Our Faculty

Ballet

Deborah Vinton, FISTD, FCUSA, Artistic Director, has taught and choreographed for 35 years. She is a renowned Fellow/Examiner for Cecchetti USA and is one of the few members to hold the Society’s highest credentials, the Maestro Cecchetti Diploma. After years of experience abroad and nationally, Ms. Vinton returned home to Sarasota in 1985 to continue her mission to positively enhance and influence the lives of others through her commitment and involvement in the arts. To learn even more about Miss Deborah Vinton Click here.

Ballet

Robin Kumm has been teaching dance in the area for over 20 years. She began her ballet training at age 9 with Kay Hearton, formally with the Washington Ballet and Sandra Young, formally of the Tampa Ballet. Robin furthered her ballet studies at FSU studying under Kate Levitz. Earning a B.S. in Early Childhood Ed., she taught Elementary School for 6 years. She furthered her ballet training with Deborah Vinton, studying the Cecchetti ballet syllabus. Robin has successfully passed several qualifying exams earning her teaching Certificate 1 and is a member of Cecchetti USA. She has successfully put students in for examination for four years and continues training in the Cecchetti method. Robin enjoys performing with the West Coast Civic Ballet in their many productions.

“My goal is to instill in my students a love of movement, dance, and encourage a creative spirit. Having taught dance in the community for over twenty years, I embrace the opportunity to introduce children to the world of dance; music expression; and develop their mind, their bodies and their creative spirit. Once a child learns that moving and dance is fun, they learn it for life.”

Beginning/Intermediate Modern
Jazz/Hip Hop/Contemporary

Mary Richardson, born 1987, originally from Niceville, FL, began dancing at age 3.  After a long life of competitive dancing, she discovered a love for modern dance at Santa Fe Community College where she first trained with Kristin O’Neal.  She then transferred to University of Florida to thoroughly train in modern dance, African and ballet where she later received her BFA in Dance (2011).  Mary has performed various works from artists such as Shapiro and Smith, Neta Pulvermacher from The Neta Dance Company, Kristin O’Neal, Mark Dendy, Mohamed DaCosta and José Limón.  After graduation she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Sarasota, FL to pursue a professional career in dance.  In the summer of 2011, Mary became a member of Fuzion Dance Artists as their newest apprentice.

Injury Prevention – “Actionomics”

Mona Clifford Baker, RDE,RSMT,RSME is an Actionomics Movement Therapist and Educator for Wellness at the Florida Intergrative Medical Center, as well as an Actionomics Movement Educator for Dance at the West Coast Civic Ballet. A spectrum of her professional career includes professional ballet dancer with American Ballet Theatre in New York City, Certified Movement Analyst and researcher, inventor of two patents; Actionomics and Actlectica, thirty years private practice, workshop programs for physicians and Law Enforcement Officers and ongoing program development.  As a Registered Dance Educator with the National Registry of Dance Educators, Mona is currently spearheading the formation of a Consultant’s Bureau for Registered Dance Educators who want to become dance educator entrepreneurs.