Originally from St. Louis, Welch Cudnik studied with Berkeley Evans, Nathalie LeVine and Alexandra Zaharias in St. Louis and Todd Bolender and Una Kai at the State Ballet of Missouri (now Kansas City Ballet). At age 15, she moved to NYC to study on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet; training under master teachers Stanley Williams, Hèléne Dudin, Elise Reiman, Antonina Tumkovsky, Suki Schorer, Kay Mazzo and Suzy Pilarre, among others. While there she performed Balanchine’s the Four Temperaments, Rubies, La Source and Concerto Barocco, Bournonville’s Napoli and originated roles in new works by Christopher Wheeldon and Damian Woetzel. She also trained with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, Wilhelm Burmann, David Howard and Nancy Bielski. Welch Cudnik danced professionally with Pennsylvania Ballet and Saint Louis Ballet for a decade. She had the honor of performing multiple roles in works by George Balanchine such as the Waltz Girl and Russian in Serenade, principal in Allegro Brillante, principal in Divertimento No. 15, principal in Valse Fantasie, Who Cares?, and Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, as well as roles in classical ballets Cinderella, Coppelia, Swan Lake, as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and the title role of Giselle.
A dance educator for twenty-five years, Welch Cudnik was most recently the Principal of the Sarasota Ballet School. She has been an adjunct professor at Webster University, on faculty at the Center of Creative Arts (COCA) and Saint Louis Ballet and has taught in public schools and community centers. Welch Cudnik directed and co-founded the nonprofit, Ballet Initiative, which presented summer intensives and free performances in collaboration with the Saint Louis Symphony and the Missouri History Museum. Welch Cudnik is a commissioned choreographer, a career consultant for dancers, an adjudicator for dance and choreography competitions, and a curator for dance festivals and productions. She is certified in the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum and holds an MFA in Dance from Hollins University. As an educator who teaches future generations of dance advocates, Welch Cudnik cultivates with compassion and empathy, ensuring technique and artistry are instilled and achieved with pride and prowess. Her entire teaching career and MFA education is focused on equity, diversity and inclusivity being of paramount importance.