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, musicality, and artistry. 
 

​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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JENNA GLUECK, (adult ballet and all levels) originally from Wichita Falls, TX, began training at age four at her home studio, Wichita Falls Youth Ballet and Wichita Falls Ballet Theatre, and later trained with Texas Ballet Theater, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet School. She went on to dance professionally with Ballet North Texas, under Nicolina Lawson. There she performed many soloist and principal roles from ballets including Les Sylphides, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, as well as various contemporary pieces set on the company. While dancing professionally, Jenna began teaching at North Texas Conservatory in June 2019. Since moving back to Fort Worth, Jenna has been pursuing teaching full time and continues to share the joy of ballet with students of all ages.

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SOPHIE WILLIAMS (ballet, all levels) is a native of California and began her training at Ballet Arte Academy of Classical Ballet in San Diego before spending a year in Miami City Ballet’s pre-professional division. She has performed a varied and diverse repertoire with numerous professional ballet companies, including the Richmond Ballet, Ballet San Jose, English National Ballet, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and now Texas Ballet Theater. She is an experienced ballet teacher of all ages and levels.
 

MELANIE MALONE (adult and pre-school ballet) is a former professional dancer who has extensive background in ballet and musical theater, having performed across the country in touring productions of Cats, 42nd St, Chicago, Hello Dolly, A Chorus Line, Sweet Charity, Westside Story. She received her BFA from TCU in ballet and modern dance and danced with the Fort Worth Ballet, having received scholarships from the Joffrey school in NYC and the NCSA, and her MFA from SMU in performance and choreography. She is also a former ballet school owner and director in the New York area and has been certified in the American Ballet Theater teacher training curriculum.

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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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COURTNEY SEBASTIAN (Gyrotonic® exercise) is a former dancer with Ballet Concerto and taught for this school for twenty-two years. She is director of ballet at Trinity Valley School. She is available to give private Gyrotonic® sessions by appointment.

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LIUBA KOZERVA PATERSON (ballet/guest instructor) 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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​​​​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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