Student & Faculty Achievements and Conservatory Alumni

The Maple Conservatory of Dance is proud of all our hard-working students. The following is a list of recent student achievements, faculty achievements and graduating student alumni since our founding in fall 2007:

2010

• Conservatory Students' 2010 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  American Ballet Theatre*, Ballet Met*, Ballet West*, Bolshoi Ballet Academy Intensive, Boston Ballet*, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell, Houston Ballet *, Joffrey Ballet*, Julliard School, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet *, Nashville Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet*, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre*, Princeton Ballet School*, The Rock School*, Royal Ballet School*, San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, Washington Ballet*
  * 28 merit scholarships were awarded to more than 16 Maple Conservatory students to noted programs
• Post-graduate acceptances & invitations for our high school seniors and post-graduate students:
   
  Andie Bartol (graduating Pacifica High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to LINES Ballet/Dominican University BFA in Dance program
  Anne Carr (graduating Los Alamitos High): Accepted to Univ. of California, Irvine, Dept. of Dance program
  Jean-Pierre Lemire (graduating Los Alamitos High):  Accepted to Purchase College, State Univ. of New York, Conservatory of Dance
  Olivia Myhra:  Invited to join Tulsa Ballet II
  Brandon Weilein:  Invited to join Joffrey Ballet Chicago Trainee Program
   
  Our H.S. seniors and post-graduate students were also accepted to following colleges & trainee dance programs: Ballet Met's Trainee Program, Calif. State University, Long Beach Dept. of Dance, Nashville Ballet II, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Graduate Program, Princeton Ballet Theatre School's Graduate Program, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, and University of Washington.
• Charles Maple & Kathy Crade Attend Invitational SAB Workshop: Maple Conservatory's Charles Maple and Kathy Crade were recently honored with an invitation to attend the second National Teacher's Weekend at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City in February. Charles and Kathy were invited by Peter Martins, artistic director of SAB, and were part of a small group of outstanding ballet school directors and teachers from around the country.
• Jordan Hammond (Conservatory alumnus), San Francisco Ballet company member, Corps de Ballet
• Austin Coull, Bela Erlandson, Patrick Frenette, Jean-Pierre Lemire, Tate Lee, Preston Martin, Mark Schneider, Kentaro Shiozawa and Saxon Wood, winners of the Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarships for male ballet students
• Olivia Myhra, Top 12-Men & Women in the Classical Ballet category and in the Contemporary Ballet category, Senior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals; also invited to the YAGP New York Finals
• Tate Lee, Top 12 in the Pre-Competitive Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Kelsie Nobriga and Bryn Watkins, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-Finalists (Ballet category)
• Natalie Nguyen, semi-finalist at the 2010 Prix de Lausanne held in Lausanne, Switzerland. Natalie was only 1 of 3 female American dancers, out of 38 international female candidates invited to this prestigious competition.

2009

• Raquel Kelly, Ballet West Trainee with scholarship (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Brandon Weilein, San Francisco Ballet School Pre-Professional level with scholarship
• Our Graduating High School Seniors (and H.S. Juniors):
   
  Danielle Chiapella:  Invited to Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy; also accepted w/ scholarship to Houston Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Kalena Fujii (graduated Sage Hill School):  Invited to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Graduate Program; also accepted w/ scholarship to PBT's Summer Intensive; and accepted to Bard College in New York (Fall 2010)
  Karen Johnson:  Invited w/ two-year scholarship to Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko Upper School in Germany; also accepted w/ scholarship to San Francisco Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Alysse Maglior (graduated Orange Lutheran High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to Indiana University, Jacobs School Ballet Department; also accepted to American Ballet Theatre's New York Summer Intensive
  Quinn Mason:  Invited to University of the North Carolina School of the Arts; also accepted w/ scholarship to Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program
  Olivia Myhra (graduated Capistrano Connections Academy):  Continuing post-graduate training at the Maple Conservatory's Professional Dance Division; also accepted to Washington Ballet's Summer Intensive
  Dennis Williams (graduated Capistrano Valley High):  Accepted w/ scholarship to Belhaven College, Dance Dept. in Jackson, MS
   
  Our H.S. seniors were also accepted to following college & post-graduate dance programs and colleges:
  Bennington College (w/ scholarship), Franklin & Marshall College, Goucher College, Marlboro College (w/ scholarship), Mercyhurst College (Dance major w/ scholarship), Nashville Ballet II, Southern Utah University, University of Utah (Ballet major w/ scholarship)
• Rebekah Miller (Conservatory alumnus), Columbia City Ballet (Columbia, SC) company member
• Steven Morse (Conservatory alumnus), San Francisco Ballet company member, Corps de Ballet
• Patrick Frenette, Top 12 Junior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix New York Finals (awarded a full scholarship to the Royal Ballet School's International Summer School in the U.K.); First Place in the Contemporary Ballet category and Second Place in the Classical Ballet category, Junior Age Division, YAGP Regional Semi-Finals
• Karen Johnson, 2009 Prix de Lausanne Finalist, held in Lausanne, Switzerland (only 1 of 2 Americans to perform in the Final round of 20);  Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Finalist (Ballet category)
• Quinn Mason, Top 12 in the Classical Ballet category and in the Contemporary Ballet category, Senior Age Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Tate Lee, Second Place in the Pre-Competitive Division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Austin Coull, Patrick Frenette, Tate Lee, Mark Schneider, Kentaro Shiozawa and Brandon Weilein, winners of the Petit Oasis Foundation tuition scholarships for male ballet students
• Bryn Watkins, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-Finalist (Ballet category)
• Conservatory Students' 2009 Summer Intensive Acceptances:
  American Ballet Theatre, ABT Young Dancers Program *, Ballet Met *, Ballet West, Bolshoi Ballet Academy New York, Boston Ballet (Boston and Newton, MA), Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program *, Houston Ballet *, Jillana School, Joffrey Midwest, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet *, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre *, Royal Ballet School *, San Francisco Ballet *, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, The Rock School *, Washington Ballet *
  * 14 Maple Conservatory students were awarded partial- or full-merit scholarships to noted programs

2008

• Jordan Hammond and Steven Morse, San Francisco Ballet Trainees
• Steven Morse, Bronze medalist in the Senior Men's division at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York (only dancer from the U.S. to place in the top three in the Senior Men's division)
• Rebekah Miller, professional cast member, The Glory of Christmas production at the Crystal Cathedral
• Steven Morse, winner in the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars at the Center program (Ballet category) and Finalist in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards (Ballet category)
• Rachen Bryant, Ally Helman, Kendall Kerley, Aubry Mason, Avery Page, Anna Rezhko and Rachel Richens featured in American Ballet Theatre's Etudes performances at the Orange County Performing Artscenter
• Jordan Hammond, Karen Johnson and Steven Morse, Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards Semi-finalists (Ballet category)
• Karen Johnson and Quinn Mason, semi-finalists in the Orange County Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars at the Center scholarship program
• Karen Johnson and Quinn Mason, Top 12 in the Classical Senior division, Youth America Grand Prix Regional Semi-Finals
• Conservatory Students' 2008 Summer Intensive Acceptances:  American Ballet Theatre (Alabama, Detroit, New York ** and Orange County), ABT Young Dancer Summer Workshop, Boston Ballet (Boston and Newton, MA), Chautauqua Ballet Festival Program, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet (Sessions I-III), Kirov Academy of Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Princeton Ballet School *, Princeton Dance and Theatre, San Francisco Ballet *, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, School of American Ballet, The Rock School *, Washington Ballet
  ** ABT National Training Scholarship recipient,  * One or more Maple Conservatory students awarded partial- or full-merit scholarships

Questions?

Please feel free to contact us if you have questions about our Conservatory program. Or you may stop by our location to speak with a Conservatory staff member.