Volée Classical Ballet School fosters both professional technical training and in-depth development of the creative process. The structured discipline of Classical Ballet combined with theatrical experience offers a valuable opportunity for students to thrive as dance artists. Cynthia and Andre share a love and vision of dance. Their dedicated desire to share their wealth of knowledge and create opportunities for others forms the foundation of Volée. Koko de la Isla Koko has studied a variety of dance forms including ballet, baroque dance, modern dance, jazz, and tap. She received a Bachelor of Art degree in dance and continued on to graduate study in dance choreography at the University of California, Irvine, where she found Flamenco as her life's work. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area to focus on Flamenco, she studied with Rosa Montoya, Diana Alejandre, Isa Mura and LaTania. In 1993, she went to Spain to study with "El Guito". To start her professional career as a Flamenco artist, she formed a Flamenco group, "Arte Flamenco", and has performed throughout the Bay Area as a soloist. Since 1994, she has performed at the tablao "La Bodega" in San Francisco as a guest artist. From 1995-1997, she returned to Japan, "the Flamenco heaven" where Flamenco is most appreciated besides Spain. She studied with El Poka Okazaki and "Angelita Vargas" from Spain and performed with the Flamenqueros as a soloist. In Japan, she performed at tablaos, "El Pancho" in Kobe and "Esperanza" in Tokyo as a guest artist. Now back in the Bay Area she teaches Flamenco classes in San Mateo and Sunnyvale, and performs at local tablaos. Sherri LeBlanc Sherri LeBlanc was born in Dover, Delaware and trained at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania under Marcia Dale Weary. She started her professional career with the New York City Ballet, later joining the Deutsch Oper Am Rhein in Dusseldorf Germany, and finished her career dancing for 9 years as a soloist Dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. Sherri has danced many principal roles in Balanchine ballets, Robbins ballets, new works, and story ballets, including "The Nutcracker", "Othello", " Giselle", and "Sleeping Beauty". Teaching around the bay area, Sherri's classes are greatly influenced by former teachers such as Marcia Dale Weary, Shannon Bresnahan, Nancy Bielski and Henry Berg. Currently, Sherri is also a certified massage therapist and enjoys helping dancers work through all of the trials which ballet can place on the body. Tina Mollis Born on the east coast and raised in Los Angeles, Tina has performed in numerous television, film, commercial and stage productions including the movie "Tap" and "The Alan King Show". Some of her favorite stage credits (her first love) include national tours/regional productions of "A Chorus Line", "Cabaret", "Company", and "The Music Man". Additionally, she was honored to have been a tap dancer with The Rhythm Kings Jazz Orchestra and the legendary Cab Calloway at various venues in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. A graduate of UC Berkeley and San Francisco State University, Tina has lived and taught in numerous metropolitan cities including Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Currently she lives in Seattle with her family and is an actress and cabaret singer. In addition, she continues to choreograph and teach jazz, tap and musical theatre at various academies and has been an artist-in-residence for many years with the Seattle School District. Her award winning choreography has been seen at such venues as Canada's Symphony of Dance, Seattle's Civic Light Opera, A Taste of Chicago, Woodinville Repertory Theatre and numerous jazz/tap concerts. She loves working with children where she is able to share her experiences and knowledge from some of her mentors in the dance theatre world including Joe Bennett and Henry LeTang. Elizebeth Randall Elizebeth began her dance training in Santa Cruz where she performed nationally as a member of Santa Cruz Ballet Theater. She studied at Santa Monica College and San Francisco State University where she recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Dance. Elizebeth has participated in dance intensives and workshops with the Joffrey Ballet School, Limon Company, and ODC/San Francisco. She is currently performing with local companies Liss Fain Dance, Dance Ceres, Davalos Dance Company, and Terry Sendgraff's Motivity Aerial Dance. Elizebeth is a teaching assistant to dance professor Susan Whipp at SFSU and teaches children's modern dance classes at Lamorinda Ballet Center in Moraga. She has enjoyed teaching ballet and modern dance to children of all ages for nearly ten years. Elizebeth’s association with Volée began as guest faculty in the summer of 2004. Her brilliant choreography was featured in Volée’s production of The Selfish Giant. Travis Rowland Travis S. Rowland is currently a student at SFSU double majoring in Theatre Arts (Popular Theatre) and Dance (Performance & Choreography). In the future he plans on working in the public relations and/or entertainment arenas. He has taught Hip-Hop dance at Stars Dance Studio, Eugene Field Elementary in San Diego, and at The Monterey Youth Center in Monterey. While attending SDSU he toured in two annual children’s theatre shows which performed at various Elementary/Jr. High schools, the SDSU Children’s Theatre Festival of the World, and at the Cultural Center in Tijuana, Mexico. Travis has choreographed and instructed dance routines for private lessons, group classes, competitions, and exhibitions including a San Diego Stars Dance Studio Las Vegas competition and Knott’s Betty Farm exhibition. He has also choreographed The Wiz and Annie for Pleasant Hill Middle School, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood at SFSU for the student showcase. Travis is currently dancing with Paco Gomes and Dancers, Serene Dance Collective, and will be dancing with Anne Bluethenthal and Dancers for SummerFest 2005. He has been dancing Hip-Hop off and on for the past eleven years. Recently he has been enjoying the challenge of teaching his body the new languages of Modern, Modern Jazz, Afro-Brazilian Contemporary, and Ballet since he began his attendance at SFSU in the spring of 2003. Charles Torres Charles was born in Mesa, Arizona. He began his ballet training under Judy Churma and Florence Davich. From there he received full scholarships to San Francisco Ballet School, Cleveland Ballet School, Royal Danish Ballet School Workshops, School of American Ballet, Arizona State University, and also has earned his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Mary’s College. His wide range as a performing artist encompasses the contemporary works of Balanchine and other 20th century choreographers as well as the full-length classics. Charles currently is a guest artist, teacher, and ballet master. This past season Charles has been a principal guest artist with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Diablo Ballet, and recently with Company C under Charles Anderson. He has danced principal roles for Smuin Ballets led by internationally renowned choreographer and director Michael Smuin. He is currently on faculty at Stapleton School of Performing Arts, a guest teacher at San Francisco Dance Center (Home of Lines Contemporary Ballet), and The Ballet Studio SF under director Henry Berg. He spent six years on faculty and as a rehearsal assistant at the Ballet San Jose/Silicon Valley School (formerly San Jose/Cleveland Ballet).