Academy Leadership
Sara Jansen Clayborne, Chief Executive Officer
Originally from New York, Sara is a choreographer, educator, and arts leader with more than two decades of experience in dance training and youth development. She trained under Diana Byer and Sallie Wilson at the Ballet School of New York and began her professional career with New York Theatre Ballet.
In 2007, Sara co-founded Charlottesville Ballet and now serves as Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Sara brings a deep understanding of technical development, artistry, and student growth to the school. She has a strong passion for understanding child development, psychology, and the ways students learn and grow. As an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, Sara integrates this developmentally sound pedagogy with her knowledge of child development to support a holistic approach to training at Charlottesville Ballet Academy. She is committed to creating an inclusive, nurturing environment where students can grow artistically, physically, and personally through dance.
Keith Lee, Artist Laureate and Director of Diversity & Inclusion
Keith hails from the Bronx, NY and began training at the High School of Performing Arts in NYC. In 1969, Keith was the first Black soloist to join the American Ballet Theatre and he went on to dance with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. His repertory included the choreography of such luminaries as Alvin Ailey, George Balanchine, Agnes DeMille, Lar Lubovitch, Jerome Robbins, Birgit Cullberg, Harold Lander, and Antony Tudor, as well as performance credits in theater and broadway musicals. He has served as ballet master for Ailey and Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and Capitol Ballet, and has been teaching and choreographing for dance companies across the world.
Keith has called Central Virginia home since 1994, and he was named Artist Laureate by the City of Lynchburg where he continues to work as a freelance choreographer, master teacher, and performing arts coordinator. The first Keith Lee Dance Summit took place in 2026 at the Virginia Center For The Creative Arts, celebrating his long time collaborations with New York, Washington, Virginia, and Tennessee artists. He has shared his vision and 50-year dance legacy with the Charlottesville Ballet since 2008, and he serves as Resident Choreographer and Director of Diversity & Inclusion for the entire organization.
Jordan-Elizabeth Long, CBA Managing Director
Jordan-Elizabeth, born in Blacksburg, Virginia, began ballet training with Carol Crawford Smith, later studying with Terri Post at Southwest Virginia Ballet and Magaly Suarez in South Florida. She started her professional career with Dutch National Ballet as a coryphée, then joined Royal Swedish Ballet, rising to soloist. Her repertoire includes leading roles in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Sleeping Beauty, along with contemporary works by Maurice Béjart, Alexander Ekman, and Sharon Eyal.
She has earned a Gold Medal at the World Ballet Competition, was a finalist at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition, and received the Louis Gallodier Prize. In 2014, she joined Miami City Ballet as a Soloist and was promoted to Principal Soloist in 2023, performing major works by George Balanchine and others. She also earned business degrees from Liberty University and the University of Miami.
Jordan-Elizabeth is absolutely delighted to be joining the team of Charlottesville Ballet. She is looking forward to the 2026-27 Academic Year with great anticipation and excitement!
Heather Rogers, CBA Strategic Advisor
Heather began dancing at the age of four at her local dance studio in Ridge Manor, FL. She then moved on to dance with South Georgia Performing Arts, the South Georgia Ballet, and later at Charlottesville’s Wilson School of Dance. Heather spent two seasons as an Apprentice with Charlottesville Ballet and began teaching with Charlottesville Ballet Academy when they opened in 2011. Heather is an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum as well as Boston Ballet’s Adaptive Dance Teacher Training course. In 2021, she helped launch CB’s Adaptive Dance program and was promoted to CBA Principal after a decade of coaching thousands of students. Heather has now shifted into the new role of CBA Strategic Advisor and continues to enjoy contributing to the growth and success of the academy while supporting its mission and long-term vision.
Cordelaine Klyne, Operations & Stage Managing Director
Originally from Marshall, VA, Cordelaine began their dance training at the age of three. They studied under Cynthia Kiehnau at Virginia Civic Ballet, and they are certified through Grade 7 in the Cecchetti Council of America syllabus. Cordelaine graduated from the University of Virginia, receiving a major in Commerce with concentrations in Marketing and Management and a minor in Dance. Cordelaine had the honor of being named a J. Sanford Miller Family Arts Scholar for dance. In 2021, they started as a summer intern with Charlottesville Ballet and have since worked as an Administrative Assistant, Academy Manager, Stage Manager, and Operations Manager. In 2026, Cordelaine was promoted to Operations Managing Director for the entire organization, and they also continue making magic happen from backstage as CB’s Stage Manager!
Kate Arnson-Lauer, Pre-Professional Program Manager, Manager on Duty
Kate is originally from San Diego, California. She began dancing at City Ballet of San Diego and then went on to work with Kathryn Irey at Stage 7 School of Dance, where she spent the majority of her training. After two seasons as an apprentice with City Ballet of San Diego and one season with Ballet Tucson, Kate re-joined City Ballet of San Diego as a company member, performing in ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, Carmen, and George Balanchine’s Serenade, Emeralds, Four Temperaments, Walpurgisnacht, and La Source. While performing with the company, Kate also taught in City Ballet’s outreach program and coached their junior professional company. In 2017, Kate joined Charlottesville Ballet, performing in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Snow White, and other original works. After retiring from Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company in 2023, Kate now manages Charlottesville Ballet Academy’s Pre-Professional Program, supporting the next generation of aspiring dancers and teachers.
Emily Corrigan, Student Ensemble Manager, Manager on Duty
Emily grew up in Vienna, VA, training at The Russell School of Ballet. She then attended high school at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, training under Nina Danilova, Kee-Juan Han, and Christine Spizzo. She went on to join Ballet Austin, first as a Trainee and then as an Apprentice, performing in the premieres of Stephen Mills’ The Magic Flute and Thang Dao’s Quite Imprint. In 2011, she joined Nashville Ballet’s Second Company, NB2. After two years with NB2, she returned to her home state of Virginia, receiving her B.A. and Masters of Public Health from the University of Virginia. She joined CBA’s faculty in 2021 and became an Artistic Associate with Charlottesville Ballet in 2022. She is also excited to return as a faculty member for the 26-27 season!
Izabelly Gleed, By-Placement & Student Division Manager, Manager on Duty
Izabelly began dancing at the age of four in Vila Velha, Brazil. She graduated in 2009 from the School of the Bolshoi Theater in Brazil and then in 2012 from the Escuela Nacional de Cuba. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications with emphasis in Journalism from Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo. Professionally, Izabelly has danced multiple lead and corps roles, and in 2015 she was brought on to Lake Erie Ballet in Erie, Pennsylvania, as a company artist and instructor. In 2017 she moved to Charlottesville to perform alongside Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company and to be on faculty at CBA. Izabelly has since retired from dancing in 2024 and is now on faculty, as well as our Student Division & By Placement Program Manager.
Mary Hein, Manager on Duty
Mary began her dance training in Maryland at the National Ballet School under the direction of Pamela Moore where she earned her Enrico Cecchetti Diploma. She then attended Point Park University’s College of Performing Arts where she received a BA in Dance with concentrations in ballet and jazz. Following graduation, Mary danced for Charlottesville Ballet as a company artist from 2013-2015. She was commissioned to create Charlottesville Ballet choreography in collaboration with the Oratorio Society of Virginia (Arthur Honegger’s King David in 2015) and the Charlottesville Opera (Oklahoma! in 2017). Mary has choreographed several works for both the professional dancers of CB as well as the students of CBA, including a revamped party scene and battle scene in the Charlottesville Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker in 2025. Mary is thrilled to continue her work with the CB Company Artists, Trainees, and students of CBA.
Jane Amend, Student Services Coordinator
Jane was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts. She danced at the Boston Ballet School as a child, and in addition to dance, took up cross country and track. She attended Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, where she ran NCAA Division III Cross Country and rediscovered her love of dance. The highlight of her dance education was participating in Disappearing Altogether, an outdoor dance marathon directed by Mina Nishimura. She graduated in 2021 with a degree in the Liberal Arts, with concentrations in Urban Planning and Dance. After spending time traveling in Europe and working in Boston, she settled in Virginia and joined Charlottesville Ballet in 2023. You can find her teaching in the First Steps Division, working behind the scenes as Student Services Coordinator, and assisting with costumes!
Academy Faculty & Staff
Coming Soon!
Photo credits: Alisa Foytik and more!