Dr. Margaret Carlson (Executive Director) has international expertise in performing, teaching, choreographing, and working in a variety of settings. Dr. Carlson was an original member of the Cleveland Ballet, serving as a Principal dancer from 1972-1983. Also a member of Actors Equity, she performed in numerous musical theatre tours throughout the 1970's, including Sweet Charity, Ballroom, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Brigadoon, Mame, Hello Dolly! and The Merry Widow. Dr. Carlson served as Director of the School of Dance at the University of Akron from 1985-1993. In 1993, she became Dean of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, until she returned to Cleveland in 1999. She then served as the Development and Education Director for the Cleveland San Jose Ballet. She consults both nationally and locally through her company, Carlson Consulting Group, Inc., with groups that include The American Dance Guild, Chinese Performing Artists of America, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Ohio Ballet, Dancing Wheels, Ohio Youth Ballet, Ohio Conservatory of Dance, Tom and Susana Evert Dance Theatre, and White Cloud Studios. Dr. Carlson founded the American Alliance of Dance Artists and served as its first President. She has served as a Board member and officer for Kids on Broadway, DANCECleveland, the Cleveland Ballet Council, the American Dance Guild, the Council of Dance Administrators, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong Dance Company and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund. She is currently secretary of the International Organization for Transition for Professional Dancers, a sub-committee of UNESCO, based in Switzerland, and a member of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO, based in Athens, Greece.

Trad A Burns (Resident Lighting Designer) Mr. Burns’ career has spanned theatre, dance, and amusement parks, as well as architectural and retail lighting.   Designing over 400 productions during the last two decades, his varied work has been seen around the world.  His extensive credits include designs for Cincinnati Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, Spectrum Dance, Verb Ballets, New York Theatre Workshop (NYC), La Mama ETC (NYC), HERE (NYC), Classic Stage Company (NYC), The Public Theatre (NYC), Cleveland Public Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Cedar Point, Valley Fair, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kings Island, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Japan, Disney Sea, Disney Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, Universal Studios Florida & Japan, Woodstock Ice Productions, and The Family of Charles M. Schulz.  As the lighting director for the Cincinnati Ballet, Mr. Burns’ designs have included works by Artistic Director Victoria Morgan, George Balanchine, Kirk Peterson, Trey McIntyre, Donald McKayle, Val Caniparoli, Donald Byrd, Darrell Moultrie, Sarah Slipper, Luca Veggetti, Viktor Kabaniaev, Devon Carney and Septime Webre.With NYC Ballet, Mr. Burns has been restoring the original lighting designs for most of the Balanchine Repertory. His work includes re-lighting Serenade, Bugaku, Rubies, Symphony in C, Stars and Stripes, Agon, Allegro Brillante, Who Cares?, Brahms-Schöenberg Quartet, The Prodigal Son, Square Dance, Theme and Variation, Tschaikovsky Pas De Deux, Western Symphony and Union Jack. This is Trad’s sixth year designing for Verb Ballets.

Suzy Campbell (Resident Costume Designer), of Appalachian descent, is an Associate Professor of theatre at Kent State University and has been the Resident Costume Designer for Porthouse Theatre for 18 years.   She has a BA in Fashion Design; an MFA in Theatrical Design/Technology with an emphasis in Costume Design; and a BFA in Theatre. She is proud to take on the additional role of Resident Costume Designer for Verb and enjoys the energy, inventiveness and challenge of designing for dance and Hernando Cortez.  An award-winning, nationally published designer, Ms. Campbell’s credits include children’s book illustrations in the form of costume designs for eleven books published by Picture Me Books like Picture Me As Cute As Can Bee, Picture Me Having Trick Or Treat Fun, and Picture Me Under the Christmas Tree.  She has designed for the Columbus Light Opera (H.M.S. Pinafore and New Moon), produced in the newly refurbished Southern Theatre in Columbus; textile artist for the movie Double Dragon; costume designer for Cain Park’s The Robber Bridegroom, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Violet and Brigadoon; makeup artist for "The Jay Leno Show" and ESPN2; and designer and builder of the Cleveland Indians mascot, "Slider." She was a regular designer for Lyric Opera Cleveland, including Don Giovanni, Berlin to Broadway and the Ohio premiere of Little Women.  Her work for Ensemble Theatre of Bloomsburg’s production of Outcry has been published in American Theatre Magazine and her renderings of Quilters appeared in the USITT publication Theatre Design & Technology.  Her husband, Robert Katkowsky, is always working with her on projects.

Maura Haas (Production Stage Manager) is a graduate of the College of Charleston, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. Her life long affair with the performing arts began in her childhood at The School of Cleveland Ballet where she had the life altering opportunity to perform in several productions with The Cleveland Ballet. As an adult, she has been known to wear many hats in the Cleveland theater and dance communities, including stage management, directing, acting, writing and producing. Her affiliations include Cleveland Public Theatre, Wild Plum Productions, Red Hen Productions, Cleveland Youth Theatre, Tom and Susana Evert Dance Theatre and Verb Ballets. She and her partner Terry are proud parents of a 4 year old, Jack. She is delighted to be the stage manager for a fifth season with Verb.

Danielle Brickman was born and raised in Euclid, Ohio. She began her ballet training at the age of four at the School of Cleveland San Jose Ballet, under the direction of Dennis Nahat, performing in Cleveland San Jose Ballet's performances of Toreador, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker. She continued her studies with the Chautauqua Institution of New York and the Cleveland School of Dance. She performed with the Cleveland Youth Ballet dance company for four years and was asked to perform with Cleveland Dancing Wheels. She danced as an apprentice for three seasons for Pointe of Departure under the direction of Raymond Rodriguez and Karen Gabay. Danielle joined Verb in the summer of 2004.

Ashley Cohen is originally from South Florida, where she started dancing at a young age. She continued her training in Cincinnati and at The University of Akron, where she graduated with a BFA in dance. While at the university, Ashley was trained by members of The Martha Graham Company, the Pennsylvania Ballet, and the Jennifer Muller Company. She was in The University of Akron Dance Company for four years and also performed in the student-choreographed concerts. Currently, Ashley teaches throughout the area. Ashley debuted with Verb Ballets in the summer of 2006.

Erin Conway was a competitive gymnast for eleven years before studying dance exclusively under the direction of Shelagh Dubsky. After receiving a scholarship to Ohio University, Erin earned a BFA in dance in 2002. Upon graduating, she performed with Dancing Wheels and Tom and Susana Evert Dance Theatre. Erin has had the honor of performing the works of many choreographers, including Hernando Cortez, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, David Parsons, Heinz Poll and Sean Curran. Erin also enjoys her outreach work teaching dance in the community and schools. She is grateful to Hernando Cortez and Verb Ballets for the wonderful opportunities she has been given. Erin debuted with Verb Ballets in 2003. 

Katie Gnagy is originally from North Carolina, where she received her training at the North Carolina School of the Arts. While there, she trained and performed under the direction of Nina Danilova, Warren Conover, and Melissa Hayden. After graduating from high school, Ms. Gnagy moved to New York, and in 2005 received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance. Ms. Gnagy also trained and performed with Ballet Contemporaneo de Burgos, Spain, for two summers under the leadership of Kazuko Hirabayashi. Katie debuted with Verb Ballets in the summer of 2005.

Sydney Ignacio was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. He studied dance at Steps Dance Studio and earned an Honours pass in the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) examinations. He has performed for the RAD Festival held in Manila as the Prince in Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker and also performed internationally with Earth Savers Dream Ensemble. As a Principal Dancer with the Philippine Ballet Theatre, he has performed as the Principal in La Bayadere, Raymonda, Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and many others. Sydney acted for three years at the Gantimpala Foundation of The Philippines. This is Sydney's third season with Verb Ballets.

Catherine Meredith began her training under the direction of Kenneth Lipitz and Shelley Ziebel, at the New England Dance Conservatory. She went on to study on scholarship at SUNY Purchase, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Richmond Ballet, and the London Contemporary Dance School. In 1997, Ms. Meredith joined Cortez & Co. As well as performing principal roles in the company, she also served as rehearsal associate. Other performing credits include Latin Sol (Sands Hotel Copa Room), Where’s Charley? (Williamstown Theatre Festival), Arabian in Albano Ballet’s The Nutcracker, and as a featured dancer in the film, Kate and Leopold. She has danced in works by David Parsons, George Balanchine, Alfredo Corvino, Alvin Ailey, Shapiro & Smith, and Talley Beatty. Catherine first performed with Verb Ballets in the summer of 2003, and joined Verb as a full time company member in 2005.

Jennifer Moll A native of Stow, Ohio, Jennifer started dancing at the age of 6 and trained with Christine Jones Meneer for 12 years. She was an original member of Meneer’s pre-professional company Children’s Ballet Theatre and danced leading roles in several ballets. Ms. Moll graduated from Indiana University with Bachelors degrees in Classical Ballet performance and Psychology. While at IU, Jennifer was trained and coached by Violette Verdy, Jacques Cesbron, John Meehan, Susan Pilarre, Mark Godden, and John Clifford. She performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Stars and Stripes, as well as in several original works by Verdy, Cesbron, and Godden. Jennifer danced with Virginia Ballet Theatre for two years, where she also taught ballet and Pilates at Old Dominion University. Ms. Moll is a member of Ballet Theatre of Ohio, where she has danced since January 2007.

Brian Murphy has been dancing professionally for 15 years with a number of dance companies including Nashville Ballet, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Richmond Ballet, BalletMet, New Orleans Delta Ensemble, GroundWorks Dancetheater and Ohio Ballet. He has danced leading roles in The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Hamlet, Swan Lake, Dracula, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. He has also enjoyed performing in works by Heinz Poll, Leslie Cook, Jennifer Muller (Muller & Co.), and Diavalo. He also co-owns a Pilates Studio (Pilates by Murphys) in Akron, OH, with his wife Suzy. Brian is a part-time faculty member at The University of Akron and is on the faculty, and he performs with Dance Caravan in the summer months. He is very grateful to be given the opportunity to dance with Hernando Cortez and Verb Ballets. This is his second season as a full-time dancer with Verb Ballets.

Anna Roberts began her training in Ashtabula, under the direction of Shelagh Dubsky. In 1999, she graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in dance from the University of Akron. Since then she has danced with Marronprater Dance and Music Co., Dancing Wheels, and has appeared in Cleveland Opera's production of Faust. At Verb Ballets, she has had the privilege of performing works by Hernando Cortez, Heinz Poll, Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, David Parsons and Sean Curran. Anna is a certified Pilates instructor and teaches dance throughout northeast Ohio. In her spare time she can be found hanging out with her chocolate lab, Coco. Anna joined Verb Ballets in July of 2003.

Robert Wesner, a native of Ohio, trained at Opus II Dance Studio, School of Cleveland Ballet, School of Ballet Arizona, and the School of Milwaukee Ballet. Robert is the founder/artistic director of Neos Dance Theatre, a classically trained touring company. Robert enjoyed a six year stay with Ballet Arizona under the direction of both Michael Uthoff and Ib Anderson. During that time Robert danced many masterpieces of our time. Some of that work includes the "Profiteer" in Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table; "Tico" in Paul Taylor's Company B; "Iago" in Jose Limon's The Moore's Pavane; "Tybalt" in Romeo and Juliet; the "Jester" in Earnst Uthoff's Carmina Burana, and company work in pieces by George Balanchine and Antony Tudor. Contemporary dance credits include works by Dwight Rhoden, Kevin O'Day, Pilobolus, Danny Ezralow, Moses Pendleton, and David Parsons. Robert has choreographed works commissioned by the Ashland University Theatre Department, Belhaven College, Ballet Arizona, Verb Ballets, Dancing Wheels, Richland Performing Arts, and Ashland Regional Ballet. Robert assisted Moses Pendleton in the choreography of MOMIX’s Opus Cactus and Discman. He choreographed for Phoenix Symphony Orchestra’s Pops Concerts for eight years and now choreographs Pops Concerts for symphonies all over the country. Robert and his wife Brooke are the parents of three children, Genevieve, Ella, and Mekah. Robert joined Verb in August, 2003.

Leisa DeCarlo (Summer Trainee). Born and raised in Brunswick, Leisa has been dancing at the Cleveland Dance Academy since age 3. She has participated in numerous performances, such as The Nutcracker and Hiawatha, and participated in the Youth America Grand Prix in Chicago. This will be Leisa's first performance with Verb Ballets.

Alexis Spooner (Summer Trainee) is a junior at Rocky River High School. She has been studying under the artistic direction of Gladisa Guadalupe at Cleveland School of Dance for the last 5 years. This is Alexis’ first performance with Verb Ballets.

Verb Ballets is now in its seventh season under the leadership of Artistic Director Hernando Cortez, Executive Director Dr. Margaret Carlson, an energetic staff and its dedicated Board of Trustees, who have established Verb as Cleveland’s premiere dance repertory company. Verb Ballets was named one of "25 to Watch in 2004" by Dance Magazine, the country’s leading news magazine covering dance, and recently the magazine bestowed more kudos on the company by naming Verb one of 5 "Great Tiny Troupes" in America. Verb Ballets discovers, collects, interprets and stages choreography that matters to the region and to the world of dance. As a curator of expressive movement that is globally connected and nationally respected, Verb Ballets has a mandate to support and foster emerging talent, present excellence in contemporary choreographers and revive and honor modern dance classics.