the team
Linda Holland began studying Ballet at age 4 with Francis Schofield in Harlingen Texas. At 17 she attended Southwest Ballet Center directed by William Martin-Viscount. During her years at Southwest Ballet Center she was a soloist in performances of Swan Lake, Giselle, and Napoli. At 18 she began Harlingen Ballet Center and later Harlingen Concert Ballet Inc. a civic ballet company whose purpose was to expose ballet students in South Texas to full length classical ballets. Holland also performed and toured with Texas Ballet under Soili Arvola and Leo Ahonen. Upon moving to Austin, Holland worked with Ballet Austin Academy where she was instrumental in setting up the professional track for students, initiated the Snap-To program for 3rd graders and was responsible for instruction and rehearsal of the Nutcracker children. In 2002 Holland began studying International Standard and Latin Ballroom where she competes in both styles. Her passion for Ballet, Ballroom dance and fitness are the inspiration for Dance Institute.
Lindsay trained with Joee Schapiro School of Dance Houston starting at the age of five. She competed and performed in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. Lindsay taught ages 2-18 at JSSD for over 5 years. She choreographed performance and competition pieces for the school. When Lindsay moved to Austin, she taught at Dance Associates and started training in International Ballroom. She has been competing with her partner for over three years and has won first place at the Harvard Invitational Competition. While at Dance Associates, Lindsay worked in an outreach program where she taught Creative Movement, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Gymnastics.  KIM CABEKim was born with the spirit of dance. Her love for the art of dance manifested while in middle school. Teaching and working with children began during high school and grew to be her passion. She was a Lake Travis High School Cavalette dance team member and two year officer, ending her senior year as Captain. During this time Kim choreographed solos and team routines, competed locally and nationally and was repeatedly recognized as an All-American Dancer.
Kim continued in dance on a scholarship to Blinn College where she was a two year member of the Blinn College Treasures Dance Team; traveling, performing at sport functions and competing nationally. Her dance education became of utmost importance thus Kim moved to San Marcos and obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Dance at Texas State University. During her studies of dance, she landed a teaching position at the Hermann and Sons School of Dance in New Braunfels, where she later became the studio's director. Further training was obtained in assisting dance directors at Bailey Middle School in Austin and San Marcos High School; conventions and master classes enhance her education and training.
In 2007, Kim was the NEW Junior Demi Company Instructor for ages 7-9 and later became the coordinator for Heather O'Hara's company, Blast Dance Convention. Kim frequently trains individuals for dance auditions and competitions as well as choreographs and trains high school dance teams for contests. Establishing lasting relationships with students, other dancers, and instructors comes easily for her. Your child will undoubtedly come home loving Ms. Kim.
 MARY ANN EBLERMary Ann Ebler began studying Tap and Ballet at the age of 5 in Whitestone, NY just outside of New York City. Five years later she and her family relocated to Puerto Rico where she studied Flamenco, Ballet and Jazz at Sanders Dance Academy.
By the age of 12, Mary Ann was on full scholarship and an assistant teacher for the baby ballet and beginner jazz and flamenco classes. At the age of 15, Mary Ann became a principal dancer for the Sanders Dance Academy performance group. With the Sanders Dance Academy, she performed Argentine malambo, flamenco and folkloric dances from South American countries as well as jazz.
After graduating high school, Mary Ann started her professional dance career with an Argentine Gaucho review and Marcelo's Fiesta Flamenca. This started a career that took her into many dance genres including working as a regular on television and as a back up dancer for guest artists. She danced at Radio City Music Hall as a backup dancer with Menudo and Madision Square Garden with the famous Puerto Rican performer, Iris Chacon. Growing up in Puerto Rico was beneficial to her as merengue and salsa were always the order of the day. Everyone danced!
Mary Ann returned to New York City as a young adult and continued her study of ballet and jazz. Mary Ann moved to Long Island, NY after getting married and taught Jazz at Orlando School of Dance in Huntington and also became a fitness instructor and personal trainer at the Huntington YMCA, Of course, with a dance and fitness background and the passion for Latin dance music, ZUMBA was a perfect transition. Mary Ann loves the music, the cardio workout and the incorporated dance moves. Zumba is for people of all ages and all fitness levels. Mary Ann's favorite Zumba motto is "Ditch the workout, join the Party!" - that sums it all up.
 DENIS GENERALOVDenis was born in Russia, where his mother still teaches dance today. He began is Ballroom dance training at the age of 8, and by the time he was 10 he was activley competing in the Junior ranks. Earning the titles of Junior and later Youth Ballroom Champion of Southern Russia. At the age of 16 Denis moved to the US, where he continued is dance training and competitive career. Denis and his Jolie have won a number of titles, including the U.S. National 10-Dance Championships (best in ballroom and latin). Denis has been teaching professionally since 2002. In January 2008 Denis and his wife and partner Jolie moved from the San Fransico Bay area and will make Austin their new home. Denis teaches group classes and is available for private lessons.  BETH ANN HAWLEYBeth Ann Hawley holds Texas teaching certification in Dance Education, and is the former Director of the Lake Travis High School Cavalettes. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and holds a BA in Theatre & Dance. While at UT, Beth Ann cheered on the longhorns as a member and assistant coach of the Texas Pom Squad. She also holds an Associate of Arts from Kilgore College, where she was a member of the World Famous Kilgore College Rangerettes. She was a 4-year member of her high school drill team, The Colony Topcats, where served as Captain. Beth Ann attended The Dance Institute of Dallas with strict, competitive training in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop. Beth Ann will be the director of DI's performance Academy's Kick Company and Junior Elite & Junior Demi companies.  LAURA PELLEGRINOLaura Pellegrino arrived in Baltimore in fall of 2003 and immediately become one of the most visible faces on the Baltimore/DC Tango scene. She spent 2 years studying with many of the U.S.’ and all of Washington DC's most esteemed teachers, as well as with all of the world's foremost teachers of Argentine Tango that passed through the nation's capital before quitting her job (and her band), selling her house, packing her dogs and moving to Buenos Aires, Argentina where she could devote herself to the dance on a full-time basis.
There she spent another 2 years, embracing both its traditional past as well as its most current incarnation, and studying with Masters from both ends of the spectrum which has given Laura a strong foundation from which to develop her own dance as well as her own particular brand of teaching. A strong belief that technical proficiency is the foundation upon which improvisation and musicality can most easily flourish has guided her own dance and she relays that to her students with a tremendous sense of enthusiasm and fun. When she is not in Argentina or teaching elsewhere in the U.S. Laura can be found teaching Tango full-time in Austin Tx.
Kristin Burritt is an award winning singer and voice teacher. Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. Burritt began performing at an early age and spent her teenage years modeling, singing, and acting throughout the Philadelphia and New York area. At eighteen she spent a summer touring Europe with the national vocal ensemble, America Sings. After High School she studied vocal performance and music education in New York and later vocal performance at the graduate level. She has performed with theater and light opera companies in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Austin. Her favorite roles include Yum Yum in The Mikado and the title role in Iolanthe. For several years Kristin performed classical and musical theater repertoire as part of the vocal duo Voce Divina. In 2007, Voce Divina was featured in Classical Singer Magazine. More recently Ms. Burritt appeared locally as Maria in The Sound Of Music. Kristin has been teaching voice and directing musical theater in the Austin area for the last eight years, receiving critical acclaim for her youth productions of Bye Bye Birdie, Grease, and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. Kristin has a passion for teaching and is dedicated to instilling young singers with healthy vocal technique, ensuring they will enjoy a lifetime of singing.
Born in Russia, Yelena (Lena) Konetchy recently moved to Austin, TX from Roscommon, MI to further her career in choreography and teaching dance. Yelena has had 13 years of experience in classical ballet. She had studied pre-professionally at Bossov Ballet Theatre in Pittsfield, ME and danced professionally with the Illinois Ballet and Charleston Ballet Theatre. She has had the opportunity to have worked and studied under famed dancers such as Amanda McKerrow, Andrei Bossov from the Kirov Ballet, Sally Bliss of the Tudor Trust, Vladimir Issaev, Alla Osipenko, Iliana Lopez, Larissa Ponomorenko, Jefferson Baum of NYC ballet, and Joseph Fritz of the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Her performance opportunities included classical ballets such as the lead in Giselle, Don Quixote, the Nutcracker, Paquita, etc., Antony Tudor's Little Improvisations, original contemporary ballets, Cunningham, Ailey, Horton, Grahm, Limon, and Hawkins, character folk dance, and as guest dancer with the New Opera St. Louis first opening production of Rigoletto. She had also studied at Principia College in Elsah, IL- finishing general studies in addition to Acting under the Stanislavski Methodology, Stage Management, Theater set and Costume Production, Choreography, and Dance. Yelena Konetchy is also certified in Vaganova ballet pedagogy under ballet master and teacher John White, author of Teaching Classical Ballet and Advanced Principles in Teaching Classical Ballet. She is very excited to start her first year as a member of the Dance Institute Team. |
Phone: 512-346-6612
6612 Sitio Del Rio
Austin, TX 78730
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LINDSAY LEBLANC
KRISTIN BURRITT
LENA KONETCHY