Faculty

Barbara Land attended Point Park College, University of Pittsburgh, and the University of British Columbia, and holds a teaching diploma and certificate from the Royal Academy College in London, England. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she served as Director of the University of Nevada, Reno Dance Program from 1995 to 2010. Barbara is internationally known for her writings on dance history, dancers’ wellness and injury prevention. She has choreographed for The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra (Carmina Burana, Romeo and Juliet, and Rodeo); The Nevada Opera (HMS Pinafore, Pagliacci, Die Fledermaus, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, The Merry Widow and Carmen); Reno Chamber Orchestra (Clearly McCleer The Clocks); and University of Nevada, Reno (Amahl and the Night Visitor, Hansel and Gretel, and The Merry Widow). She has taught at Vassar College; New York Wagner College summer program, Staten Island; Banff Center for the Arts, Canada; Pepperdine University summer program; Ballet Metropolitan, Columbus, Ohio; and the Royal Academy of Dancing International Summer School. Barbara is the recipient of the State of Nevada Governor’s Arts Award in Dance and the Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Nevada, Reno College of Liberal Arts. In the summer of 2010, she made her second trip to the Peruvian Amazon to study the rituals of the rainforest.

Kelly Rubero began her dance training at the age of four with Salwa Rizkalla at Southland Ballet Academy/Festival Ballet Theater in Huntington Beach, California. At 16 she attended the Boston Ballet Summer Intensive Training Program. Kelly moved to Reno in 1998 and has performed in numerous productions with the University of Nevada, Reno, the Nevada Opera, and Alexander Van Alstyne’s A.V.A. Ballet Theater. She has danced various roles in classical ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Coppelia, Giselle, The Nutcracker, and Swan Lake.  In 2003 Kelly received her degree in Secondary Education and recently completed her master's degree in Literacy.

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Miriam Allen studied Royal Academy of Dance from the age of three in England and progressed through theater and modern dance into the International Dance Teachers Association. She started her international career dancing for Doris Haug and Miss Bluebell in Monte Carlo, the Italian Riviera, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Iran, Sicily, Tunisia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris.  After settling in Reno, she began teaching at The Conservatory of Movement in 1988 and is a registered Royal Academy of Dance teacher and co-director of A.V.A. Ballet Theatre.

Mr. Van Alstyne has been dancing since the age of eight in Salt Lake City, Utah, and received full scholarship to the University of Utah. At 15 he began dancing professionally with companies such as Ballet West, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and Utah Ballet. He moved to Reno, Nevada in 1988 for "Hello Hollywood Hello" at Bally's and has been teaching in the community and at the University of Nevada, Reno for the past 20+ years. As a result of his experience in Reno, Mr. Van Alstyne was inspired to create A.V.A. Ballet Theatre.

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Eve Allen Garza is a dancer, dance educator and choreographer in Reno, NV.  She received her MFA in ballet from the University of Utah and BS in business administration with a dance minor from the University of Nevada, Reno. Eve is the founder and director of the Downtown Dance Collective (DDC). DDC is a collaborative dance organization that aims to bring together local talent and present accessible performances to our community. Eve performs locally with A.V.A. Ballet Theatre, Belle Contemporary Dance Company, and Rosie Trump | With or Without Dance. She has choreographed for Municipal Ballet Co. in Salt Lake City, the Nevada Opera, Sierra Nevada Ballet, and the University of Nevada, Reno. Eve is a Ballet Lecturer the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is an active member of the Royal Academy of Dance and teaches syllabus classes for all levels at The Conservatory of Movement.  Eve is a registered teaching artist for the Nevada Arts Council and the Sierra Arts Foundation and utilizes the Kennedy Center’s definition of arts integration in her classes at Lincoln Park Elementary School in Sparks, NV

Kris is the complete package. From dance, to choreography, to directing, Kris is a versatile and dynamic performer armed with a dance style uniquely created from a diverse world of influences.  Kris has performed and collaborated with numerous artists from around the world.  Some of his favorite credits include Mr. Mistoffelees in Cats, and Franco Dragone's Las Vegas Hit Le Rêve.  Originally from Poland, Kris began his dance career at nine years old, studying at the National Ballet School in Warsaw. Excelling in ballet, he then moved on to other genres of musical theatre, and pop music.  Performing professionally for the past decade, Kris has had ample time to hone in on his craft and make a style of his own. With an onstage energy that is unmatched, his star quality will never cease to impress.

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