Meet the Editors

Amy Brandt

Editor in Chief

A native of Libertyville, Illinois, Amy has been the editor in chief of Pointe since 2014. She danced professionally with the Milwaukee Ballet and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, among others, performing a large repertoire that included 19th century classics and works by George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins and Alonzo King. Amy also performed in honor of Ms. Farrell at the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors. In 2009, she began writing Pointe‘s “Ask Amy” advice column. Amy graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College with a BA in English and World Literatures in 2014, and she currently serves on the department’s advisory board. She is also senior consulting editor for Dance Teacher. Contact her at: [email protected]

Raymond Mingst

Vice President/Creative Director

Raymond discovered his earliest dance inspiration in print in the photographs of Barbara Morgan, specifically her collaborations with Martha Graham. As an art and creative director he has been recognized with numerous awards. Raymond is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and cofounder of the contemporary art gallery Curious Matter. Contact him at: [email protected]

Madeline Schrock

Senior Managing Editor

A native of Floyds Knobs, Indiana, Madeline is the senior managing editor of Dance Media, where she oversees the production of Dance Magazine, edits health coverage for Pointe and is the project manager of DanceTeacher+. She studied ballet at Southern Indiana School for the Arts and was later introduced to modern dance by Bill Evans. While completing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography at Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College, she was cast in a historical reconstruction of Alwin Nikolais’ Noumenon celebrating his centennial. Prior to joining Dance Media in 2011, she worked on dance videography projects for Bates Dance Festival and served as marketing and education manager for Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Contact her at: [email protected]

Lydia Murray

Managing Editor

Lydia holds a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in Integrated Marketing Communication from Marist College. As a student, she wrote about dance for the campus arts and entertainment magazine Generator Magazine and won the award of Crew MVP as an interviewer for the Marist Poll. In 2018, she served as an education intern at American Ballet Theatre. The following year, she became the intern program fellow/assistant to the deputy director at Jacob’s Pillow, where she managed the intern program and coordinated the 2019 National Dance Presenters’ Forum.

Lydia is a graduate of the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory and attended summer intensives at Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ballet Hispanico. Contact her at: [email protected]

Kyra Laubacher

Assistant Editor

Originally from Wexford, Pennsylvania, Kyra began dancing before she could speak. In 2020, she was inducted to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude from Butler University with a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in English Literature, blending her passions for dance and writing academically. She also danced professionally at Eugene Ballet and performed a diverse repertoire throughout her time with the company. Kyra began working for Dance Media as Pointe‘s 2020 summer editorial intern, continuing as a contributing writer prior to her appointment as assistant editor in 2022. Contact her at: [email protected]

Advisory Board

Stella Abrera

Artistic director, American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School

Frank Andersen

Bournonville producer

Aesha Ash

Associate chair of faculty, School of American Ballet

Erika Davis

CEO, Regional Dance America

Sasha De Sola

Principal dancer, San Francisco Ballet

Chyrstyn Fentroy

Principal dancer, Boston Ballet

Terry Hyde

MA, MBACP, psychotherapist, Counselling for Dancers

Julie Kent

Artistic director, The Washington Ballet

Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Choreographer

Noelani Pantastico

Artistic director, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet

Tiler Peck

Principal dancer, New York City Ballet

Cathy Radovan

COO, Bloch Inc.

Raymond Rodriguez

Academy director, Joffrey Academy of Dance

Calvin Royal III

Principal dancer, American Ballet Theatre

Larissa Saveliev

Founder and artistic director, Youth America Grand Prix

Marie Scioscia

MS, RD, CDN, founder Cinch Nutrition

Mavis Staines

Artistic director and CEO, Canada’s National Ballet School

Michael Vernon

Professor of ballet, Indiana University

Connor Walsh

Principal dancer, Houston Ballet

Iain Webb

Artistic director, The Sarasota Ballet