Faculty and Staff

Led by Artistic Director, Mia Whitehead, our best-in-class instructors deliver the finest instruction in San Antonio. Mia and her team of professional ballet instructors have taught dance around the world and across the country. Their perspective reaches beyond our community, inspiring our students to succeed in the studio, on stage, and in life.

Mia Whitehead
Artistic Director

Ballet II, Ballet IV & V

Mia Whitehead began dancing under her mother, Melvina Whitehead, and at Ballet Magnificat! School of the Arts. She completed Belhaven University’s Dance Apprentice Program, receiving extensive training under Lauri Worrill-Biggs and Laura Morton. While at Belhaven, she received scholarships to Joffrey Ballet School, Nashville Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Miss Whitehead danced professionally with Ballet San Antonio and Talk Dance Company, expanding on her dance horizons not only by performing, but also by teaching at the national and international level. Miss Whitehead values the lives of her students and seeks to provide an environment for them to learn and develop their discovered and undiscovered gifts. Mia Whitehead joined the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas as the Artistic Director in June of 2022.

Alexandria (Dria) Ballew
Interim Associate Artistic Director | Social Media Manager

Creative Movement I & II, Ballet I, and Ballet IV, V & VI

Dria Ballew began her dance training at the age of three in San Antonio, Texas at Dorothy Keck Dancers. She then transferred to Ballet New Braunfels followed by Ballet Conservatory of South Texas. While at Ballet Conservatory, she danced with Ballet San Antonio and trained in master classes under Joffrey Ballet. While working toward her BA from Texas State University in English and Anthropology, she trained in Austin in floor barre technique and with Austin Community Ballet. She continued her ballet education at Steps on Broadway in NYC and graduated with her MA in Modern & Contemporary Art in 2020 from Christie’s New York. She returned to San Antonio in 2021, and since then, she has taught Classical Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, and Conditioning as well as performed as a freelance dancer. When she’s not in the studio, she is also an Events & Marketing Manager for a construction association, shoots photography, curates for local artists and galleries, and enjoys traveling, reading, writing, and spending time with her fiancé, her family, and her puppy.

Rachel McCalla
Lower School Principal

Pre-Ballet, Primary Ballet, Open Ballet, and Ballet I & II

Ms. McCalla began her ballet training at the age of 6 with Sandra Bravo at the Performing Arts School of Classical Ballet in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 15, Ms. McCalla expanded her dance training and joined Stellar Gymnastics in Kerrville. Ms. McCalla coached Mommy and Me classes as well as numerous other gymnastic and dance levels. In 2012, Ms. McCalla began teaching for Sandra Bravo at Bravo! Ballet School in the heart of Castle Hills. During this time, Ms. McCalla had the pleasure of working with and training under Mrs. Katia Garza, former principal dancer of the Orlando Ballet. Ms. McCalla enjoys spending her free time with her husband in the beautiful Texas Hill Country that she calls home.

Kayla Fessler
Company Rehearsal Assistant

Pre-Ballet, Primary Ballet, Ballet III & IV, and Modern

Dede Barfield
Instructor

Ballet III, IV & V

Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Ms. Barfield began her training in Ft. Worth with Gayle Corkery and continued at the Etgen Atkinson School in Dallas. At the age of 14, she began studying during the summers at the School of American Ballet in New York City and by the age of 16, she move there to study exclusively. Ms. Barfield joined the Pennsylvania Ballet in 1984, was promoted to Soloist in 1987 and to Principal in 1990. Her repertoire includes a wide variety of classical roles including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Myrtha in Giselle, Vera in Robert Weiss’ full-length production of Winter Dreams, Les Sylphides, the title role in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet. On June 12, 2004, she gave her last performance as a professional dancer as her favorite role of Odette/Odile in Christopher Whealdon’s Swan Lake. Since leaving the Pennsylvania Ballet, Ms. Barfield has been busy teaching at Bryn Mawr College, The Performance Garage at Jeanne Ruddy Dance, The South Jersey Ballet School and with the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Outreach Program. She has been a guest teacher for the Chamberlain Ballet in Plano, Texas, the Country Day School in Ft. Worth, the Brandywine Ballet and the Dance Theater of Pennsylvania. Ms. Barfield also taught ballet classes at the University of Las Vegas during the 2007 Spring semester. In addition to Ms. Barfield’s extensive ballet training and experience, she has studied Pilates since 1979 and in recent years completed a 2-year advanced teacher training seminar with her mentor of 20 years, Karen Carlson. She is certified in all apparatuses and mat. She has been with the Ballet Conservatory since 2007.

Magen Sevilla
Instructor

Pilates

Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Magen Sevilla relocated to San Antonio for graduate school in 2014. Ms. Sevilla joined The Ballet Conservatory of South Texas in 2022 as a certified Pilates instructor. In addition to her successful career as a health and fitness instructor, she is also the owner of Bloom + Stem, a full service online floral business that she started in 2019.

Vianca Palacios
Instructor

Ballet VI

Mariana Alonso
Instructor

Primary Ballet, Open Ballet, Ballet V & VI, and
Intermediate/Advanced Adult Ballet Thursday

Britta Moe
Instructor

Beginner Adult Ballet Wednesday, and
Intermediate/Advanced Adult Ballet Saturday