Adele Jones recently relocated to the  Austin area after receiving a B.A. in Dance from Texas Woman's University. While there she created such works as Fleeting Sirens and Season's Rusting.  She is currently  performing her second season with Ballet East Dance Company here in Austin. This is her first season as a part of the ADC family and Adele is ecstatic to be here

Miss Aimée Garten instructed ballet, tap, and modern dance throughout Southern California before coming to Austin Dance Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre Arts and a Master of Fine Arts Degree. Over the years Miss Aimée has trained under Jean Isaacs, Kristi Durbin-Griffin, Faith Jensen-Ismay, Ricardo Peralta, Nancy McCaleb, Charles Edmondson, and many others; her professional dance studies have included time at the University of Southern California, the Colburn School of Performing Arts, Palomar College, and Arts, Unlimited. As a theatre professional, she has worked at the Globe Theatres and The Pine Hills Playhouse in San Diego as well as the Julian Melodrama and Can-Can.


Amy Benenate realized that dance was a lifetime passion when she was attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. She graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a B.F.A. in Modern Dance in 1997. She danced and choreographed with companies Group Motion and Ausdruckstanz in Philadelphia, and has toured world wide with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre's second company Ailey II.
While living in New York, she choreographed and performed in several states on the east coast. Dance is a beautiful language that allows thoughts and feelings to be conveyed by movement. Amy loves to share her knowledge of dance to students so they can articulate their ideas through the language of dance.

Jeannie Huskisson recently moved to Austin from Washington State, where she grew up dancing on rocky beaches, hiking in the forest, and taking as many ballet classes as she possibly could.  She earned a degree in Theatre Performance with a minor in Dance from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, before performing with a touring theatre company in Seattle.  In college, Jeannie danced in and choreographed for dozens of shows, but her favorite was her senior project, in which she choreographed eight dances about things for which she is thankful.  Along the way, Jeannie developed a passion for teaching dance, and especially for working with children.  She loves living in Austin and is thrilled to be part of the ADC family


Karen Searles has a great passion for both dance and education, she offers both enthusiasm and motivation in the classroom. It is her firm goal to enrich the lives of each of her students. Being a strong advocate for the youth of today, it is her hope to enhance the quality of their dance experience by providing them the tools they will need to make their dreams become reality. With a creative, technical, and educational mix, Karen's classes provide a positive atmosphere in which to gain an understanding and appreciation for the art, strong technique, and an introduction to dance as an outlet for endless study.

Karen Smith felt the spark for dance after taking her very first ballet class, at age 3, and hasn’t stopped dancing since. While serving 4 years on the Eunice Emeralds dance team, Karen received a scholarship to attend the Joe Tremaine Convention in New Orleans. In addition, Karen earned her degree in Business with a Minor in Dance from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Having been involved in dance for nearly 25 years in one form or another, Karen felt compelled to share her passion for dance with others. Since being given the opportunity to teach at the Austin Dance Company two years ago, Karen’s focus has been primarily on the Young Dancer program, including Twinkle Toes, Twinkle Stars, and Dance Combo classes, as well as Groovy Girls dance camp. Karen brings a very positive, upbeat personality as well as tons of energy to the classroom and hopes her passion for dance will inspire her students.