Trainee Faculty

Shawn Stevens is originally from Houston, Texas. At age 14, she attended Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts under the direction of Sydelle Gomberg. She continued her training at the School of American Ballet. In 1982, she was chosen by George Balanchine to join the ‪New York City Ballet (NYCB). During her time with the company, she performed principal roles in Balanchine's ballets, including Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperaments, and Symphony in C. She also danced in the original cast and performed principal roles in Brahms/Handel, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins. ‬‬‬‬‬‬ Stevens has worked with many other choreographers, such as Peter Martins, William Forsythe, Edward Villella, Ib Andersen, and Joseph Duell. During the 10 years she performed with NYCB, she danced in the TV programs Live from ‪Lincoln Center with NYCB and Dance in America. She has also appeared as a principal dancer with the New York City Opera in Cinderella. In 1991, Stevens joined Twyla Tharp Dance, where she performed for five years. With Tharp's company, she performed repertoire works as well as new works as a principal. She was asked to dance in the Cutting Up tour with Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Stevens’ film credits include I'll Do Anything and In the Upper Room, both choreographed by Tharp. Stevens was personally invited to perform in Tharp’s hit Broadway musical Movin' Out. She has been teaching ballet at several schools, universities, and companies throughout the United States. She is approved by The George Balanchine Trust to restage George Balanchine works and also stages works by Tharp through the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation.

Trainee Faculty

Juliann McAloon started her dance training in Cornwall, NY at Dance Design School. While at Dance Design she completed her Royal Academy of Dance Exams and earned her Solo Seal award in Toronto, Canada. Juliann has attended many ballet summer intensives such as The Rock School, Boston Ballet, and New York State Summer School of the Arts on scholarships. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Ballet and an Outside Field in Exercise Science at Indiana University. While at the university, she trained under Violette Verdy and Michael Vernon. She was also given the opportunity to be coached one on one by world renowned dancers and artists such as Cynthia Gregory, Victoria Simon, Helen Starr, and Mimi Paul. Juliann has danced a variety of lead roles in ballets ranging from Twyla Tharp’s Sweet Fields and Agnes de Milles Rodeo, to Balanchine’s Serenade, Valse Fantasie, Four Temperaments, Raymonda Variations, and Who Cares?. Juliann danced with Sarasota Ballet from 2010-2012 before moving to Dallas to dance for ACB. Juliann was a principal dancer for ACB for eight seasons and retired in 2020.

Pre-Pro and First Steps Faculty

Ruiko Jacobs, an Eastern North Carolina native, received her early classical ballet training at the Greenville Civic Ballet under the direction of Kim Saad. She also trained privately with the late Kennet Oberly in the Bournonville school. She left home her senior year to attend the high school program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). Upon graduation, she continued on to their college program, where she pursued her B.F.A. in Ballet on the Susan Jaffe Endowed Scholarship and graduated in three years in May 2023. Ruiko’s performance highlights at UNCSA included the Dark Angel in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Swan Lake Pas de Trois, a soloist in Napoli Act III, and Kitri in Don Quixote Act I. She also originated the role of Dewdrop in Ilya Kozadayev’s new production of The Nutcracker. In 2021, Ruiko represented UNCSA in the YAGP competition, where she placed Top 12 in the Senior Division and advanced to the Finals held in Tampa, FL.

Following graduation from UNCSA, Ruiko danced with Ballet Tucson as an Apprentice for one season. In Tucson, she performed in Eternal Love, a world premiere by Chieko Imada, and made her professional choreographic debut with Chamber Concerto in the Footprints at the Fox Choreographic Concert. She is excited for her second season with Avant Chamber Ballet.i

Trainee Faculty

A native of Arkansas, Madelaine Boyce began her ballet training at the Academy of Ballet Arkansas, and later Ballet Memphis School.  At the age of 14 she moved to Philadelphia to train at Pennsylvania Ballet’s Rock School and was a part of their year round academic training program.  Madelaine attended summer intensives at The Rock School, American Repertory Ballet, and Kaatsbaan. 

In 2004 Madelaine began studying with former New York City Ballet dancer Paul Mejia, and former Bolshoi Ballet principal dancer and current Bolshoi Ballet Master, Alexander Vetrov, at Metropolitan Classical Ballet in Arlington, Texas, joining the main company as an apprentice a year later.  While dancing with Metropolitan Classical Ballet Madelaine danced roles in many classical ballets including La Bayadere, Raymonda, and Paquita, as well as Balanchine ballets such as The Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco, and Square Dance. 

In 2007 Madelaine joined Madison Ballet in Wisconsin under the direction of W. Earle Smith. 

Madelaine returned to Texas in 2012 and is a founding member of Avant Chamber Ballet.  

Madelaine has been on faculty with the Avant Chamber Ballet trainee program since its inception, and became Associate Director of Trainees in 2023.  Madelaine is also a certified Pilates instructor through Romana’s Pilates International.  

Nutcracker Student Cast Rehearsal Director

Alex is originally from Arlington, Virginia, where she started dancing at the age of 4. She trained in ballet at the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. for nine years, including the school’s Professional Training Program. She had the opportunity to perform in ballets as a guest artist at the Kennedy Center with the Mariinsky Ballet, Ballet West, Pennsylvania Ballet, and the Washington Ballet.

Alex later joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Graduate Program where she trained and performed with their main company for two years. She then moved to Dallas in 2018 to join Avant Chamber Ballet and danced in the company for three years.

Alex found her love for teaching ballet and choreographing upon moving to Dallas. She has choreographed and directed three full-length ballets with students, including “Alice in Wonderland”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, and “Swan Lake”, as well as directed a full-length “Nutcracker.” Alex was also a Plano Metropolitan Ballet choreographer from 2021–2024. She has been the student cast co-ordinator for Avant Chamber Ballet since 2022.

In addition to teaching and choreographing, she also has a career at Lockheed Martin.