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 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, "it's your life, your health, YOU are in control. Be active. Be resilient, Be well!"

Follow Vicki on 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

As senior manager of the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness and the Pilates Center, 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 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 a proud supporter of the Texas Longhorns. Stephanie 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.

Tara began her advanced dance training at Sarah Lawrence College under the direction of Sarah Rudner. While in New York, she trained at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway under a wide variety of inspirational teachers including, Sheila Barker, Michelle Barber and Tracie Stanfield. She moved on to Prescott College to explore her own artistic voice and earned her BA in Integrative Arts with an Emphasis in Dance Choreography. After graduating she moved to Chicago to be part of AMEBA Aerial Dance Company where she performed works by Nefertiti Thomas and Autumn Eckman (Choreographer for Hubbard Street Dance.) During her years in Chicago, Tara also trained with Nick Pupillo, and Ricky Ruiz (of River North), Nan Giordano, Diona PidGeon, Becca Lemme, Eddie Ocampo and Toyko to name a few. Tara has directed several of her own evening length dance works as well as multiple dance films. She is excited to share her love of dance with Ballet Austin.

Phil Amador is an aerobics instructor specializing in Zumba® Fitness. He is an enthusiastic teacher and has brought his style of aerobic dance fitness to several local fitness venues over the years including: Galaxy Dance, Corazon Latino Dance Studio, YMCA of Austin, Tapestry Dance, 24 Hour Fitness, The Hills Health Club and Wellness Center, Uptown Dance, and BodyBusiness Fitness Club.

Phil holds Group Exercise Instructor certifications with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and YMCA USA. He is a licensed Zumba® Fitness Instructor and also holds certifications in CPR and AED. Phil is very excited about sharing his passion for fitness at Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

Follow Phil on Twitter @MWPhil

Max is a dancer with Ballet Austin's second company, Ballet Austin II. 

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.

Meghan began her dance training at her mother’s dance studio as in Florida. At 15 she moved to Dallas, Texas and began competing in dance competition circuits, placing overall as a soloist for many competitions. She has performed in several industrials including companies such as Taco Bueno, Galderma, and Cadence Software. She was lead dancer and assistant choreographer of Urban Dance and Cheer, an instructional hip hop DVD. Radio Disney star, Jer-Z, hand-picked Meghan to be one of her back-up dancers. Meghan performed in New York with Break the Floor Productions and performed in their entry into the Fringe Festival.
Upon moving to Austin, she began performing with Ballet East Dance Company. She has been a guest performer in the Butler Community School’s performances of Holiday Road and Broadway in May, and was cast to dance in the production of Imagine Christmas at Gateway Community Church in Austin. In 2011, Meghan choreographed for and performed in the movie Rebellious Children of the Unconscious. She worked at Ballet Austin in downtown Austin for almost 5 years before opening her own studio. Meghan has taught master classes from Toronto, Canada to Laredo, TX. Her junior dance company is an award winning group and has won awards, titles and scholarships from various dance competitions. She has adjudicated for Camp Pulse and Vista Ridge Dance Competition in Austin. Meghan is also currently a choreographer for the Austin Round-Up’s annual fundraiser, Drag-o-ween, the resident choreographer for Austin Children’s Theater and Austin Conservatory of Theater, the Artistic Director for TRU dance Company and the Executive director and founder for the non-profit organization TRU dance Project. She is currently on faculty with the University of Texas teaching 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.

Orlando Julius Canova began his ballet training in Southern California with Lawrence and Sarma Rosenberg at the Anaheim Ballet School. At age 16 he moved to New York City to train at the School of American Ballet. There, he received a full tuition merit scholarship and was sponsored by Debbie Allen. Orlando furthered his ballet training with Miami City Ballet School. In 2001, Orlando became an Arpino Apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and in 2003 he joined as a full company member. While at Joffrey, Orlando played the part of apprentice in Robert Altman's movie, The Company.

At Ballet Austin Orlando has danced lead roles in The Nutcracker, Cult of Color: Call to Color, Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project, Romeo & Juliet, Nine Sinatra Songs, silence within silence and The Magic Flute. He has worked with such choreographers as Stephen Mills, Twyla Tharp, KT Nelson, Dominic Walsh, Nicolo Fonte, Sonya Delwaide, Toni Bravo, Michelle Thompson, Reginald Harris, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Orlando has also had the pleasure of dancing for Molly Lynch’s National Choreographers Initiative in 2012 and 2013. There he worked with Darrell Moultrie, Melissa Barak, Val Caniparoli, Frank Chavez, Kitty McNamee, and Susan McCullough. In addition, Orlando teaches dance at the Ballet Austin Academy, the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness, Saint Mary’s Hall, Austin City Ballet, and Alamo Heights High School.

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.

Hannah is originally from Southwest Louisiana where she fell in love with the art of dance at age 13. Hannah trained and competed in dance until she went to Northwestern State University of Louisiana where she earned her BA in Business & graduated Magna Cum Laude. During university, she also studied modern dance and composition extensively. Hannah has continued to train and expand her passion and knowledge through various intensives and classes spanning the country from New York to Los Angeles. She has found a new home in Austin where she is able to share her passion and style with the community as an instructor and choreographer, as well as the Artistic Director of Verge Dance Company. She is excited to work more closely with Austin's beautiful and artistic community through 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.

Originally from San Antonio, Marisa began dancing competitively starting at the age of 7. She was accepted into the nationally ranked performing arts high school, Northeast School of the Arts where she had the privilege to participate in master dance classes, seminars with professional artists and various performance opportunities. Marisa continued her passion for dance at the University of Nevada Las Vegas where she received her BFA in 2007 with an emphasis in choreography and dance performance.

Inspired by the strength, flexibility and the mindfulness that Pilates provided throughout her years of dance, Marisa became a certified Pilates instructor through DK Body Balancing under Dolly Kelepecz at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2008. Wanting to explore her love of dance and fitness further, Marisa relocated to New York where she spent the past 8 years teaching Pilates for the luxury fitness brand, Equinox.

Now back in Texas, Marisa looks forward to being a part of Ballet Austin Pilates Center and is passionate about caring for clients and getting them the best result.

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.

Originally from Bangalore, India, Divya is an engineer at Intel Corporation by day and a dance aficionado otherwise. She is formally trained in Kathak, an Indian classical form of dance, and has been dancing to Bollywood songs her entire life. She is also a certified Zumba® Fitness instructor. In addition to dance, Divya is a running enthusiast. Dance and fitness combination classes always excite her and she is thrilled to be an instructor at Ballet Austin's Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

Danielle began training professionally in 2001, including summer intensive studies at Inland Pacific Ballet, The School of American Ballet in New York, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, and Ballet Austin.
 
Danielle trained in Ballet Austin's prestigious Fellowship program from 2013-2014.

Danielle is experienced teaching ballet to both children and adults.

Defne Enç is a dancer and choreographer with over 20 years of experience. She began her flamenco training and professional career in the San Francisco Bay Area, performing and teaching throughout the U.S. and abroad. In 2005 she moved to Madrid, where she spent a decade working with some of the top artists in Spain and furthering her own studies. She has performed as a featured soloist and company member in a number of internationally touring flamenco companies based both in the U.S. and in Spain and has been invited to participate in numerous dance festivals as both a dancer and as a choreographer, including Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival in Palm Desert, CA, Certámen Coreográfico DanSalt in Girona, Spain, Certámen Coreográfico de Danza Español y Flamenco in Madrid, Spain, Fuego Flamenco Festival in Washington, D.C., Flamenco in the Sun in Miami, FL and the ODC Pilot Program in San Francisco, CA.

Throughout the years she has continued her dedication to teaching, and she has only recently returned to the U.S., where she is thrilled to become a member of Ballet Austin’s Butler Center for Dance & Fitness family and share her love of flamenco with the dance community in Austin.

AJ has a passion for dance, especially hip hop. He has had the privilege to train under some of the best hip hop instructors across the nation, and has also attended a multitude of hip hop workshops.
 
AJ has a positive and motivating personality and loves to make the class interesting and fun. He teaches all levels of hip hop from the absolute beginner to the more advanced classes.

An avid student of Brazilian dance since 1995, Rebekah continues to study and share the dance traditions of Rio, Bahia and beyond. Since 2000, she has been teaching students how to samba "like they do it in Brazil," focusing on footwork, technique, and the Brazilian spirit of "alegria e charme"—joy and charm. Rebekah has worked in the United States and the United Kingdom as a performer, choreographer, and teacher of Brazilian dance for all ages and skill levels. In addition to teaching ongoing classes in the community, she has worked as choreographer and dance director for the Austin Samba School, one of the largest samba schools in the U.S. Rebekah is also a licensed Zumba® Fitness instructor and an AFAA-certified group fitness instructor. She enjoys transforming her exercise classes into a dance-party workout while having fun with students on the dance floor. She has trained in Brazil and the U.S. with Rosangela Silvestre, Nildinha Fonseca of the Balé Folclórico da Bahia and members of DanceBrazil. In addition to showing her students just how fun Brazilian dance and dance fitness can be, she also works as a translator.

Bra'Kehri has trained extensively in a wide variety of social dances including hip hop, House, Street Funk, Waaking and Popping. He is an award winning choreographer and dances with a Dance Crew, Uran Dance Empire. His outgoing and energetic personality make his classes interesting and fun.

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.

Emily Furillo began her training in Irish Step Dancing at Inishfree school of Irish dance from 2001 to 2006, where she studied under the direction of World Champion Irish step dancer, Neill Regan TCRG. She then began her training in Sean-nós dancing in 2012. She has also studied English waltz clogging, American flatfooting, and English country and border dance with various instructors.

Emily performed Irish step dance with Grammy winners The Cheiftans under the choreography of Neill Regan, and has performed in Celtic shows and has performed Sean-nós in a variety of places. Emily is excited to be bringing Sean-nós to Ballet Austin, a traditional form of Irish dancing that originated in the Connemara region of Ireland.

Leah was raised in Austin, training from a young child through her high school year  in classical ballet at Ballet Austin Academy. She trained for a year with Ballet Austin's Fellowship program before attending the University of Indiana where she received a degree Dance Performance. After graduating Leah began her Pilates certification training with Balanced Body.

Leah's positive personality will encourage you to keep working towards your Pilates goals.

Tyler has had a passion for fitness and nutrition all her life. Her involvement in athletics and interest in clean eating habits led her to pursue a Personal Training certification through ACE. After graduating from SMU with a degree in Journalism, Tyler moved to Austin and began her career in fitness, teaching boot camps, spinning classes, and creating customized programs to help clients reach their goals.

Tyler began her advancement in Pilates training through PEAK Pilates in 2009 while continuing her personal training pursuits. She is an education enthusiast who loves learning about the body and what techniques help each client find their ideal level of fitness and performance. Tyler has an understanding and compassionate approach to fitness. She enjoys challenging her clients and tailors each workout regimen carefully to ensure that she is meeting the particular needs of each client.

In 2013, Tyler took a leap to follow her passion of health and attended The Natural Gourmet Culinary Institute in New York. There she gained an understanding of the fundamentals of human nutrition and the connection between food and wellness. This 619 hour program excelled her to start helping clients not only with fitness, but also with food and lifestyle choices. Tyler makes herself available to her clients at all times to answer questions, motivate, and help each client reach their true potential.

Amir has been dancing since he was 5.  Amir found his fun in life through dance.

When Amir teaches you can see that passion and drive in every move he makes.
Amir has learned various styles of dance but focuses on hip hop and contemporary. He blends these two with his weirdness to create different stories when he dances.

He loves to push himself and others and help everyone around him. He has been featured on Austin 360 news, been in a music video and performed many times, but so far his most fun achievement was opening up for Tory Lanez and K-Camp on stage. It is the greatest feeling when dancing: he is in his own world and free to express what he wants. When you are around him, you can't help but smile too.

Aminya was born and raised in Austin, TX where she began dancing at the age of 3. She is trained in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, contemporary, hip-hop and musical theater. She competed and performed with the award winning dance company Body Talk, directed by Kim Willett, for 11 years. While in Body Talk she performed at the 1999 Texas Inauguration and also appeared on the FOX Network. Aminya received scholarships from several training conventions such as L.A. Danceforce, Tremaine, L.A. Dance Magic, and Monsters of Hip Hop. She enjoys training in Los Angeles at the Edge Performing Arts Center with Bill Prudich, Adam Parsons, Mandy Moore, Malaya, Doug Caldwell, Tovaris, Erica Sobol and Tabitha & Napoleon, and many more talented choreographers. She's also had the opportunity to teach at the 2012 Texas Dance Educators Association Convention.

Aminya currently teaches dance and choreographs for several high schools in the Austin area, and private studios around the U.S. Aminya loves sharing her passion for dance and very excited to do so at Ballet Austin.

Follow Aminya on Twitter @Aminyakitchen

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.

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.

Caitlin is a favorite summer camp director, leading preteens and teens through the art of and fun of Broadway!

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Alabama, Caitlin became Dance Captain for Disney Cruise Line. She then made her move to New York, where she has been featured on many New York stages including, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Highline Ballroom, Paul Taylor Studios, S.O.B’s, Actor’s Fund Art Center and Symphony Space, to name a few. 

Caitlin’s performance credits include, featured promotional performer for Nike, principal dancer in the Andrea Torres Dance Company, in which she is still a proud member.  She was thrilled to share the stage with the cast of the hit television show, “Psych” during the “Upfronts” with USA Network, and she was a featured dancer for China’s Got Talent.  

Alex Miller is a modern dancer and certified Pilates instructor originating from Louisiana. She earned her BFA in Performing Arts with a concentration in dance in 2010 from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. After moving to Austin, Alex completed her Pilates certification through Balanced Body University in mat work, reformer, chair, cadillac, and tower.

Alex danced with Verge Dance Company, Lorn McDougal, Katherine Hodges, Jennifer Sherburn, and was a back-up dancer at Austin City Limits Music Festival for pop-star Grimes in 2013. Alex completed her first evening length work entitled "Forgotten Memories" in December 2014. She has taught modern dance at several local dance studios and is currently teaching both dance and Pilates at Ballet Austin.

Alex continues to keep up with her training in the ever-changing dance world, includeing Tisch NYU Summer Intensive, Bates Dance Festival, American College Dance Festival, Doug Varone Summer and Winter Intensives, Prague International Contemporary Workshop, and most recently, completed a mentorship at DanceInArt in Haarlem, Netherlands. While in the Netherlands, she had the pleasure of doing a master class with Netherlands Dance Theater, study at Henny Jurriens, Chasse Studios, and Amsterdam Dance Center. Alex's Pilates instruction is motivating; her dance classes are upbeat.

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.

Sandra Organ Solis was Houston Ballet’s first African American ballerina, dancing there for 15 years and as a soloist under Ben Stevenson. She worked with choreographers like Christopher Bruce, James Kudelka, and Jir Kylian, while dancing in the works of MacMillian, Balanchine, Tudor, and Ashton, to name a few. She then founded her own contemporary ballet ensemble, Earthen Vessels, The Sandra Organ Dance Company, for which she created 100 ballets and employed more than 120 dancers over sixteen seasons of programming in theatres and sacred spaces.  Ms. Organ Solis has served on the boards of Dance USA and Dance Source Houston, as a panelist for Houston Arts Alliance, and has written and received grants from local, state, and family foundations. She participated in Urban Bushwomen’s Leadership Institute in New Orleans, and with Liz Lerman’s Dance Exchange Institutes as well as in Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography Conferences.  Ms. Organ taught in the adult and Parkinson’s for Dance programs at Houston Ballet Academy for 18 years, and was a master teacher at various dance academies, universities, and regional ballet schools in Houston and beyond. While she continues to choreograph locally and nationally, she teaches ballet at a private school in San Antonio, as well as yoga and water fitness for the Austin YMCA.  Sandra is pursuing Bachelor’s of Arts from Antioch University online, and lives in Wimberley, with her husband Carlos, where they moved after 30+ years in Houston.

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.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Sara began her dance training at the Peabody Preparatory under the direction of Carol Bartlett and Barbara Weisberger, founder of the Pennsylvania Ballet. She studied both classical ballet and contemporary dance and spent her summers studying at renowned summer intensive programs such as The Washington Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The School of American Ballet, Ballet Austin, The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Spectrum Dance Theater, and The Northwest Dance Project.

Sara has performed professionally with Ballet Austin’s Professional Trainee Program, Ballet Austin II, and became a founding member of Wideman/Davis Dance under the direction of Thaddeus Davis and Tanya WidemanDavis. Both in New York and on tour, she performed principal roles in Davis' work. She has also performed works by Stephen Mills, Thang Dao, Gina Patterson, Michelle Ulrich, David Justin, Robert Moses, Ohad Naharin, Alex Ketley, Alessio Silvestrin, Bobbi Jene Smith, and Magdalena Jarkowiec. She continues to perform as a freelance artist.

Sara currently teaches students of all ages and levels at Ballet Austin where she has been teaching since 2013. She is also a ballet instructor at the University of Texas at Austin, her alma mater, in the Department of Theatre and Dance. She hold a B.A. with Special Honors in Psychology. At UT, Sara teaches ballet technique to both non-majors and B.F.A. candidates.

Taylor began her dance training in Coppell, TX at Ballet Academy of Texas where she studied under Lisa Slagle, Thomas Nicholson, Jenny Johnston and Tammie Reinsch. She was a founding member of their performing company, Ballet Ensemble of Texas. She attended the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre summer programs, including the first ABT Collegiate Summer Program in New York City.

Taylor continued her education at the University of Oklahoma where she received her BFA in Ballet Performance with Academic Distinction in 2010. While at OU, she was a member of Oklahoma Festival Ballet and studied under Mary Margaret Holt, Steve Brule, Donn Edwards and Jeremy Lindberg. There she performed a variety of works, including featured roles in many classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballets, and was selected to perform at the Shanghai International Folk Arts Festival in China.

She is also a graduate of ColdTowne Theatre’s conservatory program, where she performs weekly with her B. Iden Payne Award-nominated improv comedy troupe Loverboy.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.