Lindsey Salvadalena | School Director

Raised in Louisiana, Lindsey received her classical ballet training from Constantin Apetrei, a graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Kelly Fortier and Jan Miller, as well as time spent at the Washington School of Ballet, Ballet Magnificat!, and on scholarship at the Boston Ballet School. Lindsey is a graduate of New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA/Riverfront) and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the Conservatory of Dance at State University of New York / Purchase.  Over the course of her career, she performed many classical works, including: Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, Coppélia, Raymonda, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Peter Pan and The Nutcracker. Notable roles include the "Pas de Trois" from Paquita, "Swanhilda's Friend" from Coppélia, "Tiger Lily" in Peter Pan, "Flower Couple," "Arabian Soloist," and "Snow Queen" and “Sugar Plum Fairy” from The Nutcracker.  Lindsey has danced for Liss Fain Dance, Oakland Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet as well as freelancing as a guest artist in the San Francisco Bay Area and the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Chelsea Hix | Assistant School Director

Chelsea began her ballet training at Sebastopol Ballet School and went on to train at the Academy of International Ballet in Philadelphia. She has had the honor of working extensively with Anastasia Babayeva and Denis Gronostayskiy of the Bolshoi Ballet, and Tamara Statkoun of the Kirov Ballet. She has been a company member with International Ballet Classique, Connecticut Ballet, and Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and has had performance opportunities with Oakland Ballet, Ballet Santa Barbara, and as a guest artist throughout the Bay Area. She has also holds a BA in English and French from Sonoma State University.

Terez Dean | Pre-Professional Division Ballet

Terez is a ballet teacher and arts program director based in San Francisco. Originally from Hudson Valley, New York, Terez received her training at the prestigious School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. Starting her professional dance career in 2005, Terez danced with State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara and Smuin Ballet, featured in works by Jiří Kylián, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, Val Caniparoli, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Amy Seiwert, Ma Cong, and Jennifer Archibald. Terez has her BA through the Saint Mary’s College LEAP program and recently co-founded Jettison Creative, a production studio built to assist creatives. Honing her passion for ballet and building a community, Terez's classes are rooted in technique, energy, and heart- fostering a comfortable and inclusive atmosphere that makes artists excited to explore and grow.

Ethan Epstein | Guest Faculty - Ballet

Ethan Epstein is from Boston, MA where he began his ballet training at Boston Ballet School. Ethan went on to train at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Darla Hoover and Marcia Dale Weary, where he danced principal and soloist roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Emeralds, and Alan Hineline’s Coppelia. Professionally, Ethan has danced at Alabama Ballet and Oklahoma City Ballet. He danced roles including Candy Cane in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, The Champion Roper in Agnes de Mille's Rodeo, and Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty. Ethan taught at the Alabama Ballet School and Birmingham Academy of Dance while dancing professionally. Ethan has served as the Children’s Rehearsal Director for Balanchine’s Nutcracker for three years and has guest taught company class at Alabama Ballet. He also returns to CPYB to teach during the summers.

Joshua Jung | Primary Division Ballet, Boys Program

Joshua began his dance training at age 10 as a hip hop dancer, competing at dance conventions for three years while broadening his studies to include ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary dance. After discovering a passion for ballet, he continued his training at Bay Pointe Ballet under Bruce Steivel, Lindsey Salvadalena, and Chelsea Hix, where his studies also included character dance and partnering. He later continued his training at Bay Area Ballet Conservatory and was among the Conservatory’s first graduating seniors. At 17, while beginning his studies in Dance and Environmental Science at San Francisco State University, Joshua began performing with Foley Dance in neoclassical and Georgian ballet works throughout the Bay Area. He has also danced with New Ballet’s Studio Company, performing in Cinderella, The San Jose Nutcracker, and Fast Forward, a contemporary ballet showcase. Joshua brings nine years of teaching experience throughout the Bay Area, working with students ranging in age from 2 to 80 in ballet and a variety of dance styles. His diverse background as a dancer and educator has shaped an approach to teaching that emphasizes strong technique, versatility, and an appreciation for movement. Having grown from a BABC student into an experienced dancer and educator, Joshua is excited to return to the Conservatory as a faculty member and share his knowledge and love of dance with the next generation of BABC dancers.

Cassidy Isaacson | Faculty - Ballet

Originally from Redmond, Washington, Cassidy began her training at Pacific Northwest Ballet before continuing her studies privately with the renowned Deborah Hadley. At just 16, she joined Grand Rapids Ballet, where she danced for eight seasons and performed works by celebrated choreographers including Trey McIntyre (Wild Sweet Love), Alejandro Cerrudo (Extremely Close), Penny Saunders (In Frame), and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Written and Forgotten). Cassidy joined Smuin Ballet in 2019, where she has performed a wide range of distinctive works from the company’s repertoire while also developing her voice as a choreographer. To date, she has choreographed 11 world premieres for the company.Cassidy is passionate about sharing her professional experience and artistic perspective with the next generation of dancers, fostering both technical growth and individual artistry.

Rowan Williams | Contemporary

Rowan received her classical ballet training at Pacific Northwest Ballet as well as training and competing in Irish Dance at her mother’s Irish Dance school in Seattle, WA. In addition to training at Pacific Northwest Ballet, she additionally spent summers studying at American Ballet Theatre NY and San Francisco Ballet School.

During her classical ballet training, Rowan performed various works by George Balanchine, including Serenade and Stars and Stripes, in addition to participating in numerous other company productions. She then pursued a BFA in Dance with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, to explore contemporary and modern dance styles. She had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson, Carmen Rozestraten, Dexandro Montalvo, and others.

Since earning her degree, Rowan has worked as a freelance dance artist performing for West Bay Opera, Andrea Salazar, Oceanica Ballet, and the Deborah Slater Residency. Alongside performing, Rowan is a certified GYROTONIC Trainer.

Emma Birmingham | Faculty - Ballet

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Emma began her dance training at a young age before focusing more intensively on ballet at Peninsula Ballet Theatre under the direction of Lindsey Salvadalena. She continued her training with Lindsey Salvadalena and Chelsea Hix at Bay Pointe Ballet and later at Bay Area Ballet Conservatory, where she was a member of the Conservatory’s inaugural class. Throughout her training, Emma further developed her technique in pointe and partnering while expanding her studies to include character, jazz, and contemporary dance. During her time at Bay Area Ballet Conservatory, Emma performed repertoire from classical works including The Nutcracker, Paquita, Coppélia, and The Sleeping Beauty, and participated in Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). Emma went on to expand her training as a member of the University of Redlands Dance Company, where she explored a range of dance styles and served as Assistant Artistic Director, gaining additional experience in performance, choreography, and teaching. Since graduating, Emma has taught ballet, jazz, and hip hop to students of various ages. She is thrilled to return to her home studio as a faculty member and looks forward to sharing her experience and love of dance with the next generation of BABC dancers.

Kiara Jaro | Primary Division Ballet

Born in the Phillipines, where she received classical ballet and dance training, Kiara was a professional performer with ACTS Manila. Kiara received her Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics with an emphasis on business economics from UC Davis. Kiara has a passion for ballet that she loves sharing with her young students.

Edgar Lepe | Ballet - Adult Program

Trained in Folklorico Ballet throughout his youth, Edgar Lepe began studying classical ballet in 2008 at the San Francisco Academy of Ballet under the direction of ballet masters Richard Gibson and Zory Karah. Edgar has performed in Mexico and the United States with Collage West Ensemble, Compania Mexico Danza, Ensembles Ballet Folklorico of San Francisco, as well as Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Presidio Dance Theatre, Bay Pointe Ballet, and Oakland Ballet.

Robert Lowman | Ballet - Adult Program

Robert Burns Lowman trained at Susan Hayward School of Dancing and holds B.A.s in Dance and Theater & Performance Studies from U.C. Berkeley. He is a recipient of the Mask and Dagger Memorial Prize (2012) and the Rosalyn Schneider Eisner Prize (2013). Robert has performed with em(body) dance project and Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and has also danced in works by Marit Brook-Kothlow, Carlos Carvajal, Ron Cunningham, Katie Faulkner, and Scott Wells. Robert is currently Artistic Co-Director of Oceánica Ballet with Edgar Lepe.

Tamara Shuttle | Jazz - Adult Program

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Tamara began dancing at the age of four and later trained with the renowned Berle Davis and Ann Barrett. During her collegiate years, Tamara was heavily involved in both theatre and musical theatre, performing in Evita, Godspell, The Robber Bridegroom and Jesus Christ Superstar, to name a few.  She holds a degree in Dance and a credential in elementary school education from San Francisco State University.  Tamara toured with a five star cruise line, performing on multiple ships around the world. As an educator, Tamara teaches Jazz to both children and adults, teaching throughout the Bay Area. Tamara loves to choreograph to a variety of music, infusing a multitude of jazz styles - from classic, to funk, to lyrical.  She uses her fitness background to incorporate muscular strength, endurance and flexibility training in to her classes. She continues to take class and perform locally. Tamara believes in fostering the love of movement for dancers of all ages and levels.