G. Leath Nunn began his career in Houston, Texas under the direction of the renowned Patsy Swayze. Soon after, he joined the Houston Ballet. He danced with the Classical Ballet of Israel, the San Diego Ballet, the Eglevsky Ballet, and toured the world with the International Ballet de Caracas.
After ten years in Venezuela, Leath began teaching and directing. During his tenure as director of the San Angelo (Texas) Civic Ballet, he successfully developed the school and mounted several full-length productions.
Mr. Nunn joined the staff of the New Jersey Ballet in 1990. For the past several years, he was associated with the Artists in Residency program under the direction of Christine Todd Whitman.
Mr. Nunn has the singular distinction of being the youngest Eagle Scout in the history of the state of Texas!
In 1999, Mr. Nunn created the nunnbetter dance theatre and school to bring a higher and more professional level of dance to the Bergen County area.
Click here to read quotes from Patsy Swayze, NDT's Artistic Advisor, that helped shape Leath Nunn's philosophy towards dance education.
See Mr. Nunn in action, performing in "Spring Waters":
Wendy Otis
Regisseure
Wendy Otis is a lifetime resident of Teaneck, NJ. She began dancing at age 3. Her initial training was through the Royal Academy of Dance, but she has also studied at the School of American Ballet, at Dance, Inc., and with New Jersey Ballet.
Wendy is an accomplished teacher and choreographer who enjoys working with students of all ages and levels. In 1990, she took over as Artistic Director of Dance Inc., teaching Creative Movement, all levels of Ballet (child and adult), as well as all level of Jazz. During this time Wendy created Dance, Inc. Repertory Company. One of her greatest joys during this time was watching her students bloom into beautiful young artists.
Wendy graduated from Douglass College, Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry, as well as a Masters of Science in Elementary Education. Prior to becoming the Artistic Director of Dance, Inc., Wendy worked as an analytical chemist for the Hartz Mountain Corporation.
Wendy welcomes a new experience as she begins her first year on the faculty of Roosevelt Elementary School in River Edge, NJ after 8 years in the New York City School system.
Mandana Hauss
Tap
Mandana has been teaching tap since her senior year in high school in 1986 and is pleased to be on the faculty of Nunnbetter.
Ms. Hauss is trained in tap, ballet, jazz and modern. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Montclair State University. She has worked professionally in musical theatre, commercials and film, including national tours, European tours, regional theatre, dinner theatre and summer stock.
Ms. Hauss also performed with Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre for over a year and is a member of Actor's Equity and the Screen Actor's Guild.
Jacqueline Lorenzi
Ballet
Jacqueline A. Lorenzi studied at the schools of New Jersey Ballet, Joffrey, Boston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. As a member of NJB her repertory included roles in Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, La Bayadere, Giselle, Coppelia, Pas de Dix, Rodeo and Nutcracker as well as ballets by Balanchine, George Tomal, Eli Lazar and Johan Renvall. She has also been a member of Rebecca Kelly Ballet and guested with Eglevsky Ballet and Patricia Nicholson.
Ms. Lorenzi has been on the faculty of Nunnbetter Dance Theater since 2001. As a ballet mistress she has staged Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadere, Pas de Quatre and divertissements from Le Corsaire, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake for the school's company. Since 2007 she has been coaching students privately and creating costumes. Jacqueline also teaches at Verne Fowler School of Theater Arts and has worked for Burklyn Ballet Theater as an Administrator, Ballet Mistress and teacher.
Kerri Mather
Modern
Kerri Mather has danced professionally for over fifteen years. As a long-time member of the modern repertory company, Rondo American Dance Theatre, she toured the United States and abroad. While with the company, she performed classic modern dance pieces by famous choreographers such as Jose Limon, Moses Pendelton, and Charles Weidman, as well as personally working with Anna Sokolow, Murry Lewis, Pauline Koner, Paul Sanasardo, Doug Verone and others.
Kerri was also a founding member of Rosanna Gamson/ Worlwide, a multi-media dance company now based in Los Angeles. Even though she no longer performs with Gamson, she had the extreme pleasure of traveling to Mexico City to help create "Aura", a dance piece with Gamson, that received its United States premier in Los Angeles at the Redcat Theatre.
Kerri holds a BFA in dance from the University of Illinois / Champaign-Urbana. She currently teaches modern dance at the Nunnbetter Dance Theatre in Bergenfield and creative movement classes in Teaneck, where she lives with her husband and two children.
Robin Mahboeb
Ballet
Robin Mahboeb was pleased to join the faculty of Nunnbetter in 2005 as well as joining other members of the teaching staff and school in Verissimo Opera's production of L'Elxir D'amore by Donizetti.
Robin has trained with Larry Boyette in Denver, Colorado, Frank Bays and Pat Hon at the Cornish Institute of Arts in Seattle, Washington, and Maggie Black in New York City. She has performed with Ballet Arts in Company, Cornish Dance Theatre, Palisades Performing Arts Center, Debra Weiss Dance Company, and The Mantis Project.
Robin has taught at the Community Playgroup in Piermont, New York, and the Palisades Performing Arts Center. In addition to teaching ballet at Nunnbetter she has also choreographed several pieces for the student company.
Robin lives in Rockland County, New York with her husband and four children.
Denny Berry
Denny Berry has been associate choreographer, production dance supervisor and the original Broadway Dance Captain of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Hal Prince The Phantom of the Opera, the longest running show on Broadway with 23 recording breaking years.
She has also been responsible for casting, coaching and setting 12 other Worldwide productions of PHANTOM. Other Broadway credits include Jesus Christ Superstar. She wrote, directed and choreographed A Soul Wailing in Darkness based on the Nobel Laureat Kenzaburo Oe's A Personal Matter. She has created work from Vienna, Austria to Austin, Texas, including A Christmas Carol (Kevin Moriarty/Trinity Rep), Street Scene (Francesca Zambello/Houston Grand Opera), Lord of the Rings (Stromberger/Berlin) and In Love (Dead Poet Project/Westchester Ballet).
In addition to taking care of Phantom, choreographing her own work and teaching ballet, she founded her own floral and garden design company, DB Blooms Design after becoming certified by the NY Botanical Garden in Landscape Design and is a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers.
She is a graduate of the University of Texas Department of Theater and Dance, where together with her late husband Steve Barton, she has been honored with an endowed Presidential Scholarship.
Will Barrientos
Hip-Hop/Funk
Will Barrientos was introduced to the culture of hip-hop at a young age while living in Harlem and was inspired to dance watching back glides and windmills. Growing up, his training consisted of watching TV and learning choreography from his favorite performers. It wasn't until he was in high school where he started to dance for local events and shows, and he was eventually hired to choreograph around the tri-state area.
During college, he founded his own dance troupe Rhythmology which consisted of his friends who shared the same passion for dance. In time, Rhythmology has made a mark as one of the most renown teams in the tri-state area performing all over the East Coast and even as far as Los Angeles, California. He has trained with many pioneers of such as Shabbadoo from the legendary crew from the 70's The Lockers and Mr. Wiggles from the Electric Boogaloos.
"Dance is emotion in motion" - Will Barrientos
Samantha Lazzaro
Jazz
Samantha Lazzaro, former student of Nunnbetter Dance Theatre, has been dancing since she was three years old. She is trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and hip-hop. She studied under the instruction of Leath Nunn and Wendy Otis when Nunnbetter Dance Theatre opened in 1999. She joined the faculty in 2003 and taught tap and jazz classes until she went off to college.
Samantha went on to dance at Montclair State University where she received a minor in Dance. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently a teacher in the Palisades Park School District.
Samantha is pleased to be back on the staff of Nunnbetter Dance Theatre and looks forward to joining the wonderful community Mr. Nunn has established.
Artistic Director
Regisseure
Ballet
Modern
Ballet