International Dance Day - Celebrate Diversity!

vicki.parsons@balletaustin.org

As Director of Ballet Austin’s Butler Center for Dance & Fitness Vicki helped design and develop programming that now offers dance and fitness classes to over 11,000 adults each year. Health, fitness, and overall wellness are a priority, and through classes, community-based programs, and FREE workplace wellness talks she helps promote the value of life-long health and well-being in the Austin community. 

Vicki joined Ballet Austin in 1997. She has over 25 years of experience working in the field of Long Term Care, specifically in direct care as a Recreation Therapist, using therapeutic recreation as a treatment intervention to improve overall wellness. Vicki taught at Austin Community College for 13 years and worked with several non-profit organizations to develop and present workshops on lifelong health and wellbeing. Promoting physical activity and wellness to people of all ages continues to be one of her greatest interests and passions.

She holds current certifications as a Senior Fitness Instructor, a Youth Fitness Specialist, a Group Exercise Instructor, and in Advanced Sports Nutrition. She is also a certified Fitness Business Manager. Vicki developed curriculum for, and teaches the Better Balance & Movement Workshop, a falls prevention program for adults. In 2015 Vicki implemented the free BeWell Healthy Living Talks, and is a requested speaker at several area businesses, organizations, and conferences such as the Austin Women’s Club, Austin’s Business Group on Health, DELL, St. David's Foundation, the Girls Empowerment Network We Are Girls Conference, and more. Her presentations are practical and inspirational, and are presented with humor and passion, motivating her audience to change their attitude, their mind, and their life. 

Her advice is simple, "Find your recreation! It's your life, your health, YOU are in control. Be active. Be resilient, Be well!"

Follow Vicki:

Twitter @VickiBeActive 

Instagram Vicki_BeWell  

vlada.sheber@balletaustin.org

Originally from the Ukraine, Vlada Sheber received her training in classical ballet from the State Classical Ballet College of Russia (Voronezh.) Vlada performed as a soloist in the Donetsk Ballet Theatre before immigrating to the United States. She was a company member with Ballet Austin from 1992-2003.

In 2002, Vlada received her diploma as a Certified Core Connections® Pilates Instructor from the Core Connections® Comprehensive Teacher Training Program at the Pilates Center of Austin. There she studied under Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle.

In 2007 Vlada was named Program Director for Ballet Austin’s Pilates Center, participating in both the original design of the Center and expansion in 2015.

In 2009, she attended a training under Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle and Michele Larsson providing insight and approaches into working with older clients. In 2010 Vlada attended the Pink Pilates Program training in Houston, Texas and became a certified Post-Rehabilitative Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist. Having worked with breast cancer survivors continuously since 2010, she further developed a specialized rehabilitative workout for breast cancer survivors to include humor and compassion; Ballet Austin’s Pink Pilates.

Vlada also has trained extensively in a physical therapy clinic under Allison Bennett (Women’s Health specialist) which expanded her knowledge of anatomy and Pilates rehabilitation. She has developed Pilates workouts specifically for osteoporosis, scoliosis, and chronic back pain.

In 2005 she was acknowledged as a "Pre-eminent Purveyor of Pilates" by Austin Monthly Magazine. In recognition of Ballet Austin's commitment to excellence, Ballet Austin’s Pilates Center has been chosen as “Best Pilates Studio in Austin” by Rare Magazine and Austin Fit Magazine. Vlada's knowledge and approach to her practice of Pilates make her a highly requested master Pilates instructor.

stephanie.albrecht@balletaustin.org

Stephanie is responsible for the day-to-day management of programs, operations, and customer experience. Her goal is to ensure the overall organizational effectiveness and efficiency of these areas, while optimizing the customer's experience. Stephanie teaches POUND – Rockout. Workout® and PlyoJam® classes at the Butler Center and is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP®).

Stephanie joined the Ballet Austin team in 2013 bringing with her over 10 years of hands-on experience in customer relations and project management. Prior to joining Ballet Austin, she performed similar duties for the Bullock Texas State History Museum and The University of Texas at Austin. She is a native Austinite and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jenny graduated from SUNY Buffalo where she received her BA in Dance. While in school, Jenny had the opportunity to perform and choreograph in numerous concert dance shows in styles ranging from jazz to contemporary to modern. She was given the opportunity to collaborate her choreography with Digital Poetry media as well as choreograph for the Department's second company. Jenny has studied with artists from Jazz Dance World Congress, River North Jazz Dance Chicago, Paul Taylor Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, LehrerDance, Urban Bush Women, San Francisco Ballet and Giordano Dance Chicago.

She is a certified Zumba Instructor and is working towards her Personal Trainer Certification. Jenny has also taught children's dance classes and especially loves working with young children. In addition to teaching at Ballet Austin, Jenny works with schools and youth around Central Texas. She is extremely passionate about dance and fitness and is very excited to share her knowledge at the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

Max is a dancer with Ballet Austin’s professional company. 

Max began dancing at the Princeton Dance and Theater (PDT) Studio in Princeton, N.J. He studied at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School after winning a full scholarship through Youth American Grand Prix. He continued to train at the American Ballet School.
 
In 2016 Max was awarded the prestigious Northern Trust Scholarship.
 
Max spent his summers at PDT, Orlando Ballet School, the Chautauqua Institute, and American Ballet Theatre, N.Y. He also studied at the Amsterdam International Summer School, IBStage in Barcelona, and International Ballet Master classes in Prague.
 

Courtney Borrero is a born and raised Austin girl, who started dancing by the age of five.

She trained at many different dance studios around South Austin and studied different types of dance growing up. She then became involved in her middle and high school drill teams where she really found her love for jazz and hip hop.

During college she became a certified group fitness instructor for dance fitness and traveled to Dallas back and forth to train and learn the fast pace professional dance team Pom/hip hop style.
Courtney has experience teaching a range of ages and levels. She hopes to bring out joy, confidence and sassiness in all of her students with dance.

Toni Bravo is originally from Mexico City and holds a Master's Degree in Theatre History and Criticism, with a minor in Dance Pedagogy from the University of Texas. Since 1975, she has taught and performed as a professional dance artist in Mexico, England, Israel, Costa Rica, Germany, Spain and throughout the United States. Toni began teaching for the Ballet Austin Academy in 1990 and the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness in 2007. Toni teaches modern dance and movement classes, and designed the Body Sculpting class to keep adults of all ages active and moving longer.

As Ballet Austin's Community Education Director, Pei-San Brown is responsible for developing and implementing dance- and arts-based curricula and programs for Central Texas schools, providing professional development for teachers in dance education and arts-based teaching strategies, researching and preparing historical and contemporary information about ballet repertory for audience education, and helping to develop and implement Ballet Austin's Strategic Plan.

Pei-San is currently on faculty as a dance instructor at Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness. She has danced with Disney Entertainment Arts (Los Angeles), Third Coast Jazz (Austin), Austin Musical Theatre (Austin), Halau Ho'ola Ka Mana O Hawai'i (Dallas and Houston), and as a featured dancer in the movie Miss Congeniality (2000). She taught undergraduate and graduate education courses at The University of Texas at Austin's College of Education and was the co-founder of an educational research firm. She has been involved in research funded by The Wallace Foundation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the National Institutes for Child and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Her publications include The Developmental Benefits of Playgrounds (2004), the CPSC's Age Determination Guidelines: Relating Children's Ages to Toy Characteristics and Play Behavior (2002), as well as numerous chapters and articles in the field of early childhood education.

Brown holds a Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Texas at Austin, and has completed her doctoral course work in the same field. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Pedagogy and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of California at Irvine. She has also holds the title of Kumu Hula, which is equivalent to a graduate degree in the study of hula.

Layne Bruner, founder of Wellthy Soul is a long time dancer and fitness enthusiast. In 2013, after losing much of her past identity to motherhood, Layne decided to rediscover her love of movement, teaching, and fitness. Nutrition and self-care quickly became a priority.
 
Layne is an American Council of Exercise Certified Health Coach and Group Fitness Instructor.
 
We are happy to have Layne teaching at ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.
 

Dane was raised in northwest Oregon where he started dancing at the age of 10. After high school, he was awarded a scholarship to Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. He trained there for several years, preparing him for the performance industry. Dane has worked with choreographers such as Mandy Moore, Malaya, JT Horenstein, Terri Best and many more. He has worked with MTV, danced on the NBC show "American Dreams" and has performed and choreographed numerous live shows around the L.A. area. In 2008 he ended a 5 year run working with Tremaine Dance Conventions and he has been traveling the U.S. judging for Creations Dance Championships.

Dane currently lives in Austin, TX where he teaches dance and choreographs for private studios and local high schools. He was a part of the professional development of Austin Independent School District dance teachers. He has also helped in the production of live shows benefiting charities around the U.S. He is enjoying sharing his talents with the dance community of Austin.

Alexa Capareda received her early training in classical ballet and contemporary dance at the Philippine High School for the Arts in her native Philippines. After moving to Texas, she continued her training in Texas at Ballet Austin and in Canada at Ecole Superieure de Ballet Contemporain de Montreal before joining Mario Radacovsky’s Balet Bratislava in Slovakia, where she had the privilege of performing Jiri Kylian’s Falling Angels and Six Dances. She began exploring her own choreography before leaving Europe, winning 3rd prize at the 2013 Festival of Choreographic Miniatures in Serbia for her choreographic debut. Capareda is currently rehearsal assistant for Ballet Austin II, where she has assisted in restaging ballets by Stephen Mills, Nelly van Bommel, Nick Kepley, and Thang Dao. She also works as a dance artist with ARCOS Dance, Jennifer Hart’s Performa/Dance, BLiPSWiTCH, Jennifer Sherburn, and Magdalena Jarkowiec. She is co-producer and performing artist with Frank Wo/Men Collective and her dance creations as a solo artist have been featured in collaborations with sound artists/musicians Steve Parker, Brent Baldwin, Lynn Lane’s Houston-based Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, and Austin Camerata. In 2017, Capareda received an Austin Critics Table Award for Excellence as Dancer. She has a Bachelor of Arts in  English and a minor in Theater and Dance from the University of Texas-Austin.

Lisa began her dance studies at the Margo Marshall School of Ballet and the Cleveland San Jose School of Ballet. She continued her training as a Heywood “Woody” McGriff Presidential Scholarship student at the University of Texas at Austin where she received her BFA in Dance. She also studied classical piano and violin for many years and in her later years Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, qigong, Droznin System, Vipassana Meditation, and the Feldenkrais Method® of movement education.

Lisa has danced professionally in the Philippines with The Philippine National Folk Dance Company, Bayanihan. She currently is a member of DA! Theatre Collective and Sheep Army/Elsewhere Dance Theatre, and also performs her own solo work, along with independent choreographers, locally, nationally, and internationally. She has taught and choreographed at the Dougherty Arts School, the McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy, Tapestry, and The Texas Arts Project at St. Stephen's Episcopal School. Lisa is thrilled to be teaching at the Ballet Austin Academy and Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

Hailey is a member of Ballet Austin's professional company.

She is certified in Mat Pilates.
 
Originally from Lafayette, La., Hailey began her ballet training at The Ballet Studio and later Lafayette Ballet Theatre. She has attended the summer programs of American Ballet Theatre (NYC), Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, The School of American Ballet (SAB) and Ballet Austin. At 15, Hailey was awarded full scholarship to study year round at SAB where she then trained for three years. While at SAB, she performed in the Student's Annual Workshop performances. She had the pleasure of performing Dance of the Little Swans in George Balanchine's Swan Lake, Danses Concertantes, The Four Temperaments and Jerome Robbins' Fanfare.

James Fuller is from Irvine, Calif., and was trained at Ballet Pacifica Conservatory. In 2004, James received a Youth America Grand Prix scholarship to study at the Boston Ballet School, where he completed his final year of training. James apprenticed with Oregon Ballet Theatre for a year before enrolling at Harvard University. At Harvard, James performed works by choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Alvin Ailey. In the summers, James studied modern dance with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, American Dance Festival, and Beijing LDTX. James directed the Harvard Ballet Company in 2009 and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Philosophy, a secondary field in dramatic arts, and a language citation in Urdu-Hindi. Since joining Ballet Austin, James has performed in original works by Stephen Mills, including Luminaria and Though the Earth Gives Way, danced in Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, performed with the National Choreographers Initiative, and choreographed for Houston City Dance.

Flamenco Instructor.

Originally from Austin, Texas, Genevieve Guinn began her dancing career in 1993 with Sylvia Keprta, responsible for igniting Genevieve's passion for Flamenco. After studying locally for 6 years, Genevieve moved to Spain where she studied with world renowned flamenco artists like Cristobal Reyes, Jose Maya, Alfonso Losa, and Maria Juncal.
 
In 2011 Genevieve founded The Pink Flamenco Dance Studio, now Austin Flamenco Academy.

Jared teaches hip hop to both kids and adults at Ballet Austin. 

He started learning hip hop when he was 13 and has continued to dance ever since. His passion to learn and perfect dance for himself helps him to teach.  He has a unique style and an enthusiastic energy he brings to class every time.

Certified Fitness Instructor.

Susanna is an AFAA Group Fitness certified instructor. She has taught a variety of group fitness classes over the years in cluding strength training, step aerobics, Turbo Kick, and more.

Arletta began her relationship with Ballet Austin as a guest dancer in 1992. She has been on faculty since 1996, when the Austin Dance Academy (ADA), which she co-owned from 1986-1996, merged with the Ballet Austin Academy.

During her career, Arletta has focused on artistic direction, teaching, performing and choreographing for such establishments as Austin Ballet Theatre, Austin Conservatory of the Arts, San Angelo Civic Ballet and Northcross Mall's ice skaters. As a performer, she danced for institutions including Ballet Austin, Austin Ballet Theatre, Incarnate Word College Ballet in San Antonio, Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre and Beaumont Civic Ballet.

Her professional experience, as well as the education she received as an aspiring dance pupil, helped to shape her distinctive approach to teaching dance. Arletta trained with the Royal Academy of Dancing Majors, earning various awards and accolades for her ballet technique. She has also studied with Oklahoma City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and several other schools and companies. Arletta enjoys making ballet available to both professional and non-professional dancers through her instruction at the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

Vivian was born in Honolulu, Hawaii where she began taking hula lessons from her mother, a hula teacher. These lessons eventually grew into a deep love of Hawaiian dance and culture. Vivian currently studies hula with Kumu Hula Keli'i Chang's Halau Ho'ola Ka Mana O Hawai'i in Houston, TX. She has also studied with Kumu Hula Ellen Gay Delarosa (Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie, HI), Kumu Hula Keith Awai (Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie, HI), Kumu Hula Lorraine Daniels (Honolulu, HI), Kumu Hula Paul Ho'omanawanuiikana'auao Apo (Honolulu, HI), and Joyce Flaugher (San Antonio, TX). She competed in the prestigious Merrie Monarch Hula Festival in April 2006 with Kumu Chang. She is a founding member of the Island Rhythms Hula Company in Austin, TX, and is its current Artistic Director. Vivian is active in film, television, print, and runway in Austin, TX and is also an avid salsa dancer.

Aara Krumpe is from Corpus Christi, Texas where she received her early training from Nancy Sulik.  At age 15, she moved to Pittsburgh to study for three years at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School under David Holladay.  Aara arrived at Ballet Austin as an Apprentice in 1999 and joined the Company in 2001.  Since then, she has performed many principal roles in classical, contemporary, and modern works.  In May 2019, Aara retired from the stage reprising one of her favorite roles, Giselle.
 

Aara has an extensive repertoire of Stephen Mills ballets: the title roles in BELLE REDUX/A Tale of Beauty & The Beast, Romeo & Juliet, The Firebird, and The Taming of the Shrew, as well as the Queen in Grimm Tales' Snow White, Desire Pas de Deux, Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Gertrude in Hamlet, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and her most performed role of The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.  She has also danced the principal roles in the classics Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Bournonville's La Sylphide and Balanchine's Serenade and Agon.  Aara is most thankful for the opportunity to have performed the role of the Survivor in Mills' Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project in Austin, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, as well as a three city tour in Israel. 

Throughout her performing career, Aara has helped stage ballets and run rehearsals for Ballet Austin, BAII, and the Butler Fellows. Now that she is no longer performing, she enjoys teaching at Ballet Austin and serving on the Board of Dancing Into Science.  Aara and her husband, Ambrose, love calling Austin their home and are the proud parents of two wonderful boys, Leo and Lucas

Jean-Claude was born and raised in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in West Africa. He began dancing professionally at age 15, and performed with the Dante Theater Company for five years before touring the U.S. as principal dancer with Ballet Jolem. He regularly performs and teaches at dance camps and festivals throughout the U.S. He produced a special event for children at the Kennedy Center, performing masked dances from his own village. During the past 10 years, he taught at Lisangua Ya Bato Dance and Drum Camp in Woodstock, New York and worked with students and faculty at Goddard College, Saint Michael’s College, Middlebury College and Norwich University in Vermont. For the past three years, he has choreographed and taught classes at “Africa in the Ozarks”, a West African dance camp in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He was also the lead choreographer for the Lannaya West African Drum and Dance Ensemble in Austin. Today he works regularly with high schools and dance studios around Austin to choreograph professional and student performances.

Beginning dance at age three, Mia has maintained multidisciplinary training in ballet, contemporary, lyrical, modern, hip hop, jazz, and tap. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she trained with the pre-professional company, BalletForte, under Michael Banigan and Dianne Jarrell. She also served as captain of the Dulles Dolls Dance Team under the mentorship of Angela Hayes.

Currently, Mia attends the University of Texas at Austin for Communication & Leadership and Psychology. As an undergraduate student, she is the director of Steel Dance Company. She also performs with local companies, such as ARCOS and Early Era Collective, and teaches at various studios in the Austin area.

Mia aspires to continue her passion for dance throughout her future career and is grateful to give back to Ballet Austin and Butler Center community.

Kevin teaches adult ballet classes.

Originally from Roseville, Calif., Kevin began his dance training at The Hawkins School of Performing Arts. He then went on to train at the San Francisco Ballet School for six years, with teachers such as Lola De Avila, Jean-Yves Esquerre, Parrish Maynard, and Jeffrey Lyons. Kevin then joined Ballet Austin II, and later the professional company. He has enjoyed dancing in roles such as Mercutio in Stephen Mills' Romeo and Juliet, the Dodo Bird in Septime Webre's ALICE (in Wonderland), as well as other works by Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Pontus Lidberg, and Justin Peck. Kevin has also worked with the Austin-based company Performa/Dance under the direction of Jennifer Hart and Edward Carr.

April is a Minnesota native who was introduced to Pilates about 15 years ago when she was on a quest to gain more energy, flexibility and strength. Not only did she see a positive
transformation of her body but also truly looked forward to working out. In 2014 April began her journey to become certified Pilates instructor by taking the STOTT Pilates Mat and Reformer
courses. She loves to teach both group and private lessons and share her passion for mindful movement with others to help them reach their goals and improve their wellness.

Currently April is certified in all levels of Pilates Mat, Reformer and Barre. Her goal is to continue taking courses and workshops to expand her knowledge of Pilates and improve as an instructor.
When not teaching, April enjoys studying and learning about nutrition, holistic healing and alternative medicine. She also loves traveling, music (especially 80’s New Wave), animals, cooking, reading and spending time with her family.

Selena Offenberg is originally from Munich, Gemany, and enjoyed a 14 year professional career at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Nuremberg City Ballet, Germany, at Paul Henry Dance Company, London, at Concert Dance Theater, Munich, and at Michael Mao Dance and Dance Imprints, NYC.

Selena worked with choreographers Royston Maldoom of the Scottish Ballet and Mauricio Wainroth of Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal. She also trained with Batsheva Dance Company in Tel Aviv, with Ballet Rambert and Michael Clark in London, and with David Parsons and Alvin Ailey School in NYC. Selena was also a dance model in fashion shows with Nike, Reebok, Goldwell, Wella, and Mercedes Benz. She has worked as a personal trainer with members of the HBO Fitness Center, NYC, and in Miami.

From 2007 to 2013, Selena was ballet mistress, instructor (all ages) and administrative director with the New Mexico Dance Theater School and Performance Company.

Lauren has danced ever since she could walk. Originally from Austin, she studied Dance at Skidmore College in Upstate New York. While at school, Lauren had the opportunity to perform in many shows and to teach dance in the local community. She has studied an array of styles including Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Ballet, Salsa, and Tap. Lauren has taught hip hop and jazz in both New York and Austin and has experience teaching all ages. Lauren has a passion for dance which she loves imparting to students of all ages. She is excited to be a member of the Ballet Austin Butler Center for Dance & Fitness Faculty.

Bollywood and Bollywood Fitness instructor.
 
Rohit graduated with a distinction in Attakkalari’s Diploma in Movement Arts and Mixed Media, and he has studied & trained in Bharatanatyam, Ballet and Contemporary dance techniques.
 
He has great energy and teaches a super-fun class!

Lucy Record received her B.A. in Dance at the University of Texas in 1977. Lucy was awarded summer scholarships to American Ballet Theatre, performed with the Houston Allegro Ballet Company, the European tour of "The International Festival of Youth Orchestras and Ballet," Austin Ballet Theatre, New York's modern company, Facets, and New Jersey's The Whole Theatre's Modern Company. She has been a musical theater choreographer in more than 50 musicals. She has recently been teaching ballet in the Los Angeles area and is excited to be teaching at Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness
 

Balanced Body trained and PMA® Certified Pilates Instructor.

Megan began training in ballet at the age of four in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She was first introduced to Pilates in 2001 through her studies in dance. She quickly noticed how effective the exercises were in strengthening and toning the body, as well as helping enforce proper alignment and aiding in injury prevention. Recognizing the compliment to her ballet technique, she continued practicing Pilates throughout her performing career. 

In 2008, Megan received her Bachelors Degree in Visual Arts with a concentration in Photography from McNeese State University, and began teaching ballet while continuing to dance. 

Megan is enthusiastic about pursuing a career that promotes a healthy, active lifestyle for herself and others, while staying involved in the Arts.  She began her Balanced Body Comprehensive Training with Susan Clark in 2017. She attended Pilates on Tour in 2018 and had the opportunity to recieve continuing education from Shari Berkowitz, Diedra Manns, Karen Clippinger, Tom McCook, and Joy Puleo. 

POP Pilates and Dance Fitness Instructor.

Delaney grew up just outside of Austin, Texas, and lived in the area until she graduated high school. She attended the University of Montana and during her time there became very interested in fitness. She started training for triathlons, attended all of the group fitness classes she could, and surrounded herself with other students who were health and fitness oriented.
 
Delaney majored in Community Health and Prevention Sciences, learning about well rounded health - including the mind-body-spirit connection, while also focusing on the fitness aspect of health. She became a certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and health behavior coach. She also worked towards her specialty certifications in OULA Dance Fitness and POP Pilates. 

After graduating college and getting married, she moved back to Austin to be with her new husband. She attended massage therapy school in Austin and became a licensed massage therapist. 

In Delaney’s classes you can expect fun music, intense workouts, and a lot of enthusiasm. She absolutely loves sharing her passion of fitness with others and hopes to see you in class!

Morgan Stillman is one of Ballet Austin's Pilates instructors.

He is originally from Fort Wayne, Ind., and joins the Ballet Austin company for the 2017/18 season after dancing two years with Nevada Ballet Theater where he was featured in a variety of classical and contemporary roles. Morgan received most of his formal training at Indiana University Ballet Theater under the guidance of Michael Vernon, Violette Verdy, Jacques Cesbron, Guo Pin Wang, Victoria Lyras, and Shawn Stevens.

Morgan is also a certified Pilates instructor where he received his training and certification at Las Vegas's Classical Pilates Comprehensive Pilates Training Program.

Hip Hop Instructor.

Dancer, choreographer, and personal trainer.
 
Dereke' Thompson has taught group fitness and hip hop classes for several years and brings great energy to his classes.
 
He has trained with Monsters of Hip Hop, Millenium Dance Complex, The Edge, and more.
 

Ramsay has taught many forms of movement for more than 15 years. She began teaching spin classes in 2001 and then ventured into Pilates and yoga. In the last few years, Ramsay has expanded her fitness repertoire to teach dance fitness classes, fusion classes, and barre. She is a registered Yoga teacher (E-RYT 200), a certified mat Pilates instructor, a certified barre instructor, a licensed Dance-Fit instructor, and has a general group exercise certification through AFAA.

Her primary goal is to make her students feel at home, happy, and healthy in her classes. She takes pride in doing so, and loves what she does! You will enjoy her upbeat and personal teaching style.

Kelsey, born and raised in Chicago, began her formal training at Visceral Dance Center under the direction of Nick Pupillo. She went on to receive her BFA in dance from the University of Arizona. Kelsey apprenticed for River North Dance Chicago and received additional training from Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Keigwin + Company, the Movement Invention Project and Joffrey Ballet intensive programs.

Kelsey has danced for Walt Disney World, Odyssey Dance Theatre and Justin Giles’ SoulEscape. She most recently traveled with the National Broadway tour of Dirty Dancing as an ensemble dancer and the Penny understudy.

Kelsey is signed with the Movement Talent Agency in LA and the Neal Hamil Agency as well as Naturally Fit Agency in TX. Her most recent commercial credits include American Horror Story, Audi, Jimmy Johns, HP, and TravelTX.
 

Born in Houston, TX, Taylor began her ballet training under the direction of Gilbert Rome & Margo Marshall, founder of City Ballet of Houston. She also studied under Victoria Vittum, now director of Ballet Center of Houston. Taylor was involved with the Southwest Regional Ballet Festival for 7 years.

Her performances include many independent works as well as the classics such as Pas de Quatre, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, & Les Sylphides. She received numerous scholarships including Dance Aspen, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Southern Methodist University, and The University of Oklahoma. Taylor spent her summers studying at renowned summer intensive programs at Ballet Austin, Joffrey Ballet, International Ballet Competition Dance School, and Summer Wind at OU.
Taylor attended college at The University of Texas and accepted an apprenticeship as a trainee with Ballet Austin. Taylor later danced with Austin Contemporary Ballet and then after transferring and graduating from Auburn University, continued dancing as a company member of Festival Ballet of Atlanta. She began teaching ballet at Briarwood Ballet in Birmingham, AL and then had the opportunity of studying and teaching under David Keary at Ballet Mississippi, with Kirt & Linda Hathaway at The Hathaway School of Ballet in Dallas, TX, Dallas Contemporary Ballet, Encore Dance School in Stillwater, OK, and at Oklahoma State University. 
 

Terri Lynn Wright received her early training with Barbara Carson and Stanley Hall in Austin, Texas. She studied with Robert Joffrey, Patricia Wilde, Kristen Ralov, Kirsten Simone, and Peter Appel during summers in the U.S. and Europe. Terri began her professional dance career in Wiesbaden, Germany, followed by ten years with the North Carolina Dance Theatre where she became principal dancer, as well as an assistant to director Salvatore Aiello. She enjoyed Dance Theatre's diverse repertoire that included works by choreographers such as Salvatore Aiello, Oscar Ariaz, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Bill Evans, Lambros Lambrou, Luk de Layress, Robert Lindgren, Lar Lubovich, Susan McKee-McCullough, Elisa Monte, Vincente Nebrada, Marius Petipa, Helgi Tomasson, Mel Tomlinson, Norbert Vesak, Mauricio Wainrot and Alvin Ailey.

She danced leading roles in Balanchine's Allegro Brillante, Scotch Symphony, Glinka Pas de Trois, Pas de Dix and Valse Fantasie were coached by Melissa Hayden and Marina Eglevsky. Terri has taught master classes while touring with NCDT throughout the U.S. and Europe, for summer sessions at North Carolina School of the Arts, and was a guest teacher at the Arts Magnet School in Dallas. She continues to help care for works choreographed by the late Mr. Aiello. As a teacher, Terri's methods evolve with Ballet Austin, the students' needs and the ever increasing demands put upon the professional dancer.

Pilates Instructor.

Boo Wong began dancing at the age of 3 where she trained in tap, hip hop, jazz, and ballet until the age of 12 when she entered the pre-professional training program at Ballet Austin under Artistic Director Stephen Mills. After graduating from high school, Boo worked professionally in the commercial and contemporary dance worlds in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, and Spain. She began teaching hip hop, jazz, breaking, and contemporary styles in 2000 and began her second career in Pilates in 2007. As a dance and fitness educator, Boo believes deeply in the importance of self-acceptance and love in order to find one's "voice" in movement. Her hope is that dancing with her will feel therapeutic.

Erick started dancing at the age of 16. Self-taught in hip hop, he began taking dance classes at Burnet High School where he learned the principal elements of dance. From the moment he started, he fell in love with dance and entered into his first of two dance competitions. He placed top ten overall in both of them and received performance/showmanship awards along with a scholarship to New York Dance Experience. This provided multiple opportunities as an instructor and a performer.

Erick has performed as a dancer in House of Torment, numerous music videos, and Premios Texas with multiple artists like Gloria Trevi, Chingo Bling, Grupo Treo, and Danie Pearl just to name a few. Erick is an instructor at various studios throughout the Austin area and continues to spread his love for dance with others.

Power Dance Fitness instructor.

Dance, fitness and fun have been woven into every chapter of Erikka’s life.  She took Jazz in grade school and then was a high school cheerleader.  She played tambourine in a country band while attending college and then danced the night away at night clubs in her twenties.  After settling down and starting a family, she found dance as a form of fitness, and then pursued a certification to teach La Blast, the ballroom fitness program created by Louis Van Amstel of Dancing With the Stars.  Louis encouraged her to share her love of dance fitness with others, and that has been her mission ever since.  She merged her ballroom fitness training with Body Drop, hip hop dance fitness, to create a unique cardio dance workout that features Pop, Latin, Swing, Jive and much more.