Artistic Staff & Guest Faculty

Rachel Vickrey

Rachel Vickrey received her early dance training from her parents, Robert Vickrey and Robin Welch, in New Haven, Connecticut. At the age of 11 she became one of the youngest students to be awarded a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School. She continued to study on scholarships at some of the most prestigious ballet schools in the U.S. and Canada eventually beginning her professional career at the age of 16.

Miss Vickrey has danced as a company member in Ballet Omaha, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Banff Festival Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater, and Omaha Theater Ballet. Her passion for expression and a clean versatile technique has given her many opportunities to perform a diverse variety of principal roles including Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantaisie, Allegro Brilliante, and Agon. She has performed works by such renown choreographers as Brian MacDonald, Salvator Aielo, Kennet Oberly, Charles Arnie, Loyce Holton, Lew Christensen, Alvin Ailey, Agnes DeMille, and Harrison McEldowney. Rachel has also performed in Aida, Carousel, My Fair Lady, Sampson and Delilah, All American Concert and Opera for the Cure with Opera Omaha. Over the years Rachel has danced numerous roles with Omaha Symphony. Recently, Rachel has become an artist for WhyArts? , a non-profit dedicated to providing experiential arts workshops and residencies to individuals of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Deborah Carr

Ballet Mistress

Deborah brings the fire, enthusiasm and determination she demonstrated in her professional dance career to her teaching and choreography. Following an extensive performing career with the Boston Festival Ballet, Connecticut Ballet and the Omaha Theater Ballet where she danced such wonderful roles as The Arabian and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, the Waltz Girl in Les Sylphides and the lead in Filling Station by world-reknown choreographer Lew Christianson. After retiring, Deborah moved to St. Louis for a time and became a teacher and ballet mistress for Ballet Midwest.

Luckily for us, Deborah moved backed to Omaha where she joined the faculty of the school of Omaha Theater Ballet School and became an invaluable instructor. She also became both Choreographer and Ballet Mistress for the Company, and Director of the Student Company. When that organization folded, she became indispensable as a teacher, Ballet Mistress and Choreographer for Rachel Vickrey in the establishment of the Heartland Conservatory of Dance and Heartland Youth Ballet.

Miss Carr’s critically acclaimed choreography for the professional company Omaha Theater Ballet included,Tango Café and Pridelands, for which she was the recipient of a chorgraphy award from the Nebraska Arts Council in 2004. Pridelands was more recently performed to great acclaim by Heartland Youth Ballet in 2014 at Mid-States Regional Dance America Festival in Chicago, Il.

Guest Choreographers

2016, 2017, 2018 Nicole Cisler - Ballet Choreographer - http://www.bremertondancecenter.com/meet-our-staff.html *
2016 Altin Naska - Artistic Director Chicago Music & Dance Festival International - http://www.southportarts.com/faculty/altin-j-naska

2016, 2017 Eddy Ocampo - Contemporary Choreographer - http://www.inasidechicagodance.org/eddy-ocampo.shtm

2017 Miro Magloire - Artistic Director of New Chamber Ballet - http://www.newchamberballet.com/artists/#miro-magloire-artistic-director

2017 Ryan Nye - Manager of Kansas City Ballet II & KCBS Faculty - https://www.kcballet.org/company/artisticstaff/

2016, 2017, 2018 Roberto Munoz - Director of Saratoga Summer Dance - http://https://www.ssdiballet.com/faculty/roberto-munoz/

2000-2019 Robert Vickrey - Artistic Administrator Pittsburgh Ballet - http://sovereignballet.com/bob-vickrey-pittsburgh-ballet-theatre/

2018 Mauro Villanueva - Director of Joffrey Texas -http://joffreytexas.com/faculty/

2018 Kenny Borchard - Free lance choreographer - http://joffreytexas.com/faculty/

2016, 2018 James Samson - Paul Taylor Dance Company - http://www.ptamd.org/main/about-ptamd/ptdc/