Our Mission
The mission of Santa Barbara Festival Ballet is to enrich the community through the art of dance, providing exceptional training and performance opportunities for dancers of all ages, while creating a lifelong appreciation of the performing arts.
We are dedicated to correct and age appropriate ballet technique, the development of artistry and musicality, and providing a supportive and nurturing environment for our students.
Santa Barbara Festival ballet is a 501(c)3. Scholarships are available to those in need.
Faculty & Staff
Denise Rinaldi
Artistic Director Emerita
Artistic Director Emerita
Ms. Rinaldi holds her Fellowship, (passed with distinction) in Cecchetti USA and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and is a member of Cecchetti International. The Fellowship is the highest teaching qualification awarded. She is Chair of the Board of Directors for Cecchetti USA. In addition, Ms. Rinaldi is an examiner for the organization and travels around the country evaluating students in this capacity. Her training began with Carol Garland, whose Cecchetti background emphasized pure classical styling. She received her degree in Theater from the University of California, Santa Barbara where she studied with many fine dance teachers. She received private coaching both as a dancer and a teacher from Sheila Darby, FISTD, head and founder of Cecchetti USA. In 1983, she set her first choreography, (on Goleta Civic Ballet) and won the NARB Monticello Scholarship to the Craft of Choreography conference from the Pacific Region. She has been the Artistic Director of Santa Barbara Festival Ballet for over 30 years.
Valerie Huston
Artistic Director
Artistic Director
Ms. Huston began her training in the San Francisco Bay Area with Olga Ziceva, the Christensens of the San Francisco Ballet School, Robert and Carol Hanlin and Alan Howard. She holds a BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah. In the 1980’s she directed the Valerie Huston Dance Theater, a ten member professional contemporary ballet touring company based in Santa Barbara. She is the recipient of three National Endowment Fellowships in choreography. Ms. Huston was awarded an Independent Artist Award for Choreography in 1995 by the Arts Fund in Santa Barbara and in 1999 the Lifetime Achievement Award in Dance from the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance. In 2019 she premiered a full length work, Avian, created in collaboration with Carley Conder from Arizona State University. Avian was recognized with an award for excellence from the Santa Barbara Independent. Ms. Huston is currently working on a sequel to the previous two Aqua Projects to be performed in 2027. At present, Valerie is building a national Board of Directors, funding, and faculty for a West Coast Choreographic Institute and Teachers’ Institute to be in residence at Santa Barbara Festival Ballet.
Conor Adler
Instructor / Resident Choreographer
Instructor / Resident Choreographer
A native of Santa Barbara, Conor received her early training from Santa Barbara Festival Ballet. She went on to study at Houston Ballet, The Rock School in Philadelphia, and attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts on scholarship, where she received awards for her choreography. Conor has had numerous pieces premier at Regional Dance America and The Ballet Alliance Festivals and has won awards for her work, including the NARB Monticello Scholarship. She holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara. Conor is thrilled to be back with SBFB and hopes to inspire the next generation of young dancers.
Georgia Goldsmith
Instructor
Instructor
Georgia graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Dance. She began her dance training at the age of 2 in Encinitas, CA, where she fell in love with ballet, modern, and contemporary dance. In high school, Georgia joined a pre-professional ballet studio in the Vaganova style with the former soloist of the Bolshoi Ballet, Maxim Tchernychev. She has attended summer programs at American Ballet Theater, Harid Conservatory, and The Washington Ballet. In her studies at UCSB, she had the privilege to be part of the UCSB Dance Company, which toured Europe. Georgia was part of the re-staging of two José Limón works by former Limón Dance Company member, Alice Condonina. She has performed roles such as “Clara” and “Dew Drop” in “The Nutcracker”, “Romeo and Juliet” alongside the San Diego Civic Opera, and soloist roles in “Coppelia” and “Paquita”. While at UCSB, Georgia trained in ballet with SBFB faculty member, Valerie Huston. Georgia loves sharing her passion for movement and dance with children and is thrilled to be joining SBFB for her fourth season.
Madeline Stiner
Instructor
Instructor
Madeline, raised in Santa Ana, California, began her formal dance training at the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School under the direction of Alaine Haubert, graduating in 2021. She continued her career in dance as a Trainee with American Repertory Ballet, training under the direction of Ethan Stiefel and Aydmara Cabrera, and was later invited to join the faculty of Princeton Ballet School. Throughout her career, Madeline has trained extensively with renowned artists such as Stella Abrera, Paloma Herrera, and Kevin McKenzie. She has also participated in prestigious summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago.
In addition to her dance achievements, Madeline holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine.
Bella Schwartz
Instructor
Instructor
Bella Schwartz is from Santa Rosa, California, where she received her foundational dance training in ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, and tap dance styles. In high school, she focused on her ballet technique under the direction of Tamara Grose at Classical and Contemporary Dance Academy. She spent summers training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Ballet West, and American Ballet Theater. She graduated cum laude from Butler University with a BFA in Dance Performance. At Butler, Bella was honored to perform in modern and contemporary dance works by notable faculty including Susan McGuire, David Ingram, and Derek Reid. Bella also performed in classical ballets presented by Butler Ballet including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Swan Lake, Giselle, and The Firebird. She began her career as a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company’s Second Company under the direction of Shonna Hickman-Matlock. Delighted to return to California, Bella currently dances with Selah Dance Collective directed by Meredith Ventura. She is excited to share her love of dance with the students of SBFB.
Meredith Ventura
Instructor
Instructor
Meredith Ventura is a Southern California–based choreographer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work spans dance, visual design, and performance curation. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance with honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.F.A. in Dance from Hollins University, completed in partnership with Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, and The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company (formerly The Forsythe Company). She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Santa Barbara, where her research focuses on early 20th-century ballet, modern dance, and cabaret. Ventura is the founder and artistic director of Selah Dance Collective, a contemporary dance company which has performed her work throughout the United States and Europe. In addition to choreographing and directing, she teaches and lectures nationally and internationally, bringing over a decade of dance education and arts advocacy experience. She currently serves on the boards of Artspace Inc., Arts Mentorship Program, and Public Domain Players, where she continues to advocate for equity in the arts and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Lena Alvarez
Instructor
Instructor
Lena Alvarez began dancing at age three in Ventura, California and received her formal ballet training under the directorship of Kirsten Oakley and Laurin Boland. Upon graduating from high school, Lena joined the Sacramento Ballet Second Company where she danced in various company productions including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and also danced in soloist roles within second company productions. In 2023, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she performed with Oregon Ballet Theater and The Portland Ballet for two seasons. During her time in Portland she performed in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Serenade, and Concerto Barocco, Trey McIntyre’s Peter Pan, and Dani Rowe’s Sneaker Ballet. Lena has taught ballet classes at Sacramento Ballet School, Oregon Ballet Theater School, and The Portland Ballet. In her classes, she strives to use her experience in the dance industry to inspire passion and dedication for future generations of artists.
Carrie Stein
Admin & Ops Specialist
Admin & Ops Specialist
Carrie Stein grew up dancing at a pre-professional level in the Monterey County, CA area. After studying both chemistry and dance in college, she received a masters degree in chemistry at UC Irvine before becoming an instructor at Westmont College here in Santa Barbara for over a decade. After Westmont, she went back to her dance roots and joined the staff of KM & Friends, a ballet brand, and currently works for LABL Active, producing dance based events as their Head of Community. She continues to dance at Santa Barbara Festival Ballet.
Company
Pre-professional performing company
for advanced dancers ages 12–18
Our goal is to provide challenging, professional performance opportunities for the serious young dancer. The company is dedicated to the training, education, and mentorship of young artists, as well as serving as an outstanding source of cultural enrichment for the community.
Our annual production of the Nutcracker at the Arlington Theatre, with our live symphony orchestra, is an exceptional opportunity for our dancers to perform alongside seasoned professionals. Additionally, company members perform in our Spring repertoire performance of classical and contemporary ballet and appear in collaborative programs with local dance organizations throughout the year. Santa Barbara Festival Ballet is a member of The Ballet Alliance, traveling to perform at the four-day ballet festival each year.
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet 2023/2024 Season
Our Board of Directors
- Sarah H. Case, President
- Conor Adler, Vice President
- Alexander Kaay, Treasurer
- Susie Couture, Secretary
- Drew Carter
- Valerie Huston
Advisory Board
- Dr. Drew Ferris
- Diana Replogle-Purinton
- Elisa Stad
Diversity & Inclusion
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet recognizes that diversity and inclusion help to support creativity and innovation. We are stronger, more credible and more effective when our workforce, company and conservatory includes individuals with backgrounds, cultures and traditions that reflect our nation’s rich diversity. We are committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion. We wish to express our commitment to not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital status (including civil partnerships), race, ethnic origin, color, nationality, national origin, religion or belief and sexual orientation. In addition, Santa Barbara Festival Ballet advocates for the use of inclusive and person-first language in all relevant circumstances to continue fostering a culture of inclusivity and a sense of belonging. We oppose all forms of discrimination.