Instructors

Jessica Hamblen-Klepper
Artistic Director, Instructor for Levels 4, 5, 6, and Modern

Ms Hamblen-Klepper began her classical training at the Atlanta School of Ballet, under the direction of Robert Barnett and Andrea Pell. In addition to Mr. Barnett and Ms. Pell, her teachers there included Maniya Barredo, Gaynor Grange, Stanislav Issaev and modern technique with Carl Ratcliffe and Alex Pelham. While in Atlanta she performed in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker and David Lichine's Graduation Ball. In 2000, Ms. Hamblen-Klepper received her BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA. There her primary influencing teachers included Kitty Daniels, Pat Hon, Wade Madsen, Magali Messac, Terry Sparks, Llory Wilson, and Deborah Wolf. Since 2002, she has taught ballet and modern dance at the Maple Valley School of Ballet and Marysville Performing Arts Center. Ms. Hamblen-Klepper's works have been performed by Olympic Ballet Theater, Atlanta School of Ballet summer workshop, Maple Valley Ballet, and Chimera Dance Theater. In 2005 she became the Artistic Director of the Maple Valley School of Ballet.

Lauren Kirchner
Instructor for Creative Ballet, PreBallet, and Levels 1 & 2

Lauren Kirchner began her dance education at the Center for Dance, a local studio in Issaquah/Preston where she trained in ballet, jazz, and musical theatre. At Connecticut College, she minored in dance and received her BA in Sociology-based human relations in 2009. While at Connecticut College she studied moder dance and ballet, was an active member of the dance club, and captained the school dance team, studying with artists such as David Dorfman, Heidi Henderson, Robyne Watkin, Lisa Race and JT Jenkins. Lauren aslo spent a semester abroad in Sydney, Australia studying dance and sociology at the University of New South Wales, working with Australian choreographer Sue Healy. She has worked since 2008 as an intern and instructor for Pacific Northwest Ballet's Outreach and Education programs. Lauren joined the Maple Valley SChool of Ballet in 2009.

Rochelle Rapaszky
Instructor for Creative Ballet, PreBallet, Dance for Home School Students and Level 4

Rochelle Rapaszky, born in Fallbrook, CA, began her dance training atthe age of seven. The most prominent school in her pre-college experience was Ballet Society of North Country, under the tutelage of Jacqueline Hepner-Thurston. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 2007, and thoroughly enjoys the fine arts of choreographing, teaching, performing and making dance accessible to the community. Rochelle holds awards from San Diego Dance Alliance, as well as Cornish College of the Arts. She has attended teacher training workshops with prominent education foundations, such as VSA Arts Institute and Creative Dance Center of Washington. Rochelle joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as Outreach Intern in 2006, and was hired as Outreach Teaching Artist and Marketing Assistant in 2007. Rochelle joined the Maple Valley School of Ballet in 2007.