca LaSalle
Dance Selections
Act II
Sleeping Beauty Excerpts
Fairy Entrance
Choreography & Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Nekya Perry, Maggie Lampl, Becca Golliher, Joanna Kinney, Ava Sullivan, Eliza Blackwell, Mackenzie Walker, Ella McFarland, Rebecca LaSalle, Grace Bailey
Fairy of the Crystal Fountain Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Maggie Lampl
Finger Fairy Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Ella McFarland
Jewels Silver & Gold Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Grace Bailey & Rebecca LaSalle
Diamond Fairy Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Joanna Kinney
Little Red Riding Hood
Staged By: Gabor Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Olivia Wofford & Ivan Aguayo
Canary Fairy Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Nekya Perry
The Vision Scene
Choreographer: Gabor Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Leighton Ford, Alexandra Ricks, Ellie Bailey, Camilla Pugh, Zhane Goodwin,
Marcayla Jenkins, Iriana Peterson, Khalia Pimentel, Tegan Ratcliff
Fairy of the Woodland Glade Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Eliza Blackwell
Generosity Fairy Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Becca Golliher
The Bluebird and Princess Florine Pas De Deux
Staged By: Gabor Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Mackenzie Walker & Sabi Varga
Princess Florine Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Mackenzie Walker
Lilac Fairy Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Ava Sullivan
Aurora Wedding Grand Pas De Deux
Staged By: Gabor Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancers: Mei Mei McArtor & Brooklyn Mack
Princess Aurora Wedding Variation
Staged By: Hillary Krieger-Toth
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Dancer: Mei Mei McArtor
Sponsors
Choreographer ($10,000–$14,999)
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Instructor ($5,000 - $9,999)
Mr. and Mrs. Eric Beckner
Patron ($2,500 - $4,999)
Southeastern School of Ballet, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cassidy
Mr. Charles Cobb & Ms. Theresa Price
Ret. SMSGT. and Mrs. Isaac P. Patterson
Ms. Vicki Warner
Supporter ($1,000 - $2,499)
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
Mr. and Mrs. Cary Krieger
Mr. and Mrs. Terrell Prescott
Mr. Thomas Abate and Mrs. Angela Gallo
Mrs. Lucretia Mack-Bramsen
Mr. & Mrs. Steve Sullivan
Contributor ($500 - $999) Mr. Judd Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Manville
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Price
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Kaczkowski
Member ($250 - $499)
CSA Law Chappell Smith & Arden, P.A.
Mr. and Mrs. William Lee Pickler Jr
Mr. and Mrs. Kirt Piihl
Mr. and Mrs. Steven Bailey
Friend ($100 - $249)
Mr. and Mrs. Gerard Thibodeaux
Eric Loebs Agency LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Pitts
Mr. and Mrs. Lee Walker
Mr. Vannie Williams
Mr. Brandon Bost
Ms. Leslie Gardner
Ms. Sharon Holloway Mr. and Mrs. Anthony McAnally
Mr. and Mrs. Ira M. Walman
Susan Waldner, DVM
Mr. and Mrs. John Winberry
Ms. Mary A. Germack
Vibrations Fitness & Dance INC
Mr. and Mrs. James Lee
Mr. Marcus Mack
Ms. Rosette Carter
Mr. Joe Long
Mr. Williams Ward JR
The Ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Ms. Sonya Geathers
Donor ($10 - $99)
Ms. Shanell V. Holloway
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Varn, Jr., DMD
Mr. and Mrs. Johnathan Goldsmith
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Zvejnieks
Ms. Carol Korody-Colwell
Roni Bamriger
Nothing Less Than
Mr. Solomon Brannan
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Hartley
Mr. and Mrs. Adam King
Mr. William Barnes
Ms. Delores Monteith
Mr. James M Brazier
Ms. Megan Szuster