Calvin Thomas
(Ballet 1 & Ballet 6 Instructor) Calvin Thomas hails from Maysville, Kentucky, and received his foundational training at the Otto M. Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet. He has supplemented his studies at Boston Ballet School, The School of American Ballet, Ballet Austin Academy, and The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. Performing with the Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet Austin, Company C Contemporary Ballet and NY Theatre Ballet are among some of the highlights of his career. His repertoire includes works by Thang … Read More
Claire Toner
(Pre-Ballet through Ballet 6 Instructor) Claire (Stallman) Toner started dancing at age four in Saratoga, California. She studied ballet with Karen Millar before joining the San Francisco Ballet School on full scholarship, where she received training from Gloria Govrin, Pascale Leroy, Shannon Bresnahan, and Jocelyn Vollmar. She also attended summer intensives with the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Claire danced professionally for 10 years, performing with Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Suzanne … Read More
Emilie Skinner
(Director of Operations) Born in Houston, TX, Emilie Skinner began her classical training at the age of six with Gilbert Rome and Victoria Vittum, performing with their company Houston Repertoire Ballet until graduating High School. She has attended summer intensives at the Joffrey Ballet, Austin Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the SIBA international training program in Salzburg, Austria. While the primary focus of her training is classical ballet, she also has experience in modern, jazz and contemporary dance, as … Read More
Jazmine Quezada
(Ballet 3 Instructor) Jazmine Quezada is from Ventura County, California where she began her ballet training at age 11 with Ventura County Ballet and was the first to receive the Ron Noblin Full Scholarship Award. Jazmine attended American Ballet Theater’s New York summer intensive in 2011 and was accepted to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT that same year. She then attended the Joffrey Chicago International summer dance intensive on full scholarship and in 2016 she moved to San Francisco … Read More
Julie Lowe
(Adult Ballet Director & Instructor) Julie Lowe serves as Associate Artistic Director of Menlowe Ballet, based in Menlo Park, California. She received her earliest dance training in New York with Mimi Kellerman, and went on to study with teachers including Audree Ismailloff, Meredith Bayless, Lawrence Rhodes, Wilhelm Burmann, Sally Streets, Howard Sayette, Betsy Erickson, and Ronn Guidi. For over a decade, as a Principal Ballerina with the Oakland Ballet Company under the artistic leadership of Ronn Guidi, Ms. Lowe toured … Read More
Karin Jensen
(Dance with Me, Pre-Ballet, Ballet 1, & Beg Teen 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 … Read More
Nicole Townsend
(Ballet 4/5 Instructor) Nicole Townsend was born in San Jose, California. She began dancing at age 2 and at an early age she realized that her true love was ballet. She began her formal ballet training at Ballet San Jose at age 7 under the direction of Lise la Cour. At age 15, she went on to extend her training for the next three and a half years at City Ballet School in San Francisco. There she danced many roles … Read More
Rachel Lee
(ACB Board President & Ballet 2 Instructor) Originally from Nashville Tennessee, Ms. Lee trained at the Nashville Ballet under several instructors, including Elaine Thomas and Peter Vasterling. After college Ms. Lee joined the Alamo Arts Ballet Theatre company. Her performances include roles in Alice! A Ballet Wonderland, Dido and Aeneas, and the Brahams Festival with roles in Gypsy Love. Ms. Lee is dedicated to sharing her passion for dance and has previously been on the staff of Trinity University, Palo … Read More
Susan Hughes
(Office Manager) Susan Hughes is delighted to join the ABA/ACB administrative team. She has called Alameda home since 2012. Raised in Annapolis, MD, she spent a decade in New York City as a performing artist with the Saratoga International Theatre Institute, followed by a two-year stint in Los Angeles. She has spent extensive time teaching, subbing, and volunteering in the Alameda school district, where her daughters attend Alameda High School. Susan earned her Master’s in Library and Information Science in … Read More
Vinnie Jones
(Contemporary Instructor/Choreographer) Vinnie Jones received her early dance training in Portsmouth, New Hampshire studying ballet, jazz and modern dance. She went on to the University of Utah where she got her BFA in dance performance, teaching and character dance. She has danced professionally with Ballet Tucson, San Diego Ballet, Menlowe Ballet and LaMov Compania de Danza of Spain. With these companies she has performed principal roles in Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, and Balanchine’s Serenade. She has also … Read More