Miss Catherine, Director
Catherine Borrone is the Director of The Dancin’ Place and White River Ballet Company and has been teaching dance since 2008. She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) Levels One through Three and Progressing Contemporary Technique (PCT), and specializes in Classical Ballet, Pre-Pointe, Pointe, Variations, Choreography, Contemporary Ballet, PBT, and PCT.
Throughout her career, Catherine has worked with competitive, pre-professional, adult, and professional dancers, developing a reputation for fostering strong technical foundations while prioritizing positivity, inclusivity, injury prevention, and the mental and emotional well-being of her students. Her student-centered approach to dance education has helped dancers gain acceptance into prestigious summer intensives, New York City performing arts high schools, university dance programs and ensembles, NCAA Division I dance teams, and professional dance companies.
Catherine is a sought-after educator, choreographer, and coach who has been invited to teach and create work for studios and programs across the United States. Her guest teaching engagements include pre-professional and professional summer intensives, adult training programs, concert dance productions, commercial competitions, and ballet competitions, including Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP).
Prior to focusing on teaching and directing, Catherine enjoyed a fourteen-year professional career in New York City. She performed with several classical and contemporary companies, including The Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center, Adams Company Dance, Eastern Connecticut Ballet, Neville Dance Theatre, Exit 12 Dance Company, and City Center Studios at New York City Center.
Catherine holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from The Hartt School, where she attended on scholarship. She received her early classical training in New Hampshire through the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus, completing examinations from Pre-Primary through Intermediate. Recognized for her achievement, she was awarded Silver and Gold with Distinction medals through the American Academy of Dance Performance Awards, presented by Mignon Furman. She later continued her studies in the Vaganova methodology under Mary McCarthy and furthered her training through summer programs at Walnut Hill, Ballet Workshop of New England, Boston Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
As an educator, mentor, and artistic leader, Catherine remains dedicated to developing technically strong, healthy, and confident dancers while nurturing a lifelong appreciation for the art of dance.
Miss Diana, Founder
Miss Diana has taught ballet for over 45 years. She began taking ballet at the age of three while her parents were at Indiana University. She studied under Pearl Allen and Elizabeth Sharpless during her formative years. While at the Miami Conservatory she decided that one day she would have her own studio and the children of all ages would perform the story ballets. She has toured and performed with The Theatre in the Round ballet company and the Tanya O’Malley Ballet Company as a member of the corps and as a soloist. She was the director of The Belfrys Apprenticeship Players for eight years and a director and actor of over twenty productions at the Belfry as well as a choreographer. She and Miss Shannon created the White River Ballet Company and Stone Soup Childrens Theatre over twenty five years ago.
Alumni
Tracy Anderson – Celebrity Fitness Pioneer
Savannah McClure – A Tracy Anderson Trainer
Brynn Roudebush – Professional Ballerina