Academy Director
Hailee Mitchell
Academy Director
Academy Front Desk
Lindsay Weger
Michael Nickerson-Rossi
Bio
Michael Nickerson-Rossi is an internationally recognized choreographer, educator, arts advocate, and the Founder and Artistic Director of Nickerson-Rossi Dance. His artistic journey began through personal loss, discovering healing, purpose, and self-expression through movement after the death of both parents at a young age. Originally pursuing a degree in film, a university assignment documenting a dance performance ignited a passion that would ultimately define his life's work.
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Since founding Nickerson-Rossi Dance in 2011, Michael has established himself as a visionary leader in contemporary dance, creating original works that have been presented throughout the United States and internationally. His choreography is recognized for its theatricality, emotional depth, and commitment to storytelling, often exploring themes of identity, resilience, human connection, and social awareness.
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Beyond the stage, Michael has dedicated his career to expanding access to dance through education and community engagement. He developed uNdeRstanD, an outreach initiative serving marginalized and underserved communities, and has created educational residencies, workshops, and mentorship opportunities for students ranging from elementary school through the university level.
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Michael is also the founder of several landmark arts initiatives, including the Palm Springs International Dance Festival, the Academy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance, and Nickerson-Rossi's Dance House, the Coachella Valley's only dedicated dance theatre. Through these programs, he has created pathways for emerging artists while helping establish the region as a growing center for dance education and performance.
Today, Michael continues to lead Nickerson-Rossi Dance as Artistic Director, guiding the organization's artistic vision while mentoring the next generation of dancers, choreographers, and arts leaders. His work reflects a lifelong belief that the arts have the power to transform lives, strengthen communities, and turn personal adversity into meaningful creative expression.
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Chad Allen Ortiz
Bio
Chad Allen Ortiz is a dance artist, educator, arts administrator, and creative leader whose work bridges performance, education, and community engagement. Originally from Temecula, California, Chad began his training under the mentorship of his brother, George Ortiz Jr., before advancing into a professional career in concert dance.
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Chad joined Nickerson-Rossi Dance as an apprentice and has since grown into a central leadership role within the organization, serving as both Executive Director and Principal Dancer of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. In this capacity, he oversees organizational strategy, educational initiatives, fundraising efforts, community partnerships, and artistic programming while continuing to perform nationally and internationally.
As an educator and administrator, Chad leads a variety of programs through the Academy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance, the official school of NRD, and has played an integral role in the development of festivals, residencies, and educational outreach programs serving students of all ages. His teaching and residency work have brought him to dance institutions, school districts, universities, museums, and cultural organizations throughout the United States.
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As a performer, Chad has spent more than a decade performing the repertory of Nickerson-Rossi Dance. His career has included appearances at distinguished venues and festivals, including the Royal Theatre of Turin, Italy, New York Live Arts, Cape Cod Dance Festival, Los Angeles Dance Festival, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the American College Dance Association. Through these engagements, he has collaborated with artists, educators, and organizations dedicated to advancing contemporary dance and arts education.
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In addition to his work in dance, Chad is represented by MINT MODELS NYC and continues to pursue creative projects across the performing arts, fashion, media, and arts advocacy sectors. His work is driven by a commitment to expanding access to the arts, cultivating the next generation of artists, and strengthening the role of dance within communities.
Ellen Rosa-Taylor
Bio
Ellen Rosa-Taylor is currently the Chair of the Dance Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy. Originally from Wilmington, DE, Ms. Rosa-Taylor studied with James Jamieson and Victor Wesley of the Academy of Dance. She received her Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in Kinesiology from Indiana University, Bloomington. While there, Miss Rosa trained with Patricia McBride, former principal ballerina of the New York City Ballet, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, former principal dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet and New York City Ballet, and Jacque Cesbron, former dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet. Ms. Rosa-Taylor received her MFA. in Dance from Florida State University where she was the recipient of a Deans Teaching Fellowship for the School of Visual Arts and Dance as well as a University Fellowship. Ms. Rosa-Taylor also received additional training at Pennsylvania Ballet and Boston Ballet summer programs where she was on scholarship.
Ellen has performed as a ballerina with the Los Angeles Opera, as a solo dancer with the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and has performed as a dancer with the San Diego Opera. As a concert dancer, Ms. Rosa-Taylor has performed with the City Ballet of Los Angeles, La Danserie, Louise Reichlin and Dancers, Charleston Ballet Theater, the Russian Ballet Theater of Delaware, and Chattanooga Ballet, where she also served on the board of directors of the Tennessee Association of Dance. Ms. Rosa-Taylor was also featured as the Bluebird in Disney’s Snow White, an Enchanting Musical at Disneyland.
As a choreographer, Mrs. Rosa-Taylor was selected to create the piece Weavings for the Contemporary Music Symposium in Chattanooga, TN. She was also a finalist in the Dance Under the Stars festival in Palm Desert, CA, and was invited to perform Last Dance in the Arabesque Dance festival held in Wilmington, DE. Ms. Rosa-Taylor was commissioned by Media City Ballet to choreograph the education show, The Four Musicians and she was one of 3 choreographers to present her work for the City Ballet of Los Angeles’ performance at the Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles. Lewis Segal of the LA Times has called her style… “a unique jazz ballet style.”
As a dance educator, Ms. Rosa-Taylor is currently an American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum Certified Teacher for levels Pre-Primary to level 7, and has received the distinction of ABT NTC Fellow by successfully presenting her students for the ABT Ballet exams since 2010. Ellen teaches all ages and levels of ballet, pointe, variations, pas de deux, dance conditioning, yoga, and contemporary.
Hailee Mitchell
Bio
Hailee Mitchell is a dance artist, educator, and arts leader whose training spans both classical ballet and contemporary dance. A Southern California native, she has studied with and received advanced training opportunities from nationally recognized institutions, including the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, San Diego Ballet, and Backhaus Dance.
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Hailee joined the Nickerson-Rossi Dance apprenticeship program before advancing to become a company dancer with Nickerson-Rossi Dance. Her performance and teaching career have taken her to universities, museums, and cultural institutions throughout California and beyond. Notable engagements include residencies and performances at Stockton University, the California Association of Museums in San Francisco, the American College Dance Association at Modesto Junior College, and Sunnylands Center & Gardens at the Annenberg Estate. She has also performed repertoire by acclaimed choreographers, including work by Dante Puleio, Artistic Director of the Limón Dance Company, and appeared in the Ace Harper Fashion Week El Paseo production featured in Vogue Portugal.
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Today, Hailee serves as Director of the Academy of Nickerson-Rossi Dance, where she oversees the Academy's educational programming, student development initiatives, and community engagement efforts. In addition to her leadership role, she continues to perform as a company member with Nickerson-Rossi Dance, bringing her experience as both an artist and educator to the next generation of dancers.
Timothy Long
Bio
Born in St Louis, and raised in Palm Springs, Timothy shows love and support to the Hip-Hop community out in the Coachella Valley! He has been breaking since late 2009, discovering a passion for Hip-Hop through his local Palm Springs High School dance team. He jumpstarted how to dance through "YouTube" and was self-taught throughout his dance career. Currently, you catch him almost every Thursday at Villagefest with his crew "Desert.Peeps.," street dance at its finest. He also entered battles out in L.A., Riverside, and San Diego. Mastering the element of "freestyle" in dance is the journey, with all the experiences, he wants to expand his knowledge to others, hoping that one day hip-hop can enrich the entire Coachella Valley in a different light.
Waltz B.
Bio
Walter Barrera is a Latin American choreographer currently based in Palm Springs. Born in Los Angeles, California, but raised partly in Mexico, Walter's Latin heritage has significantly influenced his artistic development. This cultural foundation has enabled him to expand his creative scope globally, teaching, choreographing, and directing stages worldwide. Walter's professional training commenced under the guidance of Director Charlene Carey at Ballet Beyond Borders, where he achieved several career highlights. He has danced and choreographed for prestigious cultural exchanges, including the Islamabad Art Festival 2018 in Pakistan, where he performed for the former President of Pakistan. In addition to his work as a dancer and choreographer, Walter has also stage-directed the company on international platforms, such as the World Expo in Dubai, where he proudly represented the USA, and the rendition of The Chinese Mermaid in China, where he collaborated closely with directors from the National Children's Theatre in Beijing. Furthermore, Walter assisted Director Lizt Alfonso and Charlene Carey in La Havana, Cuba, for BBB Havana 2024/2025. As a professional instructor and choreographer, Walter has worked extensively in Los Angeles but has also focused on international projects in countries including Italy, Vienna, Portugal, Panama, Thailand, Mexico, and many more. Walter aims to continue expanding his creative horizons and inspire new generations to achieve their goals.
Michael Roberts
Bio
Michael Roberts began his theater/production career in 1966 when he secured his first stage manager position with a summer seaside show called The Fol De Rols. In September of 1967 he moved to London and secured a position as a stage hand with the hit Broadway musical Sweet Charity starring Juliet Prowse. After a couple of months, he was promoted to third assistant stage manager. The following January he became Deputy stage manager for the London/Broadway show Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol. He stayed with Fiddler for the entire run, almost five years. Following Fiddler, he joined the already running hit revue Danny La Rue at the Palace Theater as deputy stage. This was followed by stage manager of the Broadway hit Steven Sondheim COMPANY starring Elaine Stritch and Larry Kert. After COMPANY he staged managed Small Craft Warnings starring Elaine Stritch at The Comedy Theater, Waltz of the Toreadors starring Trevor Howard, at the Haymarket Theater, a summer season at the Oxford Playhouse, Assistant floor manager at London Weekend Television, Stage and company manager for Dame Edith Evans and Friends for two seasons at the Haymarket Theater and Phoenix Theater, Stage manager for The Farm at the Mayfair Theater. His last project as a production stage manager was casting and pre-production for the Broadway hit Steven Sondheim A Little Night Music. In October he emigrated to USA and changed careers and became a world renowned dance accompanist and dance composer.