Meet Our Expert Ballet and Dance Faculty

Donatella Oppenheimer (née Accardi), Director of the American Academy of Ballet, is a celebrated ballet educator and performer whose journey began in her native Palermo, Sicily. At age nine, she was awarded a full merit scholarship to The School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, the official school of the New York City Ballet founded by George Balanchine. Donatella danced professionally with Tulsa Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet under the direction of Bruce Marks and Anna-Marie Holmes. Her repertoire includes Cinderella, Bournonville’s Napoli, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Eugene Onegin, The Sleeping Beauty, Balanchine’s Serenade and Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2, as well as Twyla Tharp’s Water Babies Bagatelle and Merce Cunningham’s Breakers. She has brought her passion and expertise to institutions including The Rock School in Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Center, UB Dance, Chautauqua School of Dance, Neglia Ballet Artists, Darlene Ceglia’s Dance Project, Dance Spectrum, David De Marie Dance Studio, among others. While attending Marymount Manhattan College, Donatella was a recipient of a Merit Scholarship, and she shares her extensive knowledge of the Balanchine technique with her students, striving to inspire them as her own teachers inspired her.

Maris Battaglia is director emeritus and founder of the American Academy of Ballet. She received her training at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City and has applied her SAB training across the country. She also taught in Latvia in 1990 for 3-weeks at the Riga Ballet School- the school that trained ballet superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov. Over 130 of her students have gone on to dance professionally in major ballet companies in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Broadway Stage. She is the Associate Director of the Chautauqua Institution's School of Dance where she has taught since 1989. She served on the New York State Council of the Arts for an unprecedented four years and received the Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County Award for Outstanding Arts Contributor in 2008. In 1997, she was the recipient of the Artist Excellence Award, which is presented to one outstanding dance teacher each year in the United States. In 1999, she was inducted into the Western New York Dance Hall of Fame.

Minou Lallemand brings many years of experience as a professional dancer, teacher,
and choreographer.

Minou was born in Colombia and grew up in New York City. She trained at the Neubert
Ballet Institute and graduated from the New York High School of the Performing Arts
while on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet School. She also has a Master’s in Fine Arts in
choreography from Wilson College.

During her performing career she danced with companies such as Ballet Arizona,
Garden State Ballet, Princeton Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Sacramento
Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and Ballet Hawaii. She toured nationally with The Phantom of the
Opera and was a cast member of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in Mexico City.

Minou is the artistic director and founder of the Onium Ballet Project, (now the Onium
Contemporary Ballet based in Buffalo, NY) and has created new original ballets to
musical works such as Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histioire du Soldat, Bohuslav Martinu’s La
Revue de Cuisine, Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, and Gabriela Lena Frank’s
Leyendas to name a few. OCB had its Buffalo premiere performance with Minou’s
choreographic piece All of Water at the Canterbury Performing Arts Center.

While she lived in Hawaii, she taught at Ballet Hawaii, Punahou School, Pacific Ballet
Academy, and Nix Performing Arts Center. She was artistic director of Queen Emma
Ballet and taught at the University of Hawaii. Upon her return to the mainland, she
taught at Shenandoah University and at the City Ballet School in Maryland.

Minou is very excited to be joining the faculty at American Academy of Ballet.

Mr. Gary has been a guest teacher at the Academy for many years and in addition to an adjunct professor of dance at Niagara University. He has performed with the Skidmore Dancers, Saratoga Ballet Company, Schenectady Civic Ballet, Buffalo Repertory Ballet Co., and Camelon Dancers. He has choreographed numerous ballets and judged at several dance competitions.  He also has experience coaching figure skating and gymnastics.

Debbie Molloy brings more than 30 years of experience teaching acro, tap, and jazz throughout Western New York. She began her training at Carol Joy’s School of Dance in Buffalo, founded by her mother, where she discovered her passion for movement and teaching at an early age.

Her students have been recognized at both regional and national competitions for their strong technique, performance quality, and versatility. Debbie is known for creating a classroom environment that is energetic, supportive, and focused, helping dancers grow with confidence and discipline.

We are proud to welcome Debbie to the AAB faculty. She brings a deep love of dance, a history of excellence, and a fresh perspective to our community.
 

Mackenzie Pautler began her dance journey at the age of four at the American Academy of Ballet, where her passion and dedication quickly became evident. By thirteen, she was assisting in classes, and just a year later, she began teaching. Mackenzie is currently pursuing a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Dance at the University at Buffalo. She brings both artistry and academic insight to her classes, teaching ballet, pointe, and contemporary with a thoughtful and inspiring approach. 

Lexi Zogaria is a dynamic performer and teacher with credits that include performances in the Justin Bieber Purpose Tour, The Nutcracker with Neglia Ballet Company at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, and numerous appearances with Express Dance Company at Walt Disney World, Six Flags Darien Lake, and the Erie County Fair. She is currently a professional dancer with the Buffalo Bandettes, where she performs at NLL Buffalo Bandits home games.

Lexi grew up dancing at Eugenia’s Dance Studio, where she trained in jazz, hip hop, tap, lyrical, contemporary, and ballet. She is thrilled to be joining the American Academy of Ballet faculty in 2025. She has taught at Eugenia’s Dance Studio and Center Stage Dance Studio, sharing her passion for hip hop, jazz, contemporary, and performance-driven styles. She has earned recognition as a Hollywood Dance Jamz Top 20 Senior Dancer of the Year and Senior Grand Prize Winner at Hollywood Vibe Chicago.

Her favorite style of dance is hip hop and jazz funk, and what she loves most about teaching is seeing the growth of her students from the beginning of the season to the end. Lexi brings both energy and experience to the classroom, inspiring dancers with her creativity and her genuine love for dance.

Gina Roginsky began her dance training at the American Academy of Ballet at the age of four, where she quickly developed a deep love for ballet and the art of movement. By eleven, she was assisting in a variety of classes, nurturing younger dancers and honing her own skills as a teacher. In addition to her training at AAB, Gina expanded her experience through competitive programs with the LIV team in Buffalo and the All American Dance Factory in Florida. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of Florida, while continuing to stay connected to the dance community both in Florida and her hometown of Buffalo.
 
Gina currently teaches ballet, pointe, and jazz technique, bringing both passion and precision to every class.

Karen Mikoll received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the State University of New York at Buffalo where she completed an internship in Dance Therapy. She was also a performing member of the Zodiaque Dance Company. As a professional member of the National Dance Education Organization, she continues to attend teaching seminars, has been published in Dance Teacher Magazine, and serves as an alumni ballet instructor for SUNY at Buffalo summer dance programs. She teaches ballet classes at the Academy.

Suzanne Diffine holds a B.A. and an M.A. in English from the S.U.N.Y. Buffalo. During her 30-year career as an English teacher in the Buffalo Public Schools, she always engaged in some form of physical exercise. When scoliosis caused her considerable discomfort, she sought Pilates to realign her spine. The immediate pain relief she experienced made her a real believer and set the course for her next career. Selected as national Pilates master trainer for Bally Total Fitness and Sports Clubs of Canada, for ten years she trained Pilates instructors throughout North America. Suzanne completed Romana’s Pilates certification under the tutelage of Sari Mejia Santo.  She also studied Pilates with Elizabeth Larkam, director of rehabilitation at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco, receiving certification from Power Pilates and Polestar Education and completing advanced Pilates training with Core Dynamics. She has participated in workshops with many legends in the industry. Former owner of Pilates Rx in Boca Raton, Florida, she recently returned to her hometown to continue her 20-year career in Pilates. She co-edited Voices of Classical Pilates, a collection of essays by renowned Pilates teachers, and Voices of Classical Pilates: Men’s Work. On multiple occasions, she has been recognized in Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers: 1990, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2006.