Mikko Nissinen, Artistic Director, Boston Ballet  
Mikko Nissinen is recognized nationally and internationally as an accomplished dancer, teacher, and artistic director. He assumed the position of Artistic Director of Boston Ballet and the Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education in September 2001. Mr. Nissinen was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1962. In 1996, he retired as a principal dancer from San Francisco Ballet and was appointed artistic director of the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, CA. Mr. Nissinen held the position of artistic director of Alberta Ballet from 1998-2001.

Margaret Tracey, Associate Director, Center for Dance Education
Margaret Tracey was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and began studying ballet with her mother, Nancy Tracey, at the age of six. In 1982, she went to New York City to study at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, where she was an Atlantic Richfield Foundation scholarship student for three years. While at the School, Ms. Tracey was one of fifteen scholars nationwide to receive the Princess Grace Foundation –U.S.A. award for 1985-86. In May 1986, she joined the New York City Ballet corps de ballet and was promoted to rank of Soloist in 1989, and then promoted to the rank of Principal during the spring of 1991. Ms. Tracey has toured with New York City Ballet in Europe and Asia, and has also appeared as a guest artist with the Royal Birmingham Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet. Throughout her career, Ms. Tracey has been a guest performer with various concert groups traveling throughout the world. Since retiring from the New York City Ballet in February 2002, Ms. Tracey has been a guest teacher in New York and throughout the United States. In the summer of 2005, she joined the faculty for Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program. For the last 10 years, she has also developed a creative movement program which she teaches at pre-school level.

Tamara King, Principal, MetroWest Studio and Summer Dance Program
Tamara King originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico studied under Suzanne Johnson, Soili Arvola and Leo Ahonen. In 1981, Ms. King received a full scholarship to study with Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program where she had the opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers and Violette Verdy, Helgi Tomasson and Colette Kaufman. In 1981, Ms. King joined the Louisville Ballet as apprentice, and the following year she joined the corps de ballet where she danced a number of soloist and principal roles throughout the year. In 1982, Artistic Director, Bruce Marks personally invited Ms. King to join Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah where she danced a wide range of repertoire until 1987. In 1987 she joined Mr. Marks at Boston Ballet where she continued to dance professionally until 1991. In 1991, Ms. King retired and returned to New Mexico to raise a family and pursue her teaching interests. In 1994, Ms. King returned to the east coast where she was invited to join the faculty and serve as director of the Summer Dance Workshop at Walnut Hill School. Ms. King returned to Boston Ballet School in 2001, where she served as a full time faculty member under Rachel Moore, Director of the Center for Dance Education. In 2003, Ms. King was promoted to principal of the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program and in 2005, Ms. King became principal of the MetroWest Studio in Newton. Currently Ms. King oversees the MetroWest Studio and will be the new principal of SDP-Newton.

Christine Busch, Principal, South Shore Studio
Christine Busch danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, under the direction of the famed ballerina Alicia Markova. Trained primarily at the Atlanta School of Ballet with Robert Barnett, Dorothy Alexander and Merrilee Smith, she was also a scholarship student at the Joffrey School and an apprentice to the Harkness Ballet, where she worked with Patricia Wilde. Ms. Busch has been on the faculties of San Francisco Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and The Boston Conservatory. She has also held the positions of ballet mistress for BalletMet, Principal of the School of the Hartford Ballet and Director of the School of the Richmond Ballet.