Faculty
Jacqueline Porter
FOUNDING ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ballet, Pointe, Variations, YAGP Coaching, Theatre Dance
Jacqueline Porter founded and directs The Dallas Conservatory, with 16 studios on three campuses and a faculty of three dozen top pros teaching Dance, Theater, Music, Voice, TV/Film and Fitness to 1,700 children and adults of every level from beginner to professional. Continue reading →
Clair Culin
ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Jazz, Lyrical, Contemporary, Tap
CLAIR CULIN re-located from Atlanta in 2012 to teach and choreograph for The Dallas Conservatory. In 2018 she was named Associate Artistic Director … Continue reading →
Emileigh Vandiver
INSTRUCTOR
Cello
Cellist Emileigh Brooke Vandiver brings people together through the humanity of music, cello in tow. Described by the Boston Musical Intelligencer as a musician who conveys “a world of emotional meaning to the cello,”… Continue reading →
Olga Pavlova
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR AND SENIOR FACULTY
Ballet, Pointe, YAGP coaching
OLGA PAVLOVA, Russian prima ballerina, was born in Moscow, Russia, graduated from the famed Bolshoi Ballet Academy and has an impressive 30 years of professional career on stage as a classical principle ballerina. She also holds a Master degree in Teaching … Continue reading →
Kate Kuether
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR AND SENIOR FACULTY
Ballet, Pointe, Coaching
Kate Kuether, TTC Dip, ARAD, ISTD, grew up in Gloucestershire, England, and trained at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London, under the direction of … Continue reading →
Sean Smith
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR, SENIOR FACULTY AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Sean Smith has received training from The Ailey School, Toronto Dance Theatre and Goh Ballet Academy Canada … Read about him in Wold Arts Today
Jeff Amsden
SENIOR FACULTY
Ballet, Jazz
Jeff Amsden began his training in Spokane, Washington with the Spokane Ballet and later joined the company. He also studied on scholarship with the Pacific NorthWest Ballet and then the Joffrey Ballet in New York. Jeff toured the US for three years as a soloist with the Joffrey Ballet concert group. He also danced with the Chamber Ballet USA in New York… Continue reading →
John Kuether
INSTRUCTOR
Theater, Voice
JOHN KUETHER is thrilled to be returning to The Dallas Conservatory after spending two years in Hamburg, Germany …Continue reading →
Vincent Hardy
INSTRUCTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Contemporary, Coaching
Vincent Hardy danced for Complexions Contemporary Ballet under the direction of Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden before earning his masters of Fine Arts from … Continue reading →
Laine Habony
INSTRUCTOR
Laine Habony is a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet. Continue Reading →
Christi Murphy
INSTRUCTOR
Theater
Christi Murphy is a deeply experienced acting teacher, coach, and director with more than 20 years of experience working … Continue reading →
Lizz Bashore
INSTRUCTOR
Acting
Ashlee Elizabeth Bashore, better known to most everyone as Lizz, is an actor, director, and educator currently based in Dallas, TX.
Her passion is to explore the depths of the human condition in the classroom with her students as well as on stage and film. On stage, Ashlee has performed in over 40 regional theaters … Continue reading →
Matthew Gutwald
INSTRUCTOR
Piano
Matthew Gutwald is a piano pedagogue and performer from Huntingtown, Maryland. He received his Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College of Rider University … Continue reading →
Stevo McMaryion
INSTRUCTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Jazz, Coaching
STEPHEN “STEVO” MCMARYION realized his passion for dance, he joined the West Texas A& M University program studying ballet and modern. He has since trained in many different styles … Continue reading →
Christine Chambers
INSTRUCTOR
Singing
Christine has been an instructor of private voice and a performance coach for 30 years, teaching in New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia and currently, Texas Wesleyan University where she is an adjunct professor of Theatre Voice… Continue reading →
Jenny Durbin Smith
INSTRUCTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER
Hip Hop, Jazz Funk
JENNY DURBIN SMITH is an award-winning choreographer and teacher, whose dynamic choreography has been featured on many national television commercials, industrials, films, reality television shows, and international stages. She is currently … Continue reading →
Michael D’Andre Childs
MUSICAL THEATER FACULTY + RESIDENT MUSIC DIRECTOR
Singing
MICHAEL D’ANDRE CHILDS is an accomplished Director, Music Director, Composer, Playwright, Choreographer, and Actor who is blessed to once again share his gifts with DFW… Continue reading →
Isaac Leaverton
INSTRUCTOR
Singing
Isaac Leaverton is a voice and music practitioner in the Dallas area. In the fall of 2016, he completed his Master’s Degree in a vocal pedagogy program at the Guildford School of Acting in England, where also performed as an active member of the London Symphony Chorus… Continue reading →
Matt Rivera
INSTRUCTOR
Ballet
Matt Rivera has worked for 28 years as a professional dancer, choreographer, dance captain and instructor. He got his start with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, then moved on to Ballet Chicago, Feld Ballet in NYC, and Tharp! Ballet. … Continue reading →
Carmen Cage
INSTRUCTOR
Modern
As a native of Jacksonville Florida, Carmen Cage attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts majoring in dance graduating in the top ten percent of her class. Carmen also furthered her pre-professional dance training at Jacksonville Center for the arts for 15 years. She is a 2018 gradate of Sate University of New York (SUNY) Purchase Conservatory of Dance, … Continue reading →
Kathryn Morgan
REGULAR GUEST FACULTY
Classical Ballet
Kathryn Morgan began studying ballet at age three in Mobile, Alabama under the direction of Winthrop Corey, a former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet … Continue reading →
PERMANENT FACULTY
