My Teaching Philosophy

I am driven by the ethos that high-quality dance education is for everyone. Over the last 15 years, I've taught for professional schools, recreational programs, and outreach programs, breaking down the barriers to dance education. Adult beginners and recreational dancers should receive the same care and detailed instruction as those in professional training. The technique is the same; the goals are different.

I believe ballet is for every body, and every age. Some dancers don't discover the joy of ballet until later in life; others are returning to it after years away. Some are working toward a professional career; others dance purely for the love of it. Wherever a student is starting from and whatever they're working toward, they deserve a classroom that meets them there.

My teaching environment is supportive and designed to push technique without inducing fear, whether I'm preparing a pre-professional student for an audition or guiding an adult beginner through their first plié. I teach with body neutrality, focusing on what the body can do and how movement feels rather than how it looks, so dancers can build technique without the weight of aesthetic pressure. Through my work teaching military veterans, I've also developed a trauma-informed approach that I bring into every classroom.

Dance education can be rigorous yet nurturing, tailored to each individual's goals. Mindful approaches that support mental health, along with practices grounded in dance science, injury prevention and smart training, are paramount to my approach.

• MA in Dance Education, Royal Academy of Dance, UK

  • RAD Registered Teacher Status

• Bolshoi Ballet Teacher Certification, USA

• BA in Performing Arts, summa cum laude, Saint Mary's College of California, USA

• Postgraduate Diploma in Classical Ballet, Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, USA

My teaching journey has taken me across the NYC Metro area, the US, and London, UK, working with students from beginning levels through pre-professional training. I've served as a teacher and rehearsal director for children's and pre-professional productions, and my students have gone on to programs including the Fordham/Ailey BFA Program, Joffrey Ballet School, Butler University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Elmhurst Ballet School, and English National Ballet, along with summer intensives at Boston Ballet, ABT New York, Ellison Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. In the UK, I've prepared students for Royal Academy of Dance examinations and seen them secure places in The Royal Ballet School's Associates Programmes and full-time vocational training.

A few years ago, London Ballet Classes gave me the opportunity to build out their adult pointe offering, along with workshops in character, repertoire, and classical partnering.

Earlier in my career, as co-founder of Exit12 Dance Company, I helped guide Román Baca's return to the arts following his military deployment to Iraq. As a military spouse and professional dancer, I saw firsthand how dance could amplify military voices and build community among veterans and their families, work that continues to shape the trauma-informed approach I bring into every classroom.

I've taught for organizations including the Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet Theatre Company, Regal Ballet London, West London School of Dance, Pineapple Dance Studios, Danceworks London, and London Ballet Classes, and currently teach at Alvin Ailey's Extension.