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Lynn Cox
Artistic Director

Lynn Cox studied under such noted teachers as Erik Bruhn, Francoise Martinet, Alfonso Cata and Robert Barnett. She was recognized by the National Federation of Music Clubs and received the first place honor in their ballet division. Ms. Cox went on to dance professionally with the Atlanta Ballet for several years, performing such classics as Serenade, Sleeping Beauty, Carmina Burana, Raymonda, Allegro Brilliante and The Nutcracker. She previously held the position of Ballet Mistress for two regional companies and was the Pre-Professional Division Head for the Marin Ballet. She is currently the Artistic Director, as well as the resident choreographer and Associate Division Young Dancer Division Head at Marin Dance Theatre. Ms. Cox is a vital part of MDT's training program. She is skilled as a teacher on all levels: she now oversees and trains the faculty, creating an atmosphere for all the dancers that is both developmental and consistent. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding choreography.

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Erica Allen
Executive Director

Erica Allen is a devoted and integral member of Marin Dance Theatre, with an impressive tenure of 25 years. Once a student of Margaret Swarthout and Lynn Cox, she relocated as a teenager to pursue dance and to train under the direction of Margaret and Lynn.

Throughout her journey at Marin Dance Theatre, Erica has consistently exemplified the values that the school holds dear: creativity, commitment, and community. Her expertise in dance instruction, staging, and administration has been a cornerstone of the MDT's achievements, fostering an environment of excellence and artistic growth. Her unwavering dedication and passion for the art of ballet and to MDT have made her an asset to the school's growth and success.

Erica has played a pivotal role in shaping the school alongside Lynn Cox and Margaret Swarthout. As Executive Director, Erica remains a guiding force within MDT, working closely with Artistic Director Lynn Cox—her longtime mentor, collaborator, and friend. Their partnership, built over 35 years, continues to shape the school's vision and strengthen the sense of family that defines Marin Dance Theatre. Together, they remain committed to nurturing dancers, supporting the community, and carrying MDT forward with the same passion and purpose that have guided them throughout the years.

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Margaret Swarthout
Artistic Director Emeritus / Founding Director

Margaret Swarthout, born in Sydney, Australia, was admitted at a young age to the Royal Ballet Company in London, England, where she danced for nine years. As a soloist, she worked closely with many of the 20th century's greatest choreographers, including Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Dame Ninette de Valois and Madame Nijinska, and danced with such notables as Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. Mrs. Swarthout's teaching career began in 1966 when she joined the faculty of the Harkness House for Ballet in New York City, at the time, one of the world's most respected dance training facilities. After moving to the Bay Area, she became affiliated with the Marin Ballet in 1975, first as a Master Teacher and Coach, and then as Artistic Director. Mrs. Swarthout has served as personal coach to dancers at the international ballet competitions in Jackson, Mississippi, and her record of placing dancers in the profession is exceptional. Over sixty graduates from her training program can be found in the ranks of ballet and dance companies throughout the United States.

In 1996, Mrs. Swarthout, along with her team of teachers, was invited to become the founding faculty of Marin Dance Theatre. Since MDT opened its doors in 1996, each year one of our senior dancers has been the recipient of the prestigious award given by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Sixteen MDT graduates have joined professional dance companies, including San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Louisville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, Ballet San Jose, Ballet Florida, Richmond Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet.

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Julia Adams
Associate School Director

Julia Adams began her dance training at Marin Dance Theatre in San Rafael, CA and continued her training in the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Graduate Program. Her performance experience includes original works by Igal Perry, Sidra Bell, and Alex Ketley, as well as excerpts from Études and Terrance Orr's Giselle and Swan Lake.

Julia brings more than thirteen years of teaching experience, including five years on the faculty of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, where she taught in the children's, student, pre- professional, and community divisions. She also served as Interim Co-Coordinator of the PBT Community Division and worked extensively with the PBT Education Department in curriculum development and as co-instructor of Adaptive Dance. Julia developed the dance curriculum and coursework for the PBT collaboration with Chatham University and served as an adjunct faculty member.

Julia is an ABT Certified teacher for Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum. She also holds certifications in the Vaganova Method for Pre-Ballet, Level 1, and Character Dance (Years 1 and 2). Julia earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis, graduating on the Dean's Honors List. She also holds two master's degrees from Michigan State University: an M.A. in Teaching and Curriculum, concentrating on Educational Psychology and the integration of language and literacy with dance education, and an M.A. in Education with concentrations in Sports Coaching and Leadership and P-12 and Postsecondary School Leadership. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning from MSU.

As Associate School Director, Julia is passionate about creating an environment where students are inspired to develop technically, artistically, and as confident, resilient, and compassionate young people. Returning to MDT as an alumna and educator, Julia is honored to help shape the next generation of dancers.

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Tessa Barbour
Faculty

Tessa Barbour, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, trained at Alwin School of the Dance before studying abroad in Warrington, England on a scholarship awarded to her at the Cecchetti International Competition. She has danced with New Mexico Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, and San Diego Ballet. Her favorite past performances include Man in Black by James Kudelka and Indigo by Stanton Welch.

Since joining Smuin in 2016, Barbour has performed works by Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, and Amy Seiwert.

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Joanna Berman
Artistic Advisor

Joanna Berman was born and raised in San Rafael, California, where she received her dance training under Maria Vegh and Margaret Swarthout at the Marin Ballet. In 1984, after one year at the San Francisco Ballet School, she joined the company, and was promoted to soloist in 1987.

In 1988, Ms. Berman became a principal dancer and was one of the most celebrated members of the San Francisco Ballet, until her retirement in 2002. During her tenure, she danced the lead role in full-length ballets such as "Giselle", "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "Romeo and Juliet", in addition to numerous contemporary and classical works.

Joanna had works created for her by choreographers including Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, William Forsythe, David Bintley, Julia Adams, Yuri Possokhov, Val Caniparoli, and many others.

She is the recipient of two "Isadora Duncan Awards" (1994 and 2000). In addition to her extensive performance credits, Ms. Berman is in demand as a teacher, and has served as a guest teacher and regisseur for San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Houston Ballet and Atlanta Ballet.

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Maggie Calegari
Faculty

Maggie Calegari discovered her love for dance at the age of three and went on to train extensively with San Jose Dance Theatre, ultimately attending an independent study high school so she could pursue pre-professional ballet training full time. She began teaching at just 16 years old and quickly discovered a passion for working with young dancers. Maggie later served as Director of Dance Theatre 7, teaching students ages 3–17, before spending 10 years as a Master Teacher Trainer for The Dailey Method, where she trained instructors nationwide. She is also a certified children's yoga instructor and, during the pandemic, partnered with the Marin County Office of Education to help develop and facilitate a Mindful Classroom program, using movement and mindfulness to support students' social and emotional well-being in Marin's public schools.

Today, Maggie works for a technology platform that supports fitness and wellness businesses, but teaching has always remained close to her heart. As the proud mom of a daughter who has been dancing at MDT for the past seven years, she is excited to spend time back in the studio and share her love of ballet with a new generation of dancers. Maggie believes dance builds not only strong technique, but also confidence, creativity, discipline, and joy, and she strives to create a classroom where every child feels encouraged, supported, and inspired.

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Torri Campbell
Parkinson's Dance Project

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Casey Cox
Faculty

My name is Casey Cox. I grew up dancing at MDT, where my love for dance first began. I attended Chapman University where I taught dance and discovered my love for teaching. Today, I work at Pleasant Valley Elementary and am so excited to be taking more on at MDT this fall! Can't wait to dance with you all this year!

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Aidan Daniel
Faculty

Aidan graduated from San Diego State University in the Spring of 2026 with her Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development, as well as graduating with distinction in her major.

Aidan has been a ballet dancer since she was four years old. She started taking ballet lessons at The Novato School of Dance. She danced there for a number of years and then joined Marin Dance Theatre in 2011 and trained in classical ballet there until 2022. Aidan participated in a number of performances in the spring, summer, and winter. The winter holiday ballet, Sophie and The Enchanted Toyshop, was one of her favorites. Dance has been a huge and steady part of her life.

She has taught children's ballet for ages 18 months to 8 years old for the past five years. She has a passion for teaching and forming lasting connections and relationships with her students. Aidan is incredibly excited to teach at Marin Dance Theatre.

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Deana Dearborn
Volunteer and Fundraising Coordinatior

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Valerie Harmon
Faculty

Valerie is from Lompoc, California, where she trained primarily at Lompoc School of dance. She began her professional career with State Street Ballet. She later joined Milwaukee Ballet in 2008, after completing The Milwaukee Ballet II Program. There she performed Odette in Michael Pink's Swan Lake, Marie in The Nutcracker, Wendy in Peter Pan, Mina in Dracula, and Prayer in Coppélia.

She has also enjoyed dancing in original works by Cameron McMillan, Mark Godden, Timothy O'Donnell, Mauro de Candia, Darrell Grand Moultrie and Petr Zahradnícek. She danced for Smuin Contemporary Ballet from 2106 - 2019, where she danced in works by Amy Seiwert, Val Caniparoli, Helen Pickett, Garret Ammon, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Trey McIntyre.

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Brigid Hoag
Faculty / Parkinson's Dance Project

Brigid Hoag began her career in her native New Orleans and went on to dance with both ballet and modern dance companies in the United States and Canada. While living in New York, she danced with Peridance Ensemble and taught at the Peridance Center. In the Bay Area, she performed with the San Francisco Opera Ballet and with a variety of independent choreographers.

Ms. Hoag's teaching and dancing have taken her to such places as the Juilliard School, Israel and Korea and she now enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with all her students from pre-ballet to pre-professional at Marin Dance Theatre.

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Lisa Le Lievre
Pilates and Injury Prevention

Lisa completed her classical ballet training at the Eduard Borovansky Memorial Ballet Academy (EBMBA) in Sydney Australia. She performed as a freelance dancer in Australia, and for choreographic art residencies in Italy and Spain. Since moving to the USA in 2007 she began to explore dance theatre and performed with Bodigram Dance Theater Company in San Francisco.

Since completing teacher training with EBMBA in 1992, she has taught classical ballet to children and adults, most recently teaching for four years at Menlo Park Academy of Dance. She is influenced greatly by Augusta Moore, whom she considers a mentor.

In 2005 she received a Graduate Certificate in the Pilates Method from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. She has furthered her Pilates training by working extensively with Tom McCook, a master level teacher in the Pilates Method. In 2014 she completed Franklin Method Level 1 Teacher Training and has incorporated this method into her classes.

She also works as an independent film maker, in the dance and documentary genres.

Lisa is excited to bring all her passions to the Pilates studio at Marin Dance Theatre.

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Leslee Loeber
Administrator / Finance

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Pamela Martin
Musician

Pamela Martin holds a Master of Music Degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Pamela was the Assistant Conductor for the Cleveland San Jose Ballet now Ballet San Jose for four years. Pam has conducted for Oakland Ballet, and is presently the assistant conductor of the Vallejo Symphony and is a regular guest conductor with the Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra.

Pam has extensive experience as a dance pianist having played for San Francisco Ballet, Ballet Austin, Marin Ballet and for Marin Dance Theatre since the beginning.

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Ilona McHugh
Faculty

Ilona McHugh grew up in Southern California. She attended a small ballet school and spent summers at national training institutions. Ilona moved to Marin Dance Theatre from where she joined American Ballet Theatre in 1997. She continued to study while dancing with the company, receiving coaching from Charla Genn, David Howard, and Susan Jaffe. Some of her memorable roles with ABT include "Big Swans" in Swan Lake and "Olga" in Kenneth MacMillan's Anastasia, dancing hand-in-hand with such ballet greats as Viviana Durante and Alessandra Ferri. Ms. McHugh enjoyed working with Paul Taylor and Mark Morris as a member of the original casts of Black Tuesday and Gong.

Since retiring, Ilona has earned a Bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley. She was Artistic Director of Berkeley Ballet Theater for six years during which her coaching lead to an invitation for the BBT Youth Company to perform with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in 2013 and in 2010, NY Times Dance Critic, Alastair Macaulay featured BBT in his Nutcracker Chronicles.  Ms. McHugh is a certified teacher with the ABT National Training Curriculum. She has enjoyed being a part of the San Francisco Ballet faculty since 2015 and teaching at Oakland Ballet School, Benicia Ballet Theatre, and Marin Dance Theatre.

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Talia Nero
Pilates Instructor/Faculty

Talia first began her Pilates studies in the 1980's, while training as a ballet dancer at both Marin Ballet and The University of Utah. She has been teaching in the Bay Area for over fifteen years. Talia is trained and certified by her mentor Dorothee Vandewalle; who was the protege of and taught with Romana Kryzanowska in New York for over a decade. Talia teaches the original, authentic Pilates Method as now handed down by Dorothee.

Talia teaches all ages, levels and varying fitness goals. She enjoys working with those seeking better overall conditioning, improved performance and recovery from injury. She has worked with professional dancers and students of the San Francisco Ballet as well as elite athletes. She has also developed a ballet barre class to assist Alzheimer's and dementia patients with recall, motor skills and balance.

Talia believes that Pilates can be enjoyed by anyone at any age and is an accessible training method for all.

Talia holds a Bachelor's Degree in Ballet Pedagogy and Communications from the University of Utah, founded by William Christensen of San Francisco Ballet and a Masters Degree in Communications a.b.d. from the University of Oregon.

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Dawn Perrin
Faculty

Dawn Perrin was born in Madrid, Spain and was raised in Lee, Massachusetts where she began studying ballet at the age of 7. She received her early training at The Cantarella School of Dance. Training some summers at Pennsylvania Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet School on scholarship.

Ms. Perrin's professional career began with American Ballet Theatre II. She then went on to dance with The Joffrey Ballet and The Houston Ballet. She enjoyed traveling the world and dancing many leading roles throughout her career. Some highlights include being chosen to dance the role of Juliet in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet her first year in the company. She was also selected by James Kudelka to create the lead role in the Heart of the Matter and danced the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in the World Premiere of The Joffrey's Nutcracker.

Ms. Perrin has been teaching in the Bay Area since 1995 and enjoys sharing her experience and love of the art form with students of all ages.

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Lexi Pittman
Marketing

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Julianne Spratlin
Faculty

Julianne Spratlin (Kepley) received her training at the Atlanta School of Ballet under the direction of Tom Pazik and Robert Barnett. She continued her studies at both the School of American Ballet and Boston Ballet. Ms. Spratlin danced with the Atlanta Ballet for eight years (1994-2002) under the direction of John McFall. She danced principal roles in works by Balanchine, as well as the lead roles in many classical and story ballets. She also worked with many contemporary choreographers and created roles in ballets by John McFall, Lila York, David Parsons, Donald Byrd and Stanton Welch.

In 2002, Ms. Spratlin joined the Joffrey Ballet under the direction of Gerald Arpino. During her time there she danced a wide range of principal roles in the Joffrey repertoire to critical acclaim, including works by Ashton, Cranko, Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Robert Joffrey and Arpino. In 2004, she was chosen Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune.

In 2007, Ms. Spratlin joined the San Francisco Ballet, where she danced principal and soloist roles in ballets by Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor and Balanchine and worked to create ballets with choreographers Val Caniparoli, Stanton Welch, James Kudelka, Christopher Wheeldon and Julia Adam. In the spring of 2010, she was honored to be a guest artist with the Estonian National Ballet, performing with SFB principal, Tiit Helimets. Ms. Spratlin joined the Milwaukee Ballet in 2010 as a principal dancer, dancing director Michael Pink's Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, Swanhilda in Pink's staging of Coppelia, along with original work by Darrel Grand Moultrie. Ms. Spratlin also had the great honor of being named one of 2011's "25 To Watch", by Dance Magazine and fellow artist, Tiit Helimets.

Ms. Spratlin began her teaching career at the Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education, at age 19, teaching and coaching pre-professional division students, many of whom went on to join Atlanta Ballet and other professional companies. During her time in Chicago, she taught at the Lou Conte Dance Studio of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In San Francisco in 2010, Ms. Spratlin taught for Henry Berg at The Ballet Studio and quickly became TBS Associate Artistic Director.

After the end of her professional dancing career, Ms. Spratlin worked as a trainer at Active Care Physical Therapy under the guidance and mentorship of Lisa Giannone, M.PT., for six years. During that time, sensing the need for a new kind of ballet school in San Francisco, Ms. Spratlin established the Dance Training Center/San Francisco in January of 2014. A school with the highest quality of training, smaller classes and a less competitive environment than some larger schools, DTC/SF's mission was to give individual attention to students in a healthy, positive atmosphere. Consequently, DTC/SF also became a place where professional dancers and students from other ballet schools came to tune-up and work on their technique when recovering from injury. Ms. Spratlin taught company class for Smuin Ballet for more than 10 years, taught for Amy Seiwert's Imagery, taught at the NCDC Summer Intensive, and continues to teach Summer Program auditions and Intensives for the Atlanta Ballet Center for Dance Education.

During her 12 years as Owner/Artistic Director of DTC/SF and then The Ballet School of San Francisco (2014-2026), Ms. Spratlin staged many ballets for her students, including Paquita, La Bayadere/Kingdom of the Shades, Coppelia (excerpts), Sleeping Beauty Act III, Swan Lake Act II, Pas de Quatre, Balanchine's Concerto Barrocco (I & III), Balanchine's Serenade (1st movement), as well as choreographing original works such as Sweet and Lowdown and 11:11. Ms. Spratlin's proudest achievement was DTC/SF's production of The Nutcracker, which began in 2018 with Act II and a couple of party dances from Act I. Every year, the production grew, piece by piece, with the Snow scene being choreographed over Zoom during the pandemic, until there was an entire show by December 2024.

Ms. Spratlin is absolutely thrilled to return to her truest love of teaching and mentoring students through ballet. She is honored to share her experiences and excited for the opportunity to work with the students of MDT.

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Alice Svetic
Contemporary

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Pierre-Francois Vilanoba
Faculty

Born in Lille, France, Pierre trained at the Conservatoire de Lille and The Paris Opéra Ballet School, beginning at age seven. After dancing with Paris Opéra Ballet for eight years, rising to the rank of Sujet, he joined San Francisco Ballet as a soloist in 1998 and was quickly promoted to principal dancer in 1999. His lead roles in Paris and San Francisco include the Prince in John Neumeier's The Little Mermaid and Aminta in his Sylvia, Onegin in John Cranko's Onegin, Othello in Lar Lubovitch's Othello, Orion in Mark Morris' Sylvia, Benvolio in Rudolf Nureyev's Romeo & Juliet, Abderam and Jean de Brienne in his Raymonda, and Rothbart in his Swan Lake, Albrecht in Helgi Tomasson's Giselle, Romeo in his Romeo & Juliet, Prince Desiré in his The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Siegfried and von Rothbart in his Swan Lake, Espada in his Don Quixote, and the Nutcracker Prince and Snow King in his Nutcracker. While in Paris and San Francisco he participated in the creation of principal roles in works by Neumeier, James Kudelka, Jorma Elo, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Val Caniparoli, Tomasson, Yuri Possokhov, Matjash Mrozewski, and others.

Vilanoba's broad repertory includes ballet's by Rudolf Nureyev, Roland Petit, Maurice Béjart, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Marius Petipa, Serge Lifar, Vaslav Nijinsky, Leonide Massine, Serge Diaghilev, Victor Gsovsky, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Angelin Preljocaj, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Sir Frederick Ashton, David Bintley, Harald Lander, Anthony Tudor, Jacques Garnier, Lila York, Caroline Carlson, and Mats Ek. He has performed at galas around the world and in several ballet films with the Paris Opéra Ballet, including Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet. In December 2008, Vilanoba was featured as the Snow King in the PBS Great Performances broadcast of Tomasson's Nutcracker.

In 1999 Pierre worked with famed fashioned photographer Herb Ritts on a collection produced for the French Vogue's millennium issue. His images have appeared in several books of Herb Ritts' photography as well as the traveling exhibition, HERB RITTS L.A. STYLE, curated in 2012 by The Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Since 2012, Pierre has been teaching and coaching in the San Francisco Bay Area and abroad.

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Malina Wahl
Faculty

Malina Wahl is an Alumni of Marin Dance Theater, returning to perform in Sophie and the Enchanted Toyshop as Sophie's Mother and the Bear. Malina joined MDT nearly 18 years ago and participated in her first Sophie as a toy soldier. Since then, she has performed as almost every role, ending with her performance as Valentina Ballerina.

She then performed with Ballet Met in Columbus Ohio, as a Trainee for a year, after which she returned to the Bay Area to get a degree in Pure Mathematics. Currently she works in Marketing at Moraga Country Club, with the goal of being a High School Math Teacher.

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Amanda Wells
Faculty

Amanda Wells began her formal dance training at the San Francisco Ballet School and continued with Boston Ballet and Richmond Ballet Company. In 2001 she relocated to New York City to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Immediately upon graduation, Amanda was selected to join the Stephen Petronio Company, a contemporary touring company based in New York. For a decade she had the pleasure of creating and performing new works, as well as touring and teaching master classes across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia. During her time in New York, Amanda became a certified yoga instructor through OM Yoga Center and was a member of the Third Klein Technique™ Teacher Certification Program.

In the summer of 2011, she was selected by Benjamin Millepied (former NYC Ballet principal, choreographer of Black Swan, and former director of the Paris Opera Ballet) to become a founding member of LA Dance Project, prompting a move back west. While with the company, Amanda performed in some of the most beautiful proscenium theaters in the world, including Châtelet in Paris and Sadler Wells in London. Amanda also performed with the company as a guest on FOX TV's So You Think You Can Dance, created a short film with Academy Award winner Alejandro Inarritu (Birdman, 21 Grams), and performed site-specific work at The Museum of Contemporary Art. She has held faculty positions at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and the highly esteemed California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Amanda enjoys teaching her morning adult/open classes at Marin Dance Theatre, and in addition, offers personalized coaching and support services for all dancers.

More info at AmandaWells.com