Our
Team

Fellow + Examiner, CI-CIBC, Enrico Cecchetti Diploma
 

Ashley McNeil’s early ballet training began at a young age in Owen Sound, Ontario under the tutelage of Eleanor Brennan, followed by attending National Ballet School. McNeil continued her training at The School of Dance, Ottawa and Quinte Ballet School where she later graduated under the direction of Director Brian Scott and expert teacher Joyce Shietze. In 2004, McNeil joined the faculty of Alberta Ballet School to teach in the Professional Division. During this time, she also taught ballet students at the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program. McNeil was mentored by renowned teachers and at the time Directors of Alberta Ballet School, Murray and Nancy Kilgour. Under Nancy Kilgour’s guidance and training, McNeil went on to receive her Fellowship designation from Cecchetti Canada. 

She also achieved the Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma exam (the highest examination within the method). McNeil was a recipient of the Margaret Saul Scholarship and also Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 in 2015 for playing a critical leadership role in the launching of Alberta Ballet School dormitories and private academic school. In 2011, McNeil was promoted to Head of Junior School for the Professional Division, in 2013, Principal. 

In 2016, Ashley McNeil became the Director of Alberta Ballet School. McNeil is on the board of examiners for Cecchetti Canada. She is also a jury member for Youth America Grand Prix and World Ballet Arts Competition and was a jury member for the final round of the Youth America Grand Prix 25th Anniversary season in New York. She has trained many students who have gone on to the world’s leading ballet companies including, San Francisco Ballet, Alberta Ballet, Spanish National Ballet, Japan National Ballet and more. McNeil’s insightful passion for teaching and training has helped lead Alberta Ballet School to become one of Canada’s top schools that attracts talent from all over the world.  

B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Ed.

Ms. Beermann has diverse experiences in the field of education both locally and abroad, and she is eager to bring her knowledge and skills to the School Her educational philosophy is based on the belief that given the right opportunities, all students can learn. She believes that students should develop the skills needed to be life-long learners while endeavouring to be positive global citizens.

Ms. Beermann earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Calgary in 2000 and her Bachelor of Education specializing in Secondary Science in 2002. In 2012, Ms. Beermann was accepted to Boston College’s Lynch School of Education where she completed her Master of Education in School Leadership and Administration.

Ms. Beermann began her educational career in the Calgary Catholic School District first as a grade 7-9 science and humanities teacher and then as a grade 10-12 chemistry teacher. Ms. Beermann spent seven years with the district as teacher, department head, and coordinator for the International Baccalaureate program before accepting a position in New York as a founding member of the EF International Academy boarding school staff in 2009.

In 2014, Ms. Beermann accepted a Vice Principal position at Newton South High School just outside of Boston. She spent five years there working alongside the Principal before deciding to return to Calgary. Ms. Beermann joined the Calgary Board of Education as a high school Assistant Principal in 2019.

Ms. Beermann has studied ballet all of her life and has a deep appreciation for the artistic spirit and the hard work needed to pursue a career in dance. She is eager to help students experience excellence in their academics as they follow their passion as dancers.

BA, MA

Kalpana joined the Alberta Ballet School family in 2013 upon moving to Calgary from Pokhara, Nepal where she was an educator in both elementary and junior schools. Kalpana’s experience educating young students led to her development as a youth program coordinator in the non-profit sector where she planned and managed the administration of vocational programs for socially underprivileged youth. Becoming Head of Residence in 2017, Kalpana is passionate about making our students feel at home while in residence in every possible way.

Ms. Gurung holds a BA in Sociology and a MA in English Literature from Tribhuvan University and was a radio presenter in Pokhara, where she focused her program content on the empowerment of women and ethic minorities.

Taryn Samson a native Calgarian, received her early training under Gillian Howatt. She began her professional training at Canada’s National Ballet School where she was one of the youngest student choreographers in the 1999 Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Workshop.

Taryn returned to Calgary to resume her training at the Alberta Ballet School. She trained for several years under the direction of Murray and Nancy Kilgour and was a member of the first ever graduating class of the Pre-Professional Program. Taryn performed with Alberta Ballet Company in performances including Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker and Christopher Wheeldon’s A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream. Taryn also spent two summers at the Banff Centre for the Arts Summer Dance Program and was a part of the National Artist’s Program performing at the 2003 Canada Winter Games.

Taryn joined the Alberta Ballet School’s Professional Division as a full-time faculty member in 2011 and has worked to refine her skills under the mentorship of esteemed teachers such as Murray and Nancy Kilgour, Joyce Shietze, Ashley McNeil and Diane van Schoor. She was promoted to Head of Junior School in 2013 and Director of Community Programing in 2021.

Taryn holds her Licentiate with Cecchetti Canada and was the 2013 recipient of the Margaret Saul Scholarship Award for Professional Development. Taryn is one of the few that holds the prestigious Enrico Cecchetti Final Diploma, the highest qualification in the method. Taryn achieved this honor through the mentorship and guidance of Nancy Kilgour. She has also served as a member of the Cecchetti Canada Alberta Committee and the Board of Directors. 

In 2022 Taryn attended The Royal Ballet School in London, England to train in their new Affiliate Training and Assessment Program (ATAP). She received her certification in 2023 becoming the first Canadian Affiliate Teacher of the Royal Ballet School delivering this innovative program to students of the Alberta Ballet. Taryn is also a certified teacher of the Fitness Table TCP method specializing in postural rehabilitation and core strengthening and has attained a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Mount Royal University. Taryn believes in the powerful benefits of movement and brings her gift for teaching to all those who are looking to lead active lives. 

Aram Manukyan began his ballet training at the National Choreography Academy in Yerevan, Armenia where he studied the Vaganova method under Hovhanes Xachikyan, Rafael Avnikyan and Maxim Martirosyan. He finished his training with a full scholarship to the Russian University of Theatre Arts in Moscow. Manukyan later returned to Armenia and danced with Armenian National Ballet before taking a soloist position with two Ukrainian State Opera Ballet Theatres (Kharkiv and Donetsk). He would later dance principal and soloist roles with companies in Annapolis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Sarasota. 

Manukyan was appointed the Artistic Director of the BGLV/Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in 2006. In 2007, he accepted a position as a lead ballet and character teacher at Alberta Ballet School. Aram was closely mentored by renowned Canadian teachers Murray and Nancy Kilgour where he studied Pas De Deux Pedagogy and the Cecchetti Method. With the launch of the Alberta Ballet II (now the Alberta Ballet Trainee program) Manukyan was appointed the program’s Director. 

He is a jury member for many International Ballet Competitions, including being on the jury for the final round of the Youth America Grand Prix Competition. Aram Manukyan’s in-depth knowledge of different methods of training from his international experience and education has led him to become a recognized master teacher that has taught all over the world. Many of his students have gone on to dance in the world’s top ballet companies.

Graham McKelvie was born and raised in Saskatoon where he began his training with Hazel Ann Olson at Saskatoon School of Ballet. He continued his training as a scholarship student at Canada's National Ballet School and then in the professional training program at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre.

In 1988 he joined the Toronto Dance Theatre, and was until 2011, a principal dancer with Coleman et Lemieux et Compagnie. His award-winning choreographic work have been presented internationally, most notably in various cities across Canada and Japan. Mr. McKelvie has taught at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre, National Ballet School, and York University. Mr. McKelvie was first a guest teacher at Kobe Jogakuin University in Japan before becoming a full-time staff member from 2011 to 2014.

Since 2015, Mr. McKelvie has been the Head of Contemporary Dance Training at Alberta Ballet School. He continues to teach master classes across Canada.

Invited with his wife Nancy Kilgour to come to Calgary in 2001 to take over the Directorship of the School of Alberta Ballet Murray Kilgour stayed as Artistic Director for 13 years. The two of them developed both the training for students in the School as well as the development of teachers to sustain this training in the future. In 2008 Mr. Kilgour received the Rozsa Foundation Award for excellence in Arts Administration in Education.  Acknowledged as one of the world’s most respected dance educators Mr. Kilgour started his early dance training in Vancouver with Kay Armstrong. He continued at Canada's National Ballet School with the legendary Betty Oliphant, as well as Daniel Sellier, Alex Ursuliak and Nancy Schwenker. He has studied character dance with Eugenie Farmanyants and Kira Zatzepina of the Bolshoi Ballet School, as well as classical ballet with Eugine Volukin, who is now head of Teacher Training at the Bolshoi Ballet School.                   

In 1967, Mr. Kilgour joined the National Ballet of Canada, where he danced many soloist and principal roles. He left Canada in 1971 and joined the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. In 1973, he joined Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), where he was a soloist and principal dancer. During his performing career he danced in ballets by Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Flemming Flindt, Mikhail Fokine, Celia Franca, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Heinz Poll, Antony Tudor, Sir Peter Wright and many others.  

As a teacher, Mr. Kilgour studied educational methods at the Paris Opera School, the School of American Ballet and the State School in the former East Berlin. He took summer courses at the St. Petersburg Ballet School (the Maryinski). From 1980 to 1989, Mr. Kilgour taught at the Royal Ballet School – both the Junior School (White Lodge) and the Upper School – teaching classical dance for boys, pas de deux, repertoire and character repertoire. In 1984, Mr. Kilgour and his wife Nancy travelled to Beijing, China on a cultural exchange to teach ballet and repertoire at the Central School of Ballet (China's National School).  
 
Prior to his return to Canada, Mr. Kilgour was senior male teacher at Central School of Ballet in London, England. As Head of Male Dance he was instrumental in developing all aspects of course work for the boys' training, which included in-service development of a three-year course of study involving classical dance, repertoire and pas de deux. He also assisted Ballet Central (the graduating-year performing group) with their productions, including setting works from the classical repertoire, Bournonville repertoire and works of Ashton and MacMillan. In 2000, Mr. Kilgour taught as a guest with the National Ballet of Canada and the National Ballet School. 

Many of Mr. Kilgour's students have gone on to notable dance careers. These dancers have become choreographers, principal and soloist dancers and even Artistic Directors with companies such as Nederlands Dance Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Stuttgart Ballet and Tokyo Ballet. 

Mr. Kilgour continues his role at the School as Senior Teacher concentrating on the Professional Graduate class, Pas de Deux classes and Repertoire. 

A prolific and award-winning choreographer, Edmund has established a notable career in both contemporary and classical ballet fields as dancer and ballet master. 
Edmund Stripe was born in London, England and trained at the Royal Ballet School where his distinguished teachers included Walter Trevor, Nancy Kilgour, Piers Beaumont, and Richard Glasstone. He has danced with Ballet Gulbenkian (Portugal), London City Ballet, and the West Australian Ballet, where he created many major works for the company. He was appointed Ballet Master for West Australian Ballet in 1998. He joined Singapore Dance Theatre as Ballet Master in 2000: there he assisted in the mounting and re-creation of works by such noted choreographers as Jivˇí Kylián, Nacho Duato, and Goh Choo San. 

In 2002 he moved to Alberta Ballet as Ballet Master and over the next decade, assisted with works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Christopher Wheeldon and Jean Grand-Maître. His works for Alberta Ballet include Unquiet Light (2003), Swelter (2005), Alice in Wonderland (2006) and The Nutcracker (2008). He continues creating with Alberta Ballet as Choreographic Associate/Artist in Residence. 
 

Ms. Mori started ballet training in Japan and won a Scholarship Award in Prix de Lausanne. She completed her professional ballet training at Canada’s National Ballet School where she received the Jeffrey Kirk Award.

Ms. Mori joined The National Ballet of Canada (NBC) and toured internationally. She performed many soloist roles and worked with world-renowned choreographers. In 2011, she represented NBC in The Ninth International Competition for the Eric Bruhn Prize, and in 2013 and 2014, she received the Patron Award of Merit.

After nine years at NBC, she moved to Calgary to perform with Alberta Ballet. In 2018, she retired from the stage. Ms. Mori has been teaching at Alberta Ballet School since 2019 and has received teacher training under master teacher Diane van Schoor.