Artistic Director and CEO
Nick Mullikin

Since joining Nashville Ballet in 2015, Nick Mullikin has been an integral force. Under his leadership, the School of Nashville Ballet and NB2 have flourished. Promoted to Associate Artistic Director in 2018, and later Artistic Director in 2023, he has commissioned over 20 new works for NB2. He was the producer and assistant to the director on the regional Emmy award-winning Nashville's Nutcracker in 2020, as well as Black Lucy and The Bard for the Great Performances production aired on PBS in the Fall of 2022. Mullikin’s advanced role in working with Nashville Ballet’s Company has been integral to recent programming choices and has strengthened the connection between the School and the Company. He also created multiple works for Nashville Ballet, and NB2, including work featured at the Memphis Dance Festival and multiple digital releases.

In his performing career, he danced with the Houston Ballet, and Ballet West. Performing works by William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, and many more. He toured nationally and internationally including at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2004.

Mr. Mullikin is a highly sought-after guest teacher and teaches regularly at summer programs, festivals, and schools across the United States. He is a judge on the international panel for the Youth America Grand Prix finals, coaches students for multiple ballet competitions, and acts as a consultant for schools and festivals across the country.

He is a University of Texas at Austin graduate in Government with a Communications minor and McCombs Business Foundations Program Certificate.

Artistic Director Emeritus
Paul Vasterling

Paul Vasterling’s artistic career began at age 10 when he started studying piano, then expanded at age 16 when he started dancing. From this start, Vasterling landed at Nashville Ballet where he became a company dancer, teacher, ballet master, and choreographer. He stepped into the role of Artistic Director of Nashville Ballet in 1998, ten years after he began his association with the organization.

A choreographer with a deep affinity for music, Vasterling has created over 40 works, ranging from classical, full-length story ballets to contemporary one-acts. With a special focus on highlighting the wealth of artistry and rich history of Nashville, Vasterling's connection to music and passion for community have led to collaborations with numerous nationally and internationally renowned musicians and institutions including The Bluebird Cafe, Ben Folds, Rhiannon Giddens, and more; Nashville Ballet has commissioned 22 original scores for brand-new ballets under his direction. Vasterling is also a gifted storyteller with a penchant for creating vivid narratives such as Peter Pan, Layla and the Majnun, Lizzie Borden, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Nashville's favorite holiday tradition, Nashville's Nutcracker. Vasterling's choreographic credits extend beyond ballet to the recent Nashville Children's Theatre production Dragons Love Tacos.

Beyond his own choreography, Mr. Vasterling has expanded the company’s repertoire to include works by Salvatore Aiello, George Balanchine, James Canfield, Lew Christensen, Jirí Kylián, Twyla Tharp and Christopher Wheeldon, among many others. He has also edited and updated the classic productions Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake and has grown the company from a troupe of 12 to 25 professional dancers. With a commitment to cultivating an organization high on artistry and dramatic power, Vasterling has taken Nashville Ballet across the country and beyond—Nashville Ballet's company made its Kennedy Center debut in 2017 and has toured throughout the U.S. including performances in St. Louis, Charleston and a debut at the Chautauqua Institution in August 2018. The company has also toured internationally in South America and Europe, and many of Vasterling's original works have been staged by companies nationally and internationally.

Vasterling graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University. He is a Fulbright Scholar and has been awarded many prestigious fellowships—Vasterling is a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Fellow and was selected as one of the Fellows in residence for the 2017-18 academic year at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University.

Senior Executive Assistant
Emily Wells

Resident Choreographer
Mollie Sansone

Mollie Sansone began her ballet training in North Carolina with Melissa Hale Coyle, Claudia Folts, Lisa Leone, Mel Tomlinson, Rebecca Massey, Patricia McBride, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, and Maniya Barredo. As part of her training, she attended summer programs at the Joffrey Midwest Workshop, the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, and Atlanta Ballet. Sansone’s career began with Nashville Ballet in the summer of 2004. During her nineteen-year tenure, she performed works by choreographers such as Paul Vasterling, Jirí Kylián, George Balanchine, Christopher Bruce, Salvatore Aiello, Val Caniparoli, Cathy Marston, Jennifer Archibald, Gina Patterson, Stephen Mills, Christopher Stuart, and Matthew Neenan. Her most notable lead roles include Juliet in Vasterling’s Romeo and Juliet, Lizzie in Vasterling’s Lizzie Borden, the Survivor in Mills’ Light, The Chosen One in Aiello’s Right of Spring, the Turning Girl in Balanchine’s Who Cares?, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Dew Drop Fairy in Vasterling’s Nashville’s Nutcracker, and Mattie in Marston’s Snowblind. Sansone also performed with North Carolina’s former MOTION Dance Theater, where she danced to original works choreographed by Nick Kepley, Gabrielle Lamb, and James Gregg. She performed in the musical Carousel as Louise with Asheville Lyric Opera, and also in West Side Story with Studio Tenn.

Sansone premiered her first choreographic work in 2019 titled Mash the Pigeon for NB2. For the main company, she has choreographed works such as Bootleg Sugar Lips and Fortitudine, among others. She was also commissioned by Chattanooga Ballet to choreograph a new work titled Élégiaque. Appointed Nashville Ballet Resident Choreographer in 2022, Sansone’s most recent work premiered in Anthology, a ballet created by Paul Vasterling. She also choreographed for the short film titled Wild Swans.

Sansone has been a School of Nashville Ballet part-time faculty member since 2005. She has also taught for NB2, Nashville Ballet’s official second company, and the main company. In 2013, Sansone was the recipient of the Individual Artist Fellowship awarded by the Tennessee Arts Commission. In the summer of 2023, Sansone attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts’ Choreographic Institute.

Director of Artistic Operations and Strategy
Katie Vasilopoulos

Katie Vasilopoulos joined NB2 in 2008 and progressed to the main company during the 2012 season. During her 13-year career, she originated several roles in Paul Vasterling’s choreography including one of the Three Witches in Something Wicked, Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, and the Mother Figure in Appalachian Spring. Other highlights include the Swan in Carmina Burana, Snow Queen and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Nashville’s Nutcracker, the 4th Movement lead in George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, and The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.

While still dancing, Vasilopoulos graduated Summa Cum Laude from Belmont University with a degree in Business Administration through the ongoing Nashville Ballet/Belmont partnership. She received the Kathleen B. Horrell Scholarship award at graduation for being the undergraduate with the highest scholastic record.

Following her retirement from the stage in 2021, Vasilopoulos joined the administrative team at Nashville Ballet as the Events Coordinator. She managed vendors, volunteers, and funders, in a yearlong effort culminating in Ballet Ball 2022 which yielded a record-breaking $486,000 before rejoining the Artistic Team as Company and Artist Relations Manager. Now as the Director of Artistic Relations and Strategy, Vasilopoulos is responsible for executing the artistic vision of Nashville Ballet through day-to-day and forward-thinking strategic operations.

Company Manager
Noel Li

Rehearsal Director
Kate Crews Linsley

Kate Crews Linsley is a current Rehearsal Director for Nashville Ballet, formerly School of Nashville Ballet Academy Principal. Linsley enjoyed a successful dance career as a soloist with Ballet West for 10 seasons and danced with Kansas City Ballet from 1995–2000. Most recently, Linsley performed as a guest artist in Salt Lake City with NOW-ID Dance Company and AVA Ballet Theater, where she performed Principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Linsley trained at Kansas City Ballet School under Todd Bolender and The Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Professionally, Linsley’s time at Ballet West was highlighted in works in the following world-renowned dance festivals and tours: Edinburg International Dance Festival in Scotland, Dance Across America in Washington, D.C., and Fall for Dance in New York City. Most memorable roles for Linsley were dancing the Principal Pas de Deux in Balanchine’s Agon, Pas de Deux couple in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, Myrthe in Giselle, The Siren in Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Lady Capulet in Kage’s Romeo and Juliet, and The Lark in Bruce Mark’s Lark Ascending. In February of 2009, cast as the Hostess in Diaghilev’s Les Biches, Linsley was honored to be on the cover of Dance Magazine in celebration of Diaghilev’s centennial anniversary. From her time with Ballet West and Kansas City Ballet, Linsley’s resume contains many works from Tudor, Balanchine, Forsythe, Cranko, Morris, Tharp, and Ashton, to name a few.

After retiring from her professional dance career in June of 2010, Kate Crews Linsley served as the Dance Department Chair at The Waterford School, as well as the Director of the Waterford Dance Academy in Sandy, Utah from 2012 to 2017. During her time there, Linsley restaged the following ballets: The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Swan Lake, Cinderella, and Carnival of Animals. Linsley was on staff at Ballet West Academy where she taught in the school, as well as coached and created works for dancers for YAGP, Creative Arts Academy Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Salt Lake Ballet, AVA Ballet Theater, Utah Regional Ballet, The University of Utah, among others. Linsley moved to Nashville with her family in 2018 to accept the role of School of Nashville Ballet Academy Principal, where she oversaw the artistic aspects of the School and trained dancers in the Academy, Professional Training Division, NB2, and Company. During her time with Nashville Ballet, Linsley has staged and coached works for the Academy and NB2 working with Nashville Ballet Director, Paul Vasterling restaging his work, Fresco and with Associate Artistic Director, Nick Mullikin in his creation, He Loved Big Brother. Kate also worked with guest choreographers like Charlotte Boye-Christenson, Michael Bearden, and Gina Patterson in her creation of 72 Steps. Linsley also staged works on School of Nashville Ballet’s Academy including Paquita and The Sleeping Beauty Suite. In 2021, Linsley was promoted to Rehearsal Director for Nashville Ballet’s main company.

Beyond her career in dance and dance education, Linsley was Chairman of the Board for Inbody Outreach after five years as Executive Director for the Utah nonprofit, which supplies qualified yoga instructors to populations in need. She has served on staff in the Utah yoga community at Centered City Yoga, The Yoga Center, the University of Utah, and Primary Children’s Medical Center. She is certified to teach yoga to veterans through the Yoga Warriors Program and at-risk youth under the Street Yoga training. She is also certified in the Mindful Schools curriculum to implement mindfulness teaching in schools. Linsley has led mindfulness sessions on trips traveling with Rivers of Recovery working with Vets with varying degrees of PTSD.

Rehearsal Director
Travis Bradley

Travis Bradley has danced for Ballet Memphis, Houston Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Julia Adam Dance. He has also been the rehearsal assistant for Ballet Memphis, Julia Adam Dance, and for NB2. He has performed many memorable roles and originated multiple works with choreographers from around the globe, such as Trey McIntyre, Stanton Welch, Ben Stevenson, Mark Godden, Matthew Neenan, Julia Adam, and many others. His performing opportunities allowed him to reach audiences across North America. Travis has created numerous classical and contemporary ballets, including a full-length Sleeping Beauty and The Ugly Duckling for Ballet Memphis. He and his husband, Jordan Nichols, have co-directed and co-choreographed over 20 musicals together performed at Playhouse On The Square, Serenbe Playhouse, Theatre Memphis, Rhodes College, and Desoto Family Theatre. Travis has created numerous works for Project Motion, Lost in Found Memphis, and choreographed Opera Memphis’ Pirates of Penzance. He has received numerous Ostrander Awards and Allie Awards and received the Michael Wasmund award in Houston for his love and dedication to dance.

Director of NB2
Maria Konrad

Maria A. Konrad graduated from the A.W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in West Palm Beach and holds a BFA in Performing Arts from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her work Maestro was commissioned for the Mariinsky under the direction of Yuri Fateev. She was commissioned to set two works for the 2022 and 2023 International Nervi Festival in Italy which featured dancers from ABT Studio Company and Adji Cissisko (LINES) with the music of Karen LeFrak. Her work has been presented by Oklahoma City Ballet 2, Nashville Ballet 2, and the main company for Kansas City Ballet’s New Moves series.

She spent three seasons with Philadelphia Ballet 2  for Dear Charlie, a world premiere of PHrentetic, which was a collaborative project with Mural Arts Society and Philadelphia musicians, and Behind the Stage Door with The Big Picture Society. Ms. Konrad’s choreography has been presented nationally at the Spoleto Festival, The Fringe Festival, Miami Dade Cultural Center, The Kravis Center, Next Generation Ballet and has collaborated with artistic organizations such as Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Pops and Oklahoma Philharmonic. She choreographed Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Aida for Opera Tampa.

She was recognized by Youth America Grand Prix for “Outstanding Choreography”(2015, 2017) and ADCIBC Finals (2021). She received “Outstanding Choreographer” recognition for her body of work at the YAGP 2022 International Finals presented by POINTE magazine. She has been a guest teacher for institutions such as The Colorado Ballet School, Nashville Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, The Joffrey (Chicago), University of the Arts,  The Art of Classical Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, St. Paul’s School, Burklyn Ballet,  Florida Dance Festival, and Youth America Grand Prix. She has worked at both The Harid Conservatory and A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. She served on the 2018 faculty at The International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a judge and Master Teacher for YAGP. She serves as resident choreographer with The Next Generation Ballet (Dir. Philip Neal). She was a co-founder of Florida School for Dance Education. She has been a guest instructor for the fitness line Eleven with Venus Williams. She also hosts the series Barre Talk for So’Danca on YouTube where she chats, laughs, and loves with some of the biggest names in dance.

Music Director and Principal Conductor
Ming Luke

With the “energy, creativity and charisma not seen since Leonard Bernstein” and “vibrant,” “mind-blowing,” and “spectacular” conducting, Ming Luke is a versatile conductor that has excited audiences around the world.  Highlights include conducting the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow, performances of Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella at the Kennedy Center, his English debut at Sadler’s Wells with Birmingham Royal, conducting Dvorak’s Requiem in Dvorak Hall in Prague, recording scores for a Coppola film, and over a hundred performances at the San Francisco War Memorial with San Francisco Ballet.  He has been recognized nationally for his work with music education and has designed and conducted education concerts and programs with organizations such as the Berkeley Symphony, Houston Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera, and others.  Luke has soloed as a pianist with Pittsburgh Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, and San Francisco Ballet.  Long-time critic Allan Ulrich of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “Ming Luke delivered the best live theater performance I’ve ever heard of [Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet]” and in 2016 Luke’s War Requiem was named best choral performance of 2016 in the San Francisco Bay Area.   

Passionate about collaboration with dance companies and deepening the impact of movement to live music, Luke has guested with Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet Orchestra, Nashville Symphony/Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and others and conducted l’Orchestre Prométhée in Paris as part of San Francisco Ballet’s residency with Les Etés de la Danse. Noted for is work with Ballet.  Famed dancer Natalia Makarova stated, “Ming has a mixture of pure musicality and a sensitivity to the needs of the dancers, which are such rare qualities.” 

Luke has written, arranged, and performed over 150 education concerts with the Berkeley Symphony and has served on grant panels for the National Endowment of the Arts and the Grants and Cultural Committee of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. An exciting pops conductor, Luke has created and conducted a variety of pop concerts in many venues, from baseball stadiums to picnics in the park with over 4,000 people in attendance, traditional concert halls, and recording for Major League Baseball. 

Ming Luke holds a Master of Fine Arts in Conducting from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Piano Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University.

Company Rehearsal Pianist
Alessandra Volpi

School Operations Manager
Lara Kennedy
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Performance and Intensive Manager
Lara Parker
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Enrollment and School Supervisor
Charity Bratcher
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For general school questions: school@nashvilleballet.com
For intensive questions email: intensive@nashvilleballet.com

Full-Time Faculty
Anaïs Chalendard, Professional Programs Manager
Kate Kastelnik
Nicole Koenig, Practical Teaching Supervisor/Syllabus Manager
Lydia McRae
Melissa Mangold
Shabaz Ujima

Part-Time Faculty
Aeron Buchanan
Alex Winer
Ashley Peluse
Brett Sjoblom
Claudia Monja
Elisabeth Baehman
Emily Skaug
Emily McKinney
Eric Harris
Hannah Mathews
James Lankford
Jamie Bubb
Justin Abel
Kayla Breedlove
Krissy Dodge
Kristin Beutel
Lara Parker
Madeleine Bean
Melissa Cassidy
Mollie Sansone
Rachel Nasuti
Sarah Pierce
Thea Jones
Victoria Clerico

Development

Director of Development
Clare Sherlog
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Annual Fund Manager 
Gabrielle Chapple
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Events Manager
Taylor Myers
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Tessitura Specialist
Peter Donnelly
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Finance AND ADMINISTRATION

Chief Operating Officer
Mary Poiley
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Director of Finance
Jen Otis
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Senior Human Resources Generalist
Melinda Sue Kimble
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Staff Accountant
Dianne Rodgers

Facilities Manager
Josh Whitfield
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Production

Director of Production
Melinda Dobson

Production Stage Manager
Helen Moreau

Production Technical Director
Packy Bergquist

Resident Assistant Lighting Designer
Kelly Landry

Master Electrician
Kimberly Pukay

Properties Master
Eric Gamez

Costume Shop Director
Mycah Kennedy
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Cutter/Draper & Shop Assistant
Alison Taylor

Wardrobe Supervisor
Dani Crosson

Marketing

Director of Sales and Marketing
Greg Herring
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Senior Manager of Advertising and Corporate Relations
Deborah Kehoe
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Social Media and Project Manager
Caroline Sutton
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Box Office
tickets@nashvilleballet.com
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PR Relations
pr@nashvilleballet.com

Community
Engagement

Senior Manager of Community Engagement
Briona Richardson
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Teaching Artist
Shabaz Ujima