Faculty Bios

Abbie Siebert was raised in Norfolk and trained with Ballet Virginia reaching our highest academy level. She has performed with and was on the faculty at Texas Ballet Theater. 

Alex Martin grew up in Gainesville, Florida and trained in ballet, jazz and modern at Cameron Dancenter. She attended the University of Tampa where she choreographed and performed in 3 to 4 dance concerts a year while earning a BFA in Visual Arts with a photography concentration. Alex taught visual art in public elementary and high schools in both Florida and Virginia for 4 years. Alex has taught ballet and jazz to all ages throughout the Hampton Roads area. She is also a founding member of the Norfolk Dance Collective and continues to dance with them. 

Amy Haley trained at Westside Ballet in Los Angeles and continued her training at Ballet West, The Joffrey Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet. She performed with Los Angeles Ballet; The Joffrey Ballet; and Jacques d’Amboise’s Atelier, and she danced for four seasons with Expressions Dance in Princeton, NJ. She has degrees from Princeton University and The University of Oxford, England.

Ms. Haley studied pedagogy with The Royal Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She resides in Williamsburg, VA, where she directs The Movement Ballet, a nonprofit performing ensemble. She is honored to join Ballet Virginia’s faculty for the 2026-2027 season.

Ms. Haley specializes in coaching classical variations for ballet competitions, setting Romantic and Classical repertoire on vocational students, and teaching Character Dance.

Ashley Whitlinger is a native of Virginia Beach and a graduate of the Governor’s School for the Arts. She received her bachelor’s degree in Dance from Old Dominion University while also dancing for Virginia Ballet Theatre, Todd Rosenlieb Dance, and mina estrada dancers. Ashley has taught for the past 15 years at private studios, ODU, and the Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Salem High School. She is also certified to teach yoga (E-RYT 500) and has a passion for dance history.

Beth Harr began dancing at the age of 5. She trained professionally at Riverside Ballet Arts in Southern California. She attended intensive ballet training at the National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, and Opera National de Paris. She received a full scholarship to the dance program at University of Irvine, California where she performed works by George Balanchine, Williams Forsythe, Donald McKayle, and David Allan. She also performed lead roles in many ballets including Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Dracula, Swan Lake, and Pas De Quatre. She truly enjoys sharing her love and passion for ballet with the next generation.

Erin Myfanwy has been an actor, singer, and musician for nearly 15 years. She recently graduated from Regent University with her BA in Theatre. Erin currently resides in Virginia Beach and performs both on stage and screen across the Hampton Roads area. She was most recently seen as Maria in The Sound of Music at Regent this past April. Erin has a particular passion for inspiring the next generation of artists to hone their craft. When she is not performing, Erin is an avid gamer, cosplayer, and all around nerd.

Giana Coco – bio coming soon

Helen Gault has graced the stages of many Hampton Roads venues with her work with Ballet Virginia and Virginia Ballet Theatre. She danced many principal roles with Ballet Virginia including Sugar Plum Fairy, Princess Aurora and Snow White. We are thrilled to have her on faculty.

Helen Hope – bio coming soon

Leah Upchurch – bio coming soon

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