"Artistry, athleticism, passion, positive energy!"
Elizabeth Elder
Elizabeth Elder

Ellie is an accomplished dance educator, performer and internationally recognized choreographer. Ellie Potts Barrett attended Boston Conservatory and received her BA in Dance (with honors) from the University of South Florida. Out of her many accomplishments, she has composed the Modern Dance Syllabus for the Florida Dance Masters Organization, a study tool for the testing of future Modern dance teachers in Florida. Ellie danced with the Ina Hahn Modern Dance Company, Boston Dance Company and Mary Anthony in New York, as well as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. In addition to her focus on dance, Musical Theatre has always been her first love. She was in the first National tour of Jesus Christ, Superstar (Mary), A Chorus Line (Diana), Grease (Jan), Getting My Act Together and Taking It On The Road.. to name only a few. She has been an associate at the Atlantic Center for the Arts to Master Artists Merce Cunningham, Meg Harper and Elizabeth Streb, as well as with Florida's prolific author, Carl Hiaasen. She is the recipient of the Central Florida Lifetime Achievement Dance Award, given by the University of Central Florida. Included in her well over 200 choreographed musicals, around the world, are the Orlando Philharmonic's production of Guys and Dolls, which starred Broadway actor Davis Gaines, Carousel, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, La Traviata, and Mad Cow Theatre's production of HAIR; Douglas Anderson School of the Arts productions - Curtains, Aida, Urinetown, The Musical, and My Fair Lady, and in October of 2019, Guys and Dolls. Ellie choreographed GREASE, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Urinetown, The Musical, and Rent for the Seensee Musical Theatre Company in Seoul, South Korea. She returned to Seoul to create Main Street Parades for Lotte World and Everland Theme Parks. DETACHED, a concert work, was presented at the National High School Dance Festival in 2019.
RENT was performed at DASOTA in April, 2021. I also had the pleasure of working with the most wonderfully talented cast for First Coast Opera's performance of the operettas COX AND BOX, and PENELOPE ANN'S REVENGE in 2021, and in 2022, Die Fledermaus. In 2021, A Chorus Line was produced at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, and received numerous nominations for Central Florida's Applause Awards. It was our initial performance for the Awards!! I am proud to say that I received an Outstanding Choreography award for the show. In 2022, CHICAGO was our Fall production and we received 27 nominations for the Applause Awards.
My friend Janine Papin has published in Playbill.com all about our incredible time in NYC this past summer taking classes at the @Broadwayteachinggroup....read it in totality at this link!!!
https://www.playbill.com/article/even-teachers-need-to-go-back-to-school-inside-the-2023-broadway-teachers-workshop
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FROM YOUR COMMUNITY NEWPAPER - ORLANDO - BY SARA REYNOLDS
Elise Mele and Ellie Potts Barrett, teaching artists at the Orlando Ballet, have been recognized as Outstanding Choreographers at the 2023 Applause Awards.
The Applause Awards are modeled after the Tony Awards, which recognize excellence in theater. The award ceremony was held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on June 3. Mele was awarded for her work on “Beauty and the Beast” at Orlando’s University High School and Potts Barrett for “Chicago” at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville. In a Facebook post, Potts Barrett wrote, “I’m floored. Thank you so much for the mention, and I know Elise feels the same!”
The recognition comes just after the Orlando Ballet announced its 2023–2024 Golden Anniversary season. Beginning in 1974 as the Performing Arts Company of Florida with 12 unpaid dancers and $4,000, the ballet later became the Southern Ballet Theatre and began performing at the Bob Carr Theater. Today, Orlando Ballet is the only fully residential professional ballet company in Central Florida, with a full-time professional company of 25 dancers.
Thanks for visiting my website. Contact me if you have any questions.
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Watch my Interview with the Fabulous Dawn Branch on her YouTube Channel
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CHECK OUT MY CHOREOGRAPHY REEL HERE
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BECAUSE.....was choreographed on the Dance Theatre students at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. |