Summer Intensive 2023

Betsy McMillan

Artistic Director of Vivid Ballet

Elizabeth “Betsy” began her ballet training with Alabama Dance Theater and continued with Houston Ballet Academy’s Professional Division on full merit scholarship while performing with Houston Ballet. She has studied with renowned teachers David Howard, Clara Cravey, Claudio Munoz, Steve Brule, Wes Chapman and Dame Sonia Arova. Her performance career includes roles in Cinderella, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Giselle, The Nutcracker; original works by Ben Stevenson, Trey McIntyre, Steve Rooks, Randall Flynn, Caleb Mitchell and private coaching by Nina Watt for Jose Limon’s iconic solo work “Chaconne.” She performed nationally and internationally with Ballet Magnificat.

She has served on the faculty of Houston Ballet Academy, Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, The Hartt School, Belhaven University, as Ballet Mistress for Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Ad Deum Dance Company and as Shoreline Principal for New Haven Ballet. She has been guest faculty for Ballet Academy East, Yale Ballet, Point Park University and Regional Dance America. Her choreography has been commissioned nationwide and has been presented at Ailey Citi Group Theater in New York, NY and The White House in Washington D.C.

McMillan is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

She is the Founder and former Artistic Director of Ballet Hartford and School of Ballet Hartford and served on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Dance Alliance. Currently, she is an Academy Instructor for Houston Ballet.

Durell R. Comedy

Mark Morris Dance Group Company Member

Durell R. Comedy is a native of Prince George's County, MD and began dancing at the age of 6. He graduated from the Visual & Performing Arts program at Suitland High School in 2004 and from George Mason University (magna cum laude), receiving his BFA Degree in Dance Performance in 2008. Since then, he has worked and performed with artists such as The Metropolitan Opera, Troy Powell, Matthew Rushing, CorbinDances, Roger C. Jeffrey & Kyle Abraham. Mr. Comedy was a member of the Limón Dance Company from 2009-2015, where he performed soloist and principal roles. An instructor certified in teaching Limon principles, he’s taught master classes and workshops at numerous universities and schools including Vassar College, Maryland Youth Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, Belhaven University, CityDance Center at Strathmore & the Limon Institute. A former fellowship student at the Ailey School and a recent adjunct faculty member at George Mason University’s School of Dance, Mr. Comedy was awarded the 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award for the College of Visual and Performing Arts of George Mason University. Comedy began working as an apprentice with the Mark Morris Dance Group in 2015 and became a company member in 2016 and retired from his performance career in 2019. He, his wife, Hannah and 2 daughters, reside in Houston, TX and he currently serves as Worship Associate and Creative Arts Academy Director for Champion Forest Baptist Church.

Carol Smitherman Anglin

Teaching Artist, Choreographer, Adjudicator, Artistic Director, Producer, and Consultant

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 including residencies with Judith Jamison, Robert Battle, Dianne Maroney-Grigsby, Sylvia Waters, Milton Myers, Ana Marie Forsythe, Christopher Huggins, Ceyhun Ozsoy, Gennadi Vostrikov, Soili Arvola, Michael Vernon, John Magnus, Nikoloz Makhateli, Tatiana Tchernova, 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, plus guest artists from San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, ABT, NYCB, Paris Opera Ballet, 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, teachers, choreographers, composers, costumers; 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 as teachers & choreographers.
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 Community 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 from 2009-11 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 with whom the Louisiana Dance Foundation partnered from 2000-2013.
A Graduate Teaching Foundation Fellow (2016-2019), Carol recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with her Master’s 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 and 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.” (200+ pages)
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 served as RDA/SE’s 2020 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, 2021. She has served as faculty member for Regional Dance America Workshops and Festivals in Atlanta, GA; Houston and Dallas, TX; Baton Rouge and Monroe, LA; and Ft. Smith, AR. Hosted by Grambling State University, Carol also taught ballet for three Black College Dance Exchanges at Louisiana’s Historically Black University attended by other HBU’s.
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 attended the National Dance Educator Organization’s Annual Conferences (NDEO) 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 the 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, University of Houston Dance Majors, Juxtapose Dance/JetPac, Hunter Dance Center; Collective Dance Artistry of San Antonio, and for Grambling State University’s Orchesis Dance Company’s Fall Ballet Intensives.
In March 2022, Carol taught and judged audition classes for Regional Dance America/SW Festival at the Eisemann Center in Dallas, TX. In April, she served as guest artist for University of Houston Dance Majors teaching Ballet and Modern classes. Carol currently teaches Ballet II-V & Pre-Professional Ballet and Pointe to students at Dance Du Coeur, Houston Ballet Academy Level 7 Ballet/Pointe, Hunter Dance Center (Oct/Nov 2022), Bayou City Youth Ballet (Oct/Nov 2022), Ballet and Modern Company Classes for Houston’s Ad Deum Dance Company (Sept/Oct).
Throughout the pandemic, Carol has continued to mentor and guide dancers, choreographers, directors, and non-profit organizations in their missions of pursuing dance in these unprecedented times.

Steve Rooks

Former Principal Dancer with Martha Graham, Chair of Dance/Choreographer for Vassar College

Steve Rooks began his dance training in Washington, D.C. He continued his training in New York City as a scholarship student at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. Mr. Rooks danced and toured with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where he performed for over a decade and achieved the rank of Principal Dancer.
Mr. Rooks has created a number of dances including “Cool River” that premiered at Lincoln center in 1996, and later became a part of the Graham Company repertoire. He was a 2004 winner of the National Choreographic Competition at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and created two solos for the 2004 Youth American Grand Prix Ballet competition. Mr. Rooks is currently Professor of Dance and Resident Choreographer at Vassar College, and has been a guest teacher with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company, the American Academy of Ballet, Ballet Nacional de México, the North Carolina School of the Arts, and the International Summer School in Sydney, Australia. He has been awarded Vassar Research grants to travel to Riga, Latvia, Lusaka, Zambia, and in 2014 to Turku, Finland, where he choreographed “Plate Tectonics” on 24 dancers. As part of the Masterworks Festival, Mr. Rooks was commissioned to create ballets for a number of contemporary composers including Clarice Assad, Piet Swerts and David Skidmore – all to live orchestra.
Mr. Rooks has served as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival, and a solo “Vista” was created for Aran Bell (ABT) for the 2014 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Four contemporary solos were submitted to the 2016 Youth American Grand Prix and in 2017, Mr. Rooks returned to Mumbai, India to create a new work for Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts. 2018 included guest residencies at the Bolles School in Jacksonville Florida and the Palladino School of Dance at Dean College. 2019 residencies included workshops in Costa Rica as well as the Studio Centre de Dance in Paris, France. In 2020, Mr. Rooks was invited to join the Board of Trustees for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Mr. Rooks would like to thank Jesus Christ for all that has happened to him.

Shizu Yasuda

Former Principal Dancer with Ad Deum Dance Company

SHIZU YASUDA started her dance training at Sakiko Ichinomiya Ballet School in Japan. After she moved to New York, she performed with several choreographers and dance companies such as Slam and Sensedance Company. She joined Ad Deum Dance Company in 2004. She danced as a principal dancer with the company and performed at numerous dance events nationally and internationally. She got awarded as one of stunning performers by Dance Houston – City Wide Dance Festival 2008. In 2013, she was invited to Minsk in Belarus as a guest dancer and judge by Chelz Extreme Games. As a dance teacher, she has been teaching Modern and Ballet classes in the Houston dance community at such places as Ad Deum Dance Company, Houston Ballet Academy summer intensive (Modern only), Mitsi Dancing School, Payne Academy of Ballet, Studio of Dance, West University Dance Center and Houston Academy of Dance. Her choreographic works have been presented at “East Meets West” at Miller Outdoor Theater since 2008. In 2014, she became an artistic director of Ad Deum II.

Cynthia Newland

Director of Dance at Belhaven University

Cynthia Newland, MFA in Dance and MS in Counseling Psychology, is a licensed minister, certified health coach, and collegiate professor, specializing in dance. As the founder of Alible3 and Dancer Wellness Care, she seamlessly integrates dance, counseling, and holistic health to inspire and empower individuals to thrive. Through her career, Cynthia’s work has led her to serve on six continents and have served at various Project Dance locations nationally and globally. A devoted wife of over 30 years, she is also the proud mother of three adult married children, and a loving grandmother to eight.

Laura Morton

Professor of Dance at Belhaven University

Laura Morton’s background includes extensive training in classical ballet, jazz, and modern from prestigious dance educators such as Anne and Nicholas Polajenko, ABT’s Alexander Minz, and at Ballet West with director Bruce Marks and Toni Lander. Her professional credits include Milwaukee Ballet, Delia Stewart Dance Company, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and Ad Deum Dance Company. She has also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Houston.
Morton has taught nationally and internationally. Her teaching credentials include serving on the faculties of Summer Arts Session (Ravensburg, Germany), Pacific Northwest School of Ballet (Seattle, WA), Evergreen City Ballet (Auburn, WA), Houston Metropolitan Dance Center, (Houston, TX), Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy (Houston, TX), and Ad Deum Dance Company (Houston, TX). Morton presently serves as an Associate Professor of Dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. While holding these various positions, her responsibilities included instructing, rehearsing, restaging classical ballets, choreographing, as well as lighting designer and stage manager. All of these responsibilities enabled her to share the invaluable information passed on to her by the many remarkable teachers that have mentored her as well as her own years of teaching experience. Morton is presently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Exercise Physiology.