Faculty
Rob Kuykendall
Rob began dancing at age 12 in Evansville, IN and soon moved to Birmingham, AL to train with Thor Sutowki and Dame Sonia Arova at The Alabama School of Fine Arts. He has worked professionally with Alabama Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Orlando Ballet and most recently with Boulder Ballet. Rob has a diverse training and teaching background in Vaganova, Bournonville, Paris Opera and Cuban methods, having learned from such greats as Fernando Bujones and Wes Chapman. In 2009, Rob won the Youth America Grand Prix “Most Outstanding Teacher Award”. Many of the students he has taught and coached have won top awards at YAGP and The Denver Ballet Guild’s Young Dancers Competition. They have also received scholarships to some of America’s top schools; including Kirov Academy in Washington DC and School of American Ballet. Many have also gone on to professional careers at some of America’s premiere companies; including San Francisco Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, American Repertory Ballet and Miami City Ballet.
Chandra Kuykendall
Chandra Kuykendall is from Parker, CO and trained with Zhanna Dubrovskya and Sergey Kozadayev. In 1996, she won the Denver Ballet Guild Competition and was a recipient of the prestigious Florence Rustin Award. She joined Colorado Ballet in 1997. She spent the 1998-1999 season with Leipzig Ballet in Leipzig, Germany. Chandra returned to Colorado Ballet in 1999 and was promoted to principal in 2007. Being one of Colorado Ballet’s premiere ballerina’s, she has danced numerous leading roles including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Giselle and Myrta in Giselle, Medora in Le Corsaire, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Lucy in Dracula, Titania and Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the principal role in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, the Crossover Girl in In The Upper Room and was featured in Antony Tudor’s Leaves Are Fading. Chandra’s professional dancing career has brought forth many teaching opportunities as well.
Leslie Justi
Leslie Justi was a scholarship student at Joffrey Ballet School and the School of the Hartford Ballet and also trained with Boston Ballet School, Palm Beach Ballet Center and South Florida Ballet Academy. In 1993, Leslie began her professional career with Hartford Ballet, then continuing on with Memphis Ballet and Bay Ballet Theater. In 1997, Leslie joined Colorado Ballet, where she danced for 6 years, performing soloist roles in classical and contemporary ballets. Leslie has performed works from noted choreographers such as George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Stanton Welch, Doug Varone and Donald Mckayle. When Colorado Ballet was chosen to be the only ballet company to dance a Martha Graham ballet, Leslie was chosen to dance the role of a “follower” in that historic staging of Appalachian Spring. Leslie has also danced for Kim Robards Dance and Reach Dance Theater Collective. Leslie most recently has been on the faculty of the Colorado Ballet Academy, where she taught for 5 years and was the director of the South Academy for 3 years. While teaching for Colorado Ballet Academy, Leslie trained and coached the students in Colorado Ballet’s productions of The Nutcracker, Coppelia and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Leslie also choreographed ballets and coached students for numerous dance competitions, where her pieces won numerous overall awards and the elementary winner of the Kiwanis “Stars of Tomorrow” competition. Leslie’s other teaching credits include Rocky Mountain School of Dance, Atlantic Arts Academy, Kim Robards Dance and Snowy Range Dance Festival at the University of Wyoming.
Kristen Deppe
Kristen started her diverse background of dance training in the suburbs of Chicago under Judy Chitwood and Larry Long. Her ballet training continued at New York’s Joffrey Ballet School’s summer programs under John Magnus, Judy Rice and Francoise Martinet. Kristen also has an extensive training in jazz and modern. She has had the privilege to work and perform for such great choreographers as Alan Sener (Louis Falco), Mary Cochren (Paul Taylor), Basil Thompson (Royal Ballet, ABT), Lar Lubovich (ABT), Jeffrey Bullock (Pacific Northwest Ballet) and Mia Michaels (RAW & FOX television “So You Think You Can Dance”). Since her performing days, she has focused on teaching and choreographing. Kristen’s technical ballet background includes Balanchine, RAD, Cecchetti and Vagonova methods, and earned a teaching certificate from the Cecchetti Council of America in 2006. Her jazz and modern technical backgrounds include Fosse, Luigi, Giordano, Horton, Graham and Limon methods. Kristen received two degrees from the University of Iowa: BFA in Dance Performance and BA in Business Communications.
Stephanie Woody
Stephanie began her training at the Villa Park School of Ballet in southern California. She spent summers studying at the New York City Ballet and was a school apprentice with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. Stephanie’s technical background is in the Balanchine, Cechetti and Vaganova methods. She graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and completed a masters degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University.
Lauren Rodriguez
Lauren Rodriguez entered dance classes at the Sullivan School of Dance when she was ten years old. Within a short period of time she knew that dancing would be her life’s passion. Her training in Ballet, Modern, and Jazz had an emphasis on Cecchetti Ballet, Luigi Jazz, and Release Technique. Her professional career began with Queen City Jazz Company in Charlotte, North Carolina when she was sixteen. After graduating from high school Lauren was accepted into The Alvin Ailey School in New York where her studies included: Ballet, Modern, Jazz, West African, Music, Theatre, Improvisation and Composition. Her performances in New York include concerts at The Ailey School, as well as “Traumnovela” , a dance-driven musical at the Barrow Street Theatre. She has also attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a two-time recipient of the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Scholarship and was awarded American Dance Awards Regional Dancer of the Year. In Los Angeles Ms. Rodriguez was member of Hart Pulse Dance Company and The Satin Dollz, a 1940’s singing and dancing ensemble. Lauren has taught Ballet, Pointe, Lyrical, Jazz and Musical Theatre for ages 3 – adults and is an accomplished choreographer.
