Ashley M. Calligan — Owner/Artistic Director

Ashley M. Calligan (Nemeth) is from Denver, Colorado and has been teaching ballet for 22 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 Gypsum 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. 

Morgan Kulas

Morgan Kulas began her formal dance training at the ripe age of 4 at Parker Dance Academy under the direction of Kim Kinnear & Julie Curley. She completed her BFA in Acting Performance at Chicago College of Performing Arts and received a scholarship to continue her dance studies at Hubbard Street. During this time Morgan developed a love for Post Modern Dance and Performance Studies and in 2023 graduated with an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art & Regenerative Culture from University of New Mexico.

Morgan began teaching at Vail Valley Academy of Dance in 2013 under the mentorship of Anne Powell who asked her to develop what is now a thriving multi-level contemporary dance program. Morgan has contributed numerous choreographic works to Vail Youth Ballet Company and Vail Valley Academy of Dance students and has built bridges between studio and community through collaborations with organizations such as TedX Youth Vail and Colorado's Art in Public Places.

Morgan has studied extensively as a teacher; training in diverse pedagogies ranging from classical ballet education with School of American Ballet to post-modern dance and intersectional forms of psychosomatic arts. She is very proud of the young dancers she has had the honor of working with and continues to find joy in the act of teaching.

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!

Colleen Teska Schlosser

Growing up in WI, Colleen was a competitive gymnast for 4 years before formally beginning her dance training at the age 12 at the Dance Factory with Tina Lendman, where she performed in the yearly Nutcracker and other various shows. She trained in ballet and modern dance at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Dancespace NY on scholarship. Colleen has danced professionally for over 15 years with a variety of companies in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Austin, was a founding member of Nomi Dance Company directed by Laura Kariotis and continues to work as a guest artist. For over 16 years, Colleen has enjoyed teaching, choreographing, and working as an assistant artistic director at dance studios throughout southeast Wisconsin, Chicago, Austin, Michigan and Colorado. She is very proud to have had her work presented at the Austin Dance Fest Youth Edition and Chicago Dance Fest. Drawing from her love of medicine and dance she has developed strength and conditioning for injury prevention classes at dance studios throughout the Midwest and Texas.

Colleen is also a doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, a licensed acupuncturist, and an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist. She owns and operates Two Pines Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine in Eagle, CO and also works at Shaw Cancer Center. Colleen earned her Doctoral degree, with a focus in Integrative Medicine, and master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine in Austin, TX. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Strength and Conditioning from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has 10 years of experience working in hospitals and clinics, including the University of Chicago Medicine, as a Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and stress testing specialist.

Colleen moved to Eagle, CO in 2021, fulfilling her lifelong dream of living in Colorado. Shortly after moving she met her now-husband, Scott – who is the best honorary dance dad! She was the Director of Dance and instructor at MORE2Dance for three years before merging with VVAD. She continues to teach ballet at Gracie Gold’s Ice Skating Camp and she is thrilled to continue teaching the next generation of dancers at VVAD.