2026 Faculty
Fara Sciulli Bowen
Fara Sciulli Bowen began her intensive ballet training under the direction of renowned master teacher, Roberto Munoz, in the Conservatory at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the age of fifteen Ms. Sciulli Bowen was invited by legendary ballet coach, Ms. Laura Alonso, to perform with Ms. Alonso’s youth company, Pro-Danza, in Argentina, Brazil and Cuba.
After dancing in Cuba, Ms. Sciulli Bowen joined Lexington Ballet, in Lexington, Kentucky for two seasons. She was then invited to dance for Ben Stevenson O.B.E, with Houston Ballet for the next six seasons. In the many ballets she danced, her favorites were: Ben Stevenson’s Peer Gynt, Swan Lake, Dracula, Cleopatra, Snow Maiden, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow, George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments and Serenade, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Gloria, Harold Lander’s Etudes, and her most favorite and rewarding role was in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated.
Ms. Sciulli Bowen was an adjunct ballet professor at Point Park University for eight years before moving back to Houston. She has taught for Houston Ballet Academy, Houston Met, The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston (HSPVA), Payne Academy of Ballet, Fort Bend Academy of Dance, and Vitacca Vocational School for Dance.
Ms. Sciulli Bowen is passionate about working with dancers recovering from injury. She identifies weaknesses and works with the student to ease them back safely into full-time work, along with preventative maintenance. Over the last ten years, she has found what helps dancers the most when they are struggling with lower back, hip, knee and ankle issues.
Jordan Brasfield
Ms. Brasfield is originally from Louisiana where she began her classical ballet training in the Vaganova method from Constantin Apetrei, of the Bolshoi and from Kelly Fortier Apetrei of Dallas Ballet. After moving to Texas, she continued her training at Houston Ballet Academy, studying under Clara Cravey, Martine Harley, and Steve Brule. Upon graduation, she received a ballet scholarship to the University of Oklahoma where she majored in Ballet Performance. As a ballet scholarship dancer, she studied under Mary Margaret Holt and Allan Kinzie while performing with the Oklahoma Festival Ballet. Additionally, Ms. Brasfield’s strengths afforded multiple scholarships to the Joffery Ballet and North Carolina School of the Arts.
Ms. Brasfield has danced roles such as Clara and Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, and the principal role of Cinderella as a guest artist for Beaumont Ballet Theater. She was honored to perform as Guest Artist for the Sandra Organ Dance Company and Kingwood Dance Theater. Ms. Brasfield has taught ballet to all ages throughout the Houston area including the Rowland School of Ballet, Kingwood Dance Theater, and Vitacca Ballet and School for Dance. Additionally, Ms. Brasfield holds a BA in English Literature and for several years worked outside of the arts sector for the Texas Legislature as a Legislative Aide and clerked for the Committee on Land and Resource Management.
Ms. Brasfield’s love of ballet as an art form drives her to instill a strong technical foundation in her students while guiding them to experience the joy of dance. It is her motivating belief that through the study of ballet, students reap lifelong rewards by developing such discipline and athleticism at a young age. Her years of dedication to excellence in ballet training and performance allows her to continue to share and grow the future artists of tomorrow.
Katie McEntyre
Katie grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University, followed by an MBA from Arizona State University. After a 20-year career in supply chain management, she made the decision to pursue her lifelong passion for fitness and movement. She is certified in Personal Training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and is also a certified Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) instructor, combining evidence-based fitness principles with dance-specific training to support strength, alignment, enhanced performance, and injury prevention.
Her specialty is creating individualized fitness programs tailored to each client’s goals, abilities, and needs. Her approach emphasizes proper form, functional strength, long-term wellness, and consistency in movement. This makes her work especially valuable for dancers, performers, and athletes at all ages and stages of development.
Katie resides in The Woodlands, TX with her husband, three children, and two dogs. When she is not in the gym or the studio she is planning adventures and working behind the scenes to support the kids in their various activities and school!
Carly Ross
Born in Texas, Carly Ross recently graduated from Sam Houston State University with her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance. As Carly progressed in her journey she experienced multiple areas of the dance world. She moved from competitive dance to studying at a ballet company and then onto the convention/competition circuit, finally landing in the concert dance arena with NobleMotion Dance II while in high school. While under the direction of Andrew and Dionne Noble, Colette Kerwick, and Lauren Serrano, Carly had the privilege of performing works by Mike Esperanza, Evelyn Toh, and more. She also participated in NobleMotion Dance’s NMD+ Day training program where she began to harness her skills as a choreographer and teacher. Carly has performed as a guest artist with Joshua Manculich’s WhirlWind Dance Company. She has also performed in Lenorris Arnold’s production of “The Iris,” HTX Connect’s “Spaces” curated by Terrill Mitchell, and as mouse queen in Houston’s Urban Nutcracker produced by Culture Arts Initiative. While in university, Carly has performed at various events such as American College Dance Association Nationals, Dance Source Houston’s Barnstorm and Mind the Gap, and The Texas Dance Educators Association. She has also had the wonderful opportunity to perform in works choreographed by Travis Lake, Jennifer Pontius, Nicole Von Arx, and more. Carly, both on the stage and in the classroom, strives to create a supportive, engaging, and moving experience for those around her.
Irina Shabanova
Irina Shabanova is a professional ballet dancer and ballet instructor with classical training from the Novosibirsk State Choreographic University. She performed as a soloist with the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (NOVAT) from 2014 to 2018, appearing in an extensive classical and neoclassical repertoire.
Irina has performed leading and soloist roles in productions such as Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, Coppélia, Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus, Carmen, and others. Her career includes international tours in South Korea, India, and Thailand.
Currently, Irina continues her artistic career as a solo ballet artist, participating in gala concerts, festivals, and special performance projects. She has also created and performed an original one-act solo ballet with live violin accompaniment.
As a teacher, Irina has over four years of experience teaching classical ballet and character dance in Southern California, working with students of various ages and levels. Her teaching focuses on strong classical technique, musicality, artistry, and safe training principles, creating a supportive and disciplined learning environment for her students.
Sara Webb
Sara Webb danced as a principal ballet dancer for Houston Ballet for 21 seasons.
Born in Dallas and raised in Las Vegas, Sara attended the Harid Dance Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida for high school before attending the Houston Ballet Academy. She started dancing professionally with Houston Ballet in 1997 and retired in 2018. During her career, she performed leading roles in many classical ballets, including Swan Lake, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Alice in Wonderland, and Madame Butterfly, as well as many contemporary ballets. She has danced throughout the United States and in many countries, including Japan, Australia, England, Russia, Spain, Canada, Germany, China, and Panama. She has taught ballet at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Houston, as well as at local ballet schools throughout Houston.
Sara is married to Ryan Bardo, and they have five children.