Kayla DeShields

Katie Sopoci Drake is a seasoned administrator and educator with nearly 2 decades of experience in the arts spanning non-profit arts administration, teaching in higher education, and performance. As the …

Tammy Hurt, a native Washingtonian, started her dance training at the Jones-Haywood School of Ballet and later became a member of the Capitol Ballet Company under the direction of Doris …

Xiomara Reyes, Head of the Professional Training Division at TWSB, had a successful and long international career. Performing with The National Ballet of Cuba, Royal Ballet of Flanders in Belgium …

Damien Johnson is originally from Dallas, Texas. He received his early dance training from Kitty Carter, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and The Etkin-Atkinson …

Pamela Booth Bjerknes, a former member of American Ballet Theatre (ABT), brings extensive teaching, directing, and performing experience to The Washington School of Ballet. Performing classical and contemporary ballets throughout …

Entering her 18th season with The Washington Ballet, Ms. Glover has transitioned from the leadership position of Director of Operations for The Washington School of Ballet to Summer Intensive Manager …

Margaret Giragosian Williamson received her early training at The Washington Ballet, the Maryland Youth Ballet, and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. During this time, she was also privileged to spend …

Kayla DeShields is a native of Woodbridge, VA where she grew up studying liturgical dance in her church beginning at age four and holding positions of leadership within the dance …

With 40 years of experience as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, founding artistic/executive director, and urban planner, Miya’s life has spanned two continents with a commitment to diversity and excellence in …

Originally from Long Island, Kim Parmer has been immersed in the DC-area dance scene since moving here in 2010. Most recently, Ms. Parmer served as the director of Maryland School …

Valentina Palladino is a professional dancer, choreographer, and educator from Sardinia, Italy. Ms. Palladino began her dancing career in 2003 at the School Ballet Arabesque, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, under the …

Faryn Kelly is a multi-disciplinary freelance artist currently based in Washington, DC. Originally from Lexington, KY, Faryn graduated with a BFA in Dance from Wright State University in Dayton, OH. In DC, Faryn previously served as the lighting supervisor at Dance Place, and has worked with DMV companies in lighting design (PrioreDance, haus of bambi, Orange Grove Dance, Flying V, Jane Franklin Dance), costume design (Tariq Darrell O’Meally, American University, Heart Stück Bernie, Jamison Curcio and Shanice Mason, darlingdance, ReVision Dance Company), and stage management (The Kennedy Center, Mosaic Theatre, Studio Theatre, Coalescence, Dumbarton Arts and Education).  Faryn was selected as one of the 2020 New Releases Festival choreographers, was a scholarship student in 2022 for the ATLAS choreography program at Impulstanz in Vienna, Austria, and is an FY2024 DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship Program awardee. Among her favorite things are travel, instant film, haute couture, space, and chocolate covered espresso beans.

Caroline is a junior at Marymount University in their fashion design B.A. program, with minors in sustainability and studio art. Ballet is close to home for her, as she spent two …