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 Evelyn Ireton,
owns and directs
both Houston Academy of Dance and West University Dance Centre. Dancing
since the age of 6 years old, Ms. Ireton combined her passion for dance
with her love of teaching, graduating Magna cum Laude from the University
of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Education. The focus of Ms.
Ireton’s career has been to train dancers. From her extensive training and
successful performing career, she brings her students a wealth of
knowledge and experience. Believing in a strong classical ballet
background as the foundation of all other styles, Ms. Ireton has also
concentrated in the study of the purely American dance style of jazz. She
trained with the pioneering legends of jazz including Matt Mattox, Gus
Giordano, and Camille Long Hill as well as many others in order to stay
current with the ever changing trends in jazz dance.
Both Houston Academy of Dance and West University Dance Centre are well
respected by the dance community and referred by
Houston Ballet. In
addition to directing the schools, Ms. Ireton has been a member of the
dance faculty of Episcopal High School, Houston, since 1991. Her
choreography has been presented at the Houston Ballet Summer Workshop,
National Convention for High School Dance,
Tanzsommer Festival,
Austria,
Choreographers X 6 and Dance Month at the Jewish Community Center,
Houston.
 Ginger
Herrera,
a native of Houston,
Texas, graduated in 1984 from the High School
for the Performing
and Visual Arts. Beginning her dance training at the Houston Academy of
Dance under the direction of Evelyn Ireton in 1972, Ginger has studied at
numerous places with a variety of teachers. Ginger studied with Leon Danillian, of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, at University of Texas on
scholarship in 1985, the Royal Academy of London, England, 1979, and Clara Cravey at Houston Ballet Academy in 1984. In addition to her extensive
training, Ginger has also taught dance to various artists both at the
Houston Academy of Dance and Spring Branch ISD and she has served as the
co-director of the Bayou City Dance Company. Adding to her training and
exposure to various styles of dance, Ginger attended the
Jazz Dance World
Congress, Chicago, in 2002. Ginger
has been Assistant Director of HAD since
2003.
STAFF
Julie Comfort
graduated Magna cum Laude from S.U.N.Y. College
at Brockport with a B.S. in Mathematics and a Minor in Dance. She
performed with Danscore; the college’s touring company, visiting local
schools and universities promoting dance awareness and education. She
continued teaching at the Dancenter in Medina, NY and performed in a local
production of “42nd Street”. Upon moving to Houston, Julie began teaching at
Houston Academy of Dance while maintaining a full-time job outside of the
studio.
 Kenneth
Epting,
a native of Chicago, received a bachelors degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University
and a secondary mathematics certification and a masters degree in
Counseling from Prairieview A&M University. Kenneth’s dance training
includes such noted schools as Alvin Ailey American School of Dance and
Martha Graham School. He has received high acclaim for many of his
choreographic works. Kenneth has been the resident
choreographer and artistic director for the Classic Dance Ensemble at
Prairie View A&M since 1990. Kenneth is the founder and artistic director of
Exclamation Dance Company.
 Melanie
Kendall
is from Allen, Texas and has been dancing since she was three and recently
graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts
in Dance and a minor in accounting. Melanie has participated in national
dance conventions such as Tremaine, L.A. Dance Magic, and Company Dance
and was a member of the Kista Tucker Dance Company. She was a SHSU dance
scholarship recipient from 2004 thru 2008 and spent the summer of 2006 in
Chicago dancing on scholarship at
Giordano Jazz Company. She was a member
of the SHSU Dance Company since 2004 and has performed in pieces
choreographed by Melissa Wynn, Dana Nicolay, Jennifer Pontius, Kista
Tucker, Jonathan Charles and guest artists Elijah Gibson, Renny Harris,
and Joy Kellman. This year Melanie moved to Houston and will be an intern
for the Houston Met.
 Lynzy
Lab is a native Houstonian, and received the bulk of her training at
the The Houston Metropolitan Dance Center. With 8 years of training
already under her belt, she began dancing for their youth company "Met
Too" at the age of 12 and was eventually inducted into the professional
company at 17. Lynzy has taught and choreographed for several studios in
the Greater Houston Area including The Met. She received the
Gregory Heinz Scholarship Award from
Broadway Theatre Project, which she
has attended for the past 3 years. She has performed in Texas Contemporary
Weekend, Pink! The musical, Choreographers x 6, and many festivals in the
Dallas/Fort Worth area. She also danced in the Intercoiffure Hair Show at
the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, where she lived for a short time
this past fall. She is glad to be home in Houston and is excited to start
teaching for WUDC and HAD!!
 Patricia
Salvo
began her training with Houston Academy of Dance
and has had extensive training in LA and New York. She has performed
professionally in musical theatre for over 15 years. Nationally, she
has performed with Cleveland Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Casa Manana,
Northshore Music Theatre, Ordway Theatre, and in over 20 productions with
Theatre Under the Stars. She has also performed internationally in
Japan, along with Las Vegas revues, workshops in New York, and on “The Today Show” with Charo. She
choreographs for professional theatres, community theatres, and local high
schools.
 Erica
Wetherell
grew up in the Los Angeles area where she trained under Victoria Koenig at
the Inland Pacific Ballet. She also studied with the Pacific Northwest
Ballet School and the School of American Ballet before moving to Houston
to train with the Houston Ballet Academy. In 1999 she was invited by Ben
Stevenson to join the Houston Ballet. During her career Mrs. Wetherell
danced various roles in classics like Swan Lake, Cinderella, Stevenson's
Dracula and Snow Maiden, Trey McIntyre's Peter Pan and Stanton Welch's
Bruiser, among others. After retiring she continued in non-profit
work before starting a family. She and her husband Jeremy now enjoy
raising their two young children, Marin and Graham.
ADDITIONAL STAFF
Steven Miller
Sharon
Sebastian
Tapley Seaford Whaley
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