Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals of all ages and backgrounds through the art of dance.

Instructor

Erica Alvarado was born in Tucson, Arizona, and joined BalletMet for the 2022/23 season following her career with Atlanta Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego, Milwaukee Ballet, and Ballet Tucson.

In 2011, Alvarado was promoted to principal dancer at City Ballet of San Diego, where she performed leading roles in The Firebird, Carmen, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Romeo and Juliet. She also appeared in numerous works by George Balanchine, including Square Dance, Who Cares?, La Source, Donizetti Variations, Allegro Brillante, Serenade, Tarantella, Walpurgisnacht, Concerto Barocco, Apollo, and Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. Her repertoire there also included soloist roles in The Four Temperaments and Agon, as well as the Principal Woman in Peter Martins’ Hallelujah Junction.

In 2017, Alvarado joined Atlanta Ballet, performing such iconic roles as Kitri in Don Quixote, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and other leading roles in Helgi Tómasson’s 7 for Eight, Stanton Welch’s Tu Tu and More, Craig Davidson’s Remembrance Hereafter, Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, and Scarlett’s world premiere of Catch.

Since arriving at BalletMet, she has continued to perform principal and featured roles in works by Edwaard Liang, Ma Cong, Twyla Tharp, Ulysses Dove, Dana Genshaft, and others.

Alvarado began her training at Ballet Arts in Tucson under the direction of Mary Beth Cabana and attended numerous prestigious summer intensives. After graduating high school, she joined Ballet Tucson, where she worked closely with American Ballet Theatre veterans Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, who selected her to perform leading roles in Antony Tudor ballets. Two years later, she joined Milwaukee Ballet II, launching a professional career that has also included teaching students and professionals of all ages.

Instructor

TyLeigh Baughman is a dancer originally from Sand Springs, Oklahoma. After training with Tulsa Ballet’s Center for Dance Education, she was the first person to graduate from the school to be hired into Tulsa Ballet’s main company. In 2017 she moved to Columbus, Ohio to join BalletMet as a company artist and has been a dancer there ever since. She has performed in many roles such as Odette in Edwaard Liang’s “Swan Lake” and Clara in BalletMet’s “The Nutcracker.” She has had the opportunity to perform at the Joyce Theater in New York City, and for Moscelyne Larkin’s Memorial Gala. She has also performed in many world premieres and works by world renowned choreographers such as Ma Cong, Edwaard Liang, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. She began teaching ballet and pointe classes to young students in 2018, and has since transitioned into teaching to people of all ages and levels.

Instructor

Competition Team Director

Tap Ensemble Director

Kara Braunreiter has been a member of the Artisan Dance Studio faculty for over a decade. As the Competition Team Director and Director of the Artisan Tap Ensemble, Kara brings passion, precision, and a deep love for dance to every class she teaches. While tap is her specialty, she is also trained in jazz, contemporary, and ballet, and she takes pride in developing well-rounded dancers.

Kara grew up dancing on competitive teams in Illinois and Wisconsin and was a dedicated member of her high school dance team. She continues to pursue excellence in her craft, completing teacher training programs with renowned tap artists Hillary Marie and Karida Griffith, as well as the Broadway Dance Center’s Teacher Training Program in New York City.

One of her most cherished moments on stage was performing the title role in Artisan’s production of Cinderella. Off the dance floor, Kara is a scientist focused on developing treatments for rare genetic disorders. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time with her three dogs—Cinderella, Jasmine, and Cookie.

Instructor

Teresa Catterlin has obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance from The University of Akron. She performed in Luminosity at Cedar Point where she also had the opportunity to dance for the Lebron James Family Foundation with Lebron, J.R. Smith, Jordan Sparks, and Usher. Teresa has performed with Columbus Modern Dance Company, Columbus Contemporary Dance Company, Exhale Dance Tribe, Neos Dance Theatre, the Electric Parade in Florida, and The University of Akron’s Dance Company. Teresa also performed as the young Emily in Front Page Flo. Teresa has choreographed for The University of Akron’s Choreographers’ Workshop and Spring Into Dance with selected works to be presented in The University of Akron’s Dance Company’s performance. She has works that were adjudicated at the American College Dance Association. Teresa has also had the opportunity to teach at locations such as The University of Akron’s Dance Institute, Seven Dance Academy, and BalletMet. She is currently honored to be teaching at Artisan Dance Studio. Continually, she has had the honor to be presented with the dance award at The University of Akron for the enhancement of dance, and the James P. and Maureen C. Kovach Scholarship for the performing arts. Teresa is a co-founder of Artisan Dance Collective that specializes in various dance styles. In addition to dancing and teaching, Teresa graduated from The Ohio State University with her Master of Science. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner. Teresa is passionate about combining the worlds of dance and healthcare in order to create a safe and healthy space for dancers of all ages.