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

Preparatory and 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. 

Nicolette Peron

Young Dancer Division and Jazz Instructor

Originally from Branchburg, New Jersey, Nicolette Peron started dancing when she was four years old at the studio, Gotta Dance, where she trained in jazz, tap, modern, ballet, and contemporary. She furthered her studies at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in the Gifted and Talented Honors Dance Program under the guidance of Sheila Buttermore, Maureen Glennon, Mary Lynne McAnally, and Nora Cotter. Throughout high school she attended The National High School Dance Festival at Point Park University (2016), The Big Apple Tap Festival (2015), DC Tap Festival (2014), and the Los Angeles Tap Festival (2017). Nicolette volunteered in many community service activities, teaching a creative movement class to young children, performing at nursing homes and daycares around the holiday season, and interning at Gotta Dance Studio. Through these community outreach programs and internships, her true interest in teaching sparked. She loves sharing and passing down all of her knowledge and training with younger generations. In May of 2021, Peron obtained her BFA in Dance at Shenandoah Conservatory (Winchester, VA) under the guidance of Maurice Fraga, Matthew Pardo, Shylo Martinez, and many others. Additionally, she has been involved in choreographic works by Tiffanie Carson, Jacob Brent and Erica Helm, to name a few. She has also broadened her education by taking classes in kinesiology, dance history, lighting and costuming design, composition, and methods for teaching dance. Peron has choreographed several works including, “the lives they leave behind”, “eidolon,” and “Drowning.”  She is thankful for her study abroad opportunities at SU. These include the Ekilibre Annual Contact Improvisation Festival (2018) and attending Balett Akademien’s Study Abroad Program in Gothenburg, Sweden (2019). While in Virginia, she began her teaching career at Front Royal Dance Studio (Front Royal, VA) and Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy (Winchester, VA) and was awarded the Robyn Hart Schroth Dance Education Scholarship. Her intent is to inspire, educate, and create for those around her, and to always have her passions coincide with her career. She is excited to be teaching BalletCNJ's youngest aspiring artists! 

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

Dancer Division and Open/Adult 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!

Amanda Muller

"Move with Me!" Instructor

Hi! My name is Amanda Muller. I grew up in Long Island, NY and moved to New Jersey six years ago with my husband. We currently reside in Lawrence Township with our two children Aubrey (2) and Jaxon (4 Months). As a family we enjoy staying active by taking weekend hikes with our dog and going to the local parks. Some of my hobbies include cooking, working out, and doing many crafts with my kids. I found a love for dance and gymnastics at the young age of two. I highly enjoyed Ballet, Lyrical, Pointe and Jazz. I continued my love for dance until I was 21 years old. Since the age of 6 years old. I enjoyed being part of a traveling competition team. At the age of 13, I became a student teacher and quickly developed a passion for teaching. By 17, I began teaching Toddler Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and combo classes. I also enjoyed coaching gymnastics from students that ranged from 2.5-13 years old. Teaching toddlers is a very fun and exciting time, as they continue to grow developmentally, emotionally, and begin gaining their independence. Dance classes beginning at this age can help promote social, emotion and physical connections. Learning early dance fundamentals is very intriguing to their little minds! In the process, your little one will learn simple everyday skills such as learning to take turns, patience, sharing with peers, simple motor skills, and listening skills. Your toddler’s imagination is limitless and they will be able to express themselves through creative movement across the floor, exploring rhythm, as well as dancing and singing to their favorite songs! Now, let’s get dancing!

Teresa Hartmann

Parent Association Coordinator

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