Mission
Established over 40 years ago, the Catskill Ballet Theatre Company is a not-for-profit organization providing cultural enrichment within the Hudson Valley through the art of classical ballet. The mission of the Catskill Ballet Theatre Company is to provide the residents and visitors to the Hudson Valley classical ballet performances, while offering opportunities to local dancers to be part of professional productions.
Offering a variety of performances, we are perhaps best known for our full-length production of “The Nutcracker” which has been presented annually in Kingston’s historic Ulster Performing Arts Center for over 30 years. This production has become a holiday tradition pleasing both young and old. Communities from near and far return every year to watch the spectacle of magical scenery, beautiful costumes and internationally known professional dancers in the lead roles. “The Nutcracker” is also a showcase of local talent and it is here that young dancers are given the gift and experience of joining a professional dance company as it performs to a full audience for several shows.
Providing an outlet for young performers is one of Catskill Ballet Theatre’s greatest assets. In addition to The Nutcracker, our repertoire also includes Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Dracula and The Snow Queen. In all our performances, young dancers are given opportunities to work with professionals to learn about the world of classical ballet and performing. We strive to provide motivation, training and encouragement for those who wish to continue in the art of ballet as a profession.
Your support of the Catskill Ballet Theatre Company will make the art of ballet and our performances accessible to the community and support the development of local talent.
Melissa Bierstock
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Melissa Bierstock began her dance training with Anne Hebard at the age of four. She performed principal roles in CBT’s productions for over 10 years. She continued her classical training at The North Carolina School of the Arts, The Marin Ballet, The Pennsylvania Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet School and with master teachers Anne Hebard, David Howard, Melissa Hayden, Maria Vegh and Kevin Pugh. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in dance history from Bard College. Melissa spent over a decade in Toronto, Canada, where she performed in numerous contemporary and classical ballet productions before joining the faculty of principal dancer Kevin Pugh’s, Dance-Teq, where she taught for ten years. Melissa has been certified in the Stott Pilates Method of Body Conditioning since 1996 and owned and operated From the Center Pilates Studio in Toronto, while teaching for the University of Toronto and serving as a personal pilates coach to members of the National Ballet of Canada. Melissa returned to New York in 2004 to teach for the Anne Hebard School of Ballet and became rehearsal mistress for CBT. She also owns and operates Mainly Pilates in Kingston. In 2017, she became the owner and director of the Anne Hebard School of Ballet and in December of 2019, was honored to take the reins from her mentor, Anne Hebard, as the new Artistic Director of Catskill Ballet Theatre.
Anne Hebard
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Anne Hebard’s training began in England at the Arts Educational Trust. She remained at this school as a teacher for 10 years prior to coming to the United States at the invitation of Rebekah Harkness, to teach at the Harkness House for Ballet Arts in New York City, the school of the renowned Harkness Ballet Company. She taught there for nearly 10 years.
In England, Ms. Hebard was awarded The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Advanced Teacher’s Certificate with Honors, and is a life member of RAD. She was also an examiner for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance. She has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Ms. Hebard also holds certificates in Dance History, Music, and Anatomy.
Ms. Hebard has also been a guest teacher and lecturer at major universities, and regional ballet companies throughout the United States.
She is a former guest teacher for the Bejart Ballet School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and traveled as the company ballet mistress during their tour in Japan in 1996. In 2000, she was also a master teacher for the First International Congress of Dance Mexico.
The school she started in Ulster County has operated for 40 years. In 1981 she formed the Catskill Ballet Theatre Company, where she served as Artistic Director until retiring in December 2019. Ms. Hebard continues to serve as Artistic Advisor to the company.