Meet The BDS Instructors

Buffa Hargett – (Owner, Director)
Buffa has a dance background that includes ten years in Europe and over forty years in the U.S. studying with Dothan Civic Ballet, Birmingham Civic Ballet and Ballet Russes in NYC.  Influential instructors have included Alexandra Danilova, David Howard and John White.  She has a B.S. from the University of Alabama where she was President and soloist with the University Dancers.  Advanced teaching work and certifications include in-depth studies, workshops and seminars in the Cecchetti, Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova methods of ballet.  For over forty years, she has directed the studio and managed a staff of twenty-five dedicated professionals.  She created the Burke Civic Ballet in 1993 with the goal of providing a community-based performing and educational outlet for students and adults.  Teaching and sharing the joy of dance is her central goal, and the goal she has set for the studio.  Her philosophy is that dance is for everyone; dance builds strong, flexible, disciplined bodies and minds, and enhances the total person — the creative, mental, emotional and social.  Through her guidance, everyone at the studio spreads the love of the profession and reflects sincere caring for the students.

Melissa Hargett – (Owner, Director)
Melissa graduated with honors from William & Mary with a BBA in Operations and Information Technology, a Minor in Dance and was President of Orchesis, the College Modern Dance Company where she was a soloist.  She choreographed for University productions and studied Modern, Ballet, Dance Composition and Dance History.  After graduating, Melissa was an Information Technology Specialist with IBM consulting with State Street Bank and Sallie Mae.  Dancing at Buffa’s since the age of three, she has been an assistant teacher, teacher and runs the Burke Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker, as well as schedules and coordinates the studio’s Competitions and Conventions with Dance Company, Diamonds, Crystals and Rhinestones year-long activities. In addition to teaching, work includes scheduling and coordinating over 125 classes per week and over 1800 students and developing and presenting shows throughout the year, especially the year end recitals.  Further education includes Vaganova ballet seminars, University of the Arts program in ballet, Dance Teacher Conferences and numerous yearly conventions and Nationals. She was awarded “Excellence in Dance Education” by Hollywood Vibe Dance Convention and her pieces have received top honors at competitions such as NRG, DMI, NYCDA, Jump, Nuvo and The Dance Awards.  Melissa feels so blessed to be able to continue Miss Buffa’s vision of a studio where all dancers are welcome – recreational or competitive – and that all who dance here know they have a dance home with those who love and support them no matter where their future takes them.    

Karlyn Ankrom –Karlyn was a member, choreographer and president of the Mozaic Hip Hop Dance Team at James Madison University performing at various venues in the area. She taught hip hop and jazz for three years in Harrisonburg, VA. During her time as a student at Buffa’s she was a member of the Dance Company, performed in various roles for the Burke Civic Ballet and was a teacher’s assistant absorbing all she could from her teachers on how to properly run a dance classroom, skills she still uses today in her own classes. Karlyn was also a member and captain of the Lake Braddock Dance Team. She’s so excited to celebrate another year in her second home since the age of three. She is thrilled to have the privilege of teaching at Buffa’s and sharing her love of the arts with tiny dancers all the way up to teens. When she’s not getting creative in the studio, she’s getting creative behind the computer running her own social media agency and having ultimate dance parties in her kitchen with her daughter and husband!

Liesl Rinke Balatsenko – Originally from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Liesl Rinke Balatsenko began her training at Lascu School of Ballet where she had the opportunity to study under numerous well know dancers and instructors. She continued training and performing at Orlando Ballet, later joining the professional company under the direction of the late famed, Fernando Bujones. She competed in The Paris International Ballet Competition and performed with Russian Ballet Orlando before joining Ballet Internationale in Indianapolis and working with world-renowned Irina Kolpakova and many other international ballet stars. With Ballet Internationale, she toured the United States and China. Moving to Virginia led to joining Manassas Ballet Theatre, where she performed principal roles and was later invited by Russian Ballet Orlando to tour South America, performing Cinderella. She has danced in all the major ballets, from Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle and Nutcracker, to A Thousand and One Nights and so many in between. She has taught in the Northern Virginia area for more than 15 years and is beyond blessed to be the mother of seven beautiful, crazy children.

Victoria Bartlett –Victoria is a Maryland native and a 2016 graduate of Goucher College in Baltimore, MD where she finished Magna Cum Laude with a BA in dance and a minor in psychology. Ms. Bartlett received the majority of her training at Glen Burnie, MD’s Edna Lee Dance Studio where she later taught ballet/pointe, jazz, contemporary/lyrical as well as choreographed for the school. She was invited as a guest artist by Howard County Ballet in 2013-2015 to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Ms. Bartlett spent the 2016-2017 with the Charlottesville Ballet where she danced several corps de ballet roles. In 2017 she joined Manassas Ballet Theatre where she has danced the lead role of Lucy in Dracula and many other wonderful roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty. Ms. Bartlett is very excited to be teaching at Buffa’s Dance Studio!

Jennifer Baxter –Jen’s love of dance started at age three when she was a student at Buffa’s Dance Studio. Her daughter started dancing at Buffa’s at the age of three as well and it was such a wonderful moment for Jen to experience and share with her. Buffa’s was such an important part of her growth and development as a young child and teen and she came back as an instructor to share those ideas, inspirations, ideals, discipline and self-awareness with other young dancers. Jen is currently a Communications Manager at Immanuel Christian School, where her two children, Aidan and Reagan, attend. She is also the Head Coach for the Immanuel Christian High School Dance Team. Jen received a Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communications from Emerson College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Psychology from Virginia Tech. She was a member of the Virginia Tech dance team, the High Techs, and was Co-Captain her senior year. She was also the Assistant Dance Team Coach at W.T. Woodson High School – where she was a member of both the Precisionettes dance team and varsity cheerleading squad. Jen is excited to be back at Buffa’s for another year!

Linda Boyle – Linda has been a part of Buffa’s Dance Studio as a student, assistant instructor and instructor since the studio opened in 1980. In addition, she has worked with the Burke Civic Ballet since its inception in 1993. She was the head coach for the Lake Braddock Varsity Dance Team for 15 years. During the day she works full time for an event management company. Linda is proud to have seen her three daughters grow up dancing at the studio and in the Burke Civic Ballet. She is very pleased to be teaching at Buffa’s and to continue passing on her love of the art to generations.

Emma Bradley – Emma grew up and trained at Buffa’s Dance Studio where she fell in love with dance and the power that movement has to transform lives – as it has hers, and for which she is truly grateful. Emma is going into her 13^thseason teaching and judging with NRG Dance Project on their 18 city US tour. She apprenticed with Conteur Dance Company in Toronto, Canada and has had the privilege of teaching and choreographing throughout the United States, Australia and Canada including NRG Australia’s 5 city tour of Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne. The past three years she has taught and judged at Australian Dance Festival in Sydney, Australia. Aside from dance, Emma is Fluid Yoga Certified and holds a Graphic and Digital Design Certification through The Parsons School. Emma was named by Dance Spirit Magazine as one of the top 15 competition dancers to watch, was a Cover Model Runner-Up and was featured in their “Flying Solo” article about her choreography. Her training includes American Ballet Theater, The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet 360, BodyTraffic and Sidra Bell Dance New York. Performance experience/work includes Conteur’s “Fill in the Blanks” at The Winchester Street Theater in Toronto; Industry in Sydney, Australia; Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet 360 and 180 Installations directed by Alexandra Damiani; Capezio 125th Anniversary Gala at City Center in NYC; Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles; Bright Lights Shining Stars Gala at Skirball Center in NYC. She is so excited to begin her seventh year on Faculty at BDS as the Director of Ensemble!

Moira Fagan – Moira started dancing at Buffa’s in 2003 and continued until graduating High School. During this time she was a member of their various competition groups including Dance Company and Ensemble. Moira also participated in the annual Burke Civic Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker for many years as well as joined the Lake Braddock Dance Team. She then went graduated with a Conservatory Degree in Dance Theatre from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Moira is so excited for this upcoming year and can’t wait to join the wonderful faculty in sharing her love of dance with everyone!

Laura Fong -Laura grew up in Pittsburgh, PA where she was part of a competitive dance company and also trained at Point Park University and Carnegie Performing Arts Center. In 2005, Laura was cast as the lead dancer in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s rendition of A Little Night Music. She received her BFA in Dance from George Mason University in 2008, where she performed in many works including those by modern dance choreographers Paul Taylor, Susan Marshall, Patrick Corbin, and Kate Skarpetowska. After graduating, Laura moved to New York City where she worked and trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Dance New Amsterdam and Broadway Dance Center. Since returning to Northern VA, she has performed locally with dance companies such as Dancevert and DancEthos. Laura has taught at Buffa’s Dance Studio since 2009, and her choreography has won top awards at national and regional competitions for choreography, high score, critics choice, high voltage and most entertaining, among others. Laura is inspired by the many talented dancers, teachers, and choreographers at Buffa’s! She is thankful to be a part of this wonderful studio and share her love of dance!

Hilary Tone Forslund—Originally from Los Angeles, Hilary has been dancing since the age of three and teaching since she was 19, from California to Arizona and now the DC area. She is a product of Retter’s Academy of Dance under the direction of Darryl Retter and Linda Bernabei-Retter, and was a member of the nationally-ranked Rhythm Machine Dance Company for six years. She has trained with such greats as Brian Friedman, Laurie Johnson, Gregg Russell, Marla Bingham, Suzy Miller, and Andy Blankenbuehler. She was also an assistant at Tremaine Dance Convention, NYCDA, and DanceMakers Inc., and Captain of the Santa Clara University Dance Team for two years. She has been a member of the Capitol Movement Dance Company in Washington, DC since 2013, and has toured with Capitol Movement to perform for US military overseas in Italy, Turkey, Djibouti, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Hilary feels incredibly fortunate to have been part of the Buffa’s dance family since 2012, and appreciates the opportunity to share her love of dance and its many life lessons with her students. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Spanish from Santa Clara University and a Masters of Public Diplomacy from USC. By day, Hilary is the Managing Director of Communications for an education foundation. She lives in Hyattsville, MD with her husband, two children, and rescue cat.

Karissa Grady – From the age of 5 years old, Karissa grew up dancing at Buffa’s and loved her time in Dance Company and Ensemble! Participating in the Burke Civic Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker was also her favorite time of the year. She is currently attending George Mason, pursuing a bachelor’s in special education and a minor in dance. Karissa has worked at the front desk of the studio since 2017, and began teaching in 2020. She is so grateful to be able to continue sharing her love for dance with her students!

Nikki Gambhir – Nikki currently dances with Culture Shock DC and Tappenstance, and formerly with Classical Repertory Dance Theatre. She is a former director of Hip Hop company DCypher Dance, and founding director of youth Hip Hop company Urban Impact. Nikki has performed with Cirque du Soleil, with the Broadway cast of Hairspray at the White House, and as a backup dancer for 80’s pop star Tiffany, the Flaming Lips, and Kicking Daisies. She has choreographed and performed for the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the White House Easter Egg Roll, and National Dance Day with Nigel Lythgoe. Nikki was a guest choreographer at Georgetown University and Oberlin College. Television appearances include BET’s 106 & Park and she was a featured dancer in the Bollywood movie, Ta Ra Rum Pum. Wilson High School’s musical which she choreographed, Hair, won a Cappie award for Best Musical. She was also a teacher at Albert Einstein High School in MD. Nikki is thrilled to teach at Buffa’s where she began dancing at the age of 3 and was later a Dance Company member and soloist with the BCB. She believes that the arts are essential to the community and hopes to nurture the artist in everyone.

Jamee Lyons —Jamee grew up dancing at Buffa’s. After graduating from Robinson Secondary, she attended East Carolina University where she majored in Music Education and Music Therapy.  After college, Jamee moved back to Burke and taught Music at Cherry Run ES. After several years she pursued Master’s in Counseling, and is currently in her 19th year as a school counselor. Jamee is so excited to be back at Buffa’s as a teacher, to share her love of children, music, and dance!

Lisa Mitchell —Lisa’s background includes dance at Buffa’s since she was 3 years old and cheerleading at Robinson High School where she graduated in 1998. She holds a degree from Radford University where she majored in English and minored in dance with a concentration in ballet, jazz and pointe. Further education includes an Elementary Education teaching license from George Mason University in 2002. She has taught for many years in the Prince William County School System as well as with Flint Hill. Lisa underwent an in-depth training program with Buffa and has been teaching classes at Buffa’s for over a decade.

Katie Storch – Katie graduated from George Mason University in the Spring of 2014 with a degree in Tourism and Events Management and a minor in Psychology. While at Mason she was a member of the Masonettes, the George Mason Dance Team, which ranked Top 3 in the nation all four years that she was with them. She started dancing at Buffa’s when she was 4 years old and has found it hard to leave ever since. She is ecstatic to be able to now teach her own students at the studio she has called home for so many years and continue to spread her love for the arts and dance! Her daughters, Ellie and Lucy, have become students at Buffa’s which has been the most special, full-circle moment. Their baby sister Ruby can’t wait to join her sisters too one day!

Bryana Trupo — Bryana began dancing at the age of 3 in her home state of New York. She continued her study of dance into college where she was a member of the SUNY Geneseo Dance Ensemble and Geneseo Knightline Dance Team, ballet intensive programs, and received in-depth tap training with SUNY Brockport director of dance, Santo Giglio. She taught classes at local dance studios for five years during this time, where she learned to incorporate creative movement, ballet, tap and jazz into children’s classes to foster an early love of the arts, which remains one of her passions! Bryana has a degree in Childhood and Special Education, taught in Fairfax County Public Schools and currently teaches Preschool. Bryana shares the love of dance with her daughter, Chloe, who is a student at BDS.

Brienne Tyler – Brienne started dancing at Buffa’s when she was 5 years old. In high school, she was a member of Buffa’s Dance Company and captain for the Lake Braddock Golden Girls. During her time at UVA, Brienne continued dancing as a member of the Virginia Dance Company and as the lead instructor for the University Salsa Club. Brienne developed her love of teaching while choreographing and teaching dance lessons at UVA. Brienne graduated from UVA with a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science in 2021. She enjoys social dancing Salsa and Bachata, practicing vinyasa yoga and teaching Yoga Sculpt at Corepower Yoga in her free time. She is so excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing her love of dance with students at Buffa’s!

Kathleen Wiggins – Kathleen began dancing at Buffa’s when she was 5 and has loved being part of the Burke Civic Ballet and Dance Company. Now stepping into her 16th year at Buffa’s, she cannot wait to start teaching the next generation of dancers! During the day she is a student at NVCC and is studying Acting and Arts Management with a minor in Dance.