Faculty & Accomplishments

CTAC Petoskey
heather@crookedtree.org
(231) 881-8107

Heather founded Crooked Tree Arts Center School of Ballet in 2003 and presently directs the program, as well as instructs the upper level ballet classes of CTAC School of Ballet.

Heather has dedicated her entire life to dance. Since she was three years old, she was determined to become a ballet teacher and choreographer. Her dancing took her to The Dallas Metropolitan Ballet, Booker T. Washington HSPVA, City Ballet of Houston, Houston Ballet, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Boston Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Texas Christian University.

In 2010, she received the Dance Teacher Award in New York City, presented by Dance Magazine.

Heather’s choreography has received multiple commissioned collaborations with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra (2011, 2012, 2019) and was selected to be performed at Midwest RADFest 2020.

Her students have attended the finest summer and year-round programs in the country. Examples include: The Ailey School, American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Boston Ballet School, Chautauqua School of Dance, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Houston Ballet Academy, Hubbard Street Dance, Juilliard, Kaatsbaan – Extreme Ballet, Kennedy Center Ballet Master Class Series, Kirov Academy of Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, North Carolina School of the Arts, Northwest Professional Dance Project, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, Suzanne Farrell’s Cedar Island Program.

Many students who have graduated from CTAC School of Ballet have pursued dance in the university/conservatory setting, become professional dancers, choreographers, dance educators, and production and light designers. Examples include: Boston Ballet Trainee Program, Carolina Ballet contract, Charlotte Ballet contract, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater contract, Dominican University, LINES Training Program, Mercyhurst University, Miami City Ballet contract, New York University, Oregon Ballet Theater contract, SUNY Purchase, Texas Christian University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan.

Heather has directed and co-choreographed over 40 full-length performances. Most notably: Alice In Wonderland, Peter Pan & Wendy, The Wizard of Oz, The Trumpet of the Swan, Cipollino, Cinderella, Fantasia Reimagined, Le Petit Prince, Sleeping Beauty, FLOW, Nutcracker (2013-2019).

In just under two decades, after successfully immersed in the dance world, some of the CTAC School of Ballet alumni have moved back to Northern Michigan and are on the CTAC School of Ballet staff, passionately perpetuating the next generations of dancers.

Preferred Pronouns: He/They
CTAC Petoskey
finley@crookedtree.org
(231) 340-1878

Finley started dancing with the School of Ballet in 2008 and presently works as the Operations Coordinator and instructs lower level contemporary and the School of Ballet Video Crew.

Upon graduating from high school, Finley attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pursuing a BFA in dance. He presented his choreographic work in collaboration with the School of Ballet dancers at the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival’s Youth Performance in 2018, 2020 and 2021. During the summer of 2021, Finley held an internship with Bates Dance Festival, performing technical production duties for the festival’s performances. The following fall, he studied screendance one on one with the legendary Peter Sparling, learning the techniques of creating choreography for the camera. Finley completed the Pilobolus teacher training workshop through Pilobolus' summer intensive in 2023. Finley’s teachings include a variety of contemporary and modern dance techniques, contact improvisation and screendance.

Karrie Benedict began her dance training at The Bullard School of Ballet where she was trained through the Royal Academy of Dance by Theresa Bullard. At age 11 she was accepted as an apprentice into a pre professional program under the direction of Bullard, and received a promotion to Soloist three years later, dancing in this position throughout high school. Karrie went on to earn a BFA Honours degree from York University in Toronto Ontario, with a double major in Ballet and Modern Dance.

After graduation, Karrie returned to Michigan where she studied and performed Hawkins Modern Dance at Wellspring under the direction of Cori Terry. She continued her Modern Dance studies in Champaign Illinois with Jose Limon company dancer Chester Wolenski.

Karrie taught dance at Concord Academy Petoskey for 7 years, and then began teaching at the CTAC School of Ballet in 2008. She primarily taught the Beginning and Beginning/Intermediate ballet students and began the Dance Fusion classes. After 17 years of teaching and choreographing with the School of Ballet, Karrie retired in June of 2025, and now serves as emeritus faculty. 

Hannah Bianchi is a 2011 alum of the CTAC School of Ballet. After graduation, she danced with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater in Chicago for two years before continuing her studies at SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. Hannah graduated summa cum laude in 2017 with a BFA in Dance with a Production Concentration and now enjoys being immersed in the dance world through teaching, directing and theater tech. She has stage managed for multiple dance and theater companies at various theaters including New York Live Arts, Mark Morris’s James and Martha Duffy Performance Space, the Neuberger Museum, and Ailey Citigroup Theater. Hannah has taught at various studios across New York and Chicago and is an American Ballet Theater Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Along with teaching Intermediate and Pre-professional Ballet, Hannah also designs lights for the CTAC School of Ballet performances. She also directs the Harbor Springs Performing Arts Center and choreographs for the school musicals. Hannah is honored to share dance in Northern Michigan and hopes to one day be as inspirational and influential to her students as Ms. Heather is to her.

Callie Carlson began dancing with the CTAC School of Ballet in 2011. In addition to her studies here at home, she has attended summer programs at Colorado Ballet, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Ballet Chicago, and Miami City Ballet. In 2019, Callie began assisting with Beginning and Beginning/Intermediate ballet and has enjoyed working with the younger students and watching them grow up as people and as dancers. Callie is excited at the opportunity to continue teaching young dancers this season!

Eleanor began dancing at the age of 5 and began her ballet training at the CTAC School of Ballet at age 14. During her time as a student with the School of Ballet, she had the opportunity to attend summer dance intensives at Ballet Chicago, Sacramento Ballet, and San Diego Ballet. Upon graduating in 2019, Eleanor moved to California to dance in the Bay Area and spent two years dancing with the Los Angeles Ballet. Eleanor returned to Northern Michigan in 2022 and is excited to be working with the School of Ballet students. Along with her work at the School of Ballet Eleanor is also a guest artist, teacher, and choreographer. She loves bringing the things she learns back to her students! 

Elsie Dawson was raised in Northern Michigan, and began dancing with the CTAC School of Ballet at age four. Elsie began assisting with the Special Needs Artistic Movement class (SNAM) in its inaugural year, alongside founder Claire Winnell. She has attended summers at Pacific Northwest Ballet and Chautauqua Institution. She is currently a sophomore in high school, and is looking forward to carrying on the SNAM program!

Born and raised in Northern Michigan, Ellie (Conners) Esford began dancing at age 11 at the CTAC School of Ballet under the direction of Heather Raue. At age 15, she attended a year of training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School. A few years later, Ellie went on to train at the Alonzo King Lines Ballet Training Program in San Francisco, CA. Upon graduating from the training program in 2015, Ellie moved back to Northern Michigan. In 2019, she continued her movement education by obtaining her Yoga Teaching certification. She currently offers Yoga and dance classes in the Northern Michigan area with her focus in learning and teaching how to move the body in a way that serves the mind, body, and soul. Although she has a deep love and understanding for ballet technique, her primary offering at the School of Ballet is improvisation.

Arya began her dance training at the School of Ballet at the age of four. Since then, she has expanded her studies through programs at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Sarasota Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. A 2025 high school graduate, she plans to pursue a BFA in Dance beginning in 2026. 

In March 2025, Arya debuted her first self-choreographed solo at the Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival’s Youth Performance. Over the past two years, she has also been an active member of the School of Ballet’s Video Crew, where she discovered a passion for screendance and created two original dance films.

After assisting with the Beginning and Beginning/Intermediate ballet classes for the last four years, Arya is excited to join as a faculty member this season with Callie Carlson to teach the next generation of young dancers!

Zoe Marshall-Rashid is a ballroom, Latin, and social dance instructor who works with students of all ages and abilities. She especially enjoys teaching adult beginners and those who have felt intimidated by dance.

Zoe has a BA in Theater from Kalamazoo College and is a graduate of the Ballroom Dance Teachers College in San Francisco. She was also a competitive dancer. Her titles include San Francisco Open Rhythm Scholarship Champion and April Follies Women’s Rhythm and Women's Smooth Champion. She is a National Pro/Am Finalist in Rhythm, Smooth, and Nine Dance.

Marie Millard grew up in Alanson, Michigan, and started taking ballet classes from Ms. Heather when she was 8. At age 14, she moved to NYC to study at The School of American Ballet. After graduating from SAB in 2016, she went on to dance alongside both Pacific Northwest Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theater in their second companies. Marie is honored to be back in Michigan and to get to share her love of dancing with the blossoming students of the CTAC School of Ballet.

Number of students who have attended the program: Over 4,000

Full-length ballets performed: 25

Including: Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan & Wendy, The Wizard of Oz, The Trumpet of the Swan, Cipollino, Cinderella, Fantasia Reimagined, Le Petit Prince, Sleeping Beauty, FLOW, Snow White, Mothra, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Most Incredible Thing and The Nutcracker (2013-2024).

Student directed/choreographed performances: 17

Unique concert select performances: 17

Collaborations with professional choreographers, orchestras/musicians/composers: 10

• The Ailey School
• American Ballet Theatre
• American Dance Festival
• Ballet Chicago
• Ballet Hispanico
• Ballet Met
• Ballet West
• Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
• Bolshoi Ballet School
• Boston Ballet School
• Boys Ballet Intensive
• Burklyn Ballet School
• Carolina Ballet School
• Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
• Charlotte Ballet School
• Chautauqua School of Dance
• Cincinnati Ballet School
• Colorado Ballet School
• Complexions Contemporary Ballet School
• Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
• Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell
• Forrest Academy of Ballet
• Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet
• Grand Rapids Ballet School
• Houston Ballet Academy
• Indiana University SI
• Interlochen
• Joffrey Midwest, NY summer programs & Collegiate program
• Juilliard SI
• Kaatsbaan – Extreme Ballet
• Kansas City Ballet School
• Kennedy Center Ballet Master Class Series
• Kirov Academy of Ballet
• LINES Ballet School
• Los Angeles Ballet School
• Louisville Ballet
• MELT North Carolina Dance Theatre
• Miami City Ballet School
• North Carolina School of the Arts
• Northwest Professional Dance Project
• Oklahoma City Ballet
• Oregon Ballet Theatre
• Orlando Ballet
• Pacific Northwest Ballet School
• Philadelphia Ballet School
• Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
• Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
• Sacramento Ballet School
• San Francisco Ballet School
• San Francisco Conservatory of Dance
• Saratoga Springs Dance Intensive
• School of American Ballet
• School of Ballet Austin
• School of Ballet Chicago
• SEEDS
• Suzanne Farrell’s Cedar Island Program
• Texas Ballet Theater School

• Charlotte Ballet
• Cincinnati Ballet
• Company SBB
• Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre
• Grand Rapids Ballet
• Kansas City Ballet
• Miami City Ballet
• Ninja Ballet, New York
• Oregon Ballet Theater
• Pacific Northwest Ballet
• Rachel Thorne Germond Performance Collage
• Suzanne Farrell Ballet
• Virginia National Ballet

• Alonzo King Lines training program
• Boston Ballet training program
• Carolina Ballet
• Gelsey Kirkland Academy training program
• Kansas City Ballet
• Los Angeles Ballet apprenticeship
• Miami City Ballet pre-professional program
• Oregon Ballet Theater
• Pacific Northwest Ballet trainee program
• Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre training program
• School of American Ballet pre-professional program

• Dominican University (California)
• George Mason University
  Grand Valley State University
• Mercyhurst University
• Montclair State University
• New York University
• State University of New York (SUNY) Purchase
• Texas Christian University
• University of Illinois
• University of Michigan
• Western Michigan University

• Hollins University

• Artistic Director/Founder, Croft Residency
• Assistant to the Artistic Director, Carolina Ballet
• Assistant to Artistic Director, Grand Rapids Ballet
• Assistant Stage Manager, Karsai Theatre Project (NYC)
• Assistant Producer, Blanca Li
• Certified Instructor, American Ballet Theatre
• Choreographer, Youth America Grand Prix
• Dance Instructor, North Seattle College
• Dance Studio Owner, Beautiful Feet Dance Studio
• Development/Grantmaking Manager, Dance/NYC
• Director, Harbor Springs Performing Arts Center
• Guest Instructor, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
• Instructor/Choreographer, CTAC School of Ballet
• Light Design Artist, Great Lakes Center for the Arts
• Operations Coordinator, CTAC School of Ballet
• Production Associate & Educator, The Yard
• Tech Intern, Bates Dance Festival
• Tech, Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival