Ashley M. Calligan — Owner/Artistic Director
Ashley M. Calligan (Nemeth) is from Denver, Colorado and has been teaching ballet for 17 years. Ms. Calligan trained at The Academy of Colorado Ballet, The Academy of Russian Ballet, and Burklyn Ballet Theatre. While dancing she performed numerous roles including; Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Soloist in Paquita, Spanish in The Nutcracker, and many original works by Elizabeth Shipiatsky, Robert Royce, Angela Whitehill, and Thom Clower. For the 2008-2009 season she was the Ballet Mistress with Western Arkansas Ballet of Fort Smith, Arkansas. She is currently in her 16th year as the Assistant to the Artistic Director and Ballet Mistress with Burklyn Ballet Theatre, under the direction of Joanne Whitehill. With Burklyn Ballet Theatre she has traveled numerous times to Scotland to perform in The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For the past five years she has produced and directed her own full-length production of The Nutcracker. Her students have gone on to dance professionally and to dance in college dance programs such as SUNY Purchase, AMDA, The University of Arizona, and The University of Oklahoma. Most recently Ms. Calligan was the Co-Owner and Ballet Director of Summit Dance Academy in Parker, Colorado.
Ryan Edward Calligan - Owner/Chief Financial Officer
Ryan has over 20 years in finance and business law. He has successfully owned numerous entertainment companies nationwide for decades. With a keen eye on the nitty-gritty of operations, Ryan is a powerful and indispensable member of the VVAD team. The true “Wizard” behind the curtain, Ryan loves to contribute his vast knowledge of business and finance but he happily allows the teachers and dancers of VVAD to be the real stars of the show!
Additionally, Ryan’s “Behind the scenes” work doesn’t stop at paperwork and tech support. His true passion is creating masterful works of sculptural art in the creation of the stage props and theatrical furniture for all of the productions for VVAD. In his sprawling workshop in Eagle CO, Ryan creates stunning pieces of hand crafted, and lovingly made functional stage art, from fireplaces and staircases for Nutcracker, to an elegant carriage for Cinderella and “dynamic” visuals for Alice in Wonderland. Ryan’s happiness comes from building VVAD’s incredible future, using all of his diverse skill-sets.
Maria Barry
Maria has been teaching Jazz, Tap, and Ballet at Vail Valley Academy of Dance for the last 20 years. She also enjoys teaching Country Western Dance and West Coast Swing. Before moving to Vail, she danced professionally in Denver, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, California and Aruba. She has choreographed for numerous musical theater productions in the Vail Valley and continues to be a vital force at VVAD.
Julia LeClaire
Julia LeClaire began dancing at age 11 and joined her studio’s top competitive team within one year of starting formal training. She has a well rounded background in the arts with studies in Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, Hip Hop, Pointe, Cecchetti, Pom, English Country, Character Performance, and West Coast Swing. Julia brings significant competitive experience to VVAD and has earned over 100 platinum level awards for her performances in addition to State and National accolades including the Rockettes Invitational Scholarship and AIA Regional and State Championship titles for Varsity Pom. With a professional background working for leaders in the entertainment industry including The Walt Disney Company and Disney Cruise Line, Julia takes pride in sharing her world class training to support students in an environment that is positive, fun, and compassionate while cultivating creative curiosity, encouraging expression, and championing personal and professional confidence to foster individual growth and development in her dancers both on and off the stage.
Clayton Cunningham
Clayton just recently moved from Boston, Massachusetts where he was coaching and teaching at Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre. He began his training at the English National Ballet School in London, under the direction of Kathryn Wade, of the Royal Ballet. In the summers of 2002/2004 he was accepted in the Chautauqua Ballet, in New York, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, and Violette Verdy, of New York City Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet. Clayton also danced with San Francisco Ballet in 2003. While he was dancing with other companies throughout the summers he was employed as a soloist with St. Louis Ballet under the direction of Gen Horiuchi, of the New York City Ballet, from 2001-2005. Clayton went on to dance with Omaha Ballet Theatre, under the direction of Robyn Welch, and then to Metropolitan Ballet of Minneapolis in 2009-2011, under the direction of Tatiana Berenova of the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2011 Clayton temporarily retired from dancing due to knee injuries and took a temporary position as Assistant Artistic Director and Ballet Master of Ohio Dance Theatre. He then went on to become the Ballet Master at Forever Dance Alaska, in Soldotna, Alaska, for nearly 10 years. He did take a year off to return to dance again with the St. Louis Ballet, but officially retired due to a recurring knee injury. Clayton is very excited to be joining the staff of Vail Valley Academy of Dance, and working with the students, faculty, and the community to keep the love and tradition of dance alive!
Colin Meiring
Colin Meiring started his Performing Arts career at the age of six, competing in Ballroom dancing and won every National title in South Africa. He diversified into musical theatre, television and film performing around the globe. Colin gained International experience performing, choreographing and directing shows for Royal Caribbean and Silversea Cruises. His versatility in the industry, enables Colin to teach Hip-hop, Jazz, Lyrical, Ballroom and musical theatre. Colin’s approach as a teacher, is to apply the principles of strong technique, versatility and enthusiasm. Additionally, Colin has earned an International Dance Teacher’s Association Certification for Jazz.
Remmington Olle
Remmington Olle (Remmi) grew up in Vail and was a student at VVAD starting at the age of 7. She has studied dance at many prestigious dance programs, including The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and The Alvin Ailey School. She earned her BFA in Contemporary Dance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. Remmi has taught at VVAD over the summer since 2018, alongside Anne Powell and is now an official instructor at VVAD. She is very eager to share what she has learned throughout her years in college and everything she has experienced in the dance world.
Lauren Emerson
Lauren grew up in Denver, dancing at the International Youth Ballet and Dual Star Academy of Dance. She performed in ballets such as “Peter Pan” and “The Nutcracker,” and danced competitively through high school. She went on to continue her dance education at Cornell College while teaching part time at a local studio. During that time, she also found a love for swing and charleston dance! After graduating college, Lauren began her career as a school teacher here in the valley and soon got involved at VVAD. She is thankful for the wonderful influence of her dance teachers throughout the years, and she loves sharing her own passion for dance with her students each week. She especially enjoys leading students in developing dynamics and technique in their dancing!