GREGORY GLADE HANCOCK - Gregory Glade Hancock is founder, Artistic Director and primary choreography for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. Prior to this, he was the Artistic Director for Indianapolis Dance Company. He has created over 120 works for GHDT’s diverse and vast repertoire including such critically acclaimed pieces as The River’s Edge, Stigmata, 1941, Out of Darkness, 1968, Dracula, The Rapture, Joan of Arc, The Trojan Women, The Birth of the Gods, Lagaan, Cuchci Cuchi, The Sar, Devdas, Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, Hooray for Tollwood, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, SUPERHERO; the story of a man called Jesus and many more. Mr. Hancock has created choreography for dance companies in the USA and Eastern Europe. He has had the honor of the National Dance Ensemble of Latvia presenting an entire program of his works, which has toured throughout Europe. He has also created choreography for Musical Theatre, opera, industrials, television commercials, film, and international top-level figure skaters. In addition to dance, Mr. Hancock is an accomplished musician and visual artist. He spent six years as the Costume Designer for “Yuletide Celebration” with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and numerous other orchestras throughout the country. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work as a dancer and choreographer including two Master Artist Fellowships from the Indiana Arts Commission, International Fellowships from ArtsLink and The Citizen Exchange Council in New York and an original Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Lilly Endowment and most recently, a second Creative Renewal Fellowship that will take him to India to continue his pursuit of Indian dance, music and culture. Mr. Hancock was named Outstanding Choreographer at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2005 in NYC. Mr. Hancock was invited to bring his company to the prestigious 11th International Baltic Ballet Festival in Riga, Latvia in 2006, where the company received critical acclaim and was invited back for a second tour in 2007. Mr. Hancock is the director for The Academy of GHDT and teaches at the Academy as well.
MEREDITH BROWN (formerly Meredith Wilson) - Meredith Brown, a native of Maine, began her professional training in Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Ballet Theatre Workshop under the direction of Mihailo Djuric. In 2003, she moved to Indiana where she obtained a BA in Dance Pedagogy at Butler University. During her time at Butler, Meredith performed with Butler Ballet in classical works such as The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Cinderella. She was featured as the Arabian princess in The Nutcracker, and performed in numerous contemporary works including Torelli by Twyla Tharp. Additionally, she has performed at the grand opening of the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis and as Tanna in multiple runs of DISCO NIGHTS at the American Cabaret Theatre. Since joining GHDT in 2007, Meredith has enjoyed dancing roles such as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Devdas’ mother Kaushalya in Devdas, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco, and as a Woman of Jerusalem in SUPERHERO. Meredith is also on the faculty of the Academy of GHDT.

HEATHER HELENE KING - Heather Helene King first performed with GHDT as a waltzer in the 1996 production of Dracula. She was completely enamored with the production, and was invited to become an apprentice to the company and then became a member the following season. During her time with GHDT, Heather has covered roles in the repertoire ranging from dramatic to comic. Some of her favorite roles include Zhana, The Queen of the Undead in Dracula, Mary, Mother of Jesus in SUPERHERO, Alice in Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco. She was very excited to travel abroad with the company in two recent tours. Heather is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music, where she received a degree in French Horn Performance and studied ballet under Jurgen Pagels and Marina Svetlovna. She also enjoys being a singer and instrumentalist in local projects and an independent Ballroom Dance teacher.

NATALEE COONEY (formerly Natalee Wilkerson) - Natalee Cooney is honored to be a part of GHDT. An Indianapolis native, she is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Natalee also has her Master’s Degree from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Natalee joined the company in 2007. As a company member, her favorite roles include: The Cheshire Cat in Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, A woman of Jerusalem in SUPERHERO, a crime fighting Angel in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco and an Evil Nun in The Casket Girls.

SARA LITTLE - Sara Little has been a member of GHDT since 2008. She is from St. Louis, MO and is a graduate of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Performance and a minor in English studies. Sara was a member of Ball State Dance Theatre for 4 years. With BSDT, she performed in numerous classical and contemporary pieces and had the opportunity to dance in New York City at the American College Dance National Festival. Her choreography has been featured in BSU showcases and was selected to perform at the American College Dance Festival in Kalamazoo, MI. Some of her favorite roles with GHDT include The White Rabbit in Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, a Charlie’s Angel in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco, the Latin Duet in Down on the Bayou and the Voodoo duet in Papa Legba. Sara is also on the faculty of The Academy of GHDT

MARTIN CASANOVA - Martin Casanova’s first full performance with GHDT was in 2003 in It's All Greek to Me! He has been featured in numerous roles and originated such roles as Milloc in Dracula, Chunilal in Devdas, Narcissus in Echo and Narcissus and The Witch in Hansel and Gretel. He has also originated roles and has received critical acclaim in several full-length productions such as Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jesus of Nazareth in SUPERHERO and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco. Mr. Casanova has been featured in many of the company’s outstanding duets including; Lagaan, Crop Circles, Unchained Melody, Echo and Narcissus and Carmen. Some of his favorite repertoire pieces include: The Birth of the Gods, The River’s Edge, Bolero, My Gypsy Soul, Devdas, The Seven Deadly Sins, Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland in which he created the roles of The King of Hearts, The Mad Hatter, The Gryphon and The Caterpillar and The Casket Girls in which he danced the role of Father de Beaubois. In 2006, Mr. Casanova was honored to dance the final pas de dues from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with partner Christine Colquitt Thaker at the 11th International Baltic Ballet Festival in Riga, Latvia. In addition to dancing with the company, he serves as production assistant, co-director of G2 and is on the faculty of The Academy of GHDT.

SARAH MEGEL (formerly Sarah Collister)- Sarah Megel is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Indianapolis to attend Butler University’s dance program on partial scholarship. Sarah graduated in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration with a dance concentration. After graduating from Butler University, Sarah moved to New York City to dance with Teri and Oliver Steele, Jana Hicks and Sheri Celantano. Her debut with GHDT was in Dracula in 2002 and in the fall of 2007, Sarah became the Assistant Director of GHDT and Co-Director of the student ensemble, G2. Some of Sarah’s favorite roles with GHDT include Veronica in SUPERHERO, The Queen of Hearts in Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Gluttony in The Seven Deadly Sins, Indira Gandhi in A Woman Rises, Rosaline in Romeo Juliet at the Disco, Catherine in The Casket Girls, and featured parts in The Sari, 1941, Between Heaven and Earth and Joan of Arc. She was very excited to join the company twice in touring to Europe. Sarah has also been fortunate to work with Motus Dance Theatre, based in Indianapolis as a choreographer of original works. Sarah is a faculty member of the Academy of GHDT.

RACHEL RUTLAND MARYNOVSKAYA - Rachel Rutland Marynovskaya was happy to join GHDT in 2005 as a full-time company member after appearing as a Guest Artist in numerous performances. Origainlly from Columbus, Ohio, Rachel is a graduate of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Ms. Maryanovksaya has danced professionally with the Makarov Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Colorado Ballet, and danced eight seasons with Ballet Internationale. In the classical repertoire, she has been featured in soloist roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, The Creation of The World, The Sleeping Beauty, La Sylphide, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen and Dracula, as well as Carabosse in The Sleeping Beauty, Mazjana in 1001 Nights, and the Gypsy Mercedes in Don Quixote. Some of her favorite roles with GHDT include Salome in the piece of the same name, Frida Kahlo in Porque Estory Muy Sola, Pilate’s wife and The Cross in SUPERHERO, The Duchess and The Mock Turtle in Alice and Her Bizarre Adventures in Wonderland, Chandranukhi in Devdas, Marilyn Monroe in The Scarlet Letter and the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet at the Disco. Rachel has been featured in many memorable duets with GHDT including Lagaan, The Wedding, and Between Heaven and Earth. Rachel is a resident dance instructor at De Veau’s School of Gymnastics and on the faculty of the Academy of GHDT.

MELANIE HEAZELTINE - Melanie Heazeltine of Indianapolis joined GHDT as a company member in 2009. She received her BA from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a major in Dance Performance and a minor in Business Management. During her college career, Melanie performed in More Momentum and Adjunct Connections with the Conservatory of Performing Arts. As an apprentice with The Pillow Project Dance Company based in Pittsburgh, she performed in Volume III: A Certain Point of View. Her most memorable role with GHDT is Mary Magdelene in SUPERHERO. She has performed in GHDT’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Between Heaven and Earth, India Ever After and Romeo and Juliet at The Disco. She trained at Jordan Dance Academy in Indianapolis for 13 years.

ANNIE FELLMETH - Annie Fellmeth began her formal ballet training at The Academy of Ballet Internationale in Indianapolis. She had the opportunity to perform in student roles in several of Ballet Internationale’s productions. Annie also studied for a short time with Pollyana Ribeiro and Robert Moore before attending the Indianapolis School of Ballet, under the direction of Victoria Lyras. Annie began taking classes with Mr. Hancock at the age of thirteen. She was a member of G2 for three years and has performed in numerous productions with GHDT, some of her favorites being Hooray for Bollywood, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Scarlet Letter, The Seven Deadly Sins, India Ever After, The Casket Girls, and Romeo and Juliet at the Disco. Annie was thrilled to have traveled with the company on their most recent tour to Latvia. Annie joins GHDT this season as an apprentince.