MARGO DEAN, founder/director, has directed and taught ballet for over seventy years. She is the artistic director of Ballet Concerto which she founded in 1969. Her ballet training includes study with Olga Preobrajenska in Paris, Rosella Hightower in Cannes, and Michael Vernon in New York. She has taken ballet courses in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Ballet, in Rome, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco and in Havana at the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. In January 1995 she was honored by the Dallas Dance Council for a lifetime committment to dance. She has choreographed many of the ballet segments for the Fort Worth Opera since 1955. In 2000 she was named Outstanding Woman of the Year by the City Council of Fort Worth and the same year honored as Founder of the Fort Worth Ballet (now Texas Ballet Theater) on its 40th anniversary. In 2009 she was awarded the Legacy of Women Award for outstanding contribution in the Arts. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Arts Council of Fort Worth's Heart of Gold Award.

Resident faculty and staff

WEBSTER DEAN, associate director (advanced and intermediate adult ballet) is a former soloist with Ballet West, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and has danced seasons with Ballet Oregon, the Milwaukee, Colorado, and Richmond Ballets and has also performed in musical theater at the Cleveland Playhouse, Casa Mañana, Lyric Stage, and Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. Teachers and choreographers he has worked with during his career include Bruce Marks, Toni Lander, Denise Schultze, Fernando Bujones, David Howard, John Butler, Malcolm Burn, Eugene Loring, André Prokovsky, Frederick Franklin, Kim Abel, and Michael Vernon. He has staged works as a guest stager for Nevada Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, Orlando Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theater, and Kansas City Ballet. He holds a BFA from University of Utah. He has been guest ballet instructor at Texas Christian University He has taught at this school since 1991 and is associate artistic director of Ballet Concerto. In his teaching he emphasizes clean technique with proper placement and artistry. 
 

​​​​SUSAN LAVALLEE (secretary/receptionist/costumiere) is a former dancer and ballet teacher who taught, choreographed, and performed for over 30 years. She has been affiliated with this studio for the past 30 years.

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LIUBA KOZERVA PATERSON (ballet) is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet School in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has toured Europe and America with the St. Petersburg Classical Ballet. She has been associated with this school and with Ballet Concerto since 1993 as principal dancer and teacher as well as assistant rehearsal director. She has been a guest teacher for the Nevada Ballet Theater company and school.

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ROSE MILLER (adult and children's ballet), a graduate of Notre Dame University, has been with this school for twenty three years and has performed with Ballet Concerto. She teaches the children's ballet camp each July for ages 3 - 6. as well as children's classes during the school year.

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​ELISE LAVALLEE (ballet and jazz/contemporary), is a former student of Margo Dean and has been a member of Ballet Concerto and was a member of the Bruce Wood Dance Company, now Bruce Wood Dance. She has also performed and choreographed in numerous productions at Casa Mañana and has choreographed for many other prestigious organizations in the metroplex, including the University of North Texas Opera Department, Trinity Valley School, University of Texas at Arlington, All Saints Episcopal School, has been assistant choreographer with the Dallas Opera, and has received awards for her choreography. She has taught jazz and choreographed for this school for the past 15 years and created a work for Ballet Concerto’s annual outdoor SUMMER DANCE CONCERT over the past three years. She has also taught for Kids Who Care, where she was resident choreographer for a number of years, for the Arlington Heights High School Dance Program, for Texas Wesleyan University, for Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy, and at All Saints Episcopal School.

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CHARIS PAGE, (advanced ballet) began her training at the Space Coast Ballet Academy in Florida with Kirov Ballet dancers Janna Kirova and Boris Chepelev. From 2006 through 2009, she trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC, and graduated with a diploma in the Vaganova Technique. Throughout her career Ms. Charis danced with Tulsa Ballet, Manassas Ballet Theater, New Jersey Ballet Company and Texas Ballet Theater. Some of her favorite roles have been Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella in Cinderella and Clara in the Nutcracker. Ms. Charis started teaching in 2010 and loves sharing ballet with her students. She has taught at multiple dance schools around the country and is excited to join the staff of Margo Dean’s.

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​MARGARITA BRUCE (Spanish dance/flamenco) is experienced in the world of Spanish dance, both in flamenco and classical Spanish dance.  As featured Spanish dancer she has performed many leading roles with Ballet Concerto and has danced with noted artists such as Luis Montero at Ballet Concerto, José Greco, José Molina, José Junco, Luis Montero, and Maria Benitez.  She has taught for Margo Dean School of Ballet over the past twenty one years.
 

​​PERLA MONTOYA (Spanish dance/flamenco) began her Flamenco studies at age 9 and has studied and performed Spanish dance with such notables as Luis Montero at Ballet Concerto, Jose Greco, Nana Lorca, Sara de Luis, Jose Molina, Antonio Granjero, Chiqui Linares, La Presy, Gisela Noriega, Eduardo Montemayor, and Teo Morca and has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  She has taught for Margo Dean School of Ballet over the past fifteen years and has performed as a featured Spanish dancer with Ballet Concerto.

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CANDACE RATTLIFF (ballet, jazz, modern) grew up in Fort Worth TX and received her formal dance training from Joe Berry, Beverly Torres, and Margo Dean School of Ballet. She performed during this time as a member of Ballet Concerto. Candace graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University with a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance. She was awarded a TCU Fine Arts Guild Scholarship and also received a Dallas Dance Council Scholarship to study at Alvin Ailey Summer Dance Intensive in New York City. After graduation, Candace joined Jane Weiner’s Hope Stone Dance Company (Houston TX) and enjoyed 10 wonderful seasons as a company member. She was also a company member of Earthen Vessels. As a freelance dancer, Candace has had the pleasure of performing with Amy Ell’s VAULT, NobleMotion Dance (Andy and Dione Noble), Leslie Skates, and Harrison Guy’s Urban Souls Dance Company. She has also performed internationally in Ireland’s Irish Aerial Dance Fest. Candace has served as a member of the modern dance faculty for Houston Ballet Academy, as well as the Modern, Jazz, & Body Health consultant for HSPVA. Additionally, Candace enjoyed ten years of teaching in the greater Houston where she was a freelance choreographer.

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LACY BEBEAU, (pre-school ballet), is working toward her BFA in dance at Texas Christian University. Previously she trained in Vienna, Virginia with Kellie Payne and Andrea Giles where she was assistant teacher for preschool students. She has attended dance intensives in the past and participated in musicals and music videos, and has choreographed for school productions.

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