Ashley Lopez Owner/Director, Contemporary, CDAPC Director
Originally from Michigan, Ashley Lopez began her formal dance training at Dance Arts Academy under the direction of Betsy Carr. From 2003 to 2005, she continued her education at the renowned Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago, Illinois. Her professional journey led her to San Antonio, Texas, where she was a company member with SpareWorks Contemporary Dance Company from 2006 to 2008. During her tenure, she performed in original works including Basics by Amber Ortega-Perez and Shonna Cooper, as well as Ortega-Perez’s The Willing.
In 2009, Ashley founded Collective Dance Artistry and later established the Collective Dance Artistry Performance Company, providing a rigorous and supportive environment for aspiring pre-professional dancers. Her choreography has garnered national recognition in both competitive and concert dance, reflecting her distinctive artistic voice and commitment to excellence.
Ashley currently resides in San Antonio with her husband and two children, where she serves as Owner and Artistic Director of Collective Dance Artistry. She is deeply committed to cultivating the next generation of dancers by challenging them to expand their technical abilities while fostering artistic maturity, self-awareness, and a lifelong appreciation for the art form. Under her mentorship, students have gone on to attend prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School, Marymount Manhattan College, New York University, Fordham University, and Point Park University, among others.
Daniel Precup Ballet Program Co-Artistic Director
Mr. Precup is a graduate of the acclaimed Floria Capsali National High School of Dance in Bucharest, Romania. He joined the Oleg Danovski Ballet Theater at 18 and was able to work personally with Oleg Danovski, Gigi Caciuleanu and Germinal Casado. Rising to the rank of Principal Dancer, he was featured in the company’s many international tours in the role of the Mandarin in The Miraculous Mandarin, Cardinal Richelieu in The Three Musketeers, Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Siegfried in Swan Lake. He continued his career in the United States to dance with the Oakland Ballet and Ballet Tucson for whom he performed the role of Dracula in the ballet Dracula, Albrecht in Giselle, the Prince in Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty. He danced Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Cavalier and later, Herr Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. Following his retirement to the position of Ballet Master and Choreographer, he has created works for the company to great audience response. His unique choreographic perspective can be seen in his Boler-O, Gemini, Mosaico, Steps, Love Songs, Carmina Burana, Carmen, Divertimento, Perseus and Andromeda, and The Lady of the Camellias.
As a teacher, Mr. Precup prides himself on inspiring the confidence and individual growth of each of his students. Former students have pursued careers with Houston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Ballet Bejart Lausanne. He teaches classes in Classical Ballet Technique, Variations, Pas de Deux, and Character Dance.
Jenna Johnson Ballet Program Co-Artistic Director
Ms. Johnson’s performing career began at 19 with Atlanta Ballet under Robert Barnett and John McFall, and with the Chautauqua Ballet Company under Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride performing in ballets by Kirk Peterson and George Balanchine. She then left for Europe to begin a two year residence as Guest Artist with the Romanian National Opera Ballet. Here in addition to the grand full length classical productions, she was chosen to dance soloist roles for contemporary choreographers Richard Wherlock, Alexa Mezincescu and Gigi Caciuleanu. Ms. Johnson was offered her first principal contract at the age of twenty-two with the Oleg Danovski Ballet Theater with whom she spent six years touring Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Scheherazade/Zobeida in Scheherazade, Myrta in Giselle, Mercedes in Don Quixote and the title role in Carmen. Upon her return to the United States, she expanded her repertoire to include works by Dwight Rhoden, Robert Moses and Christopher Wheeldon as well as classic roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Nikia in La Bayadere, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and the title roles in Giselle and Raymonda rounding off her career with Oakland Ballet and Ballet Tucson.
Jenna’s initial ballet instruction came from Yvonne Chouteau, a principal dancer of the Ballet Russes and one of the “Five Moons,” the five famed Native American ballerinas. Johnson’s early education also included Ballet Oklahoma’s professional school and the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts. Later as a full scholarship student of the Harid Conservatory, Ms. Johnson had the opportunity to study with two other “Moons”, Marjorie Tallchief, the first Native American to be named “première danseuse étoile” in the Paris Opera Ballet and her sister, Maria Tallchief, prima ballerina and star of the New York City Ballet. Here, Ms. Johnson was able to layer her early Balanchine training with methods of the Paris Opera and Vaganova schools. Summers she studied at the San Francisco Ballet School, the School of American Ballet and the Rock School for Dance Education.
Her nineteen years of teaching experience includes ballet technique for ages three to adult, variations, classical repertoire, Pilates, conditioning, stage makeup and dance history. She has been invited as a guest teacher to multiple schools throughout the US and as far as Cyprus and Kuwait. Students under her tutelage have gone on to successful careers at Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Ballet Bejart Lausanne.
Taylor Davis CDAPC Assistant Director, Musical Theatre, Stretch and Strengthen
Taylor holds a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. During her time at Marymount, Taylor was a member of the Marymount Manhattan Dance Company and had the opportunity to train under many distinguished members of the dance community, a few of those being choreographers such as Yin Yue, Kyle Abraham, Robert Battle, Chase Brock, and Jenn Freeman. She began her training at the age of 10 with San Antonio School for the Performing Arts and had the pleasure of finishing her dance studies with Collective Dance Artistry. During her time in college, Taylor has performed in the Steps Industry Showcase for choreographer Karen Gayle and was nominated to represent Marymount Manhattan’s Dance Department in two separate Honors Day performances. Most recently, Taylor has spent the last year touring Southeast Asia as a dancer on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines.
James Edward Vargas Modern
Mr. Vargas completed his BFA in Ballet at Texas Christian University as a Vision Honor and Nordan Arts Scholarship recipient. Fine James received his early training with Cynthia Coker of Avant Dance, and with Cristina Munro, Artistic Director of The Corpus Christi Ballet. In addition to his studies with the TCU faculty, he has been featured in Soundbars, choreographed by Susan Jaffe (ABT/UNCSA) and in Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations, staged by Willy Shives (Joffrey). He has performed at the International Ballet Competition showcase in choreography by John Magnus, and in excerpts of Swan Lake, staged by Li-Chou Cheng, and Napoli, staged by Susan Dromisky (BalletMet). James joined Ballet San Antonio as an apprentice for its inaugural 2015/2016 season as resident ballet company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. James continues to perform and teach with various companies throughout Texas and is currently a Principal Artist with the Corpus Christi Ballet.
Emily Cunningham Assistant Lower Level Program Director (Creative Movement/Dance Exploration/Mommy & Me), CDAPC Assistant Director
Emily has been dancing since the age of three and studied ballet, pointe, tap, modern, hip hop, musical theatre, and jazz. She has continued her studies at Broadway Dance Center in NYC and was a company dancer with Reverence Dance Project in Austin, TX, under the Direction of Quinton Weathers and Dane Burch. She is a Collective Dance Artistry Performance Company Alumni and has been an instructor at Collective Dance Artistry for the past nine years. Emily is passionate about spreading her knowledge and love of dance to the next generation of young dancers and believes that a strong technical foundation early on is the key to building a successful dancer.
Jon Garza Hip Hop
Jon Garza is a dynamic and versatile dancer and choreographer based in Texas, known for his high-energy fusion of open-style choreography and hip hop. With a performance résumé that includes appearances with the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks entertainment teams, Jon has brought his unique style and stage presence to major arenas and local stages across the state.
Currently, Jon is a faculty member at The Circle in San Antonio and Countdown Dance Company, where he trains the next generation of dancers in both commercial and competitive settings. His choreography blends the musicality and freestyle elements of hip hop with the storytelling and versatility of open-style movement, creating an engaging and impactful experience for both dancers and audiences.
With a passion for mentorship and a strong foundation in performance, Jon continues to push creative boundaries while remaining committed to inspiring dancers to find their own voice through movement.
Macy Hernandez Tap
Macy is a professional Dancer, Instructor, Choreographer, and Director from San Diego, California.
Falling in love with dance at an early age, Macy began assisting dance instructors in classes by age 9. By 14, she had already established herself as a strong leader within her community, serving as Assistant Dance Director at Joan MacQueen Middle School and Shadow Hills Elementary School.
She is a proud alumna of the world-renowned AMDA College of the Performing Arts, where she studied in both Hollywood, California and Manhattan, New York. During her time at AMDA, Macy trained with industry professionals including Danyelle Jones (So You Think You Can Dance: Season 2), Wendy Rossoff (42nd Street on Broadway), Chrissy Whitehead (Radio City Rockettes), and Kim Hale (Assistant Director to Debbie Allen). She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance Theater, with a focus on Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Modern, Character Shoe, and World Culture Dance. She has also attended dance workshops at Disney and the University of Hawaii, and has performed internationally on tour in Southeast Asia.
Upon returning to San Diego, Macy became a contracted dancer for the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), the same professional tier as the NFL and NBA. Her work as a dancer, director, and choreographer includes collaborations with Live Nation Entertainment and Supernova Entertainment.
In 2023, Macy relocated to San Antonio, Texas to be closer to her family and entered the world of Ballroom as a professional dancer and instructor. She now teaches a wide variety of styles including Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Mambo, Hustle, Samba, Merengue, as well as social dances like Salsa, Bachata, and Country Western. One of the most rewarding aspects of this journey has been learning to partner dance and having the opportunity to teach her own family—creating a full-circle moment rooted in the love and support they've always given her.
Dance has transformed Macy’s life for over 20 years, bringing her love, laughter, and joy. She credits its healing energy for contributing to her physical health, mental wellness, and overall happiness. Macy's life purpose is to share the magic of dance with as many people as possible. She believes that everyone—regardless of level or physical ability—deserves the chance to experience dance. As a compassionate and energetic dance professional, her mission is to foster meaningful connections with students, parents, and fellow educators. With a focus on education, technique, style, and performance, Macy is committed to transforming individuals into expressive artists across studios, schools, and programs.
Jenny Martinez Jazz, Lyrical, CDAPC Assistant Director
Jenny began dancing at the early age of three. She is trained in ballet, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, tap, and clogging. She has continued training as an adult at the Edge Performing Arts Center, Millennium Dance Complex, and Broadway Dance Center. Most recently, she completed BDC’s Dance Teacher Intensive in NYC. Dance credits include : Iconic Groove Showcase with Robin Antin (creator of the PCD) under the direction of Benjamin Allen, SXSW- Lizzo/Amazon “Watch Out For the Big Girlz” under the direction of Sam Allen, and Heart Bandits. She also assisted and appeared in Groov3's "Living Room Sessions" (kids edition) with Benjamin Allen. Jenny has taught for Showmakers of America, Power Dance Convention, Motion Composers, and various studios across Texas. Jenny holds a B.S. in Education from Texas State University. With almost twenty years of dance teaching experience in studios, convention circuits, and public schools, she loves being able to share her passion for and knowledge of dance with her students. Her goal in every class is to motivate and help students reach their maximum artistic and technical potential as dancers, while nurturing their confidence and allowing them to become the best versions of themselves.
Susan Trevino Ballet Faculty
Susan and her husband Buddy joined the faculty of the University in July of 1977, leaving the professional world of dance in order to pass their love and knowledge of the art to a new area of student engagement. In a mission to connect to the exceptional presence of the arts already begun at UIW, they established dance courses that were integrated into the core and later created a Dance Minor. Soon after came a ballet school for young students through adults. The program then grew into a ballet company for all ages. The Incarnate Word Ballet presented annual Nutcracker performances for local audiences and schools, and produced other favorites such as, Coppelia, The Firebird, a yearly Children’s series for elementary and middle school students, and dance was often a part of beloved Maureen Halligan’s noontime series, Café Olé! A unique collaboration with Margaret Mitchell and the UIW Theater Department produced a favorite project called The NutCarol.
As Co-Director of the Incarnate Word Dance Department, and Co-Director of Incarnate Word Ballet School and Ballet Company 1978-2004, Ms.Trevino has brought years of quality dance to dancers and students in San Antonio, the South Texas area, and throughout the United States. Susan and her husband Buddy were Co-Directors of the Joffrey Workshop Texas in San Antonio from 1978-2018. Retiring from the Workshop directorship at the 40 year mark, they mentored UIW ballet alumni, Mauro Villanueva into the continuing legacy of the Joffrey Workshop.
Trained in her native Oklahoma by lifetime mentor Jayne Van Wey, she was soon accepted for study with Oklahoma Indian ballerina Yvonne Chouteau and her husband Miguel Terekhov of the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo. During her training and dance career Susan achieved solo and principal status in a number of regional and professional companies including Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, Austin Ballet Theatre, Festival Ballet of San Antonio, Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, Ballet Arts Company of Denver, Rocky Mountain National Ballet Company, and Ruth Page International Ballet Company, Chicago. IL. Studies took her to Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, IL, San Francisco, CA, Denver, CO, and Seattle, WA.
As a Choreographer, she has created in over 300 original works and theatre production credits as well as collaborating with ballet companies to choreograph costume and produce performances. The famous Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo premiered her production of Gaite Parisienne in 1996 at the Danny Kaye Theatre in New York City, and that production has since toured internationally. Continuing to support the Regional Dance in America organization, Ms. Trevino has been on the faculty teaching Ballet, Pointe and Character Dance in many RDA Festival cities.
She has been commissioned by the Nutmeg Ballet, Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, Interlochen School of the Arts, Lawton City Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre, Ballet Ensemble of Texas, Midland Festival Ballet, and Alamo City Dance Company to re-stage, create, and premier new and original works. She was named “Outstanding Woman in the Arts” by the San Antonio Express-News in 1986 and has received prestigious awards and accolades over the years. She holds membership with the National Society of the Arts and Letters, the National Association of Schools of Dance and was on the founding board of the San Antonio Arts Council. She was a member of the curriculum committee in the capacity of Dance for The Citizens for the High School of the Arts organization. She was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in the Arts Category 1990.
Outside of the University she continues to teach in many private schools throughout the city and the state. She regularly returns to summer intensives as guest faculty for Victoria Ballet Theatre. She held the title of Associate Choreographer and Senior Master Teacher at San Antonio School for the Performing Arts. Previously as a part of the artistic team for the Alamo City Performing Arts Association and Symphony Viva, she was honored to work with the Eva’s Heroes foundation.
With a lifetime love of dance and the arts, Buddy and Susan Trevino continue to support arts organizations wherever possible.
Savannah Reese Lyrical, Contemporary, Jazz
Savannah Reese grew up in Highland Utah and began dancing and competing at a very young age in ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical and hip hop. Over the years, she earned numerous dance scholarships across the country, including a full-ride performing arts scholarship to both the AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Los Angeles and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City.
With over a decade of experience teaching and choreographing both competitive dance as well as working with High School Drill Teams, Savannah excels in helping dancers build confidence, develop discipline, and discover a true love for hard work and growth — both in and outside of the studio.
Carol Anglin Horton Technique Guest Faculty
Carol Smitherman Anglin was founding Artistic Director of the Louisiana Dance Foundation and resident dance company, Louisiana Dance Theatre, an Honor Company and 25-year member of Regional Dance America/SW, which performed throughout America, in Russia, Europe, and Canada. Carol directed and produced more than 600 master classes, dance festivals, and performances in Shreveport from 1982- 2016 with guest artists such as Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Dianne Maroney-Grigsby, Sylvia Waters, Ana Marie Forsythe, Christopher Huggins, Ceyhun Ozsoy, Gennadi Vostrikov, Soili Arvola, Michael Vernon, John Magnus, Nikoloz Makhateli, Joe Tremaine, Gus Giordano, Chet Walker, Jon Lehrer, Charles McGowan, Billy Siegenfeld, and many others. Companies presented under her artistic direction included multiple residencies and performances of Ailey II, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Feld Ballets, Ballet Eddy Toussaint de Montreal, Korea’s Universal Ballet, LehrerDance, Jump Rhythm Jazz, and more.
As a Ballet and Modern teaching artist, Carol has taught globally in Russia, Europe, and Canada. She was the first American to teach Modern Dance at the School of Marina Semyonova in Moscow (1990) followed by a yearlong exchange of seventy Soviet/ American dancers between Moscow and Shreveport. As founding director and instructor of Carol Anglin Dancenter, Inc. (1982-2016), her studio became an incubator for the development of dancers; emerging artists and choreographers; company repertoire; audience development; collaborations and partnerships; community outreach; and more.
For 34 years, Carol taught 40+ classes per week to students from all socio-economic backgrounds in studios, public schools, colleges, and universities. Many of Carol’s students have pursued professional dance careers including Ashley Murphy (Principal dancer of Dance Theatre of Harlem & The Washington Ballet, current position) and Brandi Coleman (Assistant Professor of Jazz at SMU; Associate Artistic Director and principal dancer of Chicago’s Jump Rhythm Jazz Project).
Carol continues her position as guest artist at Grambling State University (1982-2021) where she and GSU Artistic Director and former Alvin Ailey soloist, Dianne Maroney-Grigsby, partnered for 34 years – combining artists, audiences, and resources in Shreveport, Grambling, Ruston, Nachitoches, and throughout the state of Louisiana. The two artists continue to work together.
A SRAC Artist Fellow, Carol’s choreography has been selected for Regional Dance America Gala Performances, Tanzsommer Innsbruck Galas in Austria, performances in Russia, and several Jazz Dance World Congresses in Chicago and Washington, D.C. where she received choreography awards at Northwestern University, DePaul University, The Harris Theatre; and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center.
For 34 years, Carol choreographed for Shreveport’s Symphony, Opera, and Theatres. Oscar and Emmy Award recipient, William Joyce, selected Carol to choreograph the World Premiere of the Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs. With a passion for community outreach and partnerships, Carol partnered with more than fifty north Louisiana organizations and educational institutions annually reaching averages of 30,000 people from underserved populations.
Carol received the 2004 Stream Award for outstanding artistic direction; artistic growth and excellence; and commitment to the Regional Dance America movement. In 2006, Carol was Adjudicator and instructor for Western Canada’s largest dance festival. Caddo Parish School Board hired Carol in 2009 to develop a dance program on Martin Luther King Drive at Green Oaks Performing Arts Magnet, one of Louisiana’s academically unacceptable high schools. Several of the Green Oaks students went on to graduate in Theatre and Dance at Grambling State University and are now dancing professionally. She also was the interim dance director and instructor at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) in Natchitoches, LA from 2011-13—one of Louisiana’s two state supported arts magnet high schools.
A Graduate Teaching Foundation Fellow (2016-2019), Carol recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with her Masters in Fine Arts (MFA). During her three years at OU, Carol taught Modern, Ballet, and Understanding Dance courses. In addition to setting her personal choreography on OU’s Dance Majors, she assisted Ballet and Modern Dance faculty as well as an international roster of OU’s guest artists Trey McIntyre, Jean Guilliaume Weiss, and Modern Director Austin Hartel in their choreography for OU season performances. For her thesis, Carol designed a higher education course, “The Dancer as Entrepreneur: Guiding Young Dancers in Developing Community Dance Programs.”
As America’s only National Association of Ballet and Modern Dance Companies, Regional Dance America’s Board of Directors named Carol Anglin a National Adjudicator in 2018. She recently served as RDA/SE’s 2020 National Adjudicator evaluating 15 companies in ten states. Interrupted by the COVID 19 Pandemic, Carol returned as RDA/SE’s 2021 National Adjudicator selecting three evenings of choreography for a culminating ‘virtual festival’ April 23-25. She has served as faculty member for Regional Dance America Workshops and Festivals in Atlanta, GA; Houston, Dallas, TX; Baton Rouge and Monroe, LA; and Ft. Smith, AR. Hosted by Grambling State University, Carol has taught ballet for three Black College Dance Exchanges at Louisiana’s Historically Black University.
A fourth-generation artist and educator, Carol continues to pursue international training as a teacher and choreographer. She was one of 18 international teachers accepted to New York University to train with Mme. Claude Bessy and Serge Golovine, Directors of the Paris Opera Ballet School, where she also studied choreography by Serge Lifar and other legendary artists. Carol attended the 2006 & 2010 USA IBC Teachers Courses in Classical Ballet in Jackson, MS. She completed the Intermediate and Advanced Horton Pedagogy Courses at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center in New York (2011, 2017, 2020) and the National Dance Educator Organization’s Annual Conferences in Miami (2019) and virtually (2020, 2021).
With a lifelong goal of decentralizing dance in America, Carol recently taught Dance Majors in Michigan for Interlochen Center for the Arts’ 2019 Summer Intensive, for University of Oklahoma’s three- week Summer Intensives, Hathaway Academy of Ballet in Dallas, Texarkana Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker Auditions casting 250 dancers, Lake Charles Civic Ballet, Saint Louis Catholic High School’s newly formed Dance Department, Feijoo Ballet in Houston, DeCruz Ballet of San Antonio, Regional Dance America/SE Fall Workshop in Atlanta, GA, Houston’s Dance Du Couer, Juxtapose Dance/JetPac, and Hunter Dance Center; and for Grambling State University’s Orchesis Dance Company’s Fall Ballet Intensive.
In March 2022, Carol taught and judged audition classes for Regional Dance America/SW Festival at the Eisemann Center in Dallas, TX. She has served as a guest artist University of Houston teaching Ballet and Modern classes to Dance Majors. We are thrilled to have Carol as a guest faculty member, where she teaches quarterly Horton masterclasses to the students at CDA.