Faculty

Helen Wilkins after completing the Advanced Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing, London, and performing with the Banff Festival Ballet Company, Wilkins accepted a scholarship to study in New York City.  Within six months she was touring professionally with Marvin Gordon’s Ballet Concepts, performing in summer stock at MusiCarnival in Cleveland, as well as dancing at the Royal Alexander Theatre in Toronto.  In Toronto, she choreographed an opera for Colin Graham of the Sadlers Wells.  A tour of Europe followed, including study with Rosella Hightower in Cannes.  Upon returning to the U.S. she became ballet mistress of Fort Wayne Ballet and later the Delaware Regional Ballet.  She served as school director of the Canton Ballet until coming to Edmonds to found Olympic Ballet Theatre with her late husband, John Wilkins.  She produced OBT’s annual Choreography Showcase for eight years and commissioned a score for the 1996 premiere of a NW artists’ collaboration.  She was proud to direct the Regional Dance America / Pacific Festival in 2003 with 20 visiting ballet companies in mster classes and performances.  Wilkins currently serves as treasurer for RDA / Pacific Association of ballet companies.

Daniel Wilkins graduated from the School of American Ballet, danced professionally with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Donald Byrd/The Group, Complexions, and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Wilkins formed DASSdance in 1996, creating his signature All-Terrain style of dance in a multi-media arena. Wilkins has collaborated with Diane von Furstenberg on six full-length works which premiered at DvF-The Theater in NYC. Wilkins recently premiered his seventh work with DASS, Fighting Water, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (LHPAC) in Seattle. The performances of Fighting Water have led to an artistic partnership with the LHPAC. Wilkins has connected to the community with his works through partnerships with Read Across America, Real Change and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance. Wilkins has been a featured artist with OBT for many years. He has brought an extraordinary background in ballet and an entirely new form of contemporary dance to our students since 2002.

Tatiana Cater studied ballet, Russian ethnic dance, character dance and historical dance at the Moscow State Institute of Culture. She toured Russia, Austria, and Germany as a dancer performing in 1992 as solo dancer with the Russian International Ballet Collective in Benidorm Palace, Spain, where she appeared on national television. Cater taught ballet to children at the Sunrise Dance School in Russia, and has taught on the faculty of Olympic Ballet since 1995. She has choreographed several works for OBT including Russian Melodies recently performed in OBT�s productions. She has taught character at the PNB summer school for 3 years. We richly benefit from Cater�s ballet and character dance with Olympic Ballet.

Kelly Hui Kelly Hui is a Seattle native and received most of her training at the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory Program and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She danced with the Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Memphis, and Charleston Ballet Theatre. She is currently dancing with the Stone Dance Collective while attending Seattle Pacific University�s school of education in pursuit of a degree in special education. She has choreographed for our Annual School Presentation in 2008. We are fortunate to have Hui begin her third year with our faculty.

Karen Herr received her training at Olympic Ballet School, and was a charter OBT company member. She recently returned to Edmonds after dancing professionally with David Taylor Dance Theatre in Denver and Nandanco in Norwich, England. Prior to her performing career she earned her MFA in Ballet Teaching/Choreography from the University of Utah. For more than a decade she has enjoyed teaching ballet and dance forms to a variety of ages and abilities, ranging from preschool through university and professional level dancers. We are proud to have an OBT alumni return for her third year and offer exceptional experience and talents.

Diana Garcia-Snyder is a dance educator, choreographer and performer with a MFA from the University of Washington. She was born in Mexico City and completed her ballet training with honors from the Royal Academy of Dancing. She was awarded scholarships at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, and has taught, performed and choreographed in Mexico, Chicago and Seattle. She has taught creative, ballet, modern, contemporary, and Pilates. She has performed with the Mexican National Ballet, Luna Negra Dance Theate, Chicago Moving Company, BQ Dance Collective, and Chamber Dance Company. We are excited that Garcia-Snyder returns to our faculty for her second year.