Artistic Staff
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William Starrett |
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Miranda Bailey |
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Miranda Bailey joined Columbia City Ballet in 2001 and performed with the Company as a Soloist until her retirement in 2013. She is best known as “Chinese Tea” in Nutcracker as well as “Ariel” in The Little Mermaid, the title role in Pocahontas, “Pride” in Beauty and the Beast and “Victoria” in Dracula: Ballet with a Bite. Susan Levi Wallach of the Free Times wrote of her performance in Beauty and the Beast, “Miranda Bailey, in the role of Beauty’s sister Pride, was a standout. Bailey performed with a self-assurance and fluidity, underpinned by precise technique, a clean, classical line and rock-solid balance. When she danced, it was hard to look at anyone else.” Amy O. Maxwell of the Free Times wrote of Miranda as “Victoria” in Dracula: Ballet with a Bite, “Bailey not only established herself as a beautiful dancer with gorgeous legs and arms, but she also exhibited a beaming stage presence and portrayed her character with utmost believability.” Miranda is also currently a featured company member, Resident Choreographer and Community Outreach Director at Dance Prism, a professional touring company based in Boston, MA, where she has staged and starred in such classic ballets as Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, Giselle, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Coppélia and Don Quixote. Miranda is married to former company member Terry Blogg and became Ballet Mistress in 2016. |
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Mariclare Miranda |
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Company instructor Mariclare Miranda began her ballet training at the age of seven with founding artistic director Ann Brodie. In 1976, she joined the Columbia City Ballet, becoming a Soloist in 1980, Principal Dancer in 1982, attained the rank of Ballerina in 1984 and became the Prima Ballerina in 1997, winning the South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship. She danced every ballerina role in Columbia City Ballet’s classical repertoire. Her contemporary full-length premieres included the title roles in ballets such as Beauty and the Beast, Dracula: Ballet with a Bite, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Pocahontas. Upon her retirement in March 2006, she was awarded the Key to the City of Columbia and the Order of the Palmetto of the State of South Carolina. With more than thirty years of teaching experience, she is a Founder and Principal Instructor of the Columbia Conservatory of Dance. |
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Erin Jaffe Gardner |
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A native of Columbia, SC, Erin received her early training from William Starrett, Mariclare Miranda and Professor Susan E. Anderson. At the age of sixteen, she entered the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s Professional Division, where she studied under Jacqueline Webber and Galina Yordanova. Upon graduation, Erin returned home to study at the University of South Carolina, training under Stanislav Issaev. In 1998, she competed in IBCs in Jackson, Mississippi and Varna Bulgaria, where she was a semi-finalist. Erin has also danced professionally as a Principal with Columbia Classical Ballet. In 2000, she began studying and competing in international style Ballroom and Latin under Valery Ganiev. In 2005, Erin opened a full-service ballroom studio, Vista Ballroom, and began training in Argentine Tango under Harby Gonzales and then Orlando Farias. She was invited to perform during the 2008-2010 Spoleto Arts Festival with Quintango Orchestra, of Washington, D.C., in Charleston, SC. In 2009, she created her own original Argentine Tango Show “Tango Dream,” which toured South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. In 2010, she produced an annual Argentine Tango seminar called “Mad Hot Tango.” Currently, Erin is an Adjunct Ballet Instructor for the University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance, Board Member of USC Dance Company and Freelance Dance Writer for Free Times in Columbia, SC. Erin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from The University of South Carolina. |
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Alexis Doktor |
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Born and raised in New York City, Alexis Doktor grew up studying at the School of American Ballet and sewing in her spare time. At sixteen, she spent the summer at the Chautauqua School of Dance, but when an injury left her unable to dance for that summer, she worked in the costume shop under A. Christina Giannini. She has also worked in the costume shop and as head wardrobe mistress for the Chautauqua Conservatory Theater Company. Alexis graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC with an Associate’s Degree in Fashion Design. While in school, she had the opportunity to work for top designers such as Vera Wang, Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta. |
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Administrative Staff
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Robert K. DeBerry |
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Jamie White |
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Bobby Milik |
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Sherry Horton |