Sara Cramer, Director and Owner

Ballet, Pointe, and Student Development Program

Sara began dancing at the age of 5 and studied classical ballet with Doreen Gilday for over 10 years. [Miss Gilday studied under such renown masters as Mikael Mordkin, Michel Fokine]. She also studied with Barbara Remington (NYC Ballet), Robert Joffrey (Joffrey Ballet), and Pacific Northwest Ballet, among others.

Sara has been teaching on Bainbridge since 1989, previously teaching with Princeton Ballet, Belle Mead Ballet, and River Ballet Company.  She has performed and stages numerous productions such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and various versions of The Nutcracker.

Sara is approaching the 20 year anniversary of running BB Dance, and her mission has stayed the same from the beginning. Sara believes in offering a technically precise ballet education to any person who wishes to learn.

Nicole St Laurent, Social Media & Marketing

Tap, Ballet, Contemporary, Pre-levels & Adult Classes

Nicole St. Laurent is a professional dancer and teacher born and raised in New England. In 2022-23, she was under contract with Mystic Ballet, a contemporary ballet company redefining the textbook definition of traditional technique in Mystic, CT. Nicole received her Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and performance studies at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI in the spring of 2022. Under the direction of Cathy Nicoli, Nicole also received a double minor in videography and film, combining her interests, and diving into the world of screendance. Nicole began her dance journey at the age of 3 at Susan Winter’s Dance School in Raynham, MA. She then studied at The GOLD School under the direction of Rennie Gold, where she was a member of the Project Moves Dance Company, a non-profit, pre-professional contemporary company focusing on social justice. Between her time with Project Moves and the Roger Williams Dance Theatre, Nicole has had the opportunity to work with and perform works with a multitude of talented artists, including Tyce Diorio, Teddy Forance, Sean Curran, and Christina Robson. No matter the age, Nicole guides her dancers through imagination, aiming to develop their love for the art of movement.

Hailey Bender

Hip Hop, Musical Theater

As long as I can remember, I’ve been a dancer. Even before my first ballet and tap combo class at 6, I seemed to want to dance through every corner of life. This path has led me through jazz, contemporary, modern, hiphop, musical theatre, and everything else the dance world has to offer. I’ve learned from many different instructors and have pulled my inspirations from various different schools—from studies and performances with local studios to masterclasses with Joffrey, the Royal Ballet, ICDH, and more. I love not only the art of dance itself, but also the beauty and creation of choreography and teaching. This passion of teaching also led me to become a yoga instructor. I’m so excited to be joining this studio and am looking forward to sharing my love of dance!

Oksana Sherbina, Stage Manager

Jazz, Lyrical, Ballet

Oksana grew up on Bainbridge Island. She began her dance studies Bainbridge Ballet. She performed in Nutcracker, highlighting in roles from party guest to Sugarplum.

Dance team was also a big part of Oksana’s journey; she performed group and solo pieces in ballet, lyrical, jazz & contemporary. Attending summer programs from Summer Dance Lab in Walla Walla to Joffrey Summer Dance Intensive in New York became a regular part of her arts education. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2020 with a BFA in Dance. Her paper on Michel Fokine was voted best paper in the dance department!

Oksana expresses her voice through the movements she makes, and encourages her students to do the same.

Stephanie Christopherson

Acro Dance