Click to make a secure online donation.

Patti Zukaitis (co-director) received her BFA degree in dance from Creighton University in 1974 and graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with an MFA in dance in 1986. She has performed with The Omaha Ballet, Creighton Dance Company and various choreographers in New York City and Omaha. Patti has been a teacher at OAB and a faculty member in the dance department at Creighton University since 1991. She holds the Associate Diploma through the ISTD Professional Teaching Examinations. Sara Mau (co-director): After completing her formal dance education with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Professional Division, Ms. Mau was accepted into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet where she quickly moved up through the company performing soloist and principal roles internationally. In 1994 Ms. Mau moved to America's finest ballet company, American Ballet Theater, which allowed her to work with the dance world's most knowledgeable dance coaches and choreographers of our time, perfecting numerous roles and touring the world. She is the artistic director of the Omaha Dance Project. Jon Fagan gained his formal dance education from Canada's prominent Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Upon graduation Mr. Fagan was immediately brought into the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to perform soloist and principal roles. Mr. Fagan was asked to join American Ballet Theater, the most celebrated ballet company of the United States in 1994, where he worked with the most influential dance instructors and choreographers known to date. Mr. Fagan is the advanced level ballet teacher for Omaha Academy of Ballet and Associate Director for the Omaha Dance Project. Ruth Hoagboon trained at College of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, where she undertook intensive training in the art and teaching of ballet and its supporting subjects. She graduated as a Licentiate and Advanced Executant of the Royal Academy of Dance and an Associate of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance in three branches. She has taught dance in London, Germany, Mississippi, at Tulane University in New Orleans, in Florida, and at Lakenheath Air Force Base in England. Danielle Laurion is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with degrees in dance and English education. She has choreographed and taught for numerous organizations, schools, and academies. After twenty-one years of dancing, she currently focuses her efforts on teaching jazz and modern. Sheila Nelson holds a B.S. degree in education from Creighton University and full membership status in the Royal Academy of Dancing. She has successfully completed many exams in both the RAD and ISTD systems, including RAD Intermediate I and ISTD Advanced I. Lynne Nevin began her dance training in Lincoln with Flavia Waters Champe, and later continued her studies in Omaha with Valerie Roche. She received a BA degree in art history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She holds the Associate Diploma through the ISTD Professional Teaching examinations, and has studied the Alexander Technique (a method for analyzing and improving movement patterns.) She teaches dance at UNL, and serves as a teaching artist for for Lincoln's Arts Are Basic Artist in the Schools program. Roxanne Nielsen is the resident choreographer and Director of Education and Outreach at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Roxanne has taught for many local schools and organizations and has received numerous performance and choreography awards. She continues her dance training, which began in local studios, by regularly taking classes in New York and at various workshops. Nicole Rauth began studying dance at the Omaha Academy of Ballet and has completed the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing exams through the Advanced II levels. Dancing with many dance groups within the area, she has performed numerous roles in various modern dance and classical ballets. As well as teaching the last several years at OAB, she works as a registered nurse at the Mercy Hospital Emergency Department and is the Executive Director of Omaha Dance Project. Kyan Unstad is completing a degree in bioinformatics at the University of Nebraska- Omaha. She has performed for the past three years with the UNO Moving Company and the Omaha Dance Project. Mary Waugh-Taylor received a BFA degree in dance from the University of Utah, and has been an instructor in ballet, jazz and modern dance for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Jewish Community Center, and the Omaha Modern Dance Collective. She also is choreographer-in-residence for The Moving Company, UNO's modern dance company. In 2001, she received a first-place award in choreography at the Dance Grand Prix in Cesana, Italy. She is a 2007 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNO's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.