LISA SLAGLE , Director, began her professional dancing career at the age of 11 when she appeared as a solo dancer in the Elvis Presley movie, “Clambake”. She performed as a soloist and principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet in New York in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s she performed as a soloist with the Ballet du Grande Theatre de Geneve in Switzerland, and as a Principal Dancer with Tulsa Ballet Theatre.

She brings to her students a wide range of training styles, having studied with world-renowned teachers in the Russian, Cecchetti, and Bournonville techniques. She is the director of the Ballet Academy of Texas school in the Dallas, Texas area, which has received the “Outstanding School” award from the Youth America Grand Prix’s Semi-Final in the Southwest for the years 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010 as well as the “Outstanding Teacher” award in 2006. She is also the director of the pre-professional company, Ballet Ensemble of Texas. Ms. Slagle has been a Master Teacher in the summers for Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Texas Workshop, American Dance Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Orlando Ballet School in Florida. In 2007 she was asked to be on the advisory board for American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, and was a Master Teacher for ABT’s Young Dancer Workshops in Los Angeles and New York in 2007 and 2008 and for the ABT Summer Intensive in Alabama for 2009.  She returns to the ABT Alabama Intensive in 2010.