Metro Parks Dance Division | Faculty and Staff

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Kathryn Wilkening | Supervisor, Metro Parks Dance Division

Kathryn Wilkening is currently the Dance Division Supervisor for Metro Parks and oversees Centennial Youth Ballet, recreational dance classes for adults and children at community centers throughout Davidson County, and artist residencies. In 2001, she earned a degree in Dance Education from New York University. Before coming home to Nashville in 2013, she performed, choreographed and taught classes in Manhattan and Brooklyn and worked at the 92nd Street Y in New York, where she served as manager of the 92Y Harkness Dance Center and then as assistant director of 92Y’s Dance Education Laboratory, a professional development program for new and experienced dance educators. While working with DEL, she was on the steering committee of the Arts Achieve project, funded by an Investing in Innovation five-year grant, partnering with Carnegie Hall, Cooper-Hewitt, Studio in a School, Arts Connection and the New York City Department of Education to assess and improve arts achievement of students in elementary, middle and high school and measure the impact of higher arts achievement on other subject areas. She currently serves on the editorial board of National Dance Education Organization’s journal, Dance Education in Practice, was recently awarded the Dance Advocate Award by the Tennessee Association of Dance, and keeps up her teaching chops in her Creative Movement class for budding dancers and primary level ballet classes. 

Katie Eliason | Full-Time Specialized Skills Instructor

Originally from Manchester, Connecticut, Katie Eliason began her formal dance training at the Hartford Ballet/Hartt School Community Division, where she studied under the esteemed direction of Susan Brooker, Franco De Vita, Peter O’Brien, and Hilda Morales. During her time at Hartford Ballet, she performed in the world premiere of Kirk Peterson’s The American Nutcracker and in The Sleeping Beauty. In 2005, she was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Francine Goldfarb Scholarship.

Ms. Eliason began her professional career with BalletMet Columbus, where her repertoire included The Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, The Nutcracker, and more. She went on to dance with Atlanta Ballet for three seasons, performing in John McFall’s Peter Pan and The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Serenade, Swan Lake, and Lauri Stallings’ Big, among others.

She then went on to dance with Nashville Ballet for 8 seasons performing in a wide range of works, including Paul Vasterling’s Carmina Burana, Peter Pan, Nashville’s Nutcracker, and The Ben Folds Project. She was featured in Gina Patterson’s ...but the flowers have yet to come, Dominic Walsh’s The Whistling, Christopher Bruce’s Moonshine, Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tänze, Stephen Mills’ Light: The Holocaust & Humanity Project, and Christopher Stuart’s Johnny Cash and 7 Deadly Sins. Her repertoire also includes numerous works by George Balanchine and notable others.

Since 2019, Ms. Eliason has been a dedicated faculty member with the Metro Parks Dance Division, where she serves as a full-time advanced ballet instructor. She stages multiple full-length productions annually, including the beloved Mini-Nutcracker. Ms. Eliason is passionate about nurturing the next generation of dancers and sharing her deep love of ballet and artistic expression with her students.

Daniella Parisot | Full Time Specialized Skills Instructor

Originally from southern CT, Parisot received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Pedagogy and Dance Performance from The Hartt School under the directorship of Stephen Pier. There she studied with Miki Orihara, Nina Watt, Hilda Morales, Katie Stevenson-Nollet, Elizabeth McMillian, Samantha Dunster and Debra Collins-Ryder. She received her earliest training from James Robey, Peter Obrien, Brian Lewis, and Anthony Jones. She was a company artist with Ballet Hartford before moving to Nashville in 2019. She has performed works by notable choreographers such as, George Balanchine, José Limón, Claudia Schreier, Martha Graham, Michel Fokine, Norbert De La Cruz III, and Michelle Thompson-Ulerich.

Throughout her formal pedagogy education, Parisot was mentored by Pier, (Hamburg Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, José Limón Company, the Julliard School), Carol Roderick, (Royal Winnipeg Ballet, The HARID Conservatory, Tulsa Ballet School, The Hartt School Community Division), and Hilda Morales (American Ballet Theater). Parisot credits them for having a significant influence on her style of teaching. She is an enthusiastic and meticulous teacher with a deep passion for the true fundamentals of ballet progression. Additionally, she dedicates her time to syllabus and curriculum building. Prior to moving to Nashville, Parisot was on the ballet faculty at the Hartt School Community Division in Hartford, CT., teaching throughout New England. After moving to Nashville, she was on the dance faculty at Harpeth Hall School. She is also a certified Progressing Ballet Technique © instructor. Her students have been accepted into prestigious summer intensives and training programs across the country including, Philadelphia Ballet School, Tulsa Ballet School, Atlanta Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Colorado Ballet, and many others.

Parisot has been teaching at the Metro Parks Dance Division since 2020, where she serves as a full-time faculty member and current curator of the Classical Ballet Program curriculum and syllabus. She regularly choreographs, stages, and coaches both classical and contemporary work for annual performances.

Jasmine Clark | 30-Hour Specialized Skills Instructor

Jasmine Clark is originally from Franklin, TN where she received her early training at Franklin School of Performing Arts. In 2020, she graduated from Western Michigan University with a B.F.A. in Dance, Summa Cum Laude, and as the Presidential Scholar in Dance. During her time at WMU, Jasmine performed in numerous faculty and guest artist works; most notably, she performed as a soloist in a restaging of "Three Themes" from The Four Temperaments. Jasmine’s interest in improvisation and postmodernism led her to further her studies at the American Dance Festival in 2019 where she was chosen to perform Merce Cunningham’s work, “How to Pass, Kick, Fall, and Run” as part of the Cunningham Centennial Celebration. Jasmine made her Nashville debut at Kindling Arts Festival with her solo “Constellation of Divergence” in 2023, and continues to freelance and present her own work throughout the Nashville area.

​Guest Instructors

Rebekah Hampton Barger

   Spencer Grady

Michal Harvey

Julia Marx

Phylicia Roybal

Windship Boyd

Kari Gregg

McKay House

Emma Morrison

Erin Styron

Donna Carver

Christen Heilman

Jen-Jen Lin

Asia Pyron

Melanie Swihart

Accompanists

TONY CROW, ​ Accompanist: 

Tony Crow is from Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up in a musical household and began playing piano at a very early age. The family moved around the Midwest and eventually landed in Tennessee where Tony met his future wife, Laurie Grantham in a high school theater class. Tony stayed in Nashville to study piano and composition at George Peabody College for Teachers. He has toured the world extensively and has recorded with many of the legends of popular music. ​

ALFREDO MARCELLI, ​ Accompanist:

Alfredo Marcelli made the move from New Jersey to Tennessee back in 2006 to Nashville`s abundant musical opportunities. His passion for music ignited at the age of 13, when he began playing guitar and keyboards, eventually becoming a sought-after member of many Jersey working bands. 
At Montclair State University, Marcelli found a niche as a musical specialist , contributing his talents not only in performance but also in composing music for the Teachers Showcase Concert. Over the span of nine years, he provided accompaniment for ballet and modern classes, fostering an enriching environment for students and faculty alike. 

​His journey with the New Jersey Ballet spanned 16 years, during which he collaborated with directors like Carolyn Clark, crafting music for school performances and working alongside renowned figures such as Paul Sutherland, a "Maverick" of the Joffrey, and Edward Villella. 

Marcelli's musical endeavors extended to the Martha Graham Studio in New York City, where he lent his skills as a pianist for the school and the Martha Graham Company and led by Pearl Lang. 

Throughout his career, Marcelli's talents were recognized beyond the stage, as he composed music for documentaries commissioned by the Discovery Channel and contributed to various educational projects such as the Illinois State Dance Department and the Nashville Ballet. For over 17 years, Marcelli has been a staple at the Nashville Ballet, while also making contributions to Vanderbilt University Dance and Middle Tennessee State University Dance Department, The Governors School, and Tennessee Association of Dance workshops. Recently, he had the pleasure of playing for Sasha Radetsky at the Youth Grand Prix, showcasing his enduring commitment to the art of music and dance. 

JAY VERNALI, ​Accompanist