Artistic Staff & Guest Faculty
Artistic Staff
Suzann Delay
Artistic Director
suzannd@cidedance.org
Suzann Siler DeLay received her early dance training in California with Deane and Barbara Crockett, founders of The Sacramento Ballet. She went on to dance a variety of contemporary and classical roles while a member of The Sacramento Ballet. She also had a brief career with Pacific Northwest Ballet until injury forced her to retire. She has been fortunate to study with some of the master teachers of our time such as Violette Verdy, Robert Barnett, Robert Joffrey and Janet Reed just to name a few. Mrs. DeLay has appeared in several musicals including Princess an the Pea and Lil' Abner. She has also appeared in several PBS specials in the California area.
Mrs. DeLay has taught, choreographed and performed throughout the United Sates, including the official School for Sacramento Ballet and occasionally teaches for the Contemporary Dance Department at Indiana University. She brings with her a vast knowledge of classical ballet and has taught Ballet, Pointe, Variations and Pas de Deux to students six through adult. She specializes in a creative dance program for children ages two and a half through six. She has been recognized with numerous awards for choreography works in ballet and lyrical. She has been honored by being on the cover of the December 2008 issue of Indianapolis Woman magazine and attended the National Teachers Weekend at the School of American Ballet in 2010. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of Regional Dance America.
Trained in Cecchetti and Russian techniques, she was a student of the Crockett's for many years and is dedicated to carrying on their teachings.
Mrs. DeLay is the founding director of the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble celebrating their 12th season.
Michael Casey Clark
Assistant to the Director
Michael Casey Clark is originally from Fishers, Indiana, Casey started dancing at the age of 19. He attended Ball State University graduating with a BS in Dance Performance with a minor in Theatre. While at Ball State, he was encouraged to attend dance classes and audition for the Ball State Performing Dance Company where he was accepted as an Apprentice. A year later he became a company member. While studying at Ball State, he also performed with the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre, directed by Lou Ann Young. He received many scholarships and was the first to receive the Lynette Jordan Schisla Scholarship.
At Ball State, Casey developed his choreography skills. He was one of several students to have their works adjudicated and performed at the American College Dance Festival, representing Ball State. Casey also choreographed many musicals at Ball State. “Dancing at Laughnasa” was adjudicated and presented at the American College Theatre Festival. He was also voted Best Student Choreographer.
Casey has studied and worked with many outstanding choreographers and master teachers including Gail Gilbert (David Parsons Dance Company), Franciose Martinett (Joffrey Ballet), Sylvia Waters (Alvin Ailey), Trinette Singleton (Joffrey Ballet), Luigi and Twyla Tharp, just to name a few.
Summer of 2003, Casey was accepted to the Glenda Brown Choreography Project in Austin, Texas, where he worked with Margo Sappington. Casey attended this project as a choreographer where he was inspired to create eight dances in thirteen days.
Casey is very excited to be expanding his teaching and choreography responsibilities at Central Indiana Academy of Dance. Casey would like to thank Suzann DeLay for her insight and astute knowledge she has shared with him.
Ashley Jones
Youth Ensemble Director
Ashley Jones began her formal ballet training at the age of 10 with her mother, Suzann DeLay and was a founding member of the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She diversified her training and competed in many local and national dance competitions in jazz, tap, lyrical and modern and was recognized with countless regional and national awards. Prior to her senior year she was selected to study at Butler University in their Gifted and Talented Dance Program. Ashley graduated from Carmel High School in 2005 with an academic honors diploma.
Ashley attended the University of Utah as a ballet major, and in her sophomore year she transfer to Indiana University to study in the Contemporary Dance Program. While at IU she danced with The Ben Munisteri Dance Company of New York City, Connie Denapoli from Paul Taylor Dance Company and The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange of Washington D. C. In addition to performing she was a featured choreography in IU’s “Hammer and Nail 2008”. She has choreographed for the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble and in 2008 it was recognized at the Regional Dance America - MidStates Festival. In the spring of 2008 Ashley was awarded the Jane Fox Dance Scholarship from the Kinesiology Department at Indiana University. Ashley has taught in many local studios, Indiana University’s Pre-College Dance Program, and was an assistant teacher for the freshman dance major’s modern class. Ashley graduated in 2009 from Indiana University with a B. S. Dance Performance.
Jessi Gomillion
Apprentice Company Director
Jessi Gomillion graduated Cum Laude from Butler University as a Dance Performance major in 2003 and moved to Jackson, Mississsippi to be part of the trainee program at Ballet Magnificat! a faith based professional ballet company. She completed two years of the trainee program, functioning as trainee captain for one year.
She spent one year as Adjunct Instructor of Dance in Belhaven College's Dance Department before returning to her native Indiana. She has been a guest teacher at Ballet Magnificat, Tupelo Fine Arts Workshop, White River Ballet Company, Central Indiana Dance Ensemble, and Regional Dance America's Mid-States Festival. She has studied with Laura Alonzo, Bo and Stephanie Spassoff, Christopher Fleming, Gao Ping, Sol Nazario, Kathy Thibodeaux, Nan Giordano, Donald Byrd, and Finis Jung. Mrs. Gomillion has danced lead roles in The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Konservatoriate, Petrushka, Night Dances, Short and Suite, Unveiled Hope, Deliver Us, and Weeping. Her choreography has appeared in The Boze Lyric Theatre's production of Merry Wives of Windsor, Spring Into Dance, and at the Penrod Arts Fair.
Guest Faculty
- Oleg Gorboulev
- Svetlana Kravtova
- Vadium Pijicov
- Judy Rice
- Richard Rein
- Price Suddarth
- Mara Vinson
- Tong Wang
Guest Choreographers
- Joe Istre
- Eddie Moffat
- Richard Rein
- Ashley Sass
- Price Suddarth
- Tong Wang