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.
Artistic Staff
Denise Rinaldi
Co-Artistic Director
Conservatory Director
Co-Artistic Director / Conservatory Director
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
Co-Artistic Director
Resident Choreographer
Co-Artistic Director / Resident Choreographer
Valerie is a Senior Lecturer on the dance faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received a B.F.A. degree in ballet from the University of Utah and has been a Santa Barbara resident for more than 30 years. From 1977 to 1985 she was the founder and artistic director of The Valerie Huston Dance Theater which toured regionally and received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has received a lifetime achievement award in dance from the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance.. Her work The Tenth Slinky was chosen for the 2023 Ballet Alliance Conference in El Paso, Texas. For over twenty years she worked as Managing Director of the Ensemble Theatre Company with Robert Grande Weiss, Artistic Director. During this time Ensemble Theatre evolved from a community theatre group to an Actors’ Equity signatory. She is currently working on two choreographic projects: planned for the Fall of 2024 initial material will be developed for The Santa Barbara World Peace Project a multi- disciplinary work focused on conflict resolution without violence, and in Fall 2025 Aqua III an environmental work exploring and bringing awareness to the fragile nature of our planet. Aqua III will be created in collaboration with Carley Conder, Artistic Director of CONDER/dance in Arizona. In addition to her studio practice she is beginning work on two books: the first detailing the cultural sources of classical ballet and the second exploring archetypal forms found in the universe inherent in classical ballet vocabulary.
Erin Clark
Conservatory Teacher
Conservatory Teacher
Ms. Erin fell in love with dance at the age of 3! She was trained in Ottawa, Canada with The Patricia Sekeres Classical Ballet Academy and The School of Dance. She has a BA in Women’s Studies from the University of Ottawa where she continued dancing with a Contact Improv group. Ms. Erin is trained with Dance Education Laboratory in New York and is a Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. She is also certified to teach Cecchetti Classical Ballet. She has taught at SBFB for 10 years and brings a wealth of experience, patience and passion to teaching dance to children!
Conor Adler
Conservatory Teacher
Conservatory Teacher
A native of Santa Barbara, Conor began her training with Santa Barbara Festival Ballet and performed roles from Soldier to Snow Queen in the Nutcracker at the Arlington Theatre. Conor studied at Houston Ballet, The Rock School in Philadelphia, and attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts on scholarship, where she received accolades and awards for her choreography. Conor has had numerous pieces premier at The Ballet Alliance Festival and has won awards for her work, including the NARB Monticello Scholarship. She holds a BA in Film Studies and History from UC Santa Barbara. Conor is thrilled to be back with Santa Barbara Festival Ballet and hopes to continue to inspire the next generation of young dancers.
Georgia Goldsmith
Creative Movement / Modern Teacher
Creative Movement Teacher
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 second season.
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
- Addison Clarke, Treasurer
- Matt Klonowski, Secretary
- Susie Couture
- Stephanie Ochoa
Advisory Board
- Dr. Drew Ferris
- Valerie Huston
- 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.