Faculty

Kate Webb Berk, Dance Faculty

Kate dances professionally with Verb Ballets in Cleveland. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, she danced as a company trainee with Richmond Ballet. She then attended Butler University where she graduated cum laude with a BS in Dance-Arts Administration and high departmental honors. Seeing her students improve is one of her favorite things! She is deeply passionate about helping children experience personal growth by finding their own artistic connections.

Saundra Bohl, Dance Faculty & Spanish Dance Artistic Director

Saundra Bohl studied ballet at the Ballet Arts of Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Company in New York. She has a BA in Math and Music from Oberlin College and a Masters in Education from John Carroll University.

Darlene Kelbach (Miss D), Dance & Fitness Faculty

Darlene is a Cleveland native and has been part of the Fairmount Team since June 2018. She is the Outreach Director and teaches a variety of dance and fitness classes.

Darlene started dancing at age 6 and continued studying dance as an elective through college. She has experience in creative movement, tap, ballet, lyrical, jazz, gymnastics, and line dancing. She also cheered from 8th grade through college and has coached middle school cheer. She has been the choreographer for school drama clubs and theatrical performances such as 101 Dalmations, Jr. and Beauty & the Beast, Jr. Additionally, Darlene was drawn to yoga as a form of choreographed dance with the postures as a unique repertoire of movements.

Darlene has over 10 years of experience working as a freelance teaching artist and speaker. She also worked for the National Park Service as a Historical Landscape Architect for 18 years at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Darlene has her 500 hour yoga certification and recorded the album, “Children’s Yoga Songs for the Classroom” in 2018. She has a BA in Political Science from Wittenberg University and a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the Ohio State University. She has additional certifications with Barre Above, Music Together, LLC, T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies in Plant-Based Nutrition as well as Hearts in Hands Reiki II.

Megan Klamert, Dance Faculty

Megan Klamert is an alumna of Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance and the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet (dba Ballet Excel Ohio) located in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. She attended summer intensives at Chautauqua Institute, Saratoga Springs, NY, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Indiana University before continuing her training at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. There, she earned a Bachelor of Science and Outside Field (BSOF) degree in Ballet and Kinesiology and a minor in Psychology. She then moved to Hartford, Connecticut to perform professionally with Ballet Hartford. While living on the east coast, Klamert started training students ages 3-adult at local studios including The Dance Connection and the School of Ballet Theatre Company. She became Ballet Mistress for Ballet Theatre Company in West Hartford, CT and assisted in staging and producing full-length ballets as well as small collaborative community performances for four seasons. She moved back to Ohio in 2020 and began teaching at Hudson Conservatory of Ballet. With an ever-growing interest and curiosity in kinesiology, she became a certified Personal Trainer and currently instructs adult fitness classes at Lifetime Fitness in Beachwood. She also is on faculty at her home studio and is Assistant Director to her childhood director, Mia Klinger. She now lives with her fiance, Rob, and kitty, Baby Squirrel, in Shaker Heights, OH.

Sabrina Lindhout, Dance Faculty

Sabrina began dancing at the age of 4, and was accepted as a member of the pre-professional program, Ashland Regional Ballet, when she was 12. She studied at summer programs with Magnus (Joffrey) Midwest, Orlando Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, and BalletMet in Columbus, OH. She performed as a guest dancer in Ohio Dance Theatre’s and Verb Ballets’ first collaborative production of The Nutcracker and was a guest dancer with Verb for their Heinz Poll repertoire for their 2015-16 season. She then joined Verb Ballets as a trainee for their 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Sabrina is now a company member with Inlet Dance Theatre- known for their modern dance technique and non-traditional partnering style.

Libby Lubinger, Recreational Dance Director, Spanish Dance Artistic Director Emeritus

Libby has been part of Fairmount Center since its inception in 1971, sharing her passion and vision for the Spanish Dance program. In addition to Spanish Dance, she has studied Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Ethnic dance. She holds a BA in English from Brooklyn College in New York City.

Fredrick Moodie, Dance Faculty

When you ask about Kinderdance or Tap Dance at Fairmount, you’ll hear one name again and again: Mr. Moodie. Fredrick teaches tap, ballet and jazz. He has choreographed dance works at East Cleveland Theater, Karamu House, Theatre Ensemble, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland Coordinated Arts Program, and in numerous schools.

Gregory Berlin, Violin and Viola Faculty

Gregory Berlin is a graduate of Indiana University; he earned a BM in violin performance and BSOF in Business.  In addition he has a MBA in finance from the Weatherhead School of Business at Case Western Reserve University.

Gregory has performed with many different local orchestras & symphonies.  He enjoys performing chamber music as a soloist or with small groups (duo/trio/quartet).  Gregory currently serves on the board of the Broadway School of Music & Arts (BSMA) in Slavic Village Cleveland, Ohio.

He teaches violin and viola using Suzuki and Traditional methods. Gregory teaches at the Fairmount Center for the Arts.

SAA Registered Training
Core Units:
Every Child Can!
Violin Unit 1
Violin Unit 2
Violin Unit 3

Andrew Dyet, Piano, Trumpet, & Guitar Faculty

Andrew is a multi-instrumentalist performer and composer who specializes in piano, trumpet, music theory, and composition. Andrew plays everything from jazz and classical to experimental music. Andrew earned his Bachelor of Music in Composition from Baldwin Wallace University and his Masters of Fine Arts in Experimental Sound from California Institute of the Arts. Andrew has taught band, music theory, trumpet, and piano to young beginners all the way to undergraduates. Andrew often plays keyboard and guitar for local musical theaters including the Porthouse Theater.

Allan Licht, Piano & Voice Faculty

Soon after graduating Cleveland Heights High school, Allan began performing at many of the upscale night clubs in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He moved to California to further pursue a music career on the west coast. While working as Director of Entertainment at Sambi of Tokyo in Los Angeles, he performed there seven nights a week, backed by a three-piece band. Allan also performed in Las Vegas, at venues such as The Aladdin and The Sahara on the strip. Following Vegas, Allan moved back to Orange County, California to play the night club circuit at venues such as The Del Ray, Mama Cozza’s, The Queen Mary in Long Beach, and the LGT Vegas in Los Angeles. Along with performing for the past 40 years, Allan has composed over 250 songs, many of which have been recorded and released nationally and internationally. Allan has also composed numerous songs for non-profit organizations and corporations such as Signet Jewelers, The Ronald McDonald House in Cleveland, Ohio, The Vanished Children’s Alliance, and the Relay for Life/The American Cancer Society. Allan also has songs licensed through Crucial Music out of Los Angeles, California for movie and T.V. placements.

Most recently, we are proud to announce that as of June 2023, Allan has been accepted as a voting member of the Recording Academy: making him eligible to participate in the 66th Annual Grammy Awards!

Alex McGuire, Flute & Piano Faculty

Alexandra (Alex) McGuire holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in Eurythmics from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Mary Kay Fink, in addition to holding a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Case Western Reserve University. She is continuing her studies with a Master of Music in Flute Performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Additionally, Alex serves as a substitute flutist/piccoloist with the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the Mansfield Symphony. In March of 2022, Alex won the Woodwind Division of the Tuesday Musical Scholarship Competition. She has also performed as a soloist with the Jacksonville Symphony after winning their Young Artist Competition in 2016 and was featured as a soloist with the First Coast Wind Symphony after winning their Young Artist Competition in 2017.

Joseph Rangel, Piano, Guitar, & Ukulele Faculty

Joseph has been playing guitar and was originally trained by his father, Rey, in classical guitar. He soon began to study pop and rock music, enjoying classic rock as well as other genres like Motown. In 2005, he began studying jazz. This love led him to Tri-C Metro studying jazz performance with a minor in piano. Joseph recently graduated from Cleveland State University and landed at Fairmount sharing his love for music. In addition to guitar, Joseph teaches ukulele and beginner piano students.

Penny Sherman, Piano Faculty

Penny has studied at Cleveland State University under pianist Andreis Kaprevachiz and was awarded music scholarship to study under Artist in Residence, Jerome Rose. She has also studied at Aaron Copland School of Music under pianist Alex Hoc, Faine Wright in Brooklyn, New York, and Geraldo Teissonniere at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Penny is currently a performing member of the Cleveland Music Society, has performed in multiple recitals throughout her career, and has been teaching children and adults of all ages for twenty years.

Gary Siperko, Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, & Ukulele Faculty

Gary Siperko is a professional touring/recording guitarist and composer most notably associated with The Legendary
Shack Shakers, Pere Ubu, and Rocket From The Tombs. Mr. Siperko has over 30 years of experience teaching and performing. He teaches Contemporary and Classical Guitar as well as Bass, Mandolin and Ukulele. Beginning lessons focus on fundamentals as well as playing basic songs. Intermediate to advanced lessons focus on the application of Music Theory to the instrument to help students acquire strong compositional and songwriting skills,
knowledge of chord construction, the ability to play scales proficiently, and gain necessary skills needed for solo improvisation, as well as sight-reading skills.

Joan Bendix, Music Director of the Youth Theatre Program & Theatre Faculty

Joan studied piano and voice at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Joan has served as music director and performed on the keyboard/piano for musical productions in schools and theaters, including the Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theater, Chagrin Valley Little Theater, Mercury Theatre Company, Walsh Jesuit High School, and University School. She is currently Music Director at First United Church of Christ in Eastlake.

Joan loves teaching children and helping them find that spark of passion for music. She believes in guiding students to find their own voice and the confidence to participate in the community of theater and musical production.

Merlynne Hancock, Choreography Director of Youth Theatre Program & Theatre Faculty

Merlynne Hancock joined the Fairmount faculty in 1989 as a choreographer for the Youth Theatre and has taught a variety of children’s classes and camps, including Movin’ Together and Kreative Kids. For 35 years, Merlynne has choreographed productions at area schools, from elementary to college level. She started dancing at age 6, and studied under Bea Fried, Noreen Londregan, and Ernst Hillenbran. She graduated from Heidelberg College with a degree in Communication and Theatre Arts and French, with an acting/directing emphasis.

Clay Yoder, Theatre Faculty

Studied theatre and music at the University of Mount Union. Clay began acting at the age of 6 and has been in love with finding truth under imaginary circumstances ever since. Some of his favorite roles include; Shrek (Shrek The Musical), Amos (Chicago), Horatio (Hamlet), and Rosencrantz (R&G are Dead). During his time at the University of Mount Union Clay began to form a deep appreciation for the work of Michael Chekhov and Rudolf von Laban. He soon began developing voice and movement workshops based off of their work, and exploring how these movement techniques can be applied to the world of stage combat. Clay has served as a guest artist at Jackson High School in Jackson Township Ohio, Lakewood High School in Hebron Ohio, as well as serving as the TA for the University of Mount Unions stage combat course.

Clay believes in the process of “finding one’s body” and hopes to help youth and adults alike discover the power their most important instrument holds, so they may tell their stories as beautifully and honestly as possible.

Michelle Chiacchiari, Visual Arts Faculty

Michelle has over 10 years of classroom teaching experience and has been a Power of the Pen coach for 5 years. As a parent of two young ladies with husband Mark,  Michelle and her family have been Fairmount Center for the Arts patrons for many years. She has a passion for reading, traveling, teaching, swimming and being in nature. When she is not attending to her family or in the garden, she is painting, making jewelry or writing.

Jamie’s days filled with arts and crafts, flash cards, preschool library times, farm park adventures and even time watching Sesame Street. During this at home-time with her girls, she collected a few little ones along the way as she opened up and shared her home for other kids needing childcare in her community.

Stephen DeSantis, Visual Arts Faculty

Stephen DeSantis is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. He was a commercial photographer in New York for twenty-six years with clients including Estee Lauder, The Wall Street Journal, and PEOPLE Magazine. As an educator, Stephen has taught photography, books arts, letterpress printing, and rocket science in New York, Chicago, Portland, and Pingyao China. He has also curates arts exhibitions including on a moving CTA train in Chicago, ancient brick walls in China, and in elevators and traditional gallery spaces in Chicago.

Stephen earned his BFA in Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, and his MFA in Interdisciplinary Book & Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago. His artists’ books have been exhibited internationally and his interdisciplinary work is in collections including the National Gallery of Art, the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, and the University of Iowa Library Special Collection.

Brigitte Fiorille, Director of Visual Arts & Visual Arts Faculty

Brigitte loved teaching her four sons (now awesome adults) about her love of the arts. Growing from those arts lessons, Brigitte was inspired to pursue a degree in Art Education (Kent State University). Brigitte has grown with Fairmount, as an instructor and administrator and wears many hats each day to support the mission of Fairmount. When she’s not in the ceramics studio creating awesome art, you’ll find her with the admin team making the arts happen at Fairmount and in the community.  When she’s not at Fairmount, you’ll find Brigitte playing with her granddaughter, making the world a more beautiful place with her green thumb, or cooking for her awesome family.

Mary Lyons, Visual Arts Faculty

Mary Lyons loves taking long walks, a camera or sketchbook in hand, searching for a picture that begs to be captured. The key to bringing a subject to life in a still image is contrast: light and shadow, structure and chaos, ordinary and unusual. The passion for capturing life in this way has catalyzed Mary’s lifelong study of fine arts, and molded her style of realism in nature and in portraiture. She believes that the stories written in the lines of a face tell of truths that few words can express. From watercolor to charcoal, pen and ink to photography, the medium used sets the emotional tone of the piece. It is not the emotion itself that drives Mary’s work, but the desire to kindle within the viewer a corresponding impulse to create something beautiful. As a teacher, it is Mary’s goal to equip her students with the skills to express this beauty through their art.

Dale Olson, Visual Arts Faculty

Dale has been involved with art ever since he took painting lessons as a child at the Cleveland Museum of art. He attended Ashland University and received a BFA degree in ceramics and a degree to teach art education K-12. After 4 years of teaching, he switched to computers and eventually continued his family’s business in the construction field. He began concentrating his spare time into watercolors because they were easy to transport, fast to complete and he enjoyed the challenge they presented. Dale has been teaching watercolors for about 10 years at Kenston Community Education and had a very successful following. He is also versatile with many other mediums including oil and acrylic paints, all types of pencils, charcoals and pen and ink. He also enjoys plein air painting and his work has been accepted in many art shows in the surrounding area.

Amy Shea, Visual Arts Faculty

Amy Shea received a B.A. from Cleveland State University in Visual Arts, licensed to teach grades K – 12. She taught in public schools for four years before having children. Amy continued to teach Art part time at Lakeland Community College in the Community Education Department and also Art History at Breckenridge Village. Then, she taught at Grace Christian Academy for ten years as she homeschooled her two children. Currently, Amy teaches private and group lessons and is involved with the homeschool community in Lake and Geauga County. Amy also enjoys teaching arts and crafts at a community horse camp during the summers. She loves to work with children in a creative manner and pursues her own artistic endeavors as well. Amy lives in Painesville with her husband and has two adult children.

Heather Skye, Visual Arts Faculty

Heather Skye is a fine art instructor and art class assistant at Fairmount. She loves working with kids, saying, “They always surprise me with their creativity and innovation!” She is a mom of two, an artist, an editor for the Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio Journal, and an Outdoor Education Specialist Apprentice for the Willey Creek Forest School. Heather also participates in art fairs showing and selling ceramics, plant-based art, and jewelry. She also enjoys working in gardens and hiking with her kids.

Anne Stottler, Visual Arts Faculty

Anne Marsh Stottler graduated from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio with a degree in Art Education. Anne lived in Maine for 20 years where she taught art in grades K-12, adult aer education, was a floral designer, and owned her own business, silk screening quilt patterns on t-shirts and totes. She has been sewing since she was eight years old. Once she started quilting she couldn’t stop and has been incorporating her
love of gardening into her quilts ever since. Just as in nature’s textures and colors, her quilts honor the patterns and textures of the fabric keeping the designs simple to highlight the true beauty of the material. She loves teaching sewing and continuing the time honored traditions of our ancestors. “Wow ! Look what I made!” is music to her ears!