Staff

 

Melanie Epps | Executive Director

 

Melanie Epps joined the Omaha Academy of Ballet as Executive Director in January 2024. Before OAB, she served as Community Engagement Manager for the Omaha Conservatory of Music, overseeing operations of the String Sprouts program, collaborating with metro schools to provide supplemental music activities, and coordinating efforts to promote the Conservatory in the community. Her career began at the Omaha Community Playhouse, serving as Director of Education and Development Coordinator during her tenure. As a teaching artist, Melanie has choreographed for high school/collegiate music programs and local theaters including the Omaha Community Playhouse and BLUEBARN Theatre, for over 25 years. She is also an accomplished performer, performing roles such as Lady of the Lake (Spamalot), Eva Peron (Evita), Velma Kelly (Chicago), Cassie (A Chorus Line), and The Narrator (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat).

 

 

 

Rachel Vickrey | Artistic Director 

 

Rachel began her ballet training at age 5, receiving full scholarships from San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Boston Ballet. Her professional career spanned over 22 years, starting with Banff Festival Ballet in Balanchine’s Agon, Concerto Barocco, Allegro Brillante, Valse Fantaisie, and others. She later danced with Ballet Omaha, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, North Carolina Dance Theatre (Charlotte Ballet), and Omaha Theater Ballet, where she performed principal roles including Juliet, Aurora, and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Rachel has taught for Cirque du Soleil, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, Wilmington School of Ballet, and Charlotte Ballet School, and Omaha Theater Ballet. She has worked with ballet legends such as Suzanne Farrell and Salvatore Aiello. In Nebraska, Rachel is the only ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 6/7 & Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

A proud ABT® Certified Teacher, she was the Director of Dance Educational Outreach at The Rose Theater and served as Artistic Director of Heartland Youth Ballet, helping it become a Regional Dance America Honor Company.

In 2014, she re-founded Heartland Conservatory of Dance, incorporating her expertise in fitness and nutrition, along with comprehensive Pilates certifications. Rachel’s passion, extensive background, and dedication make her a beloved teacher and a strong representative of American ballet’s virtuosity and artistry. Her history of successfully operating her own dance studio further underscores her capability to inspire and elevate OAB’s artistic programs, focusing heavily on the alignment of all ballet classes with the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum. 

 

 

Elizabeth Dauner | Academy Manager

 

Elizabeth joined OAB in 2017 with over 15 years of retail management experience. She also owned and operated her own photography business in the greater Omaha area for seven years. She specializes in management, accounting, and business organization. In her free time, Elizabeth likes to spend time with her husband and their three children.

 

Faculty

 

Sheila Nelson received her training at the Omaha Academy of Ballet and at

Creighton University under the direction of Valerie Roche. She has performed with Creighton’s dance company and served as a faculty member in its dance department. She was selected by the Nebraska Department of Education as a team member for Frameworks, a program which brought dance education to Nebraska schools. She has completed many exams in both the RAD and ISTD systems and holds full membership status in the Royal Academy of Dancing. Sheila was Co-director of OAB from 2008-2014. 

 

 

 

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 is a member and registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dancing, London. Lynne has studied the Alexander Technique, a method for analyzing and improving movement patterns, in which she is preparing for International Certification. She teaches dance at UNL and has served as a teaching artist for Lincoln’s Arts Are Basic Artist-in-the-Schools program. In addition, she is a teaching assistant for “Dancing Classrooms”, a program of The Artery. Her choreography has been presented through the dance departments of University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton University and by OAB’s Omaha Dance Project.

 

 

 

Allyson Pfortmiller received her dance training at Creighton University, where she studied modern, tap, jazz, lyrical, pedagogy, and performed with the Creighton Dance company. She currently choreographs and performs in the Omaha area.

 

 

 

 

Patti Zukaitis 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 and served as Co-director of OAB from 2002-2014.