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 choreographic mastery is evident in over 40 creations, ranging from classical full-length ballets to contemporary one-acts and beloved children’s productions. His deep connection to music and commitment to celebrating Nashville’s culture have led to collaborations with renowned musicians and institutions like The Bluebird Cafe, Ben Folds, and Rhiannon Giddens. Under his direction, Nashville Ballet has commissioned 22 original scores for new ballets.

A gifted storyteller, Vasterling has brought to life vivid narratives such as Dracula, Lucy Negro Redux, Romeo and Juliet, Peter Pan, Layla and Majnun, Lizzie Borden, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Carmina Burana, and Nashville’s cherished holiday tradition, Nashville’s Nutcracker. His talents extend beyond ballet, having choreographed for Nashville Children’s Theatre, including the popular Dragons Love Tacos.

Vasterling has also expanded the ballet’s repertoire to include works by iconic choreographers like Salvatore Aiello, George Balanchine, and Twyla Tharp, among many others. He has reimagined classic productions such as Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. His visionary leadership grew Nashville Ballet from 12 to 30 professional dancers, while also significantly increasing the organization’s budget and facilities. Under his guidance, Nashville Ballet toured both nationally and internationally, with performances at the Kennedy Center and the Chautauqua Institution, and tours in Argentina and Switzerland. His original works have been staged by companies worldwide, and Nashville’s Nutcracker aired on television from 2020-2022, earning him Emmy and Telly awards. PBS/Great Performances also filmed his Lucy Negro Redux, which aired nationally in 2022 as Black Lucy and the Bard to widespread acclaim.

Vasterling graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola University and has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards, including a Fulbright award, fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and several from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is a Fellow at The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University and has been honored with awards such as the Nashville Theatre Honors First Night Award (2013), Nashville’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year (2017), and Studio Tenn’s Legacy Award (2024).

In June 2023, Vasterling was named Artistic Director Emeritus of Nashville Ballet. He continues to stage and coach his works at Nashville Ballet while pursuing new creative projects, including the physical theater work An Ambivalent Woman of 37 by Emma Sandall and directing and choreographing for Studio Tenn Theater’s Cabaret.

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 Administrative Manager
Madalynn Hoy
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For general school questions: school@nashvilleballet.com
For intensive questions email: intensive@nashvilleballet.com

Full-Time Faculty
Anaïs Chalendard
Kate Kastelnik
Nicole Koenig, Practical Teaching Supervisor/Syllabus Manager
Helen Yeoman-Shaw, Children’s, Adult, and Adaptive Dance Programs Manager
Melissa Mangold
Shabaz Ujima

Part-Time Faculty
Antonette Arsenault
Alex Winer
Ashley Peluse
Brett Sjoblom
Claudia Monja
Elisabeth Baehman
Emily McKinney
Eric Harris
James Lankford
Jamie Bubb
Justin Abel
Kayla Breedlove
Krissy Dodge
Kristin Beutel
Melissa Cassidy
Rachel Nasuti
Sarah Pierce
Sarah Veach
Thea Jones
Victoria Clerico

Development

Director of Development
Clare Sherlog
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Annual Fund Manager 
Gabrielle Chapple
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Tessitura Specialist
River 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

Director of Facilities
Josh Whitfield
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Production

Director of Production
Melinda Dobson

Production Stage Manager
Helen Moreau

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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Social Media and Project Manager
Caroline Sutton
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Box Office
tickets@nashvilleballet.com
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Public Relations
pr@nashvilleballet.com

Community
Engagement

Senior Manager of Community Engagement
Briona Richardson
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Teaching Artist
Shabaz Ujima