GMPA Board & Administration
Marica porter, Director
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Marica received formal training from Liz Dimmel and Tobin James at the Dramatic Truth School of Ballet in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She also studied on scholarship at the State Ballet School of Missouri (now the School of Kansas City Ballet), Ballet Magnificat! in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Stephens College Summer Dance Program. Many notable instructors, including Kirt Hathaway, Penny Askew, Mary Rotella, Janice Dulak, Chatch Pregger, and Avi Waring, shape her dancing.
Marica performed with Collin County Ballet Theatre, Western Oklahoma Ballet Theatre, Western Arkansas Ballet, the Northwest Arkansas Arts Foundation, and Ballet Vermont in performances, including lead and featured roles in Peter & The Wolf, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and many original works. Choreography credits include excerpts from The Nutcracker, South Pacific, and an original work, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, chosen for performance in the Emerging Choreographer’s Concert of Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival 2013. Ms. Porter spent five years as the Ballet Mistress of Western Arkansas Ballet and has taught dancers in Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, and Vermont. Marica holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance, a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, and a Minor in Mathematics from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. She is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher in Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Marica is excited to share her passion for dance and rural life. Marica, John, and their two kids, Thomas and Andrew, enjoy life in Jericho. |
Fiona Garufi, Assistant Director
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Fiona has been dancing since she was a toddler. Throughout her childhood she was in as many dance classes as possible: ballet, hip hop, contemporary, modern, tap, jazz, and some theatre. Fiona grew up dancing at GMPA and spent almost every afternoon after school at the studio. As she’s gotten older she has developed a deep passion for teaching. Fiona began teaching at GMPA as a teenager and continues to love it more everyday. Fiona hopes to pass along her love of dance and performing to a whole new generation of dancers!
Fiona took her love of ballet through adulthood and was a company member with Ballet Vermont for 7 years, 3 of which she danced as a soloist. Dancing in the Farm to Ballet Project is a major highlight in her life. Dancing in that show gave Fiona the opportunity to perform for audiences all over Vermont. Fiona also runs the after care program at GMPA which gives her the opportunity to work with more kids, come up with fun and creative activities, and see many smiling faces getting off the school bus! Fiona is excited to be entering her second year as the Assistant Director of GMPA! |
Katie Decker, Financial Manager
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Katie has almost 20 years of experience as an educator and administrator- most recently as Director of Centerpoint School, where she concluded a 17-year commitment to educating students with emotional and behavioral challenges. She has taught students from ages 3 all the way up to college age students across a variety of skill levels and content areas. In 2018, Katie and her partner Chatch incorporated Ballet Vermont, a ballet company with a social mission. Ballet Vermont produces multiple ballet productions a year (including the Farm to Ballet project), hires amateur and professional dancers and musicians and runs several kids camps- and Katie coordinates and manages the whole thing: soup to nuts. Above all things, she values relationships and community. Getting the students off the bus each day is one of the things she loves best at GMPA. She looks forward to helping GMPA to be a place where kids can feel valued, seen and cared for while they pursue passions and interests.
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Kathy Kort, Board Secretary
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Kathy was a high school special educator, transition specialist, who after a career of 42 years made her own transition from South Burlington High School in 2014 to enjoy Vermont in retirement. She started sewing quilts, artfully matching colors and patterns in symmetrical design. A life long church choir singer, she also has a passion for Celtic music and diverse forms of dance. Kathy has volunteered in her community and served on multiple church committees. Her adult daughter Kelly was a student of Heather’s as a Highland dancer for many years and she continues to perform and compete in the Boston area. While Kelly was actively dancing in Vermont, Kelly’s dad Bob led the St. Andrew’s Highland Dancers and Kathy volunteered in support tasks. Practicing wellness through exercise and yoga is her daily priority while checking in with both daughters and her four young grandchildren in Massachusetts. Green Mountain Performing Arts Board is a good match for Kathy’s love of children, performing arts, organizational skills, and experience.
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Amy SiegEl, Board Member, Community Outreach
ROBERT SIEGEL, BOARD MEMBER,
ADRIANNA BENSON, BOARD MEMBER
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Adrianna is an administrative professional with experience in non-profit mental health, education and the arts. Adrianna values collaboration, creativity, communication and commitment in building all relationships, both professional and personal.
We have been residents of the Waterbury community since 2001 and our daughter started in the Creative Dance class with GMPA back in 2010 when it was still One Studio on Elm Street in downtown Waterbury. She came out dancing, singing and celebrating and quickly found her home with the students, teachers and staff at GMPA. From Creative Dance, our daughter moved into Ballet, Highland, Hip Hop, Modern, Jazz/Tap and Performance Troupe. From her exploration as a pre-schooler to assistant teaching as a high-schooler, our daughter has grown up with GMPA staff modeling and teaching skills not only in dance, but in how to lead, mentor, communicate, work as a team and build community. The relationships our daughter has developed as a GMPA student and dancer have shaped the human she is today and the skills learned in class will serve her for a lifetime. It is an honor to have the opportunity to support the students, teachers and staff at GMPA as a board member serving our very creative Central Vermont community. |
SCOTT BENSON, BOARD MEMBER
AMY CHOREY, BOARD MEMBER
GMPA is looking for new board members!
Interested applicants should get in touch! [email protected]
Board members provide leadership, funding support, connections and skills. They represent the interests of their community and exercise accountability. GMPA Board members are passionate and invested in the mission of Green Mountain Performing Arts. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about GMPA's mission and who has a track record of board leadership or community involvement. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector.
Interested applicants should get in touch! [email protected]
Board members provide leadership, funding support, connections and skills. They represent the interests of their community and exercise accountability. GMPA Board members are passionate and invested in the mission of Green Mountain Performing Arts. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about GMPA's mission and who has a track record of board leadership or community involvement. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector.
