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TBCDE FACULTY

Lauren Richter | School and Trainee Program Director

Lauren Richter Henry first began her ballet training in Southern California in 1996 before eventually moving to New York City to continue her training at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School under the direction Franco de Vita and Raymond Lukens. During this time, Lauren had the privilege of working privately with Prima Ballerina Assoluta Eva Evdokimova, who offered her the opportunity to continue her studies on scholarship in Monte-Carlo at the Princess Grace Academy of Classical Dance under the direction of Marika Besobrasova and Luca Masala. Lauren received her first professional contract with the Prague State Opera Ballet in the Czech Republic and then moved on to dance with the Bucharest National Ballet in Romania.

After retirement from professional dancing, Lauren went on to found her own school, Richter Academy of Classical Dance, in Southern California and has taught on Faculty at San Francisco Ballet School for multiple seasons, where she focused on the foundational levels as well as providing Pilates and strength training classes for the upper-level students. Lauren is currently the School Director at Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education and judges nationally and internationally for YAGP, in addition to teaching masterclasses and workshops abroad.

Lauren is a certified teacher in Levels 1-8 of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy Teacher Training Program. She has also completed her Pilates certification with a dance specialization through Body Arts and Science International and holds a personal training certification and fitness nutrition specialist certification through the American Council on Exercise.

Lauren firmly believes that it IS possible to train dancers to the highest professional level, while taking care to foster a healthy learning environment; one in which a students’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being can flourish.

Sheri Giller | Trainee Program Coordinator & Faculty

A native of Southern California, Ms. Giller started ballet classes in Southern California, under the private instruction of Marie Hite, from whom she received her training in the Vaganova method. In 1991 she joined Ballet Pacifica in Laguna Beach and Irvine as a company dancer under the directorship of Molly Lynch. She continued to dance and teach for the company until 2003. Her performance credits include many of the classical ballets such as The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, and Paquita as well as works by George Balanchine, Anthony Tudor, and many more contemporary works by both well established and up-and-coming choreographers. Many of the roles she performed throughout her career were created for her and she received much recognition for her precise footwork, musicality, artistic quality, and the strength and fluidity of her movement.

With a teaching career that has spanned over 35 years, Ms. Giller has held the positions of Co-Artistic Director and Ballet Mistress of both Tucson Regional Ballet in Arizona and Piedmont Ballet Theatre in North Carolina respectively. Many of her students have been accepted to and attended such summer intensive programs and year-round schools as Juilliard, Harid Conservatory, Ballet West, The Bolshoi Academy, School of American Ballet, Ballet Austin, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Conservatory, The Ailey School, Ballet Met, The Joffrey Ballet School, and American Ballet Theatre.

Ms. Giller has earned certifications in Bikram Yoga as well as Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). As a dance educator she is committed to providing high-caliber ballet training for all students regardless of future career goals and a motivating environment that promotes dance’s unique ability to increase each person’s self-esteem through discipline, physical awareness, and the joy of movement.

Carla López Ponlla | Lower School Coordinator & Faculty

Born in A Coruña, Spain, Carla trained at the Professional Conservatory of Dance  with Luciano Gómez and Carmen Ponlla. She danced with Ballet Carmen Roche, Zürich Junior Ballet, Víctor Ullate Ballet and Barcelona Ballet, where she performed Soloist roles under the artistic direction of Ángel Corella.  Carla won first prize in the National Dance Competitions of Zaragoza, Torrelavega and A Coruña (Spain) before joining Tulsa Ballet in 2012 as a member of the Corps de Ballet. Her repertoire with the company includes There, Below (Kudelka), Classical Symphony (Possokhov), One/End/One (Elo), Company B (Taylor), Uniko/Juxtaposed (Cong), Blue Bird Pas de Deux (Angelini), Bolero (Fonte) and In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated (Forsythe), and Infra (McGregor), among others.  In 2016, Ms. López retired from the company in order to join our full-time TBCDE Faculty.

Matteo Giulio Tonolo | Faculty

Matteo Giulio Tonolo, originally from Moncalieri, Italy, received his foundational training at the Accademia Regionale del Teatro Nuovo di Torino under the guidance of Daniela Chianini, Niurka Naranjo De Saa, Antonio Della Monica, and others. At just sixteen, he began his professional career with the Compagnia Teatro Nuovo di Torino, demonstrating a strong early commitment to classical ballet.

He went on to dance with several U.S. companies, including Ajkun Ballet, Albany Berkshire Ballet, and USA Ballet, while maintaining an active presence as a guest artist across Europe. From 2012 to 2022, Mr. Giulio Tonolo was a soloist with Vanemuine Teater in Estonia, the country’s oldest National Theater. There, he performed a wide-ranging repertoire that spanned the classical canon—Raymonda, The Sleeping Beauty, Onegin, and The Nutcracker, among others—as well as numerous neoclassical and contemporary works.

Throughout his international career, he worked closely with world-renowned choreographers such as Giorgio Madia, Petr Zuska, Michael Shannon, Robert North, Jelena Pankova, Mai Murdmaa, Michelle Holmes-Bello, David Sonnenbluck, Igor Barberic, Cedric Lee Bradley, and Teet Kask. Several original roles were created on him, and his touring experience includes performances across Europe, the United States, and China.

Following his retirement from the stage, Mr. Giulio Tonolo transitioned into teaching and mentorship, bringing his global experience into the classroom. His pedagogical approach is shaped by deep academic study of the Vaganova, Cecchetti, and Cuban methods, as well as contemporary and character dance. In addition to teaching technique classes, he has coached dancers, directed rehearsals, and contributed to the development of pre-professional training programs.   Mr. Giulio Tonolo is passionate about cultivating both the technical and artistic potential of his students, fostering an inclusive and inspiring environment that honors tradition while embracing innovation.

Additional Faculty