GREGORY HANCOCK is the Artistic Director for the internationally acclaimed Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and now also serves as the director for The Academy of GHDT. Through the Academy of GHDT, Mr. Hancock is able to pass on a legacy of work and training to young aspiring dancers. Mr. Hancock has taught dance for many years at numerous local dance institutions. He has trained numerous students over the years who have continued to dance professionally in companies throughout the world. He has also taught dance at "Daile" the national dance ensemble of Latvia in Riga, Latvia. Most recently, Mr. Hancock has taught modern dance in Mumbai, India at Expressions Modern Dance Company, the premiere modern dance company of Mumbai. Mr. Hancock's unique choreography has been lauded internationally and he has received numerous honors for his work including Individual Artist Fellowships from the Indiana Arts Commission, Creative Renewal Fellowships from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Lilly Endowment, fellowships from ArtsLink and the Citizen Exchange Council in NYC and was awarded Outstanding Choreographer at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in NYC. He has created an expansive repertoire of pieces for the professional company and has created choreography for companies throughout the USA and Europe.

MARTIN CASANOVA, along with Sara Little, is the co-director of GHDT's second company, G2. He began teaching for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre's Summer Dance Academy in 2003 and continues annually. He was the head of modern curriculum at Indy Arts Xchange from 2006-2009 and during those years he was able to workshop and set original choreography. From 2001-2003, Martin trained with Roberta Wong of Indianapolis Dance Company and Dance Kaleidoscope. He has studied Jazz and Contemporary with Joe Lanteri and Horton Technique with Milton Myers. In 2002, Martin was selected from a group of students to study with ballet master, Finis Jhung, on scholarship. Mr. Casanova looks forward to nurturing the students of AGHDT and making it his responsibility that each of his students reaches his or her full potential.

KIRSTEN FERGER danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov with training from Elena Tcherichova, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Jurgen Schneider, Georgina Parkinson and Susan Jones. She was a Principal dance with the American Festival Ballet under directors Stephen and Elizabeth Rowe-Wistrich of the Stuttgart Ballet where Kirsten had the pleasure and opportunity to perform Holberg Suite choreographed by John Cranko, and performed several years with the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre under George Verdak and Dace Dindonis. She has also received private coaching from Irina Kolpakova while Ms. Kolpakova was with Ballet Internationale. Ms. Ferger while on scholarship at the American Ballet Theatre School trained with Patricia Wilde, Valentina Pereyslavik, Royes Fernandez, Daryl Grey, and Michael Maule. Additional training, while in New York City, includes Maggie Black, David Howard and Robert Denver. Ms. Ferger began her training in Indianapolis at the Jordan College of Music, S.I.D. with Colette Kaufman, Jack Copeland, Peggy Dorsey, and Rebecca Rutt and at Butler University with Karl Kaufman, Michele Jarvis, Teresa Ragucci-Chatelanie, Bud Kerwin and William Glenn. Ms. Ferger received scholarships at American Ballet Theatre School and Butler University and awards which include Indiana Dance Alliance, Indiana State Arts and Letters Competition, and received honorable mention at the National Arts and Letters Competition in New York City. Ms. Ferger has taught for over 16 years beginning with the Academy of Ballet Theatre from 1993-1999. Kirsten started teaching company class for Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre in 2004 and continues to teach for GHDT and AGHDT starting with the opening of GHDT's Academy in the fall of 2009.

MELANIE EAKMAN is a native of Indianapolis and graduated cum laude in Jazz Dance from Point Park University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2009. She had the pleasure of working with distinguished instructors including Kiesha Lalama-White, Jason McDole, Susan Stowe and Ronald Tassone. While in Pittsburgh, she also performed as an apprentice with The Pillow Project under the direction of Pearlann Porter. Melanie received her early training from Jordan Academy of Dance of Butler University under the instruction of Larry Attaway, Laura Hedges-Byram and Roberta Wong. She attended summer workshops at Interlochen Arts Camp, Jordan Academy of Dance and Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. In the summer of 2009, she joined Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre as a company member. Melanie is delighted to join the Academy of GHDT as an instructor.

SARA LITTLE has been dancing with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre since 2008. Sara is on faculty at the Academy of GHDT as well as Curtain Call Studio for the Performing Arts in Indianapolis. She has also taught at GHDT's Summer Intensives as well as Premiere Dance Center in Muncie, Indiana. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ball State University in dance performance with a minor in English studies. Sara was a member of the Ball State Dance Theatre for your years. With BSDT she had many opportunities to perform including traveling to New York City to dance at the American College Dance Festival Nationals. Her choreography has been featured in many BSU showcases and was selected to perform at the American College Dance Festival in Kalamazoo, MI. She has studied at the North Carolina Dance Theatre Summer Intensive and the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive in Austin, Texas for five years and spent two of those years as a resident supervisor for the program. She is from St. Louis, MO and received her early training under the direction of Alexandra Zaharias. She has over 18 years of dance experience and has been trained in ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, partnering and tap.  Along with Mr. Casanova, Ms. Little is a co-director of G2.

ANNE MARTIN has been studying and performing Scottish Highland Dance since the age of 8. She is a two time Ontario Champion, Mid-Canada Champion and came in 8th at the World Championships in Cowal, Scotland. Anne has been teaching Highland Dance for over 20 years in both Canada and the US as an Associate member of the British Association of Teachers of Dance. Anne has taught for numerous years at Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre's annual Summer Dance Intensives. We are pleased to welcome Anne to the year-round faculty of the Academy of GHDT.

ANINDITA SEN is the founder and artistic director of Nrityangan. She has trained in the Lucknow gharana (or school) of Kathak for more than 15 years in Kolkata (Calcutta) India under the guidance of guru Amita Dutt and others. Ms, Dutt herself trained under Pandit Birju Maharajji who is considered one of the foremost exponents of Kathak today. Anindita has performed and conducted lecture-demonstrations in several cities in India and the USA. She has also performed in London, UK. Through her dance institution, Nrityangan (which means, �a place to dance"), Anindita has been imparting Kathak training to students in Iowa, North Carolina and currently in Carmel, Indiana. While staying true to the classical forms of Kathak, she continues to create innovative choreographic pieces where she blends Kathak with Bollywood tunes and western rock and classical music. Besides her passion for dance, Anindita is a scientist at Lilly.

CHRISTINE COLQUITT THACKER received her B.A. in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University. She was a dancer with GHDT from 1998-2007, debuting in Out of Darkness In 2000, Christine received an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Indiana Arts Commission. In 2003, she received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis and Lilly Endowment. She was also awarded the prestigious Center for Leadership Development Award for Excellent Achievement in Arts and Theatre. She was a regular performed in National City's Yuletide Celebration with the ISO. Christine was the Assistant Director of GHDT from May of 2003 � August of 2007. She was involved with the Student Dance Ensemble (now G2), and helped advise and direct The Nutcracker. She was thrilled to have toured to Eastern Europe twice with GHDT, where she performed alongside the company for the Latvian Head of State at the 11th Annual International Baltic Ballet Festival. She was honored to have also performed the final Pas de Deux from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with her partner Martin Casanova. As a dancer with GHDT, Christine performed in over 73 repertoire pieces. She has taught ballet for numerous years, beginning in Northwest Ohio in 1990, and has taught modern, jazz and tap as well.