Staff & Instructors

Cory J Fragoso-Gram began his dance training at the preprofessional academy Canton Ballet, in Canton, OH, under the directorship of Cassandra Crowley: There he was notably given the rare opportunity of intense study in pointework, an area of the art form unique to few male dancers. Training progressively, Mr. Cory also studied with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School; danced on scholarship at The School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center in New York City; and graduated high school from The Harid Conservatory, the prestigious arts institution in Boca Raton, FL. After receiving a full four-year scholarship to Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

Having already performed in the corps de ballet of Indianapolis’s premier ballet company, Ballet International, Mr. Cory was scouted in 2000 by Dayton Ballet and began his professional career. In Dayton, he performed leading roles in ballets by renowned choreographers and directors Luis Fuente, Steven Mills, Septime Webber, Robert Joffrey, Dermont Burke, Mark Diamond, and Jeffery Graham-Hughes.

Mr. Cory left his professional career in the fall of 2004 after receiving a full stipend scholarship to the M.F.A. program at University of Arizona’s School of Dance. There he continued to develop his teaching and choreographic skill while performing leading roles in masterworks by George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, Melissa Lowe, Paul Sanasardo, James Clouser, and Jory Hancock.

After graduating with his Masters of Fine Arts in 2007, Mr. Cory took up a directorship position at Dance Makers Studio in Yuma, Arizona, and in 2008 resumed his professional career with Ballet Tucson under the directorship of Mary Beth Cabana. In 2010 he left the company to take an adjunct faculty position with Pima Community College, where he continued to instruct dance technique classes in ballet, modern, jazz and dance conditioning until 2012. He has continued dancing as a guest artist with Art.If.Act Dance Project, a contemporary ballet company in Tucson, and Ballet Tucson.

Mr. Cory has trained extensively in the pedagogical art of dance and has been practicing as an instructor since 2001. He has thoroughly enjoyed working through Tucson and Phoenix with the students and families since 2004, and looks forward to sharing his knowledge, passion and love for the arts with you at BC Dance.

Renowned teacher, choreographer, and arts administrator, Mr. Walker studied Dance with Gertrude Shurr, May O’Donnell, Martha Graham, Robert Joffrey, Valentina Pereyslavic, Nala Najan, and many others. He has taught for the O’Donnell-Shurr Studio, Bathsheba and Bat-Dor Companies, New Zealand School of Dance, Ballet Philippines, H. S. Of Performing Arts in NYC, Utah State Univ., Butler University, and was Chair of Performing Arts at Adelphi University. He has taught all over the world. Mr. Walker was Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and School, was chosen as Dancer of the Month for Dance Magazine, is listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and in Who’s Who in America.

As a dancer he was the lead dancer in his own company and with May O’Donnell Dance Company. He has appeared or was guest artist with Yurok and Guest Artists, Pearl Lang and Company, Pauline Koner and Company, Boston Ballet, Ballet Philippines, among others.

Mr. Walker and his partner, Cora Cahan, have appeared as Guest Artists with the Shreveport Symphony, the New Orleans Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic Symphony. He has restaged several works of Ted Shawn for a number of companies as well as dancing Shawn’s roles.

As a choreographer of over 245 ballets and modern dance pieces, from major solos to full-evening works he has created works for such companies as Norman Walker Dance Company, Joffrey Ballet, Harkness Ballet, Ballet Philippines, Bathsheba and Bat-Dor Companies, Boston Ballet, Dance Kaleidoscope, Adelphi Dance Theatre, Dennis Wayne’s Dancers, National Ballet of China, and many more internationally.

Reyman-Hughes was born in New York City, where she began her dance training at the age of fifteen. She trained with Istvan Rabovsky and at the American Ballet Theatre School with Valentina Pereyslavic, Olga Merinowa, and Patricia Wilde.

In 1977 she began her professional career with Dennis Wayne’s Dancers in NYC. Over the course of her twenty-two year performing career she also danced as a principal dancer with Cleveland/San Jose Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Dayton Ballet and Ohio Ballet under the direction of Ian Horvath & Dennis Nahat, Robert Barnett, Dermot Burke, and Jeffrey Graham Hughes respectively. She also performed as a guest artist with small companies in the United States.

An artist recognized for her versatility, Ms. Reyman-Hughes has danced a range of roles, including Tzarina, Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop, Dying Swan, Giselle, Juliet, Lizzie Borden in deMilles’s Fall River Legend, Emilia in Limon’s Moor’s Pavane, the Partisan in Jooss’ The Green Table, The Woman in His Past in Tudor’s Lilac Garden, Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother in Holder’s Cinderella. She danced principal roles in an extensive Balanchine repertoire including Tarantella, Square Dance, Minkus Pas de Trois, Agon, Apollo, Serenade, Four Temperaments and Nutcracker. Ms. Reyman-Hughes has also performed in works by Butler, Van Dantzig, Lubovitch, Byrd, Arpino, Flindt, Falco, Louis, Fokine, Massine, Nault and many others, including her husband Jeffrey Hughes. In 1990, she performed in Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival in Flemming Flindt’s The Overcoat with Rudolf Nureyev. As a principal dancer with Cleveland/San Jose Ballet, she had many roles created for her by Artistic Directors Dennis Nahat and Ian Horvath. She has also participated as a dancer in New Steps, a choreographic workshop in Ohio and in Festival of Life, a benefit for children and adults with AIDS in Atlanta.

Ms. Reyman-Hughes was ballet mistress for Ohio Ballet, interim ballet mistress for Hong Kong Ballet, and was on the staff of the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She has guest taught throughout the U.S. and has choreographed two chamber ballets that have been performed in Ohio and Switzerland. Locally, Ms. Reyman-Hughes has taught at Ballet Arts in Tucson and briefly worked as a part-time ballet mistress for Ballet Tucson. Most recently she worked as Co Artistic Director of Tucson Regional Ballet for the past 9 1/2 years. She has also choreographed a number of ballets for Academy of Ballet and Tucson Regional Ballet and restaged all classical ballets for TRB including Paquita, La Bayadere, Act II Swan Lake and Giselle, among others. For the summers of 2015-2017, she was a guest teacher for Orlando Ballet School’s summer intensive. She is also a certified Gyrotonic® Expansion System Level I Instructor.

Ms. Reyman-Hughes is grateful to the many teachers who have inspired her throughout her career and would especially like to thank Maggie Black, Alonzo King, and Wilhelm Burmann.

Avery has been dancing and performing since the age of 3. She spent her childhood learning all genres of dance and honed in on her ballet and contemporary technique training while studying at All American Classical Ballet School in Tampa, Florida. In 2015, after moving to Scottsdale Arizona, Avery began extensive ballet and contemporary training at Master Ballet Academy.

She fostered a love for choreography at a very young age and created her first self-choreographed piece at age 15 which placed in the Top 4 at an International Ballet Competition. Soon after, Avery went on to perform as Principal Dancer in Phoenix Ballet’s String of Thoughts and was also a soloist in their performance of Paquita. Avery has also dabbled in acting, playing the role of Abigail in the Netflix film Driven to Dance. She has guested in many performances, including being the Lead Soloist in American School of Classical Ballet’s performance of Firebird in 2018. In addition, Avery has played various roles in The Nutcracker throughout her years including Harlequin Doll Soloist, Spanish Soloist, Snow Queen, and Sugar Plum Fairy. At age 17, after attending the prestigious Arts Umbrella Intensive in Canada on scholarship, Avery moved to San Diego to teach the contemporary program at Golden State Ballet. While there, she created and choreographed many award winning contemporary performances for YAGP.

Avery moved backed to Arizona in 2020 to teach progressions technique, ballet, ballroom, jazz, and contemporary classes at Club Dance Studio and several other studios in the Phoenix area. She currently is a featured guest teacher at the Grand Premier Invitational Ballet Intensive. Her choreography continues to flourish and is recognized at many competitions in the U.S.

Avery is still dancing professionally and performed as a dancer for Pitbull and CeeLo Green this year. She recently moved to Tucson, AZ where she currently attends the University of Arizona as a dance major.

Reina has been dancing and performing since the age of 3. She has also been competing on dance teams and attending dance competitions since the age of 5. She is trained in all styles of dance including ballet, ballroom, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, partnering, and modern. At the young age of 9, Reina performed her first solo role as “Clara” in The Nutcracker with All American Classical Ballet School. She went on to win 5 World Titles in ballet and contemporary by age 11 when she then went on to train full-time with Master Ballet Academy and became a performing member of the Phoenix Ballet. While with the Phoenix Ballet, Reina performed as “Clara” in The Nutcracker for 2 more years as well as “Snow Queen Soloist” and “Russian Soloist”.

She also performed lead roles in Graduation Ball as well as a contemporary piece called, Imaginary Thoughts of Incredible Situations. Reina is also the featured dancer of the Documentary Series Born on Pointe – Episode 6. She has received numerous scholarships and awards to attend ballet schools all over the country. To further her dance education, Reina began ballroom training with world renowned coach Olga Ginzburg in Southern California. After just a few months of training, Reina went on to win 9 First Place awards in the Open Latin Ballroom Elite Dance Sport Competition. She continues to dance and perform today and performed as a dancer for Pitbull and CeeLo Green this year. She recently moved to Tucson, AZ where she currently attends the University of Arizona.

I am in awe of what Cory is able to inspire in the kids, and even more so of the kids’ commitment to learning to dance and to performing. Their hard work, the growth I see them achieve as artists and people, and the amazing performances they put on every year makes me even more committed to Cory’s vision.