MEET THE ARTISTIC
HELEN GAUS
Choreographer
Founder & Artistic Director, Scranton Civic Ballet Company
HELEN GAUS was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She began her dance education at age five at the YWCA with Constance Reynolds who held her beginner to advanced teacher certification from the Royal Academy, London, England. When classes at the YW morphed into the original Civic Dance Centre, Miss Gaus apprenticed as class demonstrator and later became an assistant to Constance Reynolds. She held the position of Ballet Mistress for Ballet Theatre of Scranton from 1958 until Miss Gaus took the Civic Dance Centre in a different direction in 1978.
Miss Gaus spent many years working with outstanding choreographers in Scranton such as Hilda Butsova, Stanley Herbett, Henry Danton, Evelyn LeMone, Paul Glover, Michael Falatico, Paschel Guzman and Valerie Deakin. She furthered her studies in Canada at Queens College, Kingston, Ontario and the National Ballet School in Toronto, as well as various schools in New York City. She has studied under the direction of prominent teachers such as John Burker, Bettina Byers, Marjorie Haskins, Betti Olyphant, Sonia Chamberlain, David Howard, Jack Stanley, Paul Draper, Ernest Carlos, Charles Kelly, Luigi and Roye Dodge.
In 1978, Miss Gaus reopened the Civic Dance Centre, along with debut of Scranton Civic Ballet Company. Originally on the corner of Penn and Lackawanna Avenue in the heart of downtown Scranton, Miss Gaus continued her love of teaching and dance by creating a curriculum with the intention of making young dancers dreams come true of pursuing professional careers. Miss Gaus spent three years as the owner and operator of the Ballet Academy of Baltimore and has also taught students from the Scranton State School for the Deaf. In addition, she has directed and choreographed local television commercials, special programs and mall shows, as well as various summer works with children in the Musical Theater Camp in Southlake, Texas.
Miss Gaus maintains membership with the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England. She has also received numerous awards including Marywood College Order of St. Genesius, Lackawanna Arts Council for outstanding contribution to the arts, Northeastern Pennsylvania Woman of the Week award from the Scranton Times, the 1983 Chamber of Commerce Award for 25 years of Teaching Excellence, American Heart Association Commitment Award, the Easter Seal Award for 25 years of service and the Achievement Award for MDA, and Northeast Intermediate Unit's Artist of the Year for 2007. Miss Gaus has taught traditional ethnic dance for the Polish Women's Alliance. She also taught for several years at the Jewish Community Center, was on the faculty at Marywood College as the director of dance and was the director of the Abington Heights Dance Academy for fifteen years.
ROBERT ZALOGA is the Assistant Artistic Director and a Principal Dancer with the Scranton Civic Ballet Company.
He began dancing at age six and later joined the Scranton Civic Ballet Company to begin his formal training under Helen Gaus. Zaloga entered the Company in 2014 and quickly rose through the ranks, gaining his first principal role only a year later.
Zaloga holds an extensive repertory of classical and originated principal roles including Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Solar in La Bayadere, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Franz in Coppélia, Basilio in Don Quixote Divertissement, Prince Desiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Ali in Le Corsaire, Lucien in Paquita, Prince Charming in Cinderella, El Capitan in Helen Gaus’ Stars and Stripes, Pinocchio in Pinocchio, Principal Pas de Deux in Amour et Printemps, Beauty and the Beast, Serenade for Strings, Viennese Waltz, Midnight Masquerade, Appalachian Springs, La Boutique Fantasque, Heartland, Tarantella, Wunderbar, Invitation to the Dance, Lovely Day to Dance, The Nutcracker Prince, Cavalier, Coffee, Waltz of the Flowers Pas de Deux, and Snow King in Helen Gaus’ The Nutcracker.
Zaloga has trained amongst the finest companies and schools in America including the American Ballet Theatre in New York City, Boston Ballet School, School of Pennsylvania Ballet, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and Performing Arts Institute. Over the years, Zaloga has trained with many famed instructors and choreographers such as Sascha Radetsky, Ethan Stiefel, Stella Abrera, Charles Askeguard, Margaret Tracey, Peter Stark, Michael Owen, Russell Clarke, Barbara Weisberger, and more.
Zaloga is a guest artist with the Wyoming Seminary Dance Company under the direction of Mrs. Bernardine Vojtko since 2014. He served as a guest artist for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic production of Peter and the Wolf. In the Spring of 2020, Zaloga received the Barbara Weisberger Dance Award at Wyoming Seminary.
Zaloga was on the staff of Civic Dance Centre since 2016. In August of 2020, Zaloga was named Assistant Artistic Director of the Scranton Civic Ballet Company and the Civic Dance Centre. His choreographic credits with the company include Swan Lake, La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty Act III, Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Cinderella, and Something To Believe In Pas de Deux.
In the summer of 2024, Zaloga worked for the American Ballet Theatre, America’s National Ballet Company, and their affiliated school, the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City.
ROBERT ZALOGA
Principal Répétiteur
Assistant Artistic Director, Scranton Civic Ballet Company
ELIZABETH GAUS SATTERLEE
Rehearsal Coach
Ballet Mistress, Scranton Civic Ballet Company
Elizabeth Gaus Satterlee trained in Scranton, Pennsylvania under Helen Gaus at the Scranton Civic Ballet Company and on scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Center, New York City. She has danced with the Alexandria Ballet, Burke Civic Ballet, Arlington Dance Theater, Dancesmith, Manassas Dance Company, and Bowen McCauley Dance. She has performed at the Tannsommer Ballet Festival in Austria, Jacob‘s Pillow, the Joyce Theater New York City and regular performances at the Kennedy Center. She choreographed Carmina Burana performed at the Lisner Auditorium and select pieces for Dancin Unlimited, Manassas Dance Company, and Maryland Youth Ballet. Ms Gaus Satterlee is the former Director of the Ballet Academy of Baltimore, former Ballet Director at Strictly Rhythm Dance Center and faculty at Maryland Youth Ballet. She worked one on one and taught ballet technique to American figure skater Derrick Delmore and Olympic figure skater Ashley Wagner. She currently has students that dance professionally with Alvin Alley, Houston Ballet, Rambert Dance Company Germany, Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. She also trained Nico Greetham who made it to the top 10 on season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance as well as Newsies on Broadway. Ms Gaus Satterlee currently lives with her husband Chad in Laguna Beach, California and is the ballet mistress of the Scranton Civic Ballet Company.
JE TELLIER
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER, PROPERTY DESIGNER
JE has been affiliated with The Scranton Civic Ballet Company for over 20 seasons. As Production Stage Manager, she shares over 40 years of professional theatre experience as a Scenic Artist, Designer, Costumer, and Props Artisan. With an eclectic career that has spanned a broad spectrum of creativity and arts expression, both professionally and as an educator, je’t aspires to further inspire personal healing and collective artistry as a holistically based Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor.
DAVE YEZEFSKI
LIGHTING DESIGNER, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Dave is a multifaceted theatrical professional specializing in Lighting Design, Scenic Design & Construction, Properties Design & Construction, and Technical Direction. All of which are services offered through his enterprise: Yezefski Theatrical Inc. Based in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Dave’s repertoire includes theatrical productions of all shapes and sizes. Current and past clients include: The University of Scranton, Bloomsburg University, Wilkes University, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Scranton Preparatory School, Ballet Northeast, and the Scranton Civic Ballet Company.