NBT | About

ABOUT NATIONAL BALLET
OF TEXAS

Finding inspiration in every move

National Ballet of Texas’ mission is to bring artistry and creativity to the North Texas community through world-class classical and contemporary ballet. From presenting both renowned classical repertoire and brand new works, the company aims to promote its artform in an accessible way—focusing on outreach and education. Additionally, National Ballet of Texas works to ensure collaboration with other artists in the community from musicians and visual artists to actors and designers in order to present highly engaging, entertaining and emotive movements.

Meet The Company

Cindi Lawrence Hanson

Founder & Director

Cindi’s early training began at the Royal School of Dance in Winter Park, Florida under the direction of Edith Royal, twice president of DMA (Dance Masters of America). She later studied with Peter Van Muyden (San Francisco Ballet), Job Saunders (Netherlands Dans Theatre), as well as Sonja Tyven, Robert Lindgren and Duncan Noble (Ballet Russe, NYC Ballet). She was chosen to dance in ballets by Agnes DeMille (A Rose for Emily) and Job Saunders (Summer Night). After graduation from the University of NC School of Arts Cindi moved to Texas to pursue her dream of teaching ballet. For more than 30 years her studio, Gotta Dance, has remained a leader in dance education where she continues to teach classical ballet and choreograph. She also directs its student company, Plano Metropolitan Ballet. Cindi is credited with founding Plano’s annual dance festival, Dance Plano! as well as Plano Arts Week.

Lea Zablocki

Company Coach

Lea Zablocki is originally from northern New Jersey. She has had most of her classical training from Master Gabriella Darvash, as well as the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC. She has danced with various classical and contemporary companies such as Metropolitan Classical Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Roxey Ballet, Dallas Neo-Classical Ballet, Mejia Ballet International, Contemporary Ballet Dallas, and Repertory Dance Theatre. Some of her favorite repertory includes principal and leading roles in Sheherazade, Paquita, Bolero, Gaite Parisienne, Le Train Bleu, Walpirgis Night, Les Sylphides, Christopher Fleming’s The 3 Musketeers, Septime Weber’s Peter Pan, as well as versions of Dracula, Othello, and too many Nutcrackers to name. A number of ballets have been choreographed for Lea including The Firebird, Formation, and the full length ballet Kaguya Hime. Lea currently teaches master classes nationally, is an active member of Dance Masters of America, Adjudicator for ICON Dance Competition, and President of Over the Bridge Arts.

GUEST ARTISTS

Kyle Baird

Born in Kimberley, South Africa, Kyle began his formal ballet training with Christine Filmater. In 2015, he took part in the Aspirant Programme for Joburg Ballet under the Aspirant Coordinator Chase Bosch. He began dancing for Joburg Ballet professionally and worked his way up to the rank of Senior Corps de Ballet under the Artistic Directorship of Iain Macdonald. He trained exclusively with Thabang Mabaso during his time in Johannesburg. In 2021, he was accepted into Cape Town City Ballet under the leadership of Debbie Turner. In 2023, he began working with Ballet Frontier of Texas under the directorship of Chung-Lin Tseng. Some of Kyle’s notable roles include The Nutcracker Prince and Snow King in The Nutcracker, Rothbart and Spanish in Swan Lake, King Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Matadors in Don Quixote, Cavaliers in The Sleeping Beauty, Toreador and Don José in Carmen, Lead Violin Partner in Concerto Barocco, Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. With permission from Ballet Frontier of Texas, Kyle will be guesting for National Ballet of Texas.

Hannah ter Beek

Hannah began her ballet training in Plano, Texas, at the age of 4. At 6, she joined Gotta Dance, where she continued her training through high school. During her time there she became a member of the school’s resident company, Plano Metropolitan Ballet, where she performed in original productions and refined both her technique and artistic expression. As a student, Hannah also had the opportunity to perform with Avant Chamber Ballet in The Sleeping Beauty and Alice in Wonderland. In 2023, Hannah earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. During her time at OU, she performed as the lead dancer in the opera The Pearl Fishers, went on tour to Mexico, danced in Serenade by George Balanchine, and collaborated with a professional film crew to stream Signature by Price Suddarth. Hannah currently resides in Kansas, where she shares her passion for dance as a ballet instructor at Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts.

COMPANY ARTISTS

Sydney Blalock Ritchie

Sydney began her training in classical ballet and other dance styles at the age of 10 in Dallas. In addition to her year-round training, she attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and others. Her professional performance career began at the age of 16, when Sydney was honored to be part of the local cast for the Moscow Ballet production of The Nutcracker. Her classical repertoire includes Paquita, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. In 2014, Sydney earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and a Minor in Dance with honors at Texas Woman’s University. While earning her undergraduate degree, Sydney began dancing for Gaudium Dance Theater and continued with Gaudium while earning her law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in 2018. Sydney is also an ABT Curriculum certified teacher and is honored to have had her choreography performed at two Regional Dance America conventions—the first in 2024 at the National Convention in Florida and recently in 2025 at the Southwest Region Convention in Arkansas. In addition to being Ballet Mistress for National Ballet of Texas, Sydney continues to teach and choreograph for Gotta Dance and its studio company, Plano Metropolitan Ballet, where she has taught for over 10 years.

Erika Bressler

Erika Bressler grew up in Southeastern Michigan and began their dance education at age 5, training at the River Raisin Dance Academy with a focus on the Cecchetti method. She completed several levels of Cecchetti training, including earning her Intermediate Professional certification, and performed in numerous full-length ballets, including The Nutcracker and Coppelia. Erika continued training with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Pre-Professional Program and later joined the Graduate Program, where they performed excerpts from Paquita, Sleeping Beauty and The Awakening of Flora. Following her training at PBT, Erika joined the Alonzo King LINES Ballet as a Trainee in San Francisco; and in 2024, Erika began their professional career with Ballet Papillon. Erika is excited to be joining the National Ballet of Texas as she continues to grow as a dancer, choreographer, and artist.

Stephanie Eggers

Stephanie Eggers is from Kildeer, Illinois, where she grew up training at Barrington Dance Academy. Stephanie graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2022, with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Ballet Performance, Bachelor of Science in Biology with Honors, and a Minor in Psychology. She has danced as a soloist in Ballet Vermont’s Farm to Ballet Project in 2021, and as a principal in 2022. Stephanie danced with Ballet Quad Cities for two seasons and in the summer of 2023, performed with Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Heather Maloy’s world premiere of Cleopatra. Since moving to Dallas in 2014, she has performed with Ballet Papillon, as a guest artist with The Movement Academy and Denton Ballet Academy, and in the 2025 Seeds Concert by the Agora Artists.

Allegra Holland

Allegra is thrilled to be joining National Ballet of Texas for their inaugural season. Hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, she trained with Dayspring School of the Arts and later took scholarships with Joffrey New York and Ballet West traineeship. Allegra has been dancing professionally for over a decade now. A few of her favorite roles include Katrina in Toledo Ballet's The Sleepy Hollow, Balanchine's Rubies with Oklahoma City Ballet, Mina in Dracula at Ballet Quad Cities and Snow Queen with Albany Berkshire Ballet’s The Nutcracker. She would like to thank her parents and teachers who supported her every move and God for all these opportunities!

Haley Whitman

Haley began her dance training at Murphy Dance Studio in Albany, Georgia. While training, she was also a member of Ballet Theatre South, performing lead roles such as “Alice” in Alice in Wonderland and “Clara” in The Nutcracker. Haley spent her summers attending the Joffrey Ballet School on full scholarship, Atlanta Ballet, and the Governor’s Honors Dance Program. Haley later moved to Plano to join Joffrey Ballet School as a ballet trainee. After graduating from the Joffrey Ballet School, Haley started her professional career as a company artist with Ballet Papillon. Haley enjoys teaching at Hathaway Academy of Ballet and Kitty Carter’s Dance Factory inspiring the next generation of dancers.

COMPANY APPRENTICES

Miriam Fease

Miriam began her dance training at age 9 in Plano, Texas, at Gotta Dance under Cindi Lawrence Hanson. She immediately joined Plano Metropolitan Ballet, studying under Sydney Blalock Ritchie, Madeline Boyce, and Diane Line. In 2023, Miriam danced with Avant Chamber Ballet as a trainee. While dancing with ACB, Miriam had the opportunity to perform in their productions of Walpurgisnacht and Dracula. In addition to her year-round training, Miriam also participated in summer intensives at Ballet Austin, Texas Ballet Theater, and Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet. In addition to performing, Miriam is currently a teacher at Gotta Dance.

Abigail Pontius

Abigail Pontius is from southcentral Pennsylvania where she enrolled in her first dance class at the age of 6. She began her professional training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet when she was 13. In 2020, she continued her training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts where she earned a B.F.A. in ballet. During her four years there, she had the opportunity to perform in George Balanchine’s Serenade, John Taras’ Firebird, Endalyn T. Outlaw’s (née Taylor) Shostakovich Suite, and Ilya Kozadayev’s new production of The Nutcracker. She moved to Dallas, Texas, to begin her professional career and was a company artist with Ballet Papillon for their 2024-2025 season. Abigail has also performed in the State Fair of Texas’ “Illumination Sensation.”

Cera Taylor

Cera Taylor began her classical training at the age of 3 in Plano at Gotta Dance, appearing in many original ballet performances with Plano Metropolitan Ballet. In 2011, she expanded her training to precision dance and drill team where she performed as a Kilgore College Rangerette from 2013 to 2015, with opportunities to dance overseas. After graduating from Kilgore College, she studied at Texas Tech University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Performance. She appeared in many performances, including the University Dance Company's production of DanceTech: Triggered in 2017 and she performed as an apprentice in Flatlands Dance Theater's production Origin Stories, also in 2017.

Millie Wallace

Millie began her dance training at age 3, and at age 9 she began Royal Academy of Dance training at Texas Ballet Theater under Lyndette Galen. She has trained in Texas Ballet Theater’s Professional Training program since 2021, under Anna Donovan, Mishic Liberatore Hayden Stark and Rhodes Elliott. Millie attended summer intensives at ABT, Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Tulsa Ballet and TBT. In 2024, Millie was invited to and participated in the Royal Academy of Dance Margot Fonteyn Ballet Competition in London.

UPCOMING SHOWS

ABOUT NATIONAL BALLET OF TEXAS

Meet The Company

GUEST ARTISTS

COMPANY ARTISTS

COMPANY APPRENTICES

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ABOUT NATIONAL BALLET
OF TEXAS