Student & Faculty Achievements and Conservatory Alumni

The Maple Conservatory of Dance is proud of all our hard-working students. The following is a list of recent student & faculty achievements and graduating student alumni since our founding in fall 2007:

Attention Maple Conservatory alumni:  Keep in touch and email us with updates about yourself!

2013

• Janelle Melvin (2011 Conservatory alumnus), Ballet West Trainee.
  Janelle was one of only three Univ. of Utah students chosen for Ballet West's "Joint Trainee" program with the Univ. of Utah.

2012

• Saxon Wood, accepted to the School of American Ballet year-round program in New York
• Megan Hearn (2011 Conservatory alumnus), Ballet Idaho company member
• College acceptances & apprentice invitations for our high school seniors:
   
  Karrina Kuk (graduated Orange Lutheran High, summa cum laude):
  Attending University of Utah, Department of Ballet
  Kaz Masuda (graduated Corona del Mar High, earning California Scholarship Federation):
  Attending University of California, Irvine, Department of Dance;
  – Also accepted to: Univ. of Utah, Dept. of Ballet, Butler University, Dept. of Dance, Univ. of Oklahoma School of Dance, Univ. of Arizona, School of Dance w/ scholarship and Calif. State Univ., Long Beach Dept. of Dance
  Bryn Watkins (graduated El Modena High w/ high honors; Nat'l Honor Society distinction):
  Joining American Ballet Theatre as an Apprentice
  – Also accepted to: Indiana University, The Juilliard School, Dance Division w/ scholarship and Macalester College
• Conservatory Students' 2012 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  American Academy of Ballet **, American Ballet Theatre (Alabama, Austin, Detroit, New York, Orange County *, Young Dancers), Boston Ballet **, Houston Ballet **, The Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Joffrey Ballet (Chicago) **, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet ***, Princeton Ballet School *, The Rock School *, San Francisco Ballet ***, School of American Ballet ***, Texas Ballet Theatre, The Washington Ballet
  * 20 merit scholarships were awarded to 11 Maple Conservatory students to noted programs
  (number of asterisks indicates the number of scholarships)
• Bryn Watkins, U.S. Presidential Scholar Semifinalist, our country's highest honor for graduating high school seniors. Bryn was the only dancer named a candidate from the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, YoungArts Competition in Miami. Bryn was also one of five YoungArts finalists awarded the Gold Level Prize of $10,000.
• Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarship winners for male dancers:
  Four of our male Conservatory students were awarded tuition scholarships from the Petit Oasis Foundation which encourages young males ages 8-18 to pursue professional dance careers. This is the fourth consecutive year that our maie students were awarded scholarships from the Petit Oasis Foundation.

2011

• Bryn Watkins, Finalist in the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, YoungArts Competition. Young artists ages 17 & 18 spanning nine disciplines were adjudicated from up to 7,000 applicants across the U.S. and only 3% were named finalists. Bryn, along with the other finalists, traveled to Miami in January 2012 to participate in NFAA's YoungArts Week.
• Conservatory students Ailie Wood, Micayla Stone and Sophia Tanner were featured in San Francisco Ballet's Romeo and Juliet performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA.
• Kelsie Nobriga (2010 Conservatory alumnus), Oregon Ballet Theatre Apprentice;
  Kimberly Nobriga (2010 Conservatory alumnus):  Invited to Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division
• Erin O'Dea, Boston Ballet School with scholarship
• Christine Nankervis, Los Angeles Ballet Trainee
• Isabella Velasquez, The Washington Ballet Trainee
• Conservatory faculty member Kim Olmos was invited to join the Adjunct Faculty at the Dept. of Dance at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. where she will be teaching advanced ballet classes
• College acceptances & trainee invitations for our high school seniors:
   
  Megan Hearn: Calif. State Univ., Fullerton, Calif. State Univ., Long Beach Dept. of Dance, Univ. of Oklahoma School of Dance with scholarship; also accepted to Joffrey Ballet Chicago Trainee Program and
  Pacific Northwest Ballet Professional Division w/ scholarship & stipend
  Janelle Melvin: Univ. of Arizona School of Dance, Calif. State Univ., Long Beach Dept. of Dance with scholarship, Univ. of Utah, Dept. of Ballet with scholarship
  Emily Parker: Indiana University, Jacobs School Ballet Dept. w/ scholarship, Univ. of Oklahoma School of Dance with scholarship
  Cassandra Snyder: Butler University, Dept. of Dance, Univ. of Calif., Irvine, Dept. of Dance, Marymount College, Mills College with scholarship
• Austin Coull, Bela Erlandson, Saxon Wood and Josh Zimmerman, winners of the Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarships for male ballet students
• Bryn Watkins, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Grand Prize Finalist (Ballet category)
  * This is the fourth consecutive year that one or more of our students was named a Semi-Finalist, and the third time in four years that a student was named a Grand Prize Finalist in the Spotlight Awards' Ballet category.  (Steven Morse was named Grand Prize Finalist in Ballet in 2008 and Karen Johnson in 2009.)

The Music Center Spotlight Awards program is in its 23rd year and is a nationally-acclaimed recognition and scholarship program for Southern California high school performing and visual artists.

• Conservatory Students' 2011 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  Alonzo King's LINES Ballet *, American Ballet Theatre (Alabama, Austin, Detroit, New York, Orange County, Young Dancers), Ballet West, Boston Ballet **, Cincinnati Ballet *, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Houston Ballet **, The Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet *, Joffrey Ballet (New York) ***, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet *, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre *, Princeton Ballet School, The Royal Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet ***, Texas Ballet Theatre *, Walnut Hill School, Washington Ballet
  * 16 merit scholarships were awarded to Maple Conservatory students to noted programs
  (number of asterisks indicates the number of scholarships; Joffrey Ballet scholarships are for their Trainee program)

2010

• Conservatory Director Charles Maple and faculty member Teresina Mosco were invited to join the Adjunct Faculty at the Dept. of Dance at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. where they will be teaching advanced ballet classes.
• Conservatory Students' 2010 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  American Ballet Theatre*, Ballet Met*, Ballet West*, Bolshoi Ballet Academy Intensive, Boston Ballet*, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Houston Ballet *, Joffrey Ballet*, Julliard School, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet *, Nashville Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet*, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre*, Princeton Ballet School*, The Rock School*, Royal Ballet School*, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet*
  * 28 merit scholarships were awarded to more than 16 Maple Conservatory students to noted programs
• Post-graduate college acceptances & invitations for our high school juniors & seniors and post-graduate students:
   
  Andie Bartol (graduating Pacifica High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA in Dance program
  Anne Carr (graduating Los Alamitos High): Accepted to Univ. of California, Irvine, Dept. of Dance program
  Jean-Pierre Lemire (graduating Los Alamitos High):  Accepted to Purchase College, State Univ. of New York, Conservatory of Dance
  Olivia Myhra:  Invited to join Tulsa Ballet II
  Kelsie Nobriga:  Invited to Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division
  Kimberly Nobriga:  Invited to Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Student Division, Level 8 (highest level)
  Brandon Weilein:  Invited to join Joffrey Ballet Chicago Trainee Program
   
  Our H.S. seniors and post-graduate students were also accepted to following colleges & trainee dance programs: Ballet Met's Trainee Program, Calif. State University, Long Beach Dept. of Dance, Nashville Ballet II, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Graduate Program, Princeton Ballet Theatre School's Graduate Program, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, and University of Washington.
• Charles Maple & Kathy Crade Attend Invitational SAB Workshop: Maple Conservatory's Charles Maple and Kathy Crade were recently honored with an invitation to attend the second National Teacher's Weekend at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City in February. Charles and Kathy were invited by Peter Martins, artistic director of SAB, and were part of a small group of outstanding ballet school directors and teachers from around the country, including Ballet West's Peter Christie, Washington Ballet's Kee Juan Han and Oregon Ballet Theatre's Damara Bennett.

Participants of the SAB National Teacher's Weekend: middle of back row are Kathy Crade & Charles Maple

• Jordan Hammond (2008 Conservatory alumnus), San Francisco Ballet company member, Corps de Ballet
• Austin Coull, Bela Erlandson, Patrick Frenette, Jean-Pierre Lemire, Tate Lee, Preston Martin, Mark Schneider, Kentaro Shiozawa and Saxon Wood, winners of the Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarships for male ballet students
• Olivia Myhra, Top 12-Men & Women in the Classical Ballet category and in the Contemporary Ballet category, Senior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals; also invited to the YAGP New York Finals
• Tate Lee, Top 12 in the Pre-Competitive Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Kelsie Nobriga and Bryn Watkins, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-Finalists (Ballet category)
• Natalie Nguyen, semi-finalist at the 2010 Prix de Lausanne held in Lausanne, Switzerland. Natalie was only 1 of 3 female American dancers, out of 38 international female candidates invited to this prestigious competition.

2009

• Raquel Kelly, Ballet West Trainee with scholarship (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Brandon Weilein, San Francisco Ballet School Pre-Professional level with scholarship
• Our graduating high school seniors (and H.S. juniors):
   
  Danielle Chiapella:  Invited to Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy; also accepted w/ scholarship to Houston Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Kalena Fujii (graduated Sage Hill School):  Invited to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Graduate Program; also accepted w/ scholarship to PBT's Summer Intensive; and accepted to Bard College in New York (Fall 2010)
  Karen Johnson:  Invited w/ two-year scholarship to Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko Upper School in Germany; also accepted w/ scholarship to San Francisco Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Alysse Maglior (graduated Orange Lutheran High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to Indiana University, Jacobs School Ballet Department; also accepted to American Ballet Theatre's New York Summer Intensive
  Quinn Mason:  Invited to University of the North Carolina School of the Arts; also accepted w/ scholarship to Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program
  Olivia Myhra (graduated Capistrano Connections Academy):  Continuing post-graduate training at the Maple Conservatory's Professional Dance Division; also accepted to Washington Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Dennis Williams (graduated Capistrano Valley High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to Belhaven College, Dance Dept. in Jackson, MS
   
  Our H.S. seniors were also accepted to following college & post-graduate dance programs and colleges:
  Bennington College (w/ scholarship), Franklin & Marshall College, Goucher College, Marlboro College (w/ scholarship), Mercyhurst College (Dance major w/ scholarship), Nashville Ballet II, Southern Utah University, University of Utah (Ballet major w/ scholarship)
• Rebekah Miller (2008 Conservatory alumnus), Columbia City Ballet (Columbia, SC) company member
• Steven Morse (2008 Conservatory alumnus), San Francisco Ballet company member, Corps de Ballet
• Patrick Frenette, Top 12 Junior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix New York Finals (awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School's International Summer School in the U.K.); First Place in the Contemporary Ballet category and Second Place in the Classical Ballet category, Junior Age Division, YAGP Regional Semi-Finals
• Karen Johnson, 2009 Prix de Lausanne Finalist, held in Lausanne, Switzerland (only 1 of 2 Americans to perform in the Final round of 20);  Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Grand Prize Finalist (Ballet category)
• Quinn Mason, Top 12 in the Classical Ballet category and in the Contemporary Ballet category, Senior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Tate Lee, Second Place in the Pre-Competitive Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Austin Coull, Patrick Frenette, Tate Lee, Mark Schneider, Kentaro Shiozawa and Brandon Weilein, winners of the Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarships for male ballet students
• Bryn Watkins, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-Finalist (Ballet category)
• Conservatory Students' 2009 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  American Ballet Theatre, ABT Young Dancers Program *, Ballet Met *, Ballet West, Bolshoi Ballet Academy New York, Boston Ballet (Boston and Newton, MA), Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program *, Houston Ballet *, Jillana School, Joffrey Midwest, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet *, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre *, Royal Ballet School *, San Francisco Ballet *, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, The Rock School *, Washington Ballet *
  * 14 Maple Conservatory students were awarded partial- or full-merit scholarships to noted programs

2008

• Jordan Hammond and Steven Morse, San Francisco Ballet Trainees
• Steven Morse, Bronze medalist in the Senior Men's division at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York (only dancer from the U.S. to place in the top three in the Senior Men's division)
• Rebekah Miller, professional cast member, The Glory of Christmas production at the Crystal Cathedral
• Steven Morse, winner in the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars at the Center program (Ballet category) and Grand Prize Finalist in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards (Ballet category)
• Rachen Bryant, Ally Helman, Kendall Kerley, Aubry Mason, Avery Page, Anna Rezhko and Rachel Richens featured in American Ballet Theatre's Etudes performances at the Orange County Performing Artscenter.
• Jordan Hammond, Karen Johnson and Steven Morse, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-finalists (Ballet category)
• Karen Johnson and Quinn Mason, semi-finalists in the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars at the Center scholarship program
• Karen Johnson and Quinn Mason, Top 12 in the Classical Senior division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Conservatory Students' 2008 Summer Intensive Acceptances:  American Ballet Theatre (Alabama, Detroit, New York ** and Orange County), ABT Young Dancer Summer Workshop, Boston Ballet (Boston and Newton, MA), Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet (Sessions I-III), Kirov Academy of Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Princeton Ballet School *, Princeton Dance and Theatre, San Francisco Ballet *, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, The Rock School *, Washington Ballet
  ** ABT National Training Scholarship recipient,  * One or more Maple Conservatory students awarded partial- or full-merit scholarships

Questions?

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about our Conservatory program. Or you may stop by our location to speak with a Conservatory staff member.