(Director of Operations & Ballet 2-7 Instructor) 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 well as in nonprofit Arts management.
In 2007, Emilie received her B.A. in French Studies with a minor in Art History from the University of North Texas, while performing with Lake Cities Ballet Theatre. After graduating, she joined Ballet Dallas and also performed with DGDG (Danielle Georgiou Dance Group) and as a guest artist with other North Texas dance companies. While performing, Emilie also managed working full-time at a private French school as the Executive Assistant to the Headmaster.
In 2011, Emilie founded the nonprofit professional ballet company, Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet (DNCB), and served as its Artistic Director until moving to California, June 2019. Her mission with Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet was to collaborate with visual artists and musicians in a similar fashion to the Ballets Russes in 20th century Paris, in order to bring wholly aesthetic ballets to the community. Under her Direction, Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet was voted Best Dance Troupe of Dallas and was regularly invited to perform at major Dallas events such as the SOLUNA Festival organized by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Museum of Arts’ Brettell Lecture Series and at an event hosted by the SYFY Channel. Emilie was also asked to serve as a visiting artist for a Sculpture & Choreography Children’s Workshop at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in conjunction with their exhibit on Laurie Simmons’ Objects on Legs.
In 2019, Emilie’s husband accepted a job at the Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco, prompting their move to Oakland, where they currently reside with their two dogs. She has served as the Director of Operations and Ballet Instructor at Alameda Ballet for the past 3+ years. In addition, Emilie has taught and choreographed for the Conservatory of Ballet in San Leandro, San Francisco Youth Ballet Theatre, and Berkeley City Ballet.