FACULTY
Our faculty is comprised of experienced dance-educators who have immersed themselves in the art of dance. BTP teachers continue to educate themselves and grow as artists in order to maintain the highest standard of excellence in dance education. The teachers at BTP are dedicated to passing on the generations of tradition and knowledge that have made ballet the enduring and captivating art that it is. All of our staff bring professional performing and choreographic experience, as well world-class training with an emphasis on pedagogy.
Ian Parsons - School Director
Ian Parsons is an internationally recognized ballet educator, choreographer, and former professional dancer whose career spans the highest levels of classical and contemporary performance. A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS), he performed with The National Ballet of Canada, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and in major commercial productions including the Olivier Award–nominated West End revival of Cabaret, the UK/European tour of Cats, and the film adaptation of Les Misérables.
Following his performance career, Ian earned his teaching diploma through the highly selective Teacher Training Program for Former Professional Dancers at NBS, where he received the Betty Oliphant Award for Excellence in Teaching. He later joined the school’s artistic faculty, teaching, staging repertoire, and creating the school’s formalized pas de deux curriculum. He taught across all levels of the Professional Ballet Program, and his students have gone on to perform with companies such as The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Dutch National Ballet, Boston Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Houston Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Washington Ballet, Miami City Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and many more. He also managed NBS’s international exchange program, facilitating over 100 student placements annually.
Ian has also taught and choreographed for professional training programs and institutions in Canada and the UK, including Performers College, The School of Ballet Theatre UK, Chantry School, Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, and the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. His choreography has been presented by Youth America Grand Prix, En Pointe and Just Dance Competitions, and full-time training programs across North America and Europe.
Ian’s teaching philosophy integrates classical rigor with musicality, clarity, and mentorship. Drawing on nearly a decade of curriculum development and institutional teaching, he is committed to advancing a training environment at Ballet Theatre of Phoenix rooted in precision, individualized growth, and thoughtful artistic leadership.
Jennifer Cafarella Betts - School Owner, Adult Ballet
Jennifer Cafarella Betts, BS Business Administration (Rivier College), MFA Dance (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Founder and Artistic Director of Convergence Ballet, is a passionate educator, choreographer and dancer who is certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum Primary-Level 5, Progressing Ballet Technique, and Power Pilates Mat. Her teaching methodologies are rooted in somatic exploration and neuro diversity. Her research background allows for individual analysis and a custom training program for each student to become the best dancer they can be. In 2016, Cafarella Betts founded Ballet Theatre of Phoenix and since then, has molded the culture that defines the school. She is dedicated to understanding more about the brain and body connection, therefore updating a traditional method and creating a training program for each dancer to reach their highest potential.
Cafarella Betts’ approach to dance pedagogy is influenced by her experiences at Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she trained under Sydelle Gomberg, the School of Ballet Arizona, and SUNY Purchase. Her professional career has taken her as far as Ballet de Cali in Colombia, Granite State Ballet where she performed soloist roles in the Nutcracker and Cinderella, Portland Ballet as a summer guest artist, and Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre. Her observations of the ever-changing movement patterns developed by technological advances, motivates her to explore and strengthen developmental movement for healthier dancers. She regularly presents her findings at the National Dance Educator’s Organization on creating better pedagogical practices through a neuro athletic lens within the scope of Classical Ballet. She has served on the faculties at School of Ballet Arizona, Arizona School for the Arts, Mesa Community College, Scottsdale School of Ballet and Plumb Performing Arts Center.
Emilie Tran - Adult & Primary Ballet, Adult Horton
Emilie started teaching in 2014 at different studios including one for under-privileged students on the West Coast of Mauritius and choreographed for several end of year school shows over the years. In 2018, she then decided to pursue her dream of dancing abroad. She attended The Ailey School starting in the fall 2018 to learn diverse styles of dance other than ballet namely Horton, Graham, contemporary, jazz and Taylor. She graduated from the Scholarship program in May 2020 having trained with an amazing faculty such as Caridad Martinez, Mikhail Ilyin, Guillermo Asca, Earl Mosley and Carolyn Adams. During her time in New York, she has had the opportunity to perform for Global Harmony at The Ailey Citigroup in February 2020 and was an apprentice at Neville Dance Theatre. Currently, she is dancing with Convergence Ballet Company.
Antoinette Klimek - Level 3/4 Ballet
Antoinette Klimek began her dance performance and education career in Chicago, IL. She was a faculty member at ARCC Ballet and Dance, where she was charged with leading syllabus and curriculum development for all the school's ballet courses. She also developed and managed the studio's work-study program for students in need of financial aid and mentored students wishing to pursue dance or theatre in college. While at ARCC, she worked professionally as a classical contemporary ballet dancers, notable with Geiger Dance Project, Elements Contemporary, and Ballet North.
In 2013, she moved to Phoenix, where she joined the faculty of the Yen Li Chen Ballet School and the Conservatory of Dance. In 2014, she was named the Conservatory's Ballet Program Director. She continued her performance career with Phoenix companies such as Convergence Ballet and Center Dance Ensemble until her retirement from the stage in 2018. Her final role was the White Queen in Convergence Ballet's first full-length Alice in Wonderland.
Antoinette is excited to return to Ballet Theatre of Phoenix as a faculty member and to have the opportunity to pass onto its students the many joys of dance, as well as its lessons that extend far beyond the classroom or stage.
Ilir Shtylla - Adult Ballet
Originally from Tirana, Albania, Ilir’s early exposure to Albanian folk dancing led him to ballet lessons at age 11 at National Ballet School of Albania. Ilir graduated from the Baku Choreographic University of Azerbaijan, and then joined Azerbaijan Opera Ballet Theatre as a principal dancer. After moving to the United States in 1999, Ilir was given a full scholarship to The Rock School of Dance Education in Philadelphia and the School of American Ballet in New York City. Ilir danced with Carolina Ballet (2000-2003) and Oregon Ballet Theatre (2007-2008) as a soloist dancer, and as a principal dancer with Ballet Arizona (2003-2015). In addition, Ilir has been a guest artist with Miami City Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Ilir’s dance repertoire includes pieces by national and internationally known choreographers such as Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, George Balanchine, Michel Fokine, Marius Petipa, Dwight Rhoden, Alexei Ratmansky, Nicolo Fonte, Ib Andersen, Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Robert Weiss. Ilir has also been featured in works by Christopher Wheeldon and Alejandro Cerrudo. Ilir has performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with Oregon Ballet Theatre and with Ballet Arizona. Since moving to Arizona in 2003, Ilir has been a faculty member at many studios throughout the Valley including Yen-Li Ballet School, the School of Ballet Arizona, Ballet Etudes, Diverse Elements and Plumb Performing Arts Center faculty.
August Amie-Rose Kinard - PLIES Coordinator, Primary Ballet, Contemporary & Adult Tap
As a graduate of Oklahoma City University, August obtained a Bachelors of Science in Dance Pedagogy and moved to Phoenix to begin their teaching career. They teach a plethora of ages and dance styles at studios around the Valley. Their training includes classical ballet, modern, tap, jazz, hip hop and musical theater. August pursues many interests and areas of study but their true passion lies in dance and the spread of that love to others through their teaching. They hope to continue learning about the rich diversity of dance and how it ties us to our humanity.
Autumn White - Creative Movement & Community Coordinator
Originally from Sandusky, Ohio, Autumn began her dance training at the age of 17. As her education continued, she participated at competitions, receiving various awards and traveling to New York City, to train with Broadway and American Ballet Theatre professionals. In 2019, she obtained her B.A. in Communications with a minor in Dance from Bowling Green State University (BGSU). She was featured in numerous showcases and a part of the University Dance Alliance, a student run organization. She has experience teaching jazz, contemporary, and creative movement for all ages. While obtaining her degree, she had the pleasure of working as a Media Assistant for the BGSU Recreation and Wellness Center, as well as assisting the planning of Festival of Sail, Sandusky's Bicentennial Event. After graduation, Autumn spent her summer at Lakeside Chautauqua, a nonprofit organization, as the Education Program Coordinator, where she created promotions and coordinated programs throughout their season. In January of 2021, she moved to Arizona and reconnected with her love of dance.
Lauran Stanis - Adult Theatre Jazz
Lauran Stanis is excited to teach at BTP where she has enjoyed being a student for the past several years! Lauran has lived in Phoenix for the past ten years and has been teaching and choreographing at Phoenix Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, Childsplay, and East Valley Children's theatre. Before settling here, Lauran has danced her way across the country as a performer and choreographer, most recently working for Circa ‘21, Fort Peck Summer Theatre, and The Palace Theatre. Lauran is the dance teacher at Metro Tech High School where she was named Teacher of the Year in 2018. In 2020, she was awarded the Arizona Dance Educator of the Year and in 2021 she was nominated for the Arizona Governor’s Arts Award in Arts Education. Lauran holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University, an MA in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado and an MFA in Dance through Montclair State University where she has focused on the intersection of musical theatre dance and film.
Minghong Xu - Ballet, Upper Division
Minghong Xu is a professional dancer and ABT Certified Teacher with a strong background in both classical and contemporary ballet.
Minghong danced professionally with Virginia National Ballet (2019 - 2024) and Columbia Classical Ballet (2018 - 2019), performing lead and soloist roles in productions such as Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Aladdin, and Boléro. She received her foundational training and Liaoning Ballet School, a Prix de de Lausanne partner school, and later trained on scholarships at Joffrey Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre NYC Summer Intensive, and the Washington School of Ballet.
As an experienced instructor, Minghong has taught at Virginia National Ballet Company School and Hong Dance Studio, coaching youth beginners to pre-professional dancers. Her students have achieved top rankings in competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) adn WBAC Grand Prix.
With a passion for inspiring the next generation of dancers, Minghong is committed to fostering strong technique, artistic expression, and deep appreciation for the art of ballet in every student she teaches.
Gregory Bench - Accompanist
Greg is a classically trained pianist and accomplished ballet accompanist. He has played for ballet schools in Northern Utah, Southern California, and Phoenix, and has accompanied numerous musicals, choral groups, weddings, and other events. He is fond of Romantic-era music and classical ballets, and when he is not playing the piano, he enjoys reading, cooking, yoga, and staying active. Join Greg Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 8pm in our Intermediate Ballet Open Class!
Natalie Nerat - Creative Movement, Primary & Pre-Pro Ballet
Veronica Tirado - Level 1 - 3B Ballet
Originally from Mazatlán, Mexico, Veronica began dancing at 13 and later earned a scholarship to the Escuela Nacional de Artes in Havana, Cuba, graduating in 1998 as a ballet dancer and teacher. She performed with Ballet de Monterrey (2000–2003) and taught in various schools across Mexico before moving to the U.S. in 2006.
In the U.S., she expanded her training and earned degrees in Dance Technology and Fine Arts from Scottsdale Community College (2015), followed by a BFA in Dance Education and a BA in Psychology from Arizona State University (2019). She has performed with companies like Instinct Dancecorps and has taught in both public and private school settings, sharing dance with diverse student communities.
Currently, Veronica pursuing a Master’s in Psychological Intervention in Adolescents and Children at UNIR (Spain), further deepening her understanding of how psychological well-being and creative expression intersect. Throughout her journey, from dancer to educator, she has remained committed to the transformative power of dance as a tool for learning, healing, and human connection across cultures.