About us

Mission

Our mission is to provide professional-quality performance opportunities to all area dancers and quality performances to Central Ohio Audiences. Our dancers range in age from 8 to 18 with adults joining the group for guest appearances and stage productions.

While Central Ohio Youth Ballet production values are high, the artistic staff strives to place the dancers in roles across a spectrum of ability and experience levels. Central Ohio Youth Ballet is not about exclusivity. Rather, its mission is to nurture dancers at all stages of proficiency, talent and desire.

History

The Central Ohio Youth Ballet was founded in 1995 by Robert Cole of The Ballet Academy and Lisa Cole of Moving Arts Pilates and Dance. Since that time we have grown to include dancers from seven central Ohio counties and a host of studios and academies. A 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, COYB has established itself as a successful training ground for talented dancers.

Robert Cole, Artistic Director

Robert danced for five years with The National Ballet of Canada under Artistic Directors Alexander Grant and Erik Bruhn. Prior to his professional career, Robert trained on scholarship at California's Riverside Ballet Arts, the Joffrey Ballet School, The National Ballet School of Canada and with David Howard. Robert has performed as a guest artist with numerous regional, national and international ballet companies. He also performed with New York-based Dennis Wayne's Dancers for an extended tour in Italy where they created a weekly television series on dance.

While attending The National Ballet School, Robert completed teacher's training courses as well as an intensive dance program. Additionally, he attended the National Ballet School's Teacher's Training Workshops with neuromuscular specialist Irene Dowd. In 1994, he joined the dance faculty at Denison University and in the same year, opened The Ballet Academy. He served on the Denison faculty until September, 2004.

His Students have received scholarships with David Howard, The National Ballet School, The Juilliard School, Virginia School of the Arts, Harid Conservatory and Interlochen Arts Academy. Robert's students have also been accepted to and attended the School of American Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre School, Boston Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, The Rock and North Carolina School of the Arts. Former Ballet Academy student and COYB dancer, Hope Miller, performed with the Munich Ballet in Germany for several years and is now living in Amsterdam and freelancing.

Erika Twining, Assistant Artistic Director

Originally from Oberlin, Ohio, Ms. Twining began her dance training with Gremore Dance Studio and Ohio Dance Theatre. Erika holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she had the opportunity to study under and perform works by choreographers Roni Koresh, Brian Sanders (Junk!, MOMIX), Curt Haworth (David Dorfman), Kim Bears-Bailey Philadanco), and Christine Cox (Pennsylvania Ballet).

Ms. Twining has toured the country with Sesame Street Live! as the rubber-ducky loving Ernie and has also performed throughout the country with various modern dance troupes and theatres. She has choreographed many theatrical productions including shows for Columbus Children’s Theatre, Denison University and Plasma Dance Theatre.

Erika is an instructor at The Ballet Academy where she teaches Modern, Musical Theatre Jazz, Tap, and various Ballet and performance classes.