The Ballet Center

Garance began her training when she was eight years old at the Royal Academy of Dance in The Netherlands before immigrating to the United States in 1980.  Garance trained with Gretel van Bruggen, Herci Marsden, Patrick Notaro, and Donald Acevedo.

She danced with State Ballet of Rhode Island from 1985-1995 where she became a soloist in 1992 and a principal dancer in 1994.  In 1996, Garance ventured into the realm of modern dance while working for choreographer Sally Mayo with Sally Mayo and Company Dancers in Disport.  In 1997, she performed as Heloise's dancing double in the world premier of the musical Rage of the Heart.  From 1996-1999 she was a frequent guest artist with Spindle City Ballet.

Garance has danced such classical roles as Swanhilda, Swanhilda's Rival, War and Prayer  in Coppelia, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Zulma in Giselle, The Mother Hen and Baba Jaga in Pictures at an Exhibition, The Water Bearer in La Bayadere, Cinderella in Act III  The Sleeping Beauty, Senior Girl in Graduation Ball, The Sugarplum Fairy, Arabian, Marzipan, and the Ballerina Doll in The Nutcracker.

Garance has been a board member of The Bristol Theater Company since 1999, and has choreographed three of their productions:  Bristol: A town for All Seasons, Evita and West Side Story.

Garance started teaching in 1989 in private studios throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.  In 1992-93, she was Regional Director for Creative Dance for Children, bringing creative movement to children in daycare centers throughout Rhode Island. 

In September of 1997, Garance opened her own classical ballet school, The Ballet Center.  She resides in Bristol with her two daughters, Anneke and Amelie.

Roger Fonnegra    (member of Festival Ballet) Ballet, Advanced Pointe and Variations.  Mr. Fonnegra received his primary dance education from the Caracas Ballet School of Teresa Carreno, after which he joined the National Ballet of Caracas as an apprentice.  He then travelled to the US on a government scholarship to train with Wilhelm Burmann and as a full scholarship student at SAB.  He returned to his native Venezuela where he danced with the Ballet National of Caracas in 1998 as a corps member and accompanied them on an international tour performing many of Vincente Nebrada's original works.  In 2003 he joined Columbia Classical Ballet and since has appeared as a guest artist with the Ballet Camara of Caracas and Seiskaya Ballet, and was featured in an article in the October/November 2004 issue of Pointe Magazine.  In the spring of 2005 he performed with Pennsylvania Ballet in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet.  Roger is about to begin his fourth season with Festival Ballet Providence.  Roger has appeared is Scheherazade, Balanchine's Rubies, and the world premiere of Yuri Yanowski's Earth.  Roger is married to Festival Ballet Providence dancer Lauren Menger.  This will be Roger's sixth season with us at The Ballet Center.

Ashley Rice   Young Children's Ballet and Ballet Movement.  Miss Ashley received her early ballet training at New Bedford Ballet.  She became a student at The Ballet Center when she was 11.  Ashley has been trained by Garance Nienhuis to teach ballet to young children.  She began assisting when she was only 16.  Ashley has danced the leads in Apollo, Cinderella, Copellia, The Nutcracker, Spartacus, Romeo and Juliet.  This will be Ashley's seventh season with us as a teacher and our Principal Dancer.