Artistic Staff
Melenie Diarbekirian
Artistic Director
Melenie Diarbekirian received her early training from Acton School of Ballet, was a member of Commonwealth Ballet Company from 2004-2007, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the Boston Conservatory in 2011. She started out her professional career with Urbanity Dance and currently dances with Pantos Project Dance, Luminarium Dance Company, and Turning Key Dance. While in school and throughout her career, she has performed works by prominent choreographers including José Limón, Alwin Nikolais, Thang Dao, Larry Keigwin, and in Reagle Music Theatre’s production of Oklahoma!. She has performed in venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Stage, events like the APAP Conference in New York City, TEDxCambridge at the Boston Opera House, and many other festivals and colleges along the East Coast. When not performing, Diarbekirian serves on faculty at the Acton School of Ballet and guest teaches throughout greater Boston and New England. Diarbekirian previously served as CBC’s Ballet Mistress for five seasons.
Chip Morris
Founder &Artistic Director Emeritus
Chip Morris began his training in modern dance and ballet while pursuing his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. While in Madison he taught advanced ballet classes at the Wisconsin School of Ballet, directed the Jazzworks Dance Company, co-founded the Choreographer’s Consortium, and choreographed for the Madison Savoyards. Since coming to Boston, Mr. Morris has danced with Choreo Dance Company and as a soloist for the Dance Prism. He has choreographed for the Harvard-Radcliffe Dance Company, the Dance Prism, and Peanut Butter & Jelly Dance Company. He also choreographed The Winged Joy for the Wellesley College Choir. Mr. Morris was a guest performer and choreographer for the Wheaton College Dance Company. He was commissioned by them in 1994 to stage Hear Ye, Hear Ye, based on a score by Aaron Copland.
He has choreographed over 50 dances including seven original full-length ballets for Commonwealth Ballet, including its first major production, Dracula; its first story ballet with accompanying new music composition, Rappaccini’s Daughter; the full length family ballets, Beauty and the Beast, The Nightingale, The Secret Garden , The Enchanted Toy Shop; and CBC’s own production of The Nutcracker (with Kathryn Anderson). Mr. Morris was owner and Director of the Acton School of Ballet from 2004 to 2018, is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Boston Dance Alliance, and co-founder of Commonwealth Ballet Company.
Kathryn Anderson
Founder & Artistic Director Emerita
Kathryn Anderson trained at American Ballet Theatre in New York City, where she began her professional ballet career. As a soloist with the Boston Ballet Company, Ms. Anderson danced leading roles in such ballets as The Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and The Four Temperaments. She toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel, and had the honor of dancing with Boston Ballet when it became the first American ballet company to visit, and perform in, the People’s Republic of China. Ms. Anderson choreographed many ballet works for Commonwealth Ballet, including At the Waterfall, The Fated, Icare, Rachmaninoff Opus #43, Hajamari-sozo, and Countdown, and collaborated with Chip Morris on the full-length ballets Dracula, Beauty and the Beast, and The Nutcracker. Ms. Anderson taught at the Boston Ballet School, and was guest instructor at Alabama Dance Theater, the Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts, the Worcester Performing Arts Center and the Dance Complex in Cambridge. She also starred in the nationally acclaimed educational video ‘Ballet for Children and Adults’. Ms. Anderson was the director of Acton School of Ballet from 1983 until her retirement in 2004.