FACULTY & STAFF
Lawrence Chen
(Ballet 5/6) Lawrence Chen grew up in Southern California and began training in ballet, contemporary, and hip-hop at age thirteen with Victor and Tatiana Kasatsky. He competed in YAGP, placing in the Top 12 Pas De Deux at the 2014 New York Finals and consistently ranking among the Top 3 soloists at regional venues.
He earned a BA in chemistry with mathematics from Pomona College, where he also danced collegiate ballroom and performed as a principal dancer with Inland Pacific Ballet under Victoria Koenig.
Lawrence currently dances with Oakland Ballet Company and teaches at various ballet schools across the Bay Area. He also tutors high school students in STEM subjects.
At OBC, he has performed the deer in Luna Mexicana, the Nutcracker, and several original works by Graham Lustig, Caili Quan, Megan and Shannon Kurashige, and Phil Chan. He received an Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance and is a contributing choreographer to OBC’s Angel Island Project.
French Clements
(Adult Intermediate Ballet Instructor) French Clements, originally from San Jose, California, earned his BFA in Dance from The Ailey School and Fordham University in 2003. As a performer, he toured northern Spain with a contemporary dance company, danced with BalletRox in Boston, and presented his own choreography at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice during a three-month internship at the museum.
He spent three years as the press representative for Jacob’s Pillow Dance, where he also trained in the School’s summer programs and taught community ballet classes. French has taught at Boston Ballet School, Simon’s Rock College, and The Dance Complex, and has been a guest teacher for the dance departments at Harvard University and Tufts University.
As an arts journalist, he has written for Dance Magazine, Village Voice Media, SF Weekly, and other publications. He was also selected as a fellow for the NEA Institute for Dance Criticism at the American Dance Festival.
His dance education was shaped by influential teachers including Gus Solomons jr, Ricardo Bustamante (San Francisco Ballet School), Benjamin Harkarvy (The Juilliard School), and, at Ailey, Lynn Glauber and Kazuko Hirabayashi.
Yingru Huang
(Creative Movement, Ballet 1, Ballet 2 & Beginning Tween/Teen Instructor) Yingru Huang is a youth dance teacher and educator currently based in Alameda. Recently with Alameda Ballet Academy, Yingru was a Rehearsal Director for Alameda Civic Ballet’s “The Nutcracker,” providing rehearsal direction and support for all ballet levels, as well as a trusted substitute ballet teacher for all ballet levels throughout ABA’s school year. Yingru also works for the Alameda Unified School District as a substitute teacher currently, with a focus on elementary and middle schools. Previous to her current experience, Yingru also has experience teaching piano, dance, and general education with the New York City Department of Education and various studios in Brooklyn, NY. Her crossovers within the private performing arts education sector and the public education sector over her 4+ years across the country provides Yingru with a teaching approach that leads with joy, empathy, and a focus on creating safe creative spaces for learners of all ages and abilities.
Growing up, Yingru also trained at Alameda Ballet Academy herself, and credits her current success as a dance educator and interdisciplinary dance-artist to being raised by Alameda’s eclectic performing arts education scene. Additionally, Yingru brings with her her experience as a dancer and dance-artist, with a Bachelors from UCLA in Dance, where she has worked with industry-leading choreographers like Kyle Abraham and André Zachery. Yingru is also finishing her graduate Masters in Performing Arts Administration from New York University.
Yingru is excited to bring her world-class experience back to her roots in Alameda Ballet Academy.
Fiona Hutchens
(Intermediate Teen/Tween, Ballet 4 & Ballet 5/6 Instructor)
Bio coming soon!
Karin Jensen
(Dance with Me & Pre-Ballet Instructor) Karin Jensen trained in classical ballet at Oakland Civic Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and Alameda School of Dance and is a graduate of Ballroom Dance Teacher’s College. She has performed with Berkeley City Ballet, San Jose Dance Theater, Alameda Chamber Ballet, and Alameda Civic Ballet in both corps and soloist roles. As a mother of two daughters, she has enjoyed sharing her passion for dance with children at ABA for the past seventeen years.
Julie Lowe
(Adult Ballet Director & Instructor) Julie Lowe is the Associate Artistic Director of Menlowe Ballet in Menlo Park, California. She began her dance training in New York with Mimi Kellerman and continued her studies with renowned teachers including Audree Ismailloff, Meredith Bayless, Lawrence Rhodes, Wilhelm Burmann, Sally Streets, and Ronn Guidi.
As a Principal Ballerina with Oakland Ballet under Ronn Guidi, Julie toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe for over a decade. She danced leading roles such as Giselle, Swanhilda in Coppélia, and Sugarplum Fairy, and received mentorship from dance legends including Frederic Franklin, Anna Sokolow, and Leonide Massine. She performed in numerous Diaghilev and Americana revivals and originated roles in works by Eugene Loring, John McFall, and others.
Julie has also performed with ODC in The Velveteen Rabbit, and from 2008–2015 was a Master Teacher for the Ballroom Dance Teachers College. She has taught social and ballroom dance in the Bay Area and continues to offer private instruction, especially for wedding couples.
Since 2012, Julie has led a thriving evening adult ballet program at Alameda Ballet Academy. Known for her nurturing yet rigorous teaching style, she helps adult dancers grow both technically and artistically.
Ale Preciado
(Contemporary 5/6 Instructor)
Bio coming soon!
Emilie Skinner
(Director of Operations) Emilie M. Skinner is the Director of Operations for Alameda Ballet Academy, bringing over two decades of experience in professional dance, choreography, arts administration, and nonprofit leadership.
Originally from Houston, Texas, Emilie trained extensively in classical ballet and attended summer programs with San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and the Salzburg International Ballet Academy in Austria. She earned her B.A. in French Studies with a minor in Art History from the University of North Texas before dancing professionally with Ballet Dallas and DGDG (Danielle Georgiou Dance Group).
In 2012, Emilie founded Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet, serving as its Artistic Director for seven seasons. Under her leadership, the company was named Best Dance Troupe in Dallas (2018) and became known for innovative collaborations with museums, musicians, filmmakers, and arts organizations.
Now based on Hawaiʻi Island, Emilie teaches summer intensives and guest workshops across the state while remaining passionate about creating meaningful artistic experiences for dancers of all ages. She believes ballet develops not only strong technique but also confidence, creativity, resilience, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.