Nicole Miller
Hinsdale Dance Academy - Director
Master class with Ms. Nicole on June 20th, 2026
1:30-3:30 Ballet Technique
3:30-4:30 Classical Variations
Nicole Miller is the successor to Ms. Grapes and now proudly serves as the new Owner and Director of Hinsdale Dance Academy.
A former soloist with Montgomery Ballet, Ms. Miller has been teaching and performing professionally since 2008. She began her early training with Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico and later attended the Public Academy for Performing Arts, where she focused on dance and injury prevention. Her diverse training includes classical ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, flamenco, and Ballet Folklorico, with specialization in the Vaganova, Bournonville, Cecchetti, and Balanchine techniques.
She received professional instruction at The Joffrey Ballet from renowned teachers such as Diane Orio, Trinette Singleton, and Willy Shives. At 18, she joined Montgomery Ballet as an apprentice under Elie Lazar, quickly advancing to soloist and performing leading roles in Coppélia, Don Quixote, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and more. She toured internationally, earning acclaim in Italy’s “Pietrasanta en Danza” festival.
In 2014, she was appointed Director of the Montgomery Ballet School and served as Ballet Mistress for the professional company under Foye DuBose. She has choreographed original works and restaged classical repertory excerpts, including from Swan Lake and Le Corsaire. Her students have achieved top placements at the Youth America Grand Prix, and she is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).
Ms. Miller joined Hinsdale Dance Academy in 2015 as School Director and is the recipient of the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix Outstanding Teacher Award in 2024.
Stephen Everson
First State Ballet Theatre - Company Artist
Pas de Deux Intensive with Mr. Stephen on March 7th, 2026
10:00-11:30 Ballet Technique — 12:00-2:00 Pas de Deux —
2:00-2:30 Q&A Seminar
STEPHEN EVERSON, originally from Toledo OH, discovered his love for dance at the age of 12. His formal ballet training began years later at Ballet 5:8 School of the Arts and later continued at Project Ballet. In 2018, Stephen joined Ballet 5:8’s professional company as a trainee where he toured and performed across the country. In 2019, he transitioned to working as a freelance artist dancing roles such as, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and the Cavalier in The Nutcracker. He also collaborated with Charleston Ballet Theatre as a guest artist. In 2021, Stephen joined First State Ballet Theatre, where his repertoire includes Dracula in Viktor Plotnikov’s Dracula, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, Dr Coppelius in Coppelia, Fantasy to Dvořák, Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Nights Dream, and excerpts from Raymonda, La Bayadère, Les Sylphides and much more. He has also performed in original works by choreographers Zachary Kapuluck, Blake Krapels, Maeghan McHale, and many others. In 2024 and 2025, Stephen performed as a guest artist at the Belfast International Ballet Festival in Northern Ireland. Stephen is currently in his 5th season as a company dancer with First State Ballet Theatre. As a teacher Stephen has worked on staff with numerous dance schools in and around Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Philadelphia over the past 8 years. With a Vaganova and Balanchine background, as well as familiarity with the Ceccheti style, Stephen brings a well rounded approach to classical ballet training.