Welcome

Jeff Heiden – Ballet Master

Jeff studied with some of the most respected ballet teachers at the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC. This allowed him the opportunity to perform with ballet companies such as Orlando Ballet, Dance Alive National Ballet, and Cleveland San Jose Ballet. After retiring from his ballet career, Heiden sailed the high seas traveling the world performing and directing on cruise lines as an acrobat and dancer – and later performed in Las Vegas with Cirque du Soleil. Mr. Jeff has been teaching in Brevard County for over 11 years and has been with Brevard Ballet Academy since the spring of 2015.

Elaine Eccleston – Head of Contemporary Training

Miss Elaine’s dance career has spanned over 25 years and includes performing, choreographing, and teaching. As a professional dancer, she performed works by many of modern dances’ most influential choreographers, including: Septime Webre, Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Bob Fosse and many more. Elaine began her dance studies in Cincinnati and trained under the direction of Anneliese von Oettingen. In 1992, Elaine was accepted into the pre-professional training program with the Washington Ballet Company in DC, where she spent three years training in both ballet and contemporary dance. She then returned to Cincinnati and graduated from the School for Creative and Performing Arts and was accepted shortly after as a scholarship student at Wright State University where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance. Upon graduation, Miss Elaine danced with Dayton Ballet Company where she toured throughout the United States and furthered her new-found love for contemporary dance in New York and Chicago. Elaine finished her dance career at Dance Alive National Ballet. She then transitioned to teaching as a means in which to give the gift of dance to future generations.

Michele “Mimi” MacDonald – Ballet Instructor & Strength and Conditioning Coordinator

Mimi studied classical Vaganova ballet from teachers who worked with Russian ballet masters in Cuba. She has a Masters' Degree in dance education and has established herself as an expert on teacher preparation, having served on the faculty of private studios and universities in several major cities. When she is not teaching ballet here at Brevard Ballet Academy, Mimi travels the country training studio owners and their faculty on teacher preparation and execution as the founder of Dance Education Consulting, LLC. She utilized her extensive dance teacher-training background, in conjunction with Miss Elena's extensive knowledge and experience with the Vaganova method, to develop the in-depth and detailed curriculum that our faculty uses at Brevard Ballet Academy to develop ballet dancers.

Hayley Keir – Ballet Instructor

Hayley received her training from the North Carolina School of the Arts and later the renowned Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts in Torrington, CT. Upon graduation Hayley danced with Atlanta Festival Ballet and Georgia Dance Theatre where she had leading roles in Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Giselle, Jane Eyre and Swan Lake. Upon her retirement as a principal dancer, Miss Keir assumed the role of Ballet Mistress for Georgia Dance Theatre and later joined their Board of Directors. Miss Hayley was the company's Associate Director, Ballet Mistress and Dance Educator before moving to Florida in 2018. As Associate Director and Ballet Mistress, Hayley was directly involved with the full length ballet productions of La Bayadere, Romeo & Juliet and Nutcracker. She taught for the company's school, Georgia Dance Theatre & Performing Arts for 8 years.

Rebecca Hudnall – Ballet Instructor

Miss Rebecca trained in the Vaganova Method of classical ballet for 8 years under the instruction of Boris Chepelev and Janna Kirova. During her development, she danced roles of Little Clara, Kissy Doll, Pa De Trois, Spanish, and Snow Queen in an annual production of the Nutcracker. She also performed in Spartacus and Sleeping Beauty with world renowned guest dancers. Miss Rebecca has also trained in modern and character dance. She completed her teacher-training at Brevard Ballet Academy under the guidance of our Director of Training and Development, Mimi McDonald and Academy Director, Elena Shokhina.

Dasha Bondar – Marketing and Administration

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Dasha is the daughter of two Vaganova Ballet Academy graduates and grew up in the world of professional ballet. After moving to the United States at age 5, she trained at the Nevada Ballet Academy on scholarship for 8 years. Outside of her ballet background, Dasha trained in contemporary, jazz, and hip-hop – and has created choreography for local dance group competitions. She is a 2018 graduate of Florida State University.

Noelle Nehmer – Academy Administrator

Noelle has been with Brevard Ballet Academy for 6 years. She's a graduate from Florida State University and holds a Masters' degree in Finance, along with a Bachelor of Science in Business. While in college, Noelle danced in the FSU College of Dance, and the Montgomery School of Dance. She received her 15-years of ballet training from legendary Brevard County resident, Marta Phillips. Noelle is certified in both yoga and Pilates instruction, which she teaches at Brevard Ballet Academy.