Join SMB for the 2025 Summer Master Class series! Review our list of offerings and fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch with a payment link. Classes are $30 per session.
Junior Ages: 10-12 • Senior Ages: 13 and up
Friday, July 11 - Alexander Nicolosi
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm: Junior: Jumps and Turns
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Senior: Jumps and Turns
Alexander Nicolosi began his studies with Shreveport Dance Academy in Louisiana. He continued his training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2022. Nicolosi then joined the Boston Ballet School’s Graduate Program. His repertoire includes Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, Jules Perrot’s Giselle, Marius Petipa’s Le Corsaire, and a guest performance of Diana and Actaeon at Beyer Ballet Academy. Nicolosi is a recipient of the Vladimir Djouloukhadze Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund for 2021, received 1st Place for Contemporary at Youth America Grand Prix Regionals in 2021, and placed in the Top 12 for Pas de Deux at Youth America Grand Prix Finals in 2022. Nicolosi joined Boston Ballet II in 2023 and was promoted to artist of the Boston Ballet Company in 2024.
Monday, July 28 - Emily Seale
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Junior: Technique and Pointe
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm: Senior: Technique and Pointe
Emily Seale has been the director/owner of Theatre School of Dance since 2003. She is also the director of the Adorare Performing Arts Company, an Associate of RAD, Registered Teacher and a Certified Pilates Instructor through the Physical Mind Institute. She trained under Marion Mills, performed with SMB, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from LSUS. She has taught and choreographed for various groups in the Shreveport-Bossier area.
Wednesday, July 30 - Heather Peak Hooper
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Junior: Acting for Dancers
Heather Peak Hooper trained at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a BA in Theatre and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Theater, English, and Speech. She has acted and directed professionally from San Francisco, CA, to London, England, and toured internationally with the American Shakespeare Center. Some of her favorite plays in which she performed locally are Cover of Life, Waverly Gallery, and August: Osage County. She has directed several shows for Shreveport Little Theatre Academy, including Footloose and Man of La Mancha. Heather is proud to teach theatre at Captain Shreve High School and coach Shreve’s Theatre Performance Team.
Thursday, July 31 - Heather Peak Hooper
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Senior: Acting for Dancers
Heather Peak Hooper trained at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a BA in Theatre and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Theater, English, and Speech. She has acted and directed professionally from San Francisco, CA, to London, England, and toured internationally with the American Shakespeare Center. Some of her favorite plays in which she performed locally are Cover of Life, Waverly Gallery, and August: Osage County. She has directed several shows for Shreveport Little Theatre Academy, including Footloose and Man of La Mancha. Heather is proud to teach theatre at Captain Shreve High School and coach Shreve’s Theatre Performance Team.
Friday, August 1 - Dianne Maroney
11:00 am - 12:30 pm: Junior: Modern/Liturgical
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm: Senior: Modern/Liturgical
Dianne Maroney-Grigsby, a native of Norfolk, Virginia, is an LADA Choreographer and Artist-in-Residence. She toured extensively with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater as a soloist, and served as Assistant Artistic Director and full-time faculty member with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She later moved to Louisiana to become Artistic Director of Orchesis Dance Company at Grambling State University, retiring in 2022. She holds a BA degree from Grambling and an MA degree in Theatre from Louisiana Tech. DIanne continues to share her love of dance with students of all ages.
Monday, August 4 - Blair Bryson
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Junior: Adagio and Port de Bras
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm: Senior: Adagio and Port de Bras
Blair Bryson is a Shreveport native and mother of 4. She trained under Marion Mills at Theatre School of Dance and performed with SMB. She is completed the Royal Academy of Dance Registered Teacher training course and is an Associate of the RAD. She has also performed with the Baton Rouge Ballet and Delta Festival Ballet, and she is on the faculty at Theatre School of Dance, guest teaches at other local studios, and practices dentistry in Shreveport.