Ms. Austin hails from Dallas, Texas where she received her early training with Dallas Metropolitan Ballet with Anne Etgen and Bill Atkinson. She graduated from Virginia School of the Arts where she studied with Petrus Bosman, Dominique Angel, Lisa Thomas and Adam Sage. She was awarded scholarships to attend summer intensive programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet and the prestigious School of American Ballet. Sarah has performed the role of Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop in “The Nutcracker”, Swanhilda in “Coppelia” and has danced lead roles in works by Malcolm Burn, Keelen Whitmore, Jennifer Medina, Kathy Brenner and Adam Sage. She was a finalist at the American Ballet Competition in Miami Florida in 2008 and was chosen at the Regional Dance America Festival in 2005 to perform at the 2006 International Ballet Competition in Jackson Mississippi.
Brittany Butler
Ms. Butler most recently danced with Florida Ballet and was a member of Orlando Ballet’s 2nd Company under Artistic Director Bruce Marks. She attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston – Salem for two years after training with the Wilmington Ballet. She has been seen in such roles as Snow Queen and Dew Drop in the Nutcracker as well as in Scotch Symphony, Paquita, Don Quixote and Theme and Variations. Brittany has attended the summer programs at Miami City Ballet, Harid Conservatory and after being awarded a full scholarship attended the Orlando Ballet’s summer intensive program. She has also been the recipient of the James Jamison Memorial Scholarship Award.
Caitlin Helton
Caitlin Helton, a native of Springfield, Illinois, began her training at the Springfield Ballet Company where she performed lead roles in ballets such as La Bayadere, Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and The Sleeping Beauty.She has also studied at American Ballet Theatre, Nashville Ballet, Ballet Austin, and The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, and competed in the finals of the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix in New York City.After graduating high school, Caitlin danced on full scholarship at the School of Nashville Ballet under the direction of Adam Sage, and went on to study under scholarship at Butler University with a concentration in Dance Performance.While at Butler, she participated in a study abroad program under the direction of Marek Cholewa, touring throughout Poland and performing with some of the most prestigious companies in the country.
Katie Howland
Ms. Howland graduated from Virginia School of the Arts and received her early training at White Star Studio in Sedona Arizona. She has attended the Alonzo King “Lines Ballet”, State Street Ballet and Arizona Ballet summer programs. Ms. Howland has danced the roles Snow Queen and Dew Drop Fairy in “The Nutcracker”, and she has been featured in works by Jennifer Medina, Kathy Brenner and Keelen Whitmore, Robert Philander Valentine and Adam Sage. Ms. Howland originated the dancing counterpart role of Juliette, in Opera on the James world premier of “Romeo et Juliette” choreographed by MBT Artistic Director Adam Sage. Ms. Howland is also an accomplished choreographer and received a choreographic award in 2009 at the National High School Dance Festival for her work entitled “Metamorphosis”.
Maya Joslow
Maya Joslow is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and has been a trainee with Ballet Austin. She has also studied at The Rock School in Philadelphia after training at Metropolitan Ballet Academy. Maya has attended Miami City Ballet, Houston Ballet School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s summer programs. She was awarded Dean’s Choice Scholarship and the Nutcracker Foundation Scholarship while at NCSA and was a top 12 Junior Division Finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix. While with Ballet Austin Ms. Joslow performed in George Balanchine’s “Serenade” and Stephen Mill’s “The Nutcracker” and has danced in “Raymonda Variations”, “Swan Lake Act II”, and Jerome Robbin’s “Fanfare” as well as in George Balanchine’s “Rubies” and “Symphony in C”.
Izzy Masters
Ms. Masters received her early training with James Robey at the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance in Ridgefield, Connecticut. She is a graduate of the Virginia School of the Arts and has attended summer programs with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Carolina Ballet and Boston Ballet Dance Lab. Ms. Masters has been seen as the Sugar Plum Fairy Snow Queen and Dew Drop in “The Nutcracker”, Principal female in “Paquita” as well as in works by Keelen Whitmore, Malcolm Burn, Bruce Steivel, Robert Philander Valentine, Dominique Angel and Adam Sage. She was a finalist at the 2008 American Ballet Competition in Miami, Florida.
Lydia Phillips
Ms. Phillips joins MBT after serving as a trainee with Richmond Ballet. She is a graduate of Virginia School of the Arts and received her early training at the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center in Lynchburg, Virginia. She has performed in “The Nutcracker”, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, “Cinderella” and “La Bayadere” with the Richmond Ballet as well as in “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Nutcracker”, “Carmen”, “Paquita” and George Balanchine’s “Serenade” while with Virginia School of the Arts. Lydia has trained in summer programs at the Kirov Academy, Washington Ballet School, and at Richmond Ballet. She has received the Dame Margot Fonteyn Award, Jan Petrus Bosman Award and scholarships to the Kirov Academy, Richmond Ballet and Virginia School of the Arts.
Evan Pitts
Evan Pitts is a native of Jacksonville Florida and received his early training with the Lavilla School of the Arts. He graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts under Rhonda Stampalia and Dr. Phyllis Penney P.H.D. He has attended summer programs under scholarship at Miami City Ballet, Atlanta Festival Ballet and Florida Ballet. Evan has performed the roles of the Nutcracker Prince, Lead Russian and has performed the title role of Romeo in “Romeo and Juliet”, and has had the honor of working with such choreographers as Thaddeus Davis, Cleo Parker Robinson and Robert Philander Valentine.
George Sanders
Mr. Sanders has been trained and coached by such notable dance luminaries as Ben Stevenson OBE, Anna Marie Holmes, David Howard and Stanislav Issaev. He has attended Ecole Ballet in Sydney Australia, The Rock School in Philadelphia, North Carolina School of the Arts, Texas Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet School and Virginia School of the Arts. He has been a participant in Youth America Grand Prix, a finalist at the 2008 American Ballet Competition in Miami, Florida and was awarded 1st Place in the Fresh and Fast Competition in Sydney Australia. He has performed in works by Ashley Killar, Jennifer Medina, Keelen Whitmore, Christopher Flemming, Todd Rosenlieb, Adam Sage and George Balanchine. George has performed the role of Albrecht, Nutcracker Cavalier and the Lead male in “Rodeo”.
Rachael Snell
Ms. Snell is a Virginia School of the Arts graduate where she studied with Dominique Angel, Lisa Thomas and Adam Sage after receiving her early training with Old Dominion Performing Arts Studio. She has attended the Washington Ballet School’s summer program training with Kee Juan Han, Ann Marie Holmes and Karen Brown as well as the School of the Richmond Ballet’s summer program under Judy Jacob, Malcolm Burn and Jasmine Grace. Rachael has been fortunate to work with guest teachers and choreographers such as Lorraine Graves, Bruce Steivel, Kathy Brenner, Keelen Whitmore and Virginia Johnson while attending Virginia School of the Arts. Ms. Snell has performed as the Snow Queen and Lead Marzipan in “The Nutcracker”, principal female in Bruce Steivel’s “Strauss Soiree” and as a soloist in “Paquita”.
