Our Faculty

      Andre Reyes brings to Toledo Met an exceptional career as a professional dancer, educator, coach, and school leader. He was a Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet for 13 years and has more than two decades of experience teaching, coaching, and developing dancers.

His teaching experience includes positions with Boston Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, and New Ballet in San Jose, as well as guest instruction at Stanford University, Harvard University, and English National Ballet School.

Andre co-founded and co-directed Volee Dance in Palo Alto, California, alongside Cynthia Drayer. The two also served as Co-Principals of Tulsa Ballet’s Hardesty Center for Dance Education.

As Artistic Director of Toledo Met’s Dance Division, Andre will provide artistic leadership for the program, oversee curriculum and dancer development, teach and coach students, collaborate with faculty, and direct Toledo Met’s annual production of The Nutcracker.

Cynthia Drayer brings an extensive background as a professional dancer, educator, coach, and school leader. She danced as a Soloist with Houston Ballet before becoming a Principal Dancer with San Francisco Ballet.

Her educational leadership experience includes serving as Classical Ballet Program Head at Boston Ballet School and teaching within the Pre-Professional and Student Divisions of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. She has also worked as a New York City Ballet Workout instructor.

Cynthia co-founded and co-directed Volee Dance in Palo Alto, California, with Andre Reyes. Together, they also served as Co-Principals of Tulsa Ballet’s Hardesty Center for Dance Education.



As Toledo Met’s Associate Artistic Director and Faculty Member, Cynthia will work alongside Andre to support the artistic development of the Dance Division. She will teach and coach Toledo Met dancers, contribute to curriculum and student placement, support faculty, and help strengthen the organization’s classical ballet and pre-professional programming.

Chelsie Cree brings extensive professional performance experience and a passion for musical theater to her role as Artistic Director of Toledo Met's Children's Theater Division.

A graduate of the University of Toledo's Master of Music program, Chelsie is an award-winning vocalist whose voice has been described as "formidable" by The Toledo Blade. Her professional credits include Into the Woods, MAMMA MIA!, The Bridges of Madison County, and numerous operatic productions. She has performed internationally and appeared as a featured soloist with the Toledo Symphony and other regional ensembles.



At Toledo Met, Chelsie has produced Shrek KIDS and Dear Edwina JR. and served as Vocal Director for Mean Girls Teen Edition, Toledo Met's inaugural high school summer musical production. Through her leadership, Chelsie combines professional artistry with a passion for nurturing young talent, helping students build confidence, develop their skills, and discover the joy of musical theater.

Tess began her dancing career in 1987 at the early age of 3. She received her initial 13 years of training from the Barn Studio of Dance in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, supplemented by summer intensives at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. In the summer of 2000, Ms. Caputo attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts on scholarship for ballet. At age 16, Ms. Caputo continued with intense training at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She was accepted to attend the University of Cincinnati, College Conservatory of Music at age 17 and completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ballet on scholarship. During her ballet career, Ms. Caputo has trained and performed with various companies, including the Pennsylvania Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Toledo Classical Ballet and Ballet Theatre of Scranton. She has performed variations from La Bayadére, Don Quixote, Dracula, La Esmaralda, Giselle, Napoli, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, and many others, including original works.

Tess is the mother of three young performers and lives with family here Toledo.  We are so excited to welcome Tess to our faculty.  Her gift of high quality instruction balanced with a genuine concern for her students is why Tess is a wonderful fit for Toledo Met! 

Tyrone Cobham, was born and raised in the city of Toledo, Ohio. Surrounded by music of all styles, thanks to his family, it was only a matter of time before he was introduced to dance of all styles, as well. Tyrone went on to join the High Voltage Dance Company at Daryl Jervis Dance Studios. He trained in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop.

Tyrone went on to assist and demonstrate for brilliant master teachers on the Dance Makers Inc. Tour for three years. While assisting for Dance Makers, Tyrone was featured on So You Think You Can Dance, Season 10 presenting his own choreography. He was hailed as “the best tap performer in all of 10 seasons.”, and received a ticket straight to Vegas. This led him straight to a movie role as a principal dancer, working with Emmy Award winning choreographers Tabitha & Napoleon (Nappy Tabs). He also worked with Kyle Hanagami, Mark Goodman, Kathryn McCormick, Zack Everhart and Audrey Case.Tyrone has also worked with celebrity fitness trainers such as Autumn Calabrese  and on music videos/live stage performances for Chris Brown, Casanova, Fabolous, Beach Body and as a choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance, Season 13 and an assistant choreographer for the BET Awards. .

With well over a decade of teaching experience, his teaching credits include very prestigious studios such as Playground LA, Movement Lifestyle, Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio (now known as Debbie Reynolds Legacy Studios), Edge Performing Arts Center, and Millennium Dance Complex Franchises.

Sadie Evener returns to Toledo Met for the 2026–2027 season as a Ballet and Contemporary instructor. A graduate of Indiana University, Sadie holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology with a minor in Dance Studies.

Sadie began her dance training at age three with Toledo Ballet, developing a strong foundation in classical ballet and contemporary dance. Throughout her training, she performed in twelve productions of The Nutcracker, dancing featured roles including Dew Drop, Lead Flute, and Arabian, as well as numerous original productions.

Sadie began teaching ballet in 2019 and has served as a rehearsal director for multiple productions. She previously taught at Toledo Met during its inaugural season in 2022 and returned in the summer of 2023. Her training also includes work with distinguished artists such as Renato Penteado, Lauren Fadeley Veyette, and Melissa Gelfin.



Sadie brings strong technical training, valuable teaching experience, and a passion for inspiring young dancers. We are delighted to welcome her back to Toledo Met!

Toledo Met is thrilled to be welcoming Alison Kuhr to the 2024-25 teaching faculty. Alison has nearly two decades of dance education experience both locally and nationally, with experience teaching both brand new students as well as the seasoned dancer. Kuhr strives to create and environment where each student is encouraged and supported to develop their skills on their own trajectory while also building their self-confidence and joy of movement. Alison has a bachelors degree in dance education (2009) and a Masters degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (2013). Outside the studio, Alison is a mom to three children and owns her own mental health private practice, Through Counseling Services. Welcome, Alison!

Nicole “Niki” Mohr joined Toledo Met in January 2025 as the vocal director for The Lion King Jr. and continued in that role for Frozen Jr. during Summer 2025.

Niki is the mother of two children and serves as the head of the elementary music program at Holland Elementary in Springfield Schools. We are excited to welcome her back for summer 2026 as co-director of our junior musical, Dear Edwina Jr.

Jamie is a lifelong gymnast turn gymnastics teacher who joined Toledo Met exclusively as our Tumbling for Dance teacher in 2023.  Since joining Toledo Met, Jamie has garnered a regional reputation as a tumbling/tricks wizard, helping students from both Toledo Met and neighboring dance studios to improve their tumbling skills and tricks toolkit!

Jamie resides in Maumee with her husband and two daughters!

A 2023 graduate of Toledo School for The Arts, Chianna joined Toledo Met as a PBT and dance instructor in 2023.  This past spring Chianna earned her Level 2 PBT (Progressive Ballet Technique) certification, rendering her one of Toledo Met's highest credentialed conditioning instructors.  Chianna is a junior at the University of Toledo working towards a bachelors in early childhood education and has also been dancing her entire life.  With decades of experience in ballet, jazz and contemporary and tap, Chianna loves teaching our younger students. 

Maria Jacoby is a dance performer, maker, and teacher from Toledo, Ohio. After graduating from Toledo School For The Arts in 2018, she was chosen to travel with DanceMakers Competition for a year to work backstage and assist classes with choreographers such as Dejan Tubic, Kathryn McCormick, and Brooke Paulsen. More recently, Maria has tap danced with The Hot Sardines at their “Holiday Stomp” show at the Kimmel Cultural Campus, worked with Klassic Contemporary Ballet Company and Uniting Colleges Through Tap Company, as well as performed works by Symone Holliday, Annie Rigney, and Wayne David. She has taught classes at the Swingin’ Into Summer Tap Festival and at dance studios around Philadelphia and Toledo. She graduated with a BFA in Dance in the Spring of 2022 from University of the Arts, and joined Toledo Met in June 2022. 

Carolyn Savage is the Co-Founder of Toledo Met and brings more than 30 years of experience in education, teaching, and working with young people. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Miami University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Toledo.

Throughout her career, Carolyn has taught in a variety of educational settings and is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to learn, grow, and develop confidence through the performing arts. As Co-Founder of Toledo Met, she is dedicated to fostering an environment where students are challenged, supported, and inspired to reach their fullest potential.



Carolyn and her husband, Sean, have called Sylvania home for 30 years and are the proud parents of six children.

Nicole Spadafore brings a wealth of experience and creativity to Toledo Met’s musical theatre program. An accomplished director, choreographer, and music educator, Nicole has directed and choreographed numerous productions throughout Northwest Ohio. Her work with Toledo Met includes The Lion King KIDS, Shrek KIDS, Frozen JR., and Dear Edwina JR.

Nicole holds a degree in Music Education and currently teaches choir to fourth- and fifth-grade students at Hull Prairie Intermediate School in Perrysburg. Her passion for music and theatre, combined with her experience working with young performers, allows her to create a positive and engaging environment where students can develop their talents, build confidence, and discover a love for the performing arts.

Dr. Sylvie Vitaglione completed her pre-professional training in Vaganova-style ballet at the Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monaco. She trained in modern and contemporary dance in college where she performed works by Merce Cunningham, Lisa Wymore, Joe Goode and Kim Epifano amongst others. She holds a B.A. in Dance and Performance Studies from the University of California Berkeley, an M.A. from the University College London in the U.K. and a Ph.D. from the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She was a Postdoctoral teaching fellow at NYU in 2018 and a 2019 Research Fellow at NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts where she completed a project on ballet documentaries. Dr. Vitaglione has taught at NYU, the New School, CUNY, the University of Miami, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan and the University of Toledo. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at BGSU. She also holds a 200h Yoga teacher training certificate (YogaWorks NYC) and an American Ballet Theatre Barre certification. She is fluent in French and Italian and loves to pack suitcases for travel.   

Cheryl grew up dancing in Toledo.  She is both a Cecchetti trained dance teacher, Exam Levels I-III and an ABT Certified teacher, having completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum.  Ms. Walter graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and is currently working as a microbiologist at Mercy St. Vincent and Mercy St. Anne's hospitals. 

In her spare time, Cheryl is an avid runner.  An enthusiastic member of Dave's Running Club, Ms. Cheryl can often be spotted running or biking through the community and in road races all over the region!  She is also a new grandmother!