Julia Ball-DuganArtistic Director
Julia began studying ballet with the Sacramento Ballet under the directorship of Barbara Crockett. Her training also included study with the Boston Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, and scholarship study with the San Francisco Ballet. After graduating from high school, Julia began dancing professionally with the American Festival Ballet under Marius Zirra. While dancing with the Eugene Ballet and Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Julia toured throughout 45 of the continental States, and performed overseas in Taiwan. After dancing professionally for five years, she began her university studies and graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Economics and an MA in Dance Education. Julia founded Stanford’s first ballet company, taught university ballet classes, and received a full-scholarship from former Provost Condoleezza Rice. Julia has been teaching dance for over thirty years, and has directed Nutcracker and other productions for thirty years. She has extensive training in Pilates, EBAS, and Feldenkrais which she tries to incorporate into her teaching. Julia opened AAD in the fall of 1999 with a vision to improve dance training methods and provide a progressive approach to coaching dancers. Julia is certified in levels pre ballet, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the Vaganova method. Julia is also a proud wife, and mother of three children.
Tanya GuntonAssistant Director
Tanya has studied ballet, contemporary/modern, hip-hop, jazz, and lyrical. She has performed and trained with many artists including Julia Dugan, Catherine Marie Davalos, FRIT & FRAT, Nina Haft, Dana Lawton, Randee Paufvee, Benedicte Schoyen, Jill Strauss, and Pepper Von. Tanya has held positions of Assistant Director for Ballet America and Saint Mary’s Dance Company, Cheerleading/Dance Coach for Pacific Palisades HS, Program Director for dance and movement clinics for the Girl Scouts and guest choreographer/instructor for Santa Maria College, Santa Monica Dance Studio, Saint Mary’s College, and HS dance programs. She has performed in professional and community settings in musical theatre, reader’s theatre, a Disney production, and many dance productions. Tanya holds a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Dance from Saint Mary’s College and is obtaining her Teaching Credential and M.S. in Special Education. She currently teaches at the Academy of American Dance and is a Behavior Therapist for autistic children. Tanya is grateful to be a part of the AAB/BA Staff and wholeheartedly supports its mission!
Jenny NagelModern Instructor
Jenny Nagel graduated magna cum laude from UC Irvine with her BA in Dance, and is a certified Pilates instructor. She teaches Ballet, Modern and Pilates/Yoga for AAB, and is thrilled to be on staff with such a wonderful studio that shares her same movement philosophy. Upon graduation from college, Jenny traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska (yes…it was cold!) to teach dance and, upon returning to the central coast, was on staff at Allan Hancock College, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and Infinite Dynamics Pilates Studio. She has performed extensively, and choreographed, at UC Irvine, Allan Hancock College and with various modern dance companies including: Variable Velocity, Transit, Taproot, Liminal and Printz Dance Project. Jenny hopes to squeeze all that she can out of the Bay Area dance community by continuing to teach, perform and choreograph, and is currently working toward her certification in Gyrokinesis. Jenny is currently on staff at AAB and FORM Fitness in Palo Alto.
Adolfo MarazitaBallet Instructor
Mr. Marazita, received his training at the Institute of State Ballet of Budapest which utilizes the Vaganova method. As a Principal Dancer for 38 years, he performed with companies such as Opera Theater of Rome, Paris Opera Ballet, Italian National Ballet, and Opera of Spalato. Mr. Marazita danced classical ballet repertoire and toured in Europe and the United States with ballet stars such as Fernando Bujones and Maya Plisetskaya. He was lauded by dance critics as an elegant, precise, and great dancer. Mr. Marazita received his teacher certification in the Vaganova method at the National Academy of Ballet in Rome, and has extensive teaching experience.
Erika VetterBallet Instructor
Erika Vetter has been in a pair of dancing shoes since the age of 3, as she spent much of her childhood learning jazz, tap, ballet, and pointe in a studio in her hometown in Southern New Jersey. As a teen, she graduated to Jazz Unlimited’s Senior Dance Ensemble, a traveling dance troupe, which often won top honors in competition. Erika set her sights on becoming a Teacher for the Deaf, as well as a dance teacher, and went on to minor in dance at Elmira College in upstate New York, where she was a member of the Orchesis dance company and choreographer for her award-winning varsity cheer and dance squad. As a jazz soloist, she won multiple collegiate-level awards for pieces which she choreographed herself.
Although a car accident forced Erika to hang up her dancing shoes, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology there, and a Master’s degree in Deaf Education with K-12 teacher certification at Canisius College. She then met a loving husband and welcomed 3 children into her life. She credits her late mother with reigniting her passion for dancing and has spent the last few years training at the Academy of American Dance, whose teachers have helped her to regain her strength and technique. The holiday season brings her great joy, as she performs in Ballet America’s Nutcracker production as a member of the corps de ballet. In addition to working as a dance instructor, choreographer and rehearsal director, Erika supplements her training at the San Francisco Ballet School, ODC Dance Commons and San Jose Dance Theatre in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical and modern dance.
Erika holds certification in Kinesiological Stretching and Flexibility, and has attended dance intensives and workshops with Tina LeBlanc, Rubin Centas and Dana Gershwin (San Francisco Ballet) and Augusta Moore (ODC Dance Commons). She is looking forward to completing certification in Progressing Ballet Technique in February.
David Fonnegra
From his beginnings at Ballet Teresa Carreño in Venezuela, David Fonnegra rose to become a principal dancer at just 14 years old with the Ballet Nacionál de Caracas. His early career saw him headlining legendary romantic classics, including Swan Lake, Giselle, and Romeo & Juliet. In 1995, his artistry caught the eye of director Edward Villella, which led to a prestigious seven-year tenure as a principal with Miami City Ballet. There, he mastered the complex Balanchine repertoire alongside traditional masterpieces. Since relocating to California in 2002, David has enriched the West Coast dance scene, performing and choreographing for Diablo Ballet and appearing as a guest artist with State Street Ballet and Channel Island Ballet.
A dedicated mentor, David has spent over a decade shaping the next generation of dancers. He has served on the faculty of renowned institutions, including Alonzo King LINES Dance Center, Houston Ballet, San Jose Dance Theatre, and New World School of the Arts. Beyond the stage, David is a lifelong learner, currently pursuing his academic degree through the St. Mary’s College LEAP Program. Today, he continues to be a sought-after guest artist and teacher across the United States, Europe, and South America, fueled by a passion for artistic excellence and community engagement.
Jayne ZabanBallet and Jazz Instructor
Jayne Zaban, was the owner and director of Dance Arts Center for 52 years. She danced professionally with the Atlanta Ballet Company and has instructed many students who now have professional careers in theatre and dance. Jayne has choreographed productions throughout the Bay Area , including Broadway By The Bay, 42nd St Moon, Lamplighters, The Aurora Theatre, Diablo Light Opera Company, Hillbarn Theatre, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Peninsula Center Stage, and New Conservatory Theatre. She received three nominations for the Bay Area Critics Circle, has been honored with the Garland Award, received the Dean Goodman Award for Out of This World, a Shellie Award for Anything Goes and 3 time winner for the Hillbarn Subscribers Award for Oklahoma, Chicago and Ragtime. Jayne is the recipient of the 2017 Bravo Award for dedication and service to the greater Bay Area Arts Community. She is looking forward to teaching classes at AAD.
Kristina Sutherland
Ballet Instructor
Kristina grew up dancing at a local studio in Moraga CA ; California Academy of Performing Arts, where she learned tap, jazz, ballet, and Russian, character. She attended the Tische dance program at NYU for my Freshman year of college, and then transferred to Emerson College where she got a degree in Dance and Theater Education. Since then, she has taught dance in multiple studio's in the Bay Area, as well as continued to perform locally. In 2014 she started The Green Room Theater and Dance, a company dedicated to putting on Musical Theater Productions in schools from Hillsborough to Saratoga. She is grateful to be a part of American Academy of Dance!
Laura BaldiniBallet Instructor
Laura was trained in Royal American Ballet, jazz dance, and musical theatre. After working in children’s recreation and dancing in college, Laura obtained her Teaching Credential. For the last 23 years, she has been teaching at John Gill, a multi-age performing arts school. She also teaches ballet at the Academy of American Dance.
Aleksei FomkinBallet Instructor
Aleksei Fomkin, PhD, is a distinguished Vaganova Ballet Academy graduate, holding degrees in performance, pedagogy, and contemporary ballet education. From 1991 to 2011, he performed an extensive repertoire with the Mariinsky Theatre and danced as a soloist with South Korea's Universal Ballet, touring globally.Transitioning to leadership, Dr. Fomkin served as Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the Vaganova Academy, where he pioneered higher education degree programs and aligned Russian curriculums with international standards. An accomplished scholar, he has authored 38 research works, including a comprehensive multi-volume guide on the Vaganova method. Recognized as a "Best Expert" by Russia's National Accreditation Agency, his global administrative footprint includes partnerships with elite institutions like the Paris Opera Ballet School. He relocated to California in 2022, where he continues to train the next generation of dancers.
Sara BaldeschwielerPilates Instructor
Sara studied dance for 10 years as a child, then restarted as an adult when her own children became interested. She holds certifications in Pilates and EBAS. Sara has danced in Ballet America’s Nutcracker for 10 years, as lead variation and in the corps de ballet. Outside of the studio, Sara teaches k-5 music in local public schools with the Music for Minors non profit.
Kevin LowAAD Front Desk
Kevin has thirty one years of extensive business and customer care skills supporting many SF Bay Area arts organizations. For 20 years Kevin served as Resident House Manager for Broadway By The Bay and volunteered for local schools including San Mateo High School, Bowditch and Borel Middle School, plus a variety of local theatre groups. For the past 25 years Kevin has been the House Manager / Facilities Manager at the historical Hillbarn Theatre and works as a Quality Assurance / Operations Manager at a company in the automotive industry. Kevin enjoys taking classes in ballet jazz & tap. He combines his love of dance with his administrative expertise to help arts organizations run smoothly and efficiently, and he enjoys his work.