Lafayette Ballet Faculty

Director, SANDRA PETICOLAS is the creative and driving force to the existence of Lafayette Ballet. The care and vision to cultivate a pre-professional school and performing company has been her priority since moving to Lafayette in 1986. Ms. Peticolas grew up in NJ within the scope of the New York professional dance scene, and its demands for dedication and excellence. She studied at American Ballet Theatre School in NYC under such legendary teachers as Valentina Pereyaslavic and Patricia Wilde. She received a BA in Dance with Highest Honors from Butler University in 1976 and was privileged to work under the Renaissance talents of George Verdak. Mr. Verdak's traditional values in choreography, theatre and presentation, and his rich heritage from the Ballets Russes shaped her esthetics of production.

Ms. Peticolas danced professionally with Chicago Lyric Opera, American Dance Ensemble, Pittsburgh, and Virginia Ballet. She continued her studies in Pittsburgh with Mary Petrov and Kenneth Johnson, and in Philadelphia with Pennsylvania Ballet. She began teaching at Point Park College in Pittsburgh in 1977 in the Pre-Professional and College divisions. Blessed with a serious group of young students who came daily, she was able to hone her teaching skills in an ideal environment. She also was able to embark on her true love of choreography. From 1980-1986 she taught and choreographed for Virginia Ballet School and Company under the outstanding direction of Oleg Tupine and Tania Rousseau. In 1988, two years after relocating to Lafayette, she opened the school, and in 1989, formed Lafayette Ballet Company as an outlet for the growing talents of the dancers here.

Ms. Peticolas has continued her fascination with the teaching components such as the Vaganova Method at seminars with Jurgen Schneider, and with dynamic muscular control and healthy training methods at seminars by the National Ballet School in Canada. In spring 2009 Ms. Peticolas guest taught at Studio Harmonic in Paris, France. Her opportunities to experience inspiring performances in Europe have enriched her perspecitive, and interest in other cultures, music, art and history color her thematic choices for choreography and the education of her young dancers. Despite the regional isolation of a midwest university town, Ms. Peticolas urges her dancers in outreach opportunities with summer study, masterclasses, performance trips and an awareness of the big picture, so that their respect for their own efforts, and their awe at the incredible level of the professional dance field are equally balanced and nourished.

Ballet Mistress, LISA (HENDRICKSON) DOUGLAS received her training at the Lafayette Ballet School beginning at age 4 in its first year of classes - 1988. She has extensive training from Nutmeg Ballet School, The Rock School, Pennsylvania, and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. A long-time favorite of LBC audiences, Ms. Hendrickson has had principal roles in the Nutcracker, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Midsummer Night's Dream, Twelve Dancing Princesses, Air, Earth, Water, Fire, Paquita, Don Quoxote, and Raymonda, Danzas Antiguas, and Farewell.

Mrs. Douglas has been on the faculty of Lafayette Ballet School since 2005. She taught at Jefferson High School as artist in residence. Mrs. Douglas has been a competition ballroom finalist, and has choreographed for several theatrical productions: The King and I, Footloose the Musical, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and for various dance competitions. She holds an Associates degree from Ivy Tech Community College in Computer Design and a BS in Business and Computer from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Mrs. Douglas serves as Ballet Mistress with Lafayette Ballet Company. Her eye for the details of the classical repertory have allowed her to set numerous classical repertory pieces and to coach the students as to style and content. Ms Douglas has been instrumental in keeping the school afloat through our COVID isolation year. She is gifted at setting classical ballets and variations from video and experience and in encouraging the students to step up to the hallowed traditions of the art form.

NICOLE BROOKS, Guest Ballet Teacher and Contemporary Dance: A native of Lafayette, Ms. Brooks began her ballet training at Lafayette Ballet School. As a member of Lafayette Ballet Company she performed soloist and lead roles in The Nutcracker, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She attended the Universal Ballet Academy’s summer program in Washington, D.C., at age 15. She began teaching ballet at Lafayette Ballet School while in high school.

Ms. Brooks continued her dance training at Butler University in Indianapolis, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in dance pedagogy. While a college student she performed with Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre. She taught ballet, modern dance and dance history and choreographed new works as assistant director of the dance department at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas, and taught ballet and choreographed at studios outside Seattle, Wa. She later performed with and choreographed modern dance works as a member of Windfall Dancers in Bloomington, Ind.

Ms. Brooks earned a master’s degree in Journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington, and has worked in communications at newspapers in Indiana and Illinois as well as at two universities.
She returned to her hometown in summer 2014 and lives with her husband and daughter, Eleanor, not far from downtown Lafayette.

Several advanced academic degrees later, dance continues to be a love in Nicole's life. She will be teaching some workshop classes and continuing to engage the dancers in exploration of movement, expression and LIFE.

DR. LAURA MOFFAT is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Purdue University School of Nursing. Nursing is a second career for Mrs. Moffat, who spent most of her early life dancing and teaching classical ballet.

She performed with several local Indianapolis companies before making the transition to nursing. Her final performance as a guest artist with Ballet Internationale in "The Sleeping Beauty," under the tutelage of Prima Ballerina Irina Kolpakova, marked the culmination of her remarkable dancing career.

Grounded in the Vaganova syllabus, Mrs. Moffat's dedication to ballet extended beyond the stage, where she found teaching classical ballet to be her true calling. Her profound understanding of technique and performance has been shared with aspiring dancers at various Academies and Universities across Indiana, including Butler University, Indiana University, Claire R Noyes Academy of Ballet Internationale, Fort Wayne Ballet, and New American Youth Ballet/Project Ballet.

Today, Mrs. Moffat inspires and empowers future generations of ballet dancers as the Faculty Advisor for the Purdue Ballet Club, and she is thrilled to be working with the talented students at Lafayette Ballet.

JENNIFER (HINTZ) HAUSDORFER began her ballet training at Lafayette Ballet School, where she developed a strong classical foundation. She furthered her studies during summer intensives with Ballet Internationale, The Rock School for Dance Education, and American Ballet Theatre, where she had the opportunity to study with legendary artists including Irina Kolpakova, Amanda McKerrow, and Susan Jaffe.

Jennifer went on to attend Herron School of Art and Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography while continuing to perform with the Lafayette Ballet Company.

After relocating to the Washington, D.C. area, Jennifer became an active member of the local dance community. She performed with Moveius Contemporary Ballet and Metropolitan Ballet Ensemble, where she had the opportunity to work with distinguished choreographers including Emery LeCrone, Christopher L. Huggins, and Constantine Baecher, among others. Throughout her performing career, Jennifer has danced numerous featured roles, including Dew Drop Fairy and Spanish in The Nutcracker, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, a Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Nikiya in La Bayadère, and The Dying Swan. Jennifer has been teaching and coaching dancers of all ages for the past 16 years. She began her teaching career at Lafayette Ballet School and later taught at Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, D.C. before joining Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy.

For the past 12 years, Jennifer has served as a faculty member and Costume Director at Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy. Over the last three years, she has also held the position of Assistant Artistic Director, where she has helped stage a wide variety of classical and contemporary ballets and has choreographed original works for the school. Jennifer is passionate about nurturing young dancers and helping each student develop strong technique, artistry, and a lifelong love of dance.

LINOR LYANDA-GELLER has danced with Lafayette Ballet since 2015. She has an intelligence and instict for drama, music and interactions that has made her a leading dancer in character pieces and the depiction of strong personalities. She has danced Trepak in Nutcracker, Chirchanka, the Sorceress in the Ice Queen, and many many group pieces where her leadership has united the corps de ballet dancers in their focus. It is a pleasure to introduce her now as a leader for the young dancers who have yet to realize the scope of the ballet challenge. She will teach Introduction to Ballet and she will lead them with determination, knowledge and a passionate love for dance.

  CATHERINE (LEWIS) SHUKLE has a long history of training, performing, and then teaching with Lafayette Ballet. Having been Alice in Alice in Wonderland, Tiger Lily in Peter Pan, plus multiple characters in Nutcracker for many years, she is well versed in using her imagination to create a landscape of wonder. Who better to introduce the magic of dance to 4 and 5 year olds? Currently Catherine serves as a facutly catayst to those imaginive braincells at Purdue University in the Department of English, as the Creative Writing Director and a Lecturer in English. She has willingly stepped up to open a new class of Dance Discovery to these young dancers. We are delighted to welcome her energies, her experience and her love of dance to this new offering for the Fall of 2026.