Kelsi Weston
Kelsi Weston began her teaching artist journey with Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) in 2018. She works as a teaching artist for The Disney Musicals in Schools and Wolf Trap Programs. She has her degree in Theater and has enjoyed being a part of productions in the Omaha community at the Blue Barn Theater, Omaha Fringe Festival, Brigit St. Brigit Theater Co, and The Great Plains Conference productions over the years. Her passion for working with children and advocating for arts integration in STEM curriculum began with her work at The Omaha Children’s Museum where she worked in the Education Department for over 3 years. She also spent several years as an Actor Education for the local group “RESPECT” – which uses theater to engage students in conversations about building healthy relationships. She is excited to currently be serving the community as a teaching artist and to be working with O-pa volunteers as the full-time Volunteer Services Manager.
Allison Ellis
Allison Rae Ellis attended Oklahoma City University where she studied Tap, Jazz, Ballet, and Theatre dance, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Dance Management. While attending OCU, she was a member of the American Spirit Dance Company and danced in major productions such as ‘Yuletide Magic’ put on in conjunction with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra. She also performed across the United States in a USO tour, and abroad in the ‘International Broadway Review Show,’ which took her to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Singapore. Other credits include dancing at the prestigious Flo-Bert Tap Awards in New York City. Allison was owner of Dance Inspiration where she taught recreational and competitive dance for 24 years. She believes dance lessons = life lessons, and strives to help her students grow both physically and emotionally. Through the art of dance, she hopes to inspire her students to embrace their unique inner voice, and feel purpose and pride as they express their personal gifts through movement.
Camille Balbuena
Camille Balbuena is an artist from the Dominican Republic. She came to the United States to follow her dreams when she was eighteen years old and just got her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre at Creighton University. Camille has been a costumed performer in the Omaha Children’s Museum for the past two summers, enjoying interacting with kids. She was also a teaching artist for the summer camps at the Omaha Community Playhouse this summer. Camille is happy to stay in Omaha to keep creating new experiences in the field and keep growing as a person.
Emily Bryan
Emily Bryan is a dance educator, choreographer and performer. She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of New Mexico and a BA in Dance and English from Gustavus Adolphus College. Emily has a passion for dance education and seeks to inspire and challenge her students to grow both physically in their technique and performance, and academically in their understanding of dance as an art form. She has taught in higher education at The University of New Mexico and Red Rocks Community College. She has taught in the public school sector, as the founding dance teacher at Parker Performing Arts School in Parker, CO. Emily has also served as a teaching artist in outreach programs at Colorado Ballet, in community and pre-professional programs at Keshet Dance Company in Albuquerque, NM, and in the private sector at Greater San Antonio Academy of Ballet in San Antonio, TX, among others. As a lover of all things surrounding the arts, Emily also has experience in arts administration. She has held press and marketing positions at Keshet Dance Company, Lincoln Arts Council, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and American Dance Festival. Emily, her husband Austen, and two children, Addison and Jackson, recently moved to Omaha after 10 years of life in the Air Force. They are thrilled to be back in the “good life” and putting down roots in this great community!
Julie Pospishil
Julie Jahde Pospishil believes everyone smiles in the same language and her specialty is producing joy, laughter & smiles through puppetry, songs & stories. Julie AKA “La Maestra Julia” has traveled off the main path in 17 different Spanish-speaking countries and is the author of 39 Spanish Chatbooks. She has a Master’s in Language Acquisition and is fluent in Spanish, German, Sign Language and English. Julie’s Children’s songs made it to the 2nd round of both the Latin Grammy’s and then the Grammy’s. Although she didn’t win either she still came home with a car and laptop that she won on the Price is Right the next day. Julie is a certified resilience trainer using her book, “Relax with Me from A to Z.”
Kerron Stark
Kerron is the creator and host of, “Mister K’s Clubhouse”, Omaha’s only live-action, educational children’s television series available on YouTube, KPAO Public Access, and DBTv, aimed at children ages 2 to 7 years of age. Graduating from Omaha South High School, Kerron has been heavily involved in the performing arts. In the community, Kerron has been involved with theatre’s such as – Radio Theatre Omaha starring in “The Christmas Pit, “Atlas Slugged”, and “The Grinch Who Came To Dinner”, Blue Barn Theatre starring in “A Very Die Hard Christmas”, SNAP Productions starring in “The Last Supper”, and even the traveling theatre company RESPECT. Kerron has also worked as a teaching artist in various middle schools providing lessons of Social and Emotional Learning. Kerron is a firm believer in following your dreams and enabling children with the skills and opportunities to do just that. “Follow your dreams and you will be.. SIMPLY AMAZING”.
Lisa Kerekes
A professional singer/actor, director & producer Lisa Kerekes is the daughter of a political refugee father & immigrant mum and was raised in Omaha. She holds a self-designed BA in Theatre, Music (opera) & Dance from The University of Minnesota, and an MFA in Acting & Directing from UMKC. A Lincoln Center trained & summer forum affiliated teaching artist, Ms. Kerekes had a decade-long partnership with Tilles Center for the Performing Arts (a satellite program at Long Island U). Through uniquely reflective, performance-based course work (Pre-K to college) Ms. Kerekes teamed up with teachers and created activity-based pathways into live performances. Transforming classrooms into stages. In 2007, to foster the emerging work of playwrights & screenwriters, and to encourage creative action in core subjects at local schools, Ms. Kerekes founded a not-for-profit Citizen’s Garage, Inc. in Brooklyn, NY. Most notably in concert with early childhood programs, CG’s mobile classroom encourages the implementation of daily performing arts instruction and offers professional development for teachers who seek to innovate. Re-launching her CG studio here in Omaha, Ms. Kerekes is coordinating performance projects, directing staged readings & producing new works.
