Intensive Schedule

Week 1: July 7-11, 2025

9:45-10am Drop Off

10-11:30am Ballet

11:30-1pm Jazz

1-1:45pm Lunch Break

1:45-2:45pm Choreography

2:45-3:45pm Hip Hop

3:45-4pm Break

4-5pm Composition

KYE 2025-26 Season Audition

Sunday, July 20th from 2-4pm

Melissa Rector, Assistant Artistic Director

After studying at the North Carolina School of the Arts and Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Melissa obtained her Certificate of Dance from The University of the Arts in 1993. Following graduation, she obtained a scholarship to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. Melissa has been dancing with Koresh Dance Company since its inception in 1991 and is the company’s Assistant Artistic Director. At the Koresh School of Dance she teaches her unique style that blends Modern Jazz and Luigi technique. Additionally, Melissa is the Artistic Director and Choreographer for the Koresh Youth Ensemble. Her work has been performed locally at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Philadelphia Youth Dance Festival, Annenberg Center, Drexel University’s Mandell Theater, PeriDance Capezio Center in New York City, among other places. She frequently travels around the country to perform, teach master classes, and set choreography on students.

Eva Szabo

Eva was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. She was accepted into the Hungarian National Ballet Institute in 1970, graduating with honors as part of the genesis of the Gyori Ballet. Retiring from the Gyori Ballet in 1988, she took her teaching diploma and her family to Philadelphia. She is currently teaching ballet at the Rock School for Dance Education and Koresh School of Dance. You can view Eva’s profile in the Marquis Who’s Who in America book, 2010.

Ryan Tuerk

Ryan earned his MFA in contemporary choreography and classical pedagogy from Temple University (2016) and his BFA in jazz/theatre dance from the University of the Arts (2005) in Philadelphia.  He has held faculty appointments at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, Temple University’s Musical Theatre Department, Montgomery County Community College’s Dance Department, Rowan University’s Department of Theatre and Dance, The Ngoma School’s summer danceLab, and Circadium College for Circus Arts. In addition, Ryan has been a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland for ACDA discussing topics such as Jazz studies and Queerness/representation in dance. He tours the United States as a Director and dance Adjudicator for Starbound National Talent Competition. Highlights from Ryan’s classical repertoire include performances of Grand Pas Classique, The Flower Festival of Genzzano, and excerpts from Raymonda and Giselle. Ryan specializes in the Vaganova method of classical pedagogy, Jazz and modern techniques, and Contemporary choreography.

Tori Vincent

Tori Vincent is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana currently residing in Philadelphia. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Louisiana in 2018, while working professionally with various artists throughout Lafayette. Her work with the Atlanta, Georgia dance community includes projects and performances with Zoetic Dance Ensemble and Fly on a Wall, as well as traveling to Italy in 2018 to attend the Staibdance Summer Intensive and directing NACHMO (National Choreography Month) Atlanta 2020. She is currently dancing with AMMDC (Anne-Marie Mulgrew and Dancers Co) and Melissa Rector of Koresh Dance Company. Tori is also instructing Pilates, completing a RYT-200 yoga teacher training, recently co-found GRATon40 Art Collective, and exploring new personal compositions. Her most recent work, InOutWard, was showcased in the 51st Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers’ InHale Performance Series in Philadelphia and the unKEMpT Dance Festival in NYC. Influences on her personal work involve the roles we play in our individual and societal health, alongside behaviors created by our milieu.