Yuki Tokuda

Yuki was born in Japan and trained at the Joffrey Ballet School, and Steps on Broadway. She spent summers at the Boston Ballet, and the Connecticut Ballet. Yuki has danced with the Metopolitan Ballet, Peoria Ballet and USA Ballet. She performed the roles of Lucile Grahn in Pas de Quatre, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, the Lilac Fairy and Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote.

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Emily Herringshaw

Emily graduated from Northwestern College with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Dance & Ministry.  She also studied at McPhail Center of Music; Saint Paul Conservatory for the Arts; Ballet Minnesota, Ballet Arts (MDT) and Belhaven University.   She has performed with several companies including the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, Lyric Arts Theatre and Ballet Arts.   Emily is an experienced and engaging instructor.

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Joseph Bingham

Joseph received his early training from Minnesota Dance Theatre and Continental Ballet Company and recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, where he studied Dance and Arts Administration. He performed as Dream Curly in Oklahoma at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres and has produced two shows in the Minnesota Fringe Festival: Conundrum (2007) and Conundrum Rehabbed (2008). Joseph has performed in numerous ballets for Continental Ballet Company.

Stephanie Heston

Stephanie Heston is originally from Topeka, Kansas and enjoyed a 15 year career as a professional ballerina performing all over the United States as well as internationally. Throughout the years Ms. Heston has taught classical ballet to all levels and all ages at various schools around the country and enjoys choreographing original works for students. From 2009-2011 she served as Artistic Director of North Ballet Academy and Youth Company in Rogers, MN where she developed a comprehensive 10 year ballet syllabus loosely based on the Vaganova Method and created a full length original production of “The Nutcracker” that was well received by critics and audiences alike. Ms. Heston is passionate about sharing her experience, knowledge and love of classical ballet with the next generation of dancers and is excited to join the faculty at Continental Ballet Company.

Alicia Smith

Alicia earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree (2009) from the Dance program at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. There, Smith trained primarily in ballet and in modern dance, in addition to studying Musical Theater, Tap and a variety of world dances (such as Hip-hop/Jazz, Irish step, East Indian, and Flamenco).  Alicia took part in the department’s many dance performances annually, worked with the visiting teachers/artists, in addition to choreographing and performing in student pieces.

Before college, Smith graduated from Stoneleigh-Burnham School for girls in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2004.  She participated in the school’s dance program and numerous performances. Alicia was also a member of the school’s Dance Performance Project group, and received a number of dance awards during her four years at SBS. Smith has also performed with the Dance Theatre of Harlem in Donald Byrd’s Nutcracker, here in Minneapolis.  She has interned at the Children’s Theatre Company, assisting in its summer camp dance classes, while choreographing pieces for the student performances. Most recently, Alicia taught dance to students at Ames/Sheridan Elementary Saturday School in St. Paul.