Artistic Staff & Dancers
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Artistic Staff |
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| Lynette Mason Gregg • Artistic Director |
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Lynette Mason Gregg, Artistic Director, founded the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1972 with a desire to establish a professional training facility for aspiring dancers and to enrich the overall atmosphere of the community. Having been involved with dance since age of 3, she left the Houston area to continue her studies internationally. After a time in Europe and Asia, she established her first school in the Imperial Ballet of Tokyo, Japan. During this time, Lynette was also exposed to the world famous Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet companies. Prior to returning to Texas, she continued her studies in Washington D.C. and New York City. Lynette is certified by the South Texas Association of Teachers of Dance, which is a chapter of Dance Masters of America. Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre is an honor company member of Regional Dance America/Southwest. Lynette served as the past president of the RDA Southwest Region and the treasurer of RDA’s National Board. She formerly served as the Gulf Coast Regional Director to the Texas Assembly of Arts Councils and developed a ballet curriculum for San Jacinto College District where she served on the faculty for 2 years. In 1981 Lynette was named Outstanding Citizen of Deer Park by the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Mason Gregg has also served on the board of the Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County, now known as The Houston Arts Alliance. |
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| Heather Steele • Associate Director |
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 Heather Steele, Associate Director, joined the BAHBT artistic staff in 2005 as the Associate Director. She has studied dance since age 4 at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts under the direction of Lynette Mason Gregg. Heather has risen through the ranks of the company from an apprentice to principal, where she has had the opportunity to study with prestigious teachers and choreographers, such as Olga Kostritzky, John Magnus, Soili Arvola, Leo Ahonen, Amelie Hunter, Misha Bart and Slam. Heather has appeared in BAHBT productions of The Nutcracker from 1988 to the present, in roles ranging from Gingerchild to the Sugar Plum Fairy. She has danced the roles of Swanhilda in Coppelia, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Myrta in Giselle as well as leading roles in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, and many contemporary productions. Heather was the recipient of the 2000 BAHBT Scholarship and trained in New York at Joffrey Ballet School and Broadway Dance Center. In addition to her duties as Associate Director, she is a teacher and Graded Division Coordinator at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. |
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| Luis Fuente • Ballet Master |
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 Luis Fuente, Ballet Master, was a principal dancer for the Joffrey Ballet, with whom he danced for 12 years and later served as Ballet Master for 3 years. He was recognized nationally and internationally in roles created especially for him by Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey: Viva Vivaldi, Olympics, Fanfarita and Postcards. He was principal dancer for the National Ballet of Washington, Holland’s Het Nationale Ballet, London Festival Ballet, National Ballet of Spain, Ballet Clasico y Contemporaneo de Madrid, Antonio’s Ballet de Madrid, as well as the Touring Company of Ballet Stars. Throughout his career, he has also been invited as guest artist for countless dance companies in Europe and the United States. Fuente’s critically acclaimed performances in leading classical repertory roles include: Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Coppelia. He was coached by the greatest names in the dance world: Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, George Ballanchine, Frederick Franklin, Ben Stevenson, Andre Eglevsky, Igor Youskevitch, Margot Fonteyn, Edward Villela, Melissa Hayden, Rudi Van Dantzig, Hans Van Manen, and Antony Tudor among others. Luis Fuente has served as director and resident choreographer for the National Ballet of Spain. He has worked extensively for television, taught throughout Europe and the U.S., and coached professional dancers in major companies all over the world. |
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Artists in Residence |
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| Travis Dwain Baggett • Artist in Residence |
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 Travis Dwain Baggett, Artist in Residence, began his professional dance training at the age of 9 with Misha Bart at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. At the age of 12, Travis was accepted to train at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC, where he continued his studies in the Russian Vaganova method of ballet. For 4 years at the Kirov, he trained with teachers such as Vladimir Djouloukhadze, and Yelena Vinogradova, and performed selected pieces from ballets such as Giselle, Die Puppenfee, The Little Humpbacked Horse, and La Fille Mal Garde. Travis then spent a year with the Houston Ballet, training with teachers such as Claudio Munoz and Stanton Welch. Travis has also performed as a guest artist with other companies such as the Galveston Ballet, the Houston International Ballet Academy, Jacob’s Pillow, the Harid Conservatory, and the Universal Ballet Association. Currently Travis is attending college at the University of Houston while dancing at BAHBT. |
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| Michael Foster • Artist in Residence |
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 Michael Foster, Artist in Residence, started his dance training with Moscelyne Larkin and Roman Jasinski Jr. at the Tulsa School of Ballet. After training with Carol Roderick, Jacques Beltrame and Vladmir and Cosima Stadnik at the Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education, he went on to Houston Ballet II under the direction of Claudio Muñoz, Stanton Welch and Lazaro Carreno. In 2006 he accepted a contract to dance with Ben Stevenson for Texas Ballet Theater. Before joining TBT, Mr. Foster performed with the Tulsa Ballet and with the Houston Ballet as a student. He has most enjoyed performing Fingerprints and Bruiser by Stanton Welch, as well as works by Ma Cong, and ballets by Ben Stevenson, especially Copellia and L. Michael spent two seasons with Texas Ballet Theater, and is looking forward to working with Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theater this season. |
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| Devin Nicole Jaet • Artist in Residence |
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 Devin Nicole Jaet, Artist in Residence, started dancing in Louisiana at the age of 2. She moved to Texas in 1998, and began training at RAFA with instructors Luis Fuente, Misha Bart, Lauren Garson, Amber Thornton, Milena Leben, George de la Pena, and Irina Vakhromeeva under the direction of Lynette Mason Gregg. In addition, Devin has received dance instruction at The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Broadway Dance Center. Her repertoire includes featured roles in Swan Lake, Coppelia, Giselle, Dracula, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Edward Scissorhands and notably the Bluebird from Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker, and most recently Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She was privileged to represent BAHBT as the 2007-2008 Helen Mason Scholarship Recipient in New York City. Devin has performed in numerous local community galas and benefits, and Regional Dance America’s annual festivals. She is a graduate of Clear Lake High School and is currently attending San Jacinto College. |
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| Konstantinos Papmattheakis • Artist in Residence |
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 Konstantinos Papmattheakis, Artist in Residence, “Kostas” has been influenced by many different styles of dance, starting at a young age. He began his training in various folklore dance styles at the age of 10. Kostas’ passion for ballet was instigated by Mioara Popescu, a former dancer of the National Opera of Greece. At the age of 21 he was accepted to the Hellenic State School of Dance in Greece where he studied for two years. While attending the school he had the opportunity to train with teachers such as Penny Diamantopoulou and Yvonne Mantafouni. Kostas had also the chance to work for a dance company for one year under the direction of Pierre Tavernier, former teacher of the National Opera of Paris. In July of 2008, he received a scholarship by Milton Myers to attend the Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts. Currently, Kostas is performing with the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre. |
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| John Andrew Ruth • Artist in Residence |
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 John Andrew Ruth, Artist in Residence, is celebrating his 17th season with BAHBT. He counts among his teachers and friends Lea Darwin, Patsy Swayze, James Clouser, Margo Marshall, Robert Joffrey, Alexander Minz, Bruce Marks and Anna Marie Holmes. John’s appearances with respected dance companies include Alicia Alonso’s Giselle and Carmen with the National Ballet de Cuba, James Clouser’s Tristan and Isolde and Winter from The Seasons with Space/Dance/Theatre. John worked with the Boston Ballet in 1986-87, performing in The Nutcracker. Joining City Ballet of Houston as an Artist in Residence in 1988, he performed as a principal in Gaiety Parisienne, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake. With BAHBT he dances the full spectrum of repertory, including roles in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Coppelia, and Dracula. |
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| Heather Steele • Artist in Residence |
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 Heather Steele, Artist in Residence, has studied dance since age 4 at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts under the direction of Lynette Mason Gregg. Heather has risen through the ranks of the company from an apprentice to principal, where she has had the opportunity to study with prestigious teachers and choreographers, such as Olga Kostritzky, John Magnus, Soili Arvola, Leo Ahonen, Amelie Hunter, Misha Bart and Slam. Heather has appeared in BAHBT productions of The Nutcracker from 1988 to the present, in roles ranging from Gingerchild to the Sugar Plum Fairy. She has danced the roles of Swanhilda in Coppelia, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, Myrta in Giselle as well as leading roles in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, and many contemporary productions. Heather was the recipient of the 2000 BAHBT Scholarship and trained in New York at Joffrey Ballet School and Broadway Dance Center. In addition to her duties as Associate Director, she is a teacher and Graded Division Coordinator at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. |
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The Company — Principals & Soloist |
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| Caitlin Cannon • Principal |
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 Caitlin Cannon, Principal, is thrilled to be in her 6th season as BAHBT company member. Over the years, Caitlin has performed in many BAHBT productions of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Oklahoma!, Gypsy (with Andrea McArdle), and others. Though Caitlin loves ballet, her heart belongs to musical theatre. Favorite roles include Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Zaneeta in The Music Man, Sharpay in High School Musical, and Peter in Peter Pan. She had the great pleasure of working as the staging director for RAFA’s production of Alice in Wonderland. Directing and choreographing is something Caitlin is interested in pursuing. Caitlin has had the opportunity to study with wonderful teachers such as Paige Wheat, Amber Thornton, Dontee Kiehn, Crystal Chapman, and Jason Marquette. She would particularly like to thank Lynette Mason Gregg, Luis Fuente, and Michael Tapley for their continual inspiration and support. Caitlin is currently a tap instructor at RAFA. |
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| Shelby Chambliss • Principal |
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 Shelby Chambliss, Principal, started her dance training in Corpus Christi at age 3 and has performed in Corpus Christi’s The Nutcracker and Dracula. Her family relocated to the Houston area in 2003, where Shelby began studying at RAFA. In addition to performing in BAHBT’s The Nutcracker for 5 seasons, she also performed in Giselle, Coppelia, On Edge, From Russia with Love, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Edward Scissorhands and Swan Lake. Shelby completed levels II – V in RAFA’s Vaganova Program under the direction of Misha Bart. She competed in the 2005 Grand Prix Ballet Ensemble Finals. She has traveled to Pittsburg to perform Masquerade, choreographed by Milena Leban at the National Dance Festival in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. She has studied with American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive at UT Austin. Shelby was the Lunar Rendezvous Scholarship winner and danced in New York this past summer. Shelby loves being a RAFA Classroom Assistant and the Graded Division Assistant. Shelby is currently a Senior at Clear Creek High School. |
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| Abby Miriah Duhon • Principal |
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 Abby Miriah Duhon, Principal, started her dance training in Pearland at Joyce’s School of Dance at the age of 4. When her family moved, she continued her dance training in Kingwood at Rowland Ballard Dance Academy. Her activities included ballet with teacher Sheryl Rowland and participation in the Kingwood Jazz and Company. Since her family moved again to Clear Lake in 2002, Abby has studied at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts with teachers Lynette Mason Gregg, Amber Thornton, Misha Bart, Milena Leben, George De La Pena, Lauren Garson, Heather Cole, Irina Zakhromeeva, and Luis Fuente. Three years ago, she became the 2005-2006 Helen Mason Scholarship Winner, allowing her to study at the Joffrey Ballet in New York City for a month. She also participated in ABT’s Summer Intensive in Orange County, CA and this past summer, she spent five weeks training with the Princeton Ballet School in Princeton, New Jersey. |
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| Becca Hadsall • Principal |
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 Becca Hadsall, Principal, has studied at RAFA since the age of 4. Becca has appeared in BAHBT’s productions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Dracula, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Copellia, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Contemporary Series and On Edge. Becca is currently an instructor with RAFA, teaching EdPrepS and Overture classes. Becca has studied under Lynette Mason Gregg, Misha Bart, Milena Leben, Luis Fuente, Amber Thornton, Kristina Burgess, Lauren Garson and Beverly Williams. She is a graduate of Friendswood High School and is currently attending San Jacinto Junior College. |
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| Cara Shanks • Principal |
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 Cara Shanks, Principal, a freshman at San Jacinto College South Campus, is excited about her 3rd season with BAHBT. When Cara learned of her love for ballet she began studying with Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy for 5 years. It wasn’t until recently when Cara began to study at RAFA directed by Lynette Mason Gregg under Luis Fuente where she found her true dancing home. Cara also graduated in the class of 2008 at the prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts as a dance major under LuAnne Carter and Janie Carothers. Cara has performed in many of BAHBT’s productions such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Alice and Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, Mujeres, Tangled and Twisted, Exterminated Circumdance and Swan Lake. Cara has been privileged to choreograph at RAFA and HSPVA. She plans to continue her strength in choreography and is excited about this season with BAHBT |
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| Makenzie Stocker • Principal |
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 Makenzie Stocker, Principal, Makenzie’s passion for ballet began at age 3 at the St. Louis Ballet Conservatory, MO. She studied under Andrew and Cheryl Rist at the Minnesota Classical Ballet Academy. Makenzie attended Ballet Arizona’s school and company, and the Arizona Classical Ballet Academy under instruction of Nadya Zubkov. She is thrilled to be going into her third year with BAHBT! This past summer she went to New York as the 1st place Ayman Aaron Harper 2007-2008 scholarship recipient. Makenzie has trained with Ib Anderson, Olga Tarasova, Ethel Dias, Nicoli Moros, Misha Bart, Melena Leben, Andrew and Cheryl Rist, and Luis Fuente. She has performed and soloed in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Pinocchio, Swan Lake, and Alice in Wonderland. Makenzie’s acceptance into Boston Ballet, Pittsburg Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, and The Royal Winnipeg Ballet set her apart as a professional. Makenzie is a junior involved in National Honors Society at Lutheran South Academy. |
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| Kelly Eastwood • Soloist |
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 Kelly Eastwood - Soloist, is entering her 4th year with the company. She has been a student at RAFA since 2000. Kelly has appeared in various productions including BAHBT’s Swan Lake, Edward Scissorhands, The Sleeping Beauty, Retrospective, Coppelia, On Edge, From Russia with Love, Cinderella, Annie Jr. and 8 seasons of The Nutcracker. Kelly has participated in BAHBT’s International Vaganova Workshop and has attended Regional Dance America/Southwest Festival. She has studied ballet at South Carolina’s Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities under the direction of Stanislav Issaev. This summer she traveled to Orange, Texas to help rebuild hurricane-damaged homes. Kelly, a sophomore, is pursuing a business degree at Clear Horizons Early College High School. She is a member of Clear Lake United Methodist Church where she serves as an acolyte. |
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Corps de Ballet |
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