Taught by those who have done it.

Wilhelmina is a former dancer with New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She is best known for her roles in the ballets now known as “Balanchine Black and White.” She was Artist-in-Residence at academic institutions including Sarah Lawrence College, Vassar College, and The Masters School, and she has held faculty positions with Talent Unlimited High School for the Performing Arts, where she created a Balanchine Curriculum for the New York City Department of Education approved by the George Balanchine Trust©. Wilhelmina has been Artistic Director of Catskill Ballet Theater, Artistic Advisor for Ulster Ballet Company, Co-Director of Woodstock Children’s Theater, and Director of Dance and Musical Theater for South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures & the Arts. She is a licensed teacher in both Dance and Work-based learning who has been choreographing and directing dance and theater for over twenty-eight years. She is on the advisory boards of Rosie’s Theatre Kids and MindLeaps. She is a member of the nominating committee for the Chita Rivera Awards and an advisor for I Can Still Do That, a branch of the Florence Belsky Charitable Foundation. Wilhelmina feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to study and work with the great masters of Dance of the 20th Century. She believes it is her responsibility to pass on the great gifts that were bestowed upon her.

Email: wilhelmina@stapletonschool.org

Jenny Boynton (She/Her) has been acting, directing, and choreographing in the community since 2003. She has her BA in Music as well as her AA in Dance, Drama and…accounting (keep your day job actors). Jenny started her theatre training with YES Foundation (previously known as RVCS) in the late 1900s and now runs her own professionally oriented theatre company called Marin Musical Theatre Company. Her goal in theatre education is to give the next generation of theater kids a solid training to seamlessly be able to move into professional theater. She believes that theater training done right creates empathetic, creative, and responsible adults even if they do not develop the theater habit after they graduate from high school.

Email: jenny@stapletonschool.org

Originally from Sacramento, Brynn Vogel grew up dancing at Capitol Ballet Center. Upon graduating high school, Brynn danced at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre while attending Point Park University. After receiving her Bachelor of the Arts, she shifted her focus to contemporary dance and joined Texture Contemporary Ballet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Brynn danced for Texture for eight years and continued to work with them as she moved towards a freelance career in San Francisco and New York City. She now is a Certified Personal Trainer and is so excited to join the amazing faculty at Stapleton!

Email: brynn@stapletonschool.org

Morgan Olson was born and raised in Southern California. She began her dance training at a local ballet school in Lake Arrowhead, CA. She attended summer intensives such as American Ballet Theatre and Philadelphia Ballet. Morgan attended Idyllwild Arts Academy on scholarship for all four years of high school. There she studied Ballet, Modern, Jazz and Dance Composition, as well as performed in various classical and contemporary repertory pieces. Morgan graduated from Idyllwild Arts in 2021 with scholastic honors and a certification in the arts (dance). Morgan now lives full time in Marin and has begun her career as a dance instructor and arts administrator here at Stapleton School of the Performing Arts. She also teaches dance under the direction of Alan Scofield with Kiddo! Mill Valley Schools Community Foundation, bringing dance education into local elementary schools. Morgan is incredibly honored to share her knowledge and love for dance with the next generation of aspiring artists.

Email: morgan@stapletonschool.org

Isabella Qureshi was born and raised in Marin County, CA. She began her early dance training at age 4 at Dance Theatre 7 in Fairfax, CA. Isabella went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance with a concentration in Visual Media at MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE in New York City. Upon graduating, she returned to the Bay Area to teach Jazz, Contemporary, & Ballet. Isabella has performed professionally with the Carmen Carnes Dance Ensemble, Salsa Vale Todo, Marin Musical Theatre Company, Novato Theatre Company, and the Altarena Playhouse in Alameda. Isabella, most notably, was the Choreographer for the Grateful Dead’s New Year’s Eve concert to ring in 2020, and choreographed a dance segment in an episode of the ABC tv series “Scorpion.” Isabella joined the Stapleton faculty in 2016, and continues to share her passion for dance to children and adults throughout the Bay Area.

Email: bella@stapletonschool.org

Shreya LaRoche has administrative experience in school administration, financial planning, accounting, and marketing support.  She has a love of dance from her childhood and enjoys being surrounded by performers while being tasked with making things run more smoothly.  Shreya has been volunteering as a seamstress and/or costume chair for Stapleton productions for many years and is our in-house costume designer.

Email: shreya@stapletonschool.org

Saoirse was born in San Francisco. She started dancing when she was 3, and has wanted to teach ballet ever since. When she was 12, she transferred to Stapleton from a different ballet school, and danced there until she graduated, performing in the Stapleton Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and many repertory pieces. More recently, she's returned to Stapleton as the Queen in Swan Lake, as well as joining in community theatre productions. She is glad to be home at Stapleton and sharing her love of dance with a new generation!

Email: saoirse@stapletonschool.org

Brandon Graham (He/they) was born in Rochester NY and trained at School Of The Arts and Odasz Dance Theatre under Jessica Odasz. He since has graduated from Alonzo King Lines BFA program. He has had the opportunity to work with Flock Works, Robert Moses, Kara Davis, Christian Burns and Gregory Dawson. After graduating the BFA  program in 2020 he has been doing freelance work with Kristin Damrow, David Herrera Performance Company, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Alyssa Mitchel and more. Most recently, Brandon finished his first season with Sean Dorsey Dance on a 13 city, international tour.

Email: brandon@stapletonschool.org

Elise Sievert Bhushan is a dancer, choreographer, and storyteller whose career spans stage, screen, and studio. She earned her degree in Dance Pedagogy from Butler University before interning at Broadway Dance Center in New York City. She has performed with BEings Dance and various contemporary companies, taken the stage at renowned venues such as Symphony Space and The Joyce Theater, and entertained audiences aboard Royal Caribbean cruises. Her work also includes performances with Ocean State Theatre and Transcendence Theatre Company, as well as appearances in commercials and television/film projects. As a choreographer, Elise has adjudicated national dance competitions, set award-winning competition pieces for students across the country, and choreographed more than ten children’s ballets. Passionate about shaping the next generation of dancers, she blends technical excellence with artistry, helping young performers build both skill and confidence. In addition to her dance career, Elise holds a Pilates certification through Power Pilates and has taught barre classes at Physique 57 in New York City and the Hamptons. Beyond movement, Elise is an accomplished filmmaker and writer. She has directed award-winning short films and has been recognized as a Sundance Episodic Lab finalist, a PAGE International Screenwriting Award quarterfinalist, and an Austin Film Festival finalist. Now based in Marin County, she balances her creative pursuits with raising two young children, continuing to bring stories to life through movement and film.

Email: elise@stapletonschool.org

Nic Moore (he/him) is a director, stage combat coordinator and actor who has worked across the Bay Area. He has directed and taught at: Novato Theater Company, Marin School of the Arts, YES Theater, Marin Shakespeare Company, Stapleton School of the Performing Arts and Lorenzo High School. As an actor he has performed with Curtain Theatre, 6th Street Playhouse, Theatre Rhinoceros, Alter Theater, New Conservatory Theater Center and will be performing at the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival this Summer. Nic has trained at Shakespeare & Company, The American Musical and Dramatic Academy and The Meisner Technique Studio.

Email: nic@stapletonschool.org

Alice Svetic is a freelance dancer+choreographer+educator based in Oakland, CA. Alice is currently a dance artist with SF-based Alex Ketley’s The Foundry and a teaching artist at the Alonzo King LINES BFA Program at Dominican University, Marin Dance Theater, Stapleton School of the Performing Arts, and Berkeley City Ballet.

Email: alice@stapletonschool.org

Ruby Hafner is an alumni of Stapleton School of the Performing Arts. At Stapleton, she discovered her love of classical ballet, and performing. She continued her education through ten summers at the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory Summer Program, as well as the Boston Ballet Summer Program, further refining her technique and artistry under renowned instructors. A graduate of Emerson College, Ruby was a member of the Emerson Dance Company, performing in broad range of dance styles. She is thrilled to return to Stapleton as a faculty member, sharing her passion, experience, and dedication to dance with the next generation of dancers.

Email: ruby@stapletonschool.org

Megan’s musical journey began almost as soon as she could walk. By age three, she was playing piano by ear and quickly became a lifelong multi-instrumentalist. Her formal training includes piano, drums, mallet percussion, and flute, and she is also self-taught on oboe, English horn, guitar, bass, and accordion. Inspired by women artists of ’90s rock, she began writing her own music at an early age. A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Therapy, Megan has worked as a clinician using music to enhance quality of life and has performed with ensembles including the Boston Civic Symphony. She later moved to Northern California, where she built a successful career teaching and performing family music throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, including at Wolf Trap. Megan has released four children’s albums, two of which received first-round GRAMMY consideration, and she is a voting member of the Recording Academy. She has received multiple “Best of the Best” awards from Bay Area Parent Magazine and continues to perform both family and adult-focused acoustic music. She is thrilled to bring her passion and experience to the Stapleton School of the Performing Arts.

Email: megan@stapletonschool.org

Bailey Storm is a dancer and creative from Bethlehem, PA who came to California to study under the philosophy of Alonzo King at LINES Ballet. She has found, after five years of immersion in the bay area dance scene, another level of artistry inspired by her colleagues. She aspires to create a safe environment for younger dancers to learn and grow in. Her own dance practice is fueled by a healthy relationship to movement and the attempt to showcase artistry that outgrows the limitations of the physical body. Bailey has worked and performed professionally with DawsonDanceSF and Detour Productions. During her time in the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA at Dominican University, she choreographed and presented her latest work the river flowing (2024), performed original works from former LINES dancers, Gregory Paul Dawson, Maurya Kerr, and Laura O’Malley, and studied under the company’s renowned faculty who have impacted her and the dance world greatly.

Virginia received her professional dance training at the San Francisco Ballet School, under the tutelage of American ballet pioneers, Willam and Lew Christensen. She began touring with the San Francisco Ballet Company and the San Francisco Opera Company in 1961, performing in such works as Swan Lake, Symphony in C, Con Amore, Caprice, and Concerto Barocco. Eventually switching focus from performance to instruction, Virginia embarked on an extensive teaching career, instructing advanced and master classes for Jane Stamps Studio in Albany and the Petaluma Ballet, and eventually developing a dance program for the San Anselmo Recreation Center. In 1988, Virginia founded the Stapleton School of the Performing Arts with the unique mission of providing professional dance training, while incorporating a compassion for students as whole individuals. Since the inception of the Stapleton School, enrollment has grown steadily, and currently over 500 students are enrolled in the Ballet Division. In 1998, Virginia developed the Stapleton Youth Company to provide a semi-professional experience for the school's advanced students helping to bridge the prep-professional to the professional level.