TEACHERS

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Allyson Lewis (Owner/Producer/ Executive Choreographer/Ballet Instructor)

Allyson studied dance at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, where she danced for the Greenville Ballet and recieved a talent schollarship for NYU’s prestigious Tisch of the Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. In New York, she danced professionally and performed works by nationally acclaimed artists such as Twyla Tharp, Ronald K. Brown, and Doug Varone. Skilled in ballet, jazz, modern, musical theater, and tap dance styles, Allyson danced professionally in New York and Japan. She was among the last of the American casts featured at Seagaia's Ocean Dome in Miyazaki, Japan where she performed in over 900 shows and danced the feature role of the Fish Queen.

Laura Turner (Music Director)

Laura received her B.F.A. in Dramatic Writing and an M.F.A. in composition for Music Theater concurrently from NYU. Since 1994 she has been Associate Professor of Theatre at the College of Charleston where she began the Theatre for Youth program and a Masters program preparing theatre teachers. She is a playwright and composer of many musicals for family audiences which she writes with her husband. In 2007 she began a program for special needs theatre alongside her students, which was featured at the S.C. Very Special Arts regional conference and helped contribute to a national award for special arts programming in South Carolina.

Ryan Pixler (Office Manager/Acting Instructor/Workshop Director)

Ryan is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a BA in Theatre for Youth. He is a local performer, recently seen in Charleston Stage’s Gershwin at Folly, Young Frankenstein, You Can't Take it With You, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Anything Goes, 9 to 5: The Musical, and Annie. He began his time at Once Upon a Ballet in the summer of 2010 assistant directing the first full production, Beauty and the Beast, Jr. Since, he has directed favorites such as Alice In Wonderland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cinderella KIDS, 101 Dalmatians KIDS, and Sleeping Beauty KIDS.

Leah Megli (Assistant Music Director/Glee Instructor)

Leah graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a degree in instrumental and choral music education and worked for three years as music director with the Normal Parks and recreation music theater program for high school students on shows including Les Miserables, The Secret Garden, and Oliver!. Leah currently holds an accompanist position at Charleston Southern University, and is studying as a mezzo under tenor Scott Flaherty. Recent local credits include playing and/or music directing for Footlight Players productions A Christmas Carol, School House Rock-Live!, and Miracle in Bedford Falls as well as Midtown Productions' Pippin.

Courtney Sarre (Co-Founder/ Executive Director)

Courtney graduated from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, which was named the 2012 National Grammy Signature School. She received her BA in Theater for Youth from the College of Charleston and has performed professionally for Walt Disney World. Prior to founding the Musical Theater Center, Courtney taught and directed musical theater in Washington D.C. where her students performed at a number of iconic venues including the White House and National Zoo.

Lara Allred (Assistant Director/Choreographer/Stage Manager/Players Director/Musical Theater, Tap, Creative Ballet Instructor)

Lara is a local actress, trained in New York City at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She has performed in the Village Repertory Co. productions of Xanadu, Marvelous Wonderettes, Winter Wonderettes, Spamalot, Ring of Fire, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and London Wall. With Charleston Stage she has appeared in Young Frankenstein, Legally Blonde, Joseph, 9 to 5, and Cabaret. Some other local credits include The Miracle Worker , Sweet Charity, The Glass Menagerie, Annie and Perfectly Normel People.

Emily Weiss (Ballet, Modern, Musical Theater Instructor/Choreographer)

Lissa Eckerle (Ballet Instructor)

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