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Academy of Ballet Arts focuses on developing and training well-rounded dancers in classical ballet and contemporary dance. The Academy provides a superior faculty with teachers who have received college degrees or have danced professionally.
In addition to the structured ballet cirrculum the Academy offers an extensive contemporary program. Classes include ballet technique, pointe, pre-ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, lyrical, ballroom, tap, creative dance, adult classes and more.
ABA produces dancers that are fit for a professional environment. Students have gone on to receive scholarships and to have professional careers with such institutions as: Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, New York City Ballet, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Burklyn Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma, Julliard, RDT, University of Utah Ballet and Modern Dance programs, BYU's ballet program.
In addition to an annual performance, the Academy offers students the opportunity to perform in the non-profit performing company Intermountain Ballet Theatre. The most recent productions have been The Nutcracker, Giselle, Coppelia, and more. Intermountain Ballet Theatre performs locally throughout the Salt Lake valley.
Sheila Cramer - ABA/Head Instructor & IBT Artistic Director
Sheila began her training in Rapid City, South Dakota. She then danced with University of Utah's Ballet Department and at Point Park
College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the American Dance Ensemble. Sheila began teaching at the Academy
of Ballet Arts in 1986, under the direction of Karen Chatterton. She served as Ballet Mistress (1988-2000) and Artistic Director (2000-2004) with Mountain West Ballet.
Sheila is currently Artistic Director of Intermountain Ballet Theatre.
Amanda King - Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Lyrical & Modern Instructor
Amanda has been dancing since she was five years old. She began her training under Gaye Stevenson, at Gaye’s Dance Academy (later known as Broadway Rhythm). While at this studio, she trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, Contemporary, and Hip Hop. In 1993 she began further training in Ballet at the Academy of Ballet Arts. Amanda also went on to study under Jennifer Wunderli, in Masquerade Dance Company. She has also studied at the Wasatch Front School of Dance and at Center Stage Performing Arts Studio in Orem. Amanda has studied dance privately under Reparatory Dance Theatre (RDT) and Gilles Maidon; former principal dancer of The Paris Ballet and of Ballet West. She has attended many professional dance workshops and has participated in many competitions, in which she has won numerous awards, including scholarships and the Class Act Award for Tap from Dance Educators of America in 2003. She has continued her dance education by attending classes at Salt Lake Community College. Amanda was a member of Mountain West Ballet from 1996 to 2002. During that time, she performed many roles including Snow Queen in the Nutcracker. From 2003 to 2007, she performed Thriller for Odyssey Dance Theatre at Rocky Point Haunted House. She has participated in many charitable dance performances, including benefit concerts for Primary Children’s Medical Center and for The Spinal Bifida Foundation. Amanda began regularly teaching at the Academy of Ballet Arts in 2006. She joined Intermountain Ballet Theatre in 2004 and remains a current member of this company. Amanda is currently a major in Modern Dance at the Universtiy of Utah.
Michelle Merrell - Ballet Instructor
Michelle Merrell began dancing at Utah Artists at age eight and then trained with the Academy of Ballet Arts from age 15 to 17 under the direction of Sheila Cramer.
She performed various principle roles with Mountain West ballet including Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker, the Snow Queen in the production the Snow Queen and many more. She was able to travel to New York City for two summers attending the Joffrey Ballet summer program and later finished her senior year of high school at Ballet West Conservatory.
Michelle then performed with Utah ballet at the University of Utah taking on various principle roles such as Kitri in Petipa’s Don Quixote and other contemporary roles choreographed by well known artists from around the world including Atilla Fizere Conrad Ludlow, Jiang Qi, Istvan Herczog and many more. She trained in diverse forms of dance such as modern, jazz, character and ballet. It was there she received her BFA. She had the opportunity to perform with the Aspen Sante Fe Ballet under the direction of Tom Mossbruker and Jean- Philipe Malaty in their production of the Nutcracker for two years. This is her second year teaching at the Academy of Ballet Arts.
Vinnie Prisbrey - Ballet & Character Instructor
Vinnie Prisbrey danced professionally with the San Diego Ballet. She is a graduate from the University of Utah ballet program earning her BFA in Ballet Teaching and Character Dance as a scholarship student. While at the University of Utah Vinnie was a member of the Character Dance Ensemble which toured the USA, Canada, and Europe. Vinnie is currently in the masters program in ballet at the University of Utah. She has taught at several dance studios most notably she taught at the San Diego Ballet School, San Diego California.
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