Ballet with Emily D.

I am a professional ballet dancer and certified yoga teacher. I am a former Soloist from San Diego Ballet and have also danced Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York City, Japan and Denmark. I hold a BFA in dance & Pedagogy from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of Susan Jaffe. I had the privileges of dancing many lead roles in the states and internationally! I completed my Yoga Teacher Training Certification in San Diego, CA. As a professional dancer currently in Los Angeles, I know how important it is to have one on one training. I have a strong passion for teaching students and sharing my knowledge of ballet to the future generations! Being able to meet a dancer where they are and build technique at their pace instead of in a large class setting, is extremely important to me. I teach mainly in the ABT Curriculum and RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) technique. I believe it is important to be well rounded in not just the technique and history of ballet, but as a teacher also support a healthy mind and body connection, so dancers feel their best with confidence as they grow! Yoga has made such a positive impact on my professional dance career. I am an advocate of self care and believe yoga is a way to not just strengthen areas of dancer's bodies they may be weak in, ( ie working in parallel instead of turn out) but ease anxiety and stress! Yoga brings you into the moment and focuses on the "now". As dancers we get caught up with the work of the future that we miss how much self growth comes from being present. I emphasize strength, flexibility, and mindfulness into my classes. I value the connections that are built through dance and am fully invested in student success!