Our History
WBC’s founder, Iris Merrick, pictured here at a performance at Marymount College in 1970.
Artistic Director Gabriele Ionita led WBC from 1981-86.
Jean Logrea and Beth Fritz-Logrea, WBC Artistic Directors from 1986-2024
Aneriz Re and Elias Re. Photo by Kaela Ku.
A Visionary Beginning: Iris Merrick, Founder
Westchester Ballet Company was founded in 1950 in Ossining, New York, by Iris Merrick, a visionary educator and artist who transformed the cultural landscape of Westchester. A former student of the legendary Michel Fokine and an early performer on Broadway, Merrick believed that every child deserved access to the discipline, beauty, and joy of ballet.
“I started the ballet school so children would know what it is like in the theater,” she once explained. She opened the doors of her school to all, regardless of a family’s ability to pay.
Merrick’s dream was to use ballet as a tool not just for artistic development, but also for personal growth and community building. She was also among the first in the country to found a regional ballet company focused on young dancers.
For more than three decades, Merrick directed WBC with passion and ingenuity, staging original productions, training young dancers, and fostering a tradition of excellence rooted in accessibility. After her retirement in 1980, she remained active in the dance world, continuing to teach and inspire well into her later years. Her vision lives on in every WBC performance and every dancer who has passed through its doors.
A Lineage of Artistic Leadership
Following Merrick’s retirement, the company entered a new era under the guidance of Romanian ballerina Gabriela Ionita, who served as Artistic Director from 1981 to 1986. A former principal dancer and ballet mistress at the Bucharest Opera Ballet, and a graduate of the prestigious Vaganova Academy in Leningrad, Ionita brought renewed classical strength and artistic discipline to WBC.
Having arrived in the United States as a political refugee, Ionita was deeply committed to using her art to serve others. “My dream is to help people,” she said. “It’s almost an obsession with me, so I put all my soul into my work.”
Recommended by Iris Merrick herself, Ionita honored WBC’s mission while adapting to a new context, where many students danced not as future professionals, but out of love for the art. She embraced this difference with care and dedication, continuing the tradition of The Nutcracker and mentoring a new generation of dancers with compassion, rigor, and vision.
In 1986, Beth Fritz-Logrea and Jean Logrea took on the artistic leadership of Westchester Ballet Company, ushering in a new chapter. Both were former principal dancers with the Graz Opernhaus Ballet in Austria, bringing with them not only a wealth of stage experience but also a deep commitment to the classical tradition.
Under their direction, WBC flourished artistically. Beth and Jean elevated the Company’s standards, expanded its repertoire, and mentored generations of dancers with discipline, elegance, and warmth. Their European training and artistic vision helped preserve WBC’s classical roots while also ensuring the company’s evolution through changing times.
In 2024, Beth and Jean stepped down from their official roles and were named Artistic Director Emerita and Artistic Director Emeritus, respectively.
A New Era in Artistic Leadership
WBC’s new artistic leadership was named in the summer of 2026, with Aneriz Re and Elias Re joining Westchester Ballet Company as Interim Co-Artistic Directors for the 2026–27 season. Together, they bring international training, extensive professional performance experience, a strong commitment to education, and a shared belief in WBC’s mission of providing access and opportunity to young dancers, regardless of background or means.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Aneriz Re trained at Ballet AD São Caetano and distinguished herself in Royal Academy of Dance examinations before beginning her professional career. She has danced with Cisne Negro Companhia de Dança, Cleveland Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, and New York Theatre Ballet, performing featured roles in works including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Coppélia, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her training reflects a broad range of traditions, including Brazilian, Balanchine, Cecchetti, and Cuban techniques. In addition to performing, Aneriz has worked extensively as a teacher, coach, rehearsal assistant, and rehearsal director.
Elias Re received his early professional training at the prestigious La Scala Ballet Academy in Milan and later studied with Kirov Ballet Master Irina Ivanova. He also trained on scholarship at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School and at the Escuela Nacional de Ballet in Havana. His professional career has included performances with Dance Theatre of Harlem, American Repertory Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and Civic Ballet of Chicago, as well as appearances in more than 100 productions internationally. His repertoire includes leading roles in Don Quixote, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Flames of Paris, and The Nutcracker. Alongside his performing career, Elias has coached young dancers and coordinated rehearsals and currently teaches WBC’s Boys’ Ballet program.
Their complementary experiences as performers, educators, coaches, and artistic leaders position Aneriz and Elias to guide WBC into its next chapter while honoring the Company’s long tradition of artistic excellence, accessibility, and opportunity.
