FACULTY
Meet Our Faculty at California DanceArts
The Instructors at California DanceArts are Dance Education Specialists, with each having established a successful professional career and many being awarded degrees in dance by Colleges and Universities and with many years of teaching experience. By encouraging our staff to read, attend workshops, continue their own dance education, collaborate and communicate with other specialists, our Academy constantly strives to develop the most current and effective training methods for use in our classrooms.
We are constantly sharpening our instructional skills so that students can benefit from the large arsenal of knowledge and techniques designed to work with dance students of all ages. We also offer instructional training programs to our advanced students who wish to gain valuable experience as student intern teachers while assisting our instructors in a variety of our programs in our classrooms.
AERIN HOLT
Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dance Educator, Founder
(Classical & Contemporary Ballet, Modern Dance & Motion Alignment Therapy)
Aerin Holt is the Founder and Artistic Director of California DanceArts. Since 1987, her passion for dance has been marked by the development of her school’s progressive programs that proudly features the advancement of her students, many of whom have gone onto professional careers. Ms. Holt is the visionary choreographer and the Artistic Director of California Contemporary Ballet, one of Southern California’s burgeoning dance companies that features Holt’s unique choreographic blend of classical, contemporary and modern ballet. She leads her Company with the creation of several innovative, original works and full-length original ballets presented each season.
Aerin has been fortunate to study and perform with a variety of companies and has worked with choreographers from the Martha Graham Dance Company, Joffrey Ballet, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Utah Repertory Company and Momentum Dance Company, to name a few. She has been seen in broadcasts for commercial and educational television, and is an award-winning choreographer of theatrical events, stage productions, competitions and ballets.
Aerin Holt is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
ALEXIS ASH
Ballet Instructor
(Classical Ballet for Children's Division)
Alexis Ash has been a dedicated and loyal student of California Dance Arts for the past 12 years. As a valued member of the California Contemporary Ballet Company, she has performed in numerous Company productions. In 2017 she performed the starring role, as Gerda, in the Company’s signature ballet, The Snow Queen. She has also gained experience as a valued show Dance Captain assisting in the teaching of the show’s choreography. For the last several years, Alexis has dedicated herself to teacher training under the direct supervision of Ms. Holt and achieved Apprentice status and then Teacher for the Children's Division (Pre-Ballet through Primary C). Just recently, Alexis returned from New York City where she successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive and is now a Certified Teacher for Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Alexis is also a very talented Aerialist, Gymnast and Modern Dancer. She is currently completing a degree at the Woodbury University’s School of Business. A favorite teacher at California DanceArts, she is a gifted, encouraging instructor that connects with young children.
CAROLINE RUSSELL BROES
Ballet Instructor
Ms. Broes has dedicated the last 30 years of her life teaching the classical art of ballet to young students. She has choreographed countless versions of the "Nutcracker,” "Sleeping Beauty,” "Swan Lake,” and many other classics, just for children. "In order to keep ballet alive, we must have children who are eager to participate," says Ms. Broes. "There is a fine line between having fun and teaching the correct technique in the same class. It is my goal as a teacher to give my students both.”
Ms. Broes graduated with a BA degree in Dance from Cal State Long Beach in 1991, with an emphasis in modern dance. She studied Horton technique with Mary Jane Eisenburg and Gloria Newman, classical ballet with David Wilcox of the Long Beach Ballet, and Rebecca Wright and George de la Peña of ABT. It was at Cal State Long Beach that Ms. Broes had her first experience teaching dance as a student teacher in the public high schools. Ms. Broes also studied modern dance at "Jacob's Pillow" in Massachusetts, where she studied with Judith Jameison, who was a huge influence on Ms. Broes' philosophy of dance and teaching technique.
Ms. Broes and her husband Shawn have raised two boys, Alex and Andrew, in La Cañada. She is proud to start a new chapter in her life teaching young children at California Dance Arts with Aerin Holt.
SARAI GOLDEN-KRASNER
Ballet Instructor
Pre-Ballet and Primary Levels
Sarai has received dance training from Artistic Director Aerin Holt at California DanceArts since 2014. She is now part of a rigorous pre-professional training program, with classes in ballet, contemporary, modern, and aerial silks. As a member of the California Contemporary Youth Ballet, she has also performed in several shows, including as principal dancer in The Snow Queen and in Tales of Winter, a collaboration with the New West Symphony. Sarai has also attended multiple summer dance intensives at Northwest Dance Project where she trained with award winning company members and guest artists in ballet, contemporary, improvisation, choreography, and repertoire.
Sarai is a senior at deToledo High School where she particularly enjoys being a part of the Medical Science Academy, which exposes students to the different medical fields and provides internship opportunities in labs and hospitals. She is also co-president of the club Girls Learn International, which advocates for gender equality in education.