ARB Position: 2004 Wall of Fame

Lisa de Ravel is the Founder and Lead Educator of Vitality and Grace Fitness, a wellness space where adults rediscover the joy and strength of purposeful movement. Her innovative programs—Silver Swans Ballet, Pilates, Aqua Fitness, and BeBalanced—are designed to support physical vitality, mental well-being, and social connection at every stage of life. From 2019 to 2023, Lisa served as Managing Director of the Miami City Ballet School, where she led the development and implementation of the institution’s first-ever strategic plan. Her leadership included spearheading a groundbreaking collaboration with the City of Miami to establish a student dormitory, expanding access and community engagement.

Lisa’s career in dance and education spans more than 30 years at American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School, where she held numerous leadership roles. As Dean of Students (2007–2017) and Alumni Relations Coordinator (2015–2019), she cultivated a strong sense of community among generations of dancers. She co-chaired milestone events such as the organization’s 50th Anniversary, The Nutcracker Reunion, fashion shows, and multiple annual galas.

Lisa began her tenure at ARB in 1988 as a dancer under the direction of Dermot Burke, performing works by renowned choreographers including Alvin Ailey, Gerald Arpino, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, José Limón, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor, Septime Webre, and others. From 1989 to 2006, she taught and choreographed for Princeton Ballet School, including directing the Cranbury summer program, now known as the Summer Intensive Intermediates.

In recognition of her contributions to dance education, Lisa was honored with the Audrée Estey Award for Excellence in Dance Education and inducted into the Princeton Ballet School Wall of Fame.

She holds a B.A. in Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development from Rutgers University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society. She is a Certified Pilates Instructor and a licensed Silver Swans teacher through the Royal Academy of Dance. Her early dance training includes the North Carolina School of the Arts, the School of American Ballet, and Boston Ballet.

Kraig Patterson was born in Trenton, NJ. He was inspired to pursue a career in dance after performing in high school musicals. His formal dance education began with a scholarship to Princeton Ballet School. Following further training at Juilliard School for the Performing Arts, where he received his B.F.A. in 1986, he danced with the Mark Morris Dance Group from 1987 until 1999. Kraig has also performed with Ohad Naharin, Neta Pulvermacher, and the White Oak Dance Project.

Jim Vincent studied at Princeton Ballet School and became the Artistic Director of Nederlans Dans Theatr in 2009. He previously served as the Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago from 2000-2009, following an extensive career as a dancer, teacher, ballet master and choreographer. Vincent’s distinguished career as a professional dancer includes a 12-year tenure with Jiri Kylian’s Nederlans Dans Theatr, a guest appearance with Lar Lubovitch and two years with Nacho Duato’s Compañía Nacional de Danza in Spain. As a dancer, he worked with many choreographers including Kylian, Duato, Lubovitch, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Christopher Bruce, and Ohad Naharin.

Dodie Pettit, at age 12, was a Charter Member of the Regional Ballet Company founded in 1962 and then became a founding member in 1978. While a member of the company, Dodie performed in The Nutcracker for approximately 20 years, including nearly 10 years in the leading role of Sugar Plum. Other leading roles included Cinderella and Coppelia. In 2004, Dodie received their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award along with Bebe Neuwirth and Carol Estey.

Dodie was also a principal dancer with the Garden State Ballet for 3-years before moving to New York City which led to a distinguished 15-year career on Broadway as an original member of The Phantom of the Opera, as well as appearing in the Tony Awarding-winning musicals CATS and Titanic. After a 6-year run as a ballerina, she transferred to The Phantom Raoul Company U.S. National Tour as Understudy to the lead role of “Christine Daae” which she performed with her late husband Kevin Gray, Broadway’s 5th Phantom. She also did a 4-year run on Broadway in CATS and appeared in the first National Touring Company of Titanic, as well as in numerous regional productions. After being on the Dance Faculty of Rollins College in Florida and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Dodie currently sits on the Board of Directors of The Connecticut Dance School in Fairfield CT.

Aside from her career in dance, Dodie is a BMI songwriter and arranger whose credits include songs on the Billboard Pop and Dance charts. She underscored Shel Silverstein’s Grammy Nominated “A Light in the Attic” album and co-wrote a featured song for the film “Critters.” Over the years, Dodie has released four CDs of her original songs and co-wrote a musical with her late husband Kevin Gray entitled “Dracula, the Covenant” (Draculathecovenant.com). Dodie has been married to Aztec Two-Step’s co-founder Rex Fowler since August of 2018 and is loving singing and playing in their new 5-piece band Aztec Two Step 2.0.

Bebe Neuwirth was raised in Princeton, NJ and began her dance training at age five at Princeton Ballet School. Known for her work in both television and on stage, the actor/singer/dancer has been awarded two Emmys for her portrayal of Dr. Lilith Crane on Cheers, two Tony awards for her roles in Chicago and Sweet Charity, and the Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer for her role in Chicago. She appeared in the 2009 remake of Fame and appeared as Morticia Addams in The Addams Family musical on Broadway.