Krista Pinkerton

"Young Dancer " Division Director

 Young Dancer, Dancer Division, & Open/Adult Ballet Instructor

Krista Pinkerton began her training at the Pennsylvania Dance Institute and joined Dance Del Bello as a company member in 2011. She then continued her training at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia on Scholarship. Krista recently completed a one year Traineeship at American Repertory Ballet in Princeton, NJ and performed in their productions of "The Nutcracker", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Our Town". In 2014, Krista began the Professional Training Program at Ballet Central New Jersey where she performed in their production of "The Nutcracker" as the Sugarplum Fairy and other soloist and principal roles in their productions of "Les Sylphides", "Carmen", "Etudes", “Sleeping Beauty”, “Les Patineurs”, “Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1”, Paquita, and “Giselle”. Krista also competed in the Youth American Grand Prix Competition in Philadelphia.  Ms. Pinkerton currently dances professionally with Brandywine Ballet in West Chester, PA. Krista is passionate about nurturing, encouraging, and inspiring BalletCNJ's young dancers.

Tori Vinjamuri

Young Dancer & Dancer Division Ballet Instructor and Rehearsal Mistress

A native of Freehold, NJ, Tori received her ballet training at Princeton Ballet School. Upon graduation, she moved to Charlotte, NC where she was a trainee and apprentice with North Carolina Dance Theatre under the direction of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux for three years.  In 2012, Tori moved back to New Jersey and danced professionally with Lustig Dance Theatre for four years. She has also danced with The Oakland Ballet in Oakland, CA for several years and with ARC Dance in Seattle, WA since 2012. Tori has been featured in many classical and contemporary works by chorographers Graham Lustig, Edwaard Liang, Alex Ketley, Gerard Theoret, Bat Abbit, Marie Chong, to name a few. In addition to professionally dancing, Tori has taught throughout New Jersey. Tori is excited to  share her knowledge and passion with the BalletCNJ dancers. 

Brittany Morton

Young Dancer Division Instructor

Brittany Morton has her Bachelor's Degree in Dance Performance and her Master's Degree in Athletic Leadership from Rider University. During her time studying in the Rider University Dance program under Dr. Kim Chandler Vacarro, she trained at Princeton Ballet School. She was a member of Rider Dances and the Rider Dance Ensemble. Brittany has won multiple NJ state titles and a national championship at the National Dance Alliance Nationals competition in Orlando, FL with the Rancocas Valley dance team as captain. Brittany currently is an intern for the non-profit organization, Dance New Jersey and a company member for At The Brink, a NY based dance company. She is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist. Brittany is an active member of the National Dance Education Organization and is First Aid/CPR/AED certified. She has worked as a dance educator for various studios and schools in NJ.  Brittany takes pride in being able to nurture young artists as well as provide fun, effective, and engaging dance education to all of her students at BalletCNJ.

Jeeseon Chung

Contemporary Dance Instructor

Jeeseon Chung (Ed.M., B.F.A) has her Master's Degree in Dance Education with K-12 Dance Teacher Certification (NJ CEAS) from the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She was born in Seoul, South Korea. Her family immigrated to Voorhees, New Jersey when she was in 6th grade. Her love for dancing began during her training in Seoul, South Korea, at the Cecchetti Ballet School. She continued her training in dance at South Jersey Ballet Theater, performing in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Cinderella continuing to develop her artistry. Her dance journey continued into her undergraduate study. She graduated Cum Laude from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University-New Brunswick with a B.F.A. in Dance. During her undergraduate studies, she has worked with Keith A. Thompson, John Evans, Chien-Ying Wang, Jodi Melnick, and Pam Tanowitz. She completed her study of Classical Ballet by participating in the American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Certification in June 2019. Jeeseon is certified in 200 HR-Vinyasa Yoga from OMFactory NYC and received Certification of Attendance & Completion for Pilates Mat and Reformer from Polestar Pilates. Emerging from her passion for dance and teaching, she is eager to provide the enriched movement experiences through the creative processes by developing a healthy body and mind for young students. 

Hillary Jackson

Open/Adult Class Instructor

Hillary received her early training at the Princeton Ballet School and Eliot Feld’s New Ballet School (now Ballet Tech), as well as in summer intensives at the San Francisco Ballet and Joffrey Ballet schools. Hillary was a member of Princeton Ballet II where she performed in numerous productions with the Princeton Ballet, and also performed as a scholarship trainee with the Milwaukee Ballet. She was a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (YoungArts) awardee in ballet, as well as the recipient of a New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education. Hillary’s other varied interests— including theatre production and the music industry—took her away from dancing for many years but she returned to it in the early 2000s when she discovered Simonson Technique at Dance Space Center in NYC. There she studied with master teacher Diane McCarthy and began performing Ms. McCarthy’s choreographic work in 2005. Hillary recently relocated back to New Jersey from the Hudson Valley/Catskills region where she taught ballet at the Catskill Mountain Foundation’s Orpheum Dance Program, founded by Victoria Rinaldi, as well as at Barefoot Dance Center. In addition, she has choreographed musical theatre productions for the Ellenville Central School District in Ellenville, NY. Hillary is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and is currently pursuing certification in the Vaganova Method through the Ohio Conservatory of Ballet, studying with master pedagogue, Annette T. Thomas. Her dance pedagogical studies also include Laban Movement Analysis and the Simonson Method of Teacher Training. Hillary is excited to join BalletCNJ as an Open/Adult Instructor!

Teresa Hartmann

Parent Association Coordinator

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