Faculty
Michael Villella
Founder & Director
I grew up in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and began my ballet training at sixteen. Two years later, in search of more intensive training, I left home to study at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
Arriving there later than most dancers gave me an unusual perspective on classical training. Placed according to experience rather than age, I trained alongside much younger students and was immersed in the most fundamental elements of classical ballet. Encountering that work as a young adult made its purpose especially clear. Seeing how the simplest exercises prepared a dancer for increasingly advanced movement revealed the logic of progressive training - one skill preparing the body and mind for the next. This understanding became the foundation of my work as a teacher.
At Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, I studied with Marcia Dale Weary and teachers shaped by her work. Early in my training, I also began student teaching with Marcia. Her patient, methodical approach shaped my understanding of both ballet and education. The lessons of those formative years continue to influence the structure, standards, and values of my teaching today.
After completing my training, I danced professionally before returning to the area and founding the original Western Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Oakmont. The classrooms of that first school became the testing ground for a teaching system of my own. Through daily observation, experimentation, and refinement, I developed a structured progression intended to give a wide range of students a clear path through the principles and vocabulary of classical ballet.
As the program took shape, I worked closely with Jillian Greis to formalize its progression as WPYB's written curriculum and syllabus. We continue to refine and expand that work together. Built on the educational principles of my own training, the program remains distinctly WPYB, with original exercises, defined technical benchmarks, and a carefully planned path from one level to the next.
After several years, I moved to New York, bringing the developing curriculum with me. The opportunity to apply it across a broader student body confirmed that the same systematic approach could support students' technical development and confidence on a larger scale.
At the center of my teaching is the belief that access to excellent ballet education should not depend solely upon exceptional natural facility or innate ability. Qualities that appear to come easily to one student can often be carefully taught and developed in another. Every student deserves clear instruction, meaningful expectations, and an understanding of what they are working toward. Patient guidance and thoughtful progression give all students the opportunity not only to learn classical ballet, but to excel within it.
I also believe that ballet's value extends far beyond the mastery of any particular step. Its demand for close attention teaches students to observe carefully, work deliberately, and continue reaching beyond what they can already do. As students develop, expectations grow with them, building habits of discipline, perseverance, and continued growth.
I am now reestablishing Western Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in my hometown of New Kensington. This new chapter is both a continuation of the work I began years ago and a homecoming, creating a permanent home for WPYB in the community that first shaped and supported me. Through the school, my hope is to share with our students the same kind of education I was fortunate to receive: one that shaped not only the way I teach ballet, but the way I approach life.
Jillian Greis
Permanent Guest Faculty & Co-Developer
of the WPYB Curriculum and Syllabus
Jillian Greis grew up in West Berlin, New Jersey, and began her classical ballet training at age three at Lowe Dance Studio. At fifteen, she moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to pursue intensive study at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Those formative years gave her a rigorous technical foundation and a lasting appreciation for the logic, discipline, and careful progression of classical ballet.
With more than fifteen years of teaching experience, Jillian brings both technical precision and a deep understanding of how individual students learn. Her studies in psychology at Harvard University further shaped her thoughtful approach to student development. She understands that the same explanation, correction, or image will not reach every child in the same way, and she values the process of finding what allows each student to understand and progress.
During WPYB's early years in Oakmont, Jillian worked closely with Michael Villella to formalize his developing teaching progression as WPYB's written curriculum and syllabus. Over three years of discussion, questioning, testing, and refinement, they developed a structured framework with original exercises, defined technical benchmarks, and a carefully planned path from one level to the next. They continue to refine and expand that work together.
That collaboration remains central to WPYB today. As Permanent Guest Faculty, Jillian's involvement extends beyond the time she spends teaching at the school. She remains closely connected to its classes, students, and development, bringing a deep understanding of the program's standards and values along with a trusted perspective on its direction.
Jillian's career later brought her to New York, where she expanded her teaching practice and earned certification in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. Through this framework, she has successfully guided young dancers through ABT examinations across all Primary levels. That experience informs the foundation of WPYB's Primary program and reinforces her commitment to careful, age-appropriate development.
Jillian believes that rigorous training and genuine care belong in the same classroom. She approaches children with seriousness and warmth, trusting them with detailed work while allowing room for humor, discovery, and growth. Her goal is not simply to develop technically capable dancers, but to help students become more attentive, confident, disciplined, and invested in their own progress.
Jillian Greis
Permanent Guest Faculty & Co-Developer
of the WPYB Curriculum and Syllabus
Jillian Greis grew up in West Berlin, New Jersey, and began her classical ballet training at age three at Lowe Dance Studio. At fifteen, she moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to pursue intensive study at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Those formative years gave her a rigorous technical foundation and a lasting appreciation for the logic, discipline, and careful progression of classical ballet.
With more than fifteen years of teaching experience, Jillian brings both technical precision and a deep understanding of how individual students learn. Her studies in psychology at Harvard University further shaped her thoughtful approach to student development. She understands that the same explanation, correction, or image will not reach every child in the same way, and she values the process of finding what allows each student to understand and progress.
During WPYB's early years in Oakmont, Jillian worked closely with Michael Villella to formalize his developing teaching progression as WPYB's written curriculum and syllabus. Over three years of discussion, questioning, testing, and refinement, they developed a structured framework with original exercises, defined technical benchmarks, and a carefully planned path from one level to the next. They continue to refine and expand that work together.
That collaboration remains central to WPYB today. As Permanent Guest Faculty, Jillian's involvement extends beyond the time she spends teaching at the school. She remains closely connected to its classes, students, and development, bringing a deep understanding of the program's standards and values along with a trusted perspective on its direction.
Jillian's career later brought her to New York, where she expanded her teaching practice and earned certification in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. Through this framework, she has successfully guided young dancers through ABT examinations across all Primary levels. That experience informs the foundation of WPYB's Primary program and reinforces her commitment to careful, age-appropriate development.
Jillian believes that rigorous training and genuine care belong in the same classroom. She approaches children with seriousness and warmth, trusting them with detailed work while allowing room for humor, discovery, and growth. Her goal is not simply to develop technically capable dancers, but to help students become more attentive, confident, disciplined, and invested in their own progress.
Millicent Rogers Villella-Hayes
Director of Studio Morale & Treat Compliance
Millie is a seven-year-old miniature schnauzer. Although her formal ballet experience is limited, she is an accomplished observer with particular expertise in studio morale, perimeter security, and treat compliance.
Millie is excited to move to Pennsylvania and accompany her best friend, Michael, to the studio each day. Her most important responsibility will be knowing when a student could use a little extra encouragement. Whether offering quiet company, a reassuring look, or a perfectly timed greeting, Millie hopes to help every dancer and family feel welcome at WPYB. She intends to take this work very seriously.