Faculty
Faculty Bios
Brittany Kaiser, Artistic Director
Advanced Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Tap
Brittany Kaiser began her dance training at the age of five at Central Delaware Dance Academy, taught by Dan Kaiser, Diane Drulis, and Victoria Voshell. She continued to study there throughout high school as a member of Delaware Ballet, performing numerous roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette in Swan Lake Act II, and in various original and contemporary works. She spent three summers at the school of Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, PA. There, she took class from many renowned teachers such as Darla Hoover, Patricia Sorrell, Laszlo Berdo, and Leslie Hench. Following high school, Brittany was accepted into the trainee program with North Carolina Dance Theatre, now Charlotte Ballet, under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. She had the pleasure of dancing roles in Balanchine’s Serenade and Raymonda Variations, as well as original works by Mark Diamond and Heather Ferranti-Ferguson. The following year, Brittany moved to Annapolis, MD where she was apprenticing with Ballet Theater of Maryland. During that year she was forced to resign due to a serious foot injury. Ms. Kaiser is in her twelfth year as Owner and Director of The School of Delaware Ballet and as Artistic Director of Delaware Ballet. She is on the Board of Directors for Regional Dance America and has had three of her ballets selected to be performed at Regional Dance America Northeast’s annual festivals.
Jeffrey Gribler
Advanced Ballet
Jeffrey Gribler began dancing at age 7 in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. His 10 years of study at the Schwartz School of the Dance included six years of performing experience with the Dayton Ballet. In 1975, at the age of 17, he was offered an apprenticeship with Pennsylvania Ballet. He joined the Corps de Ballet in 1976 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1982.
Mr. Gribler has an extensive repertoire of both classical and modern works. He has danced leading roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine, including Prodigal Son, Bugaku, The Four Temperaments, Agon, Who Cares? and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His roles in contemporary works include Paul Taylor’s Arden Court and Company B, Merce Cunningham’s Arcade, William Forsythe’s Steptext and Love Songs, Kevin O’ Day’s Col Legno and Lar Lubovitch’s Concerto 622 and Waiting for the Sunrise. He has also danced leading roles in classical repertoire, such as Siegfried and Benno in Swan Lake, Albrecht in Giselle, Franz and Dr. Coppelius in Coppelia, a Stepsister in Cinderella, and Mercutio in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet.
Mr. Gribler was Ballet Master for Pennsylvania Ballet from 1986 to 2014. Among his responsibilities was the task of rehearsing the children who appear in the Company’s annual production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. He choreographed several works for Shut Up and Dance, the annual benefit for MANNA, and Cricket Dances, which was performed by Pennsylvania Ballet in October 1998. He has staged works by Lynne Taylor Corbett and Peter Martins around the United States and Europe. Mr. Gribler retired from the stage in June 2001, after 26 years of performing but continued performing character roles in ballets such as Coppelia (Dr. Coppelius), Swan Lake (Wolfgang), La Sylphide (Madge, the witch) and La Fille Mal Gardee ( Widow Simone).
Mr. Gribler’s involvement with RDA stems back to the original organization, known as the National Association for Regional Ballet. As a member of Dayton Ballet, he performed at six Festivals for the Northeast Region. He has served as the Adjudicator for the Northeast Region in 1990, 1993, 1997 (first National Festival), 2003, 2008 and 2015, the Southwest in 1995 and the Southeast in 2002. He has created 4 ballets on RDA companies. After 40 seasons with Pennsylvania Ballet, Mr. Gribler is now a freelance master teacher and occasional choreographer.
Noel Land
Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary, Jazz
Noel Land began dancing at four years old at Central Delaware Dance Academy under Daniel Kaiser. She continued training at The School of Delaware Ballet throughout high school under the direction of Brittany Kaiser. Noel performed roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Belle in Beauty and the Beast. After graduating, Mrs. Land went on to dance at the University of the Arts under the direction of Donna Faye Burchfield. There, she studied with Michael Sheridan, Amy Aldridge, Annie White, Martha Chamberlain, and more. After leaving UArts, she danced with the Long2 Dance Company of Philadelphia under Vanessa Long, performing throughout Philadelphia and New York City. She danced the lead role Mother Earth in Vanessa’s piece, Urban Tumbleweed, along with various roles in other original works. While dancing with Long2, she taught at local dance studios Living Arts Dance and Bowman School of Dance. In 2020, Noel returned to The School of Delaware Ballet as an instructor. She is now in her fifth year of teaching at The School, and her third year working with Delaware Ballet.
Emalie Lawson
Ballet, Modern
Emalie Lawson is a Delaware native and a School of the Delaware Ballet allum. Emalie was a student under the artistic direction of Daniel Kaiser and later Brittany Kaiser until she graduated in 2015. She also has completed a myriad of summer programs on the East Coast as well as participated in Regional Dance America with the Delaware Ballet. She then went on to complete a bachelors in fine arts in dance and a BA of Sport Studies at Randolph College in Virginia. She studied under Pam Rissenhoover, an esteemed former company member of Martha Graham. As well as many other visiting artists specializing in many variations of ballet, modern, jazz, hiphop, and dance composition. Emalie has had choreography in Randolph College Dance Departments fall and spring concerts throughout her years there. After her undergraduate career Emalie continued on to complete her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and now works at CORE Physical Therapy in Dover. A fun fact about Emalie is that she has participated in 15 Nutcrackers and has played all but 5 parts in the Nutcracker over those 15 years.
Nadia Brandes
Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, PBT
At age five, Nadia Brandes began her formal ballet training at Providence Creek Ballet Theater, under the guidance of Lydia Creasy. While with Providence Creek, Nadia had the opportunity to study at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet for multiple summer intensive workshops. Her education continued at Central Delaware Dance Academy, starting in 2011, where she studied under Dan Kaiser. Nadia continued at The School of Delaware Ballet for several years, learning from Brittany Kaiser, and joining the company in 2013. While with Delaware Ballet, Nadia had the opportunity to study with master teachers, including a summer with Pasha Kambalov of First State Ballet Theater. Nadia danced at several regional and national venues while with Delaware Ballet, culminating in her performing the part of Snow Queen in their 2016 production of The Nutcracker; a part she reprised in 2022, after a five year hiatus. Following this performance, Nadia joined the staff of The School of Delaware Ballet. She has since completed her certification in Progressing Ballet Technique, an innovative conditioning program focused on muscle training to enhance balletic movement. With this exclusive certification, Nadia is able to maximize dance performance at all levels.
Morgan Miller
Intermediate Ballet
Morgan Miller has trained at The School of Delaware Ballet for eleven years under the direction of Brittany Kaiser, and has also studied with Jeffrey Gribler, Daniel Kaiser, and Ryan Batchelor, among others. Morgan has been a company member with Delaware Ballet for 8 years, throughout which she has attended numerous dance festivals, master classes, and performed in original works by Jeffrey Gribler, Justin Allen, Victoria Silva, Kelly Bocchetti Millar, and Kaitlynd Valentini. Her first piece, “Trois Paires”, was selected and performed at the 2022 RDA/Northeast Festival, her second work, “Concerto for Six”, was selected and performed at the 2023 RDA/Northeast Festival, and in June of 2024 she attended the National Choreography Intensive on a full scholarship. Morgan’s most recent ballet, “Danseuse de Dvorak” was chosen to be performed at the 2025 RDA/Northeast Festival and marked her graduation from the Emerging Choreographer Program. Morgan is excited to be entering her second year on faculty at The School.
Akerah Winder
Hip Hop
Akerah Winder’s dance journey began at the age of three at The Dance Conservatory, where she first discovered the discipline and artistry of ballet. After a brief pause, she returned to training at Delaware Ballet under the guidance of Brittany Kaiser. By age twelve, she was studying intensively with Brittany Kaiser, Jeffrey Gribler, Ryan Batchelor, and Daniel Kaiser, building the foundation that would carry her through years of rigorous training and performance.
Her talent quickly grew beyond the studio. In 2017, Akerah created The Gathering, an outreach initiative that united dancers across the tristate area to raise awareness about child abuse. As head choreographer, she staged original works in African, hip hop, contemporary, and jazz. That same year, she became lead choreographer for the dance ministry at Logos Fellowship Church, performing at community events such as Trauma Has No Color with Logos Community Counseling, using dance to bring healing and awareness to the effects of trauma.
Akerah’s artistry has been recognized on national stages. In 2018, she received a full scholarship to Troy University’s prestigious Summer Spotlight Dance Program, where she earned the Outstanding Improvisation Award. The following year, she was awarded a full scholarship to Oklahoma City Ballet’s Summer Intensive under the direction of Penny Askew, performing in classical works including the Waltz from Giselle and deepening her pre-professional training. Throughout her years with Delaware Ballet, she performed leading roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and danced in original works by choreographers including Kaitlynd Valentini, in whose acclaimed piece Conviction she performed the lead.
At the University of Pittsburgh, Akerah continued to expand her versatility. She competed in ballroom dance, winning first-place titles in foxtrot, cha-cha, and rumba, and remained undefeated in her division. She later became a founding member of the university’s first majorette team, serving as captain by her senior year, where she choreographed and led the group in dynamic performances that showcased her leadership and creative direction.
Beyond performance, Akerah has dedicated herself to using dance as a tool for healing. For the past two years, she has worked with Logos Community Counseling as a dance counselor, teaching ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, and ballroom in therapeutic settings. Her passion for mentorship and outreach continues to guide her work both inside and outside the studio.
In 2025, at just 20 years old, Akerah graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, becoming the youngest graduate in the school’s history. She is now pursuing her Master of Social Work, integrating her love for dance with her commitment to community care.
Returning to Delaware Ballet, Akerah is thrilled to bring her energy, versatility, and passion for teaching into the studio. This season, she is especially excited to lead hip hop classes, where she draws on her extensive background in performance, choreography, and outreach to inspire students. Her goal is to help every dancer grow in confidence, creativity, and technique while fostering a lifelong love for the art of movement.
Rashida Scott
School Administrator
