Mia Whitehead

Artistic Director

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 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.

Elysia Petru Hulings

Executive Director

Elysia Petru Hulings is currently the Executive Director of The Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, the only nonprofit ballet academy and pre-professional company in San Antonio.  Elysia’s career has paired a passion for the arts with a commitment to public service.  She started early, holding a company position with the only professional ballet company in San Antonio at the age of 14.

Elysia later pursued a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio, which included more than a year studying art restoration at the Lorenzo de Medici School of Art in Florence, Italy.  After school, Elysia served as Executive Director of the Texas Burn Survivor Society, a nonprofit that helps provide treatment and care to burn survivors. Elysia then left San Antonio with her now-husband and moved to Washington, D.C., where Elysia served as a finance consultant for multiple elected leaders and policy development organizations, including the New Democratic Coalition, Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), and Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI).  After several years in Washington, Elysia and her husband moved to Del Rio, Texas, where Elysia served as the Marketing and Sponsorship Director for Laughlin A.F.B. She also started her own ballet company, Border Ballet, through which she produced community ballet productions and worked with young dancers across west Texas.

After Elysia and her husband were transferred back to San Antonio, Elysia worked closely with multiple nonprofit organizations to expand their development programs and improve their operations.  Along with her leadership of the Ballet Conservatory, Elysia has served as the Development Director (working remotely) for the School for Ethics and Global Leadership, a nonprofit semester school dedicated to molding the next generation of American leaders in Washington, D.C.  She is the former Chapter President of the Texas Humane Legislative Network, and was the Development Chair and member of the Board of Directors for Healthy Futures of Texas.  Currently, Elysia stays involved by serving on her neighborhood HOA, and being selected as Mayoral Appointee to the SA2020 Commission on Strengthening Family Well-Being.

Elysia received her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Certificate in Nonprofit Management, and enjoys spending all her free time with her husband and very active son.

Stephen Hanna

Artistic Advisor

Stephen Hanna is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He danced with The New York City Ballet, where he rose to the rank of Principal Dancer.

Stephen has extensive experience on stage, TV and film.

On and off Broadway, he has appeared on stage in Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler, An American in Paris, On the Town (2014 Revival OBC), Silence! The Musical (Dream Lecter), and in national tours of Come Fly Away (Sid), and The Phantom of the Opera.

His television and film credits include Pose, Forever, Boardwalk Empire, Momsters: When Moms Go Bad, All My Children, Center Stage, and Fourth Position.

Stephen joined the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas as the Artistic Advisor in June of 2022.

If you would like to learn more about Stephen Hanna, please visit stephenrhanna.com