Smuin Center for Dance Faculty

Mengjun Chen(he/him) teaches Character dance on Thursdays. Hailing from Wenzhou ZheJiang, China. Mengjun has danced for Smuin Ballet for seven seasons. Mengjun’s classes take you on a journey around the world, focusing on traditional folk dance, from passionate Spanish footwork to elegant Hungarian style. Mengjun is spirited, witty and meticulous. You are sure to have a blast! 

Fave SF Spot: Lands End

Best advice a teacher ever gave you: Doing every movement with concentrated attention to detail.

One thing people would be surprised to learn about you : Obsessed with spicy food.

Valerie Harmon (she/her) is from Lompoc, California, and danced with Smuin Ballet for three years before retiring from her performance career and completing her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University. Valerie loves blending her education with her love of dance through ballet classes with a strong technical foundation. Her stretch and strength classes combine functional movements with strengthening exercises to promote a greater sense of well-being and body awareness by the end of class!  She believes that dance and movement are for any body, at any age, at any level, and enjoys sharing her love of dance and exercise with her students. In Valerie’s class you are sure to learn, sweat, and move your body!

Fave SF Spot: China Beach

Thing that most inspires me:  Hiking in all of the beautiful places near San Francisco

Best advice a teacher ever gave me:  Sometimes it takes corrections a bit of time to ‘sink in’ – be persistent and enjoy all of the little successes along the way!

Cassidy Isaacson (she/her) is from Redmond WA and joined the Smuin family in 2019. Cassidy teaches Beginner/Intermediate Jazz and Contemporary on Monday nights. Start your Mondays off right with Cassidy’s high energy, fun, and fierce Jazz class. In her class you will work through all the classic Jazz steps one by one in order to learn a full combo over multiple weeks that you can show off as your favorite party trick. 

Cassidy’s contemporary class will help you expand the classical line and push yourself to move out of your comfort zone and through your emotional connection to slower and more controlled movements. If you want to learn how to strut your stuff in your favorite heels (heels optional)  then be on the look out for Cassidy’s Heels workshops! One of the reasons why Cassidy truly loves this art form is because it’s one of the only ways you can safely express any and all emotions without having to put them into words. It’s the perfect outlet to be 100% authenticity with yourself and grow as a person and as an artist.  

Favorite SF spot: Sutro Baths

Thing that most inspires me: My co-workers and their constant dedication and love for this insanely difficult but rewarding art form.  

Best advice I was ever given:  “Never Stop Learning” and “there is always more you can improve on.” 

Benjamin is a Bay Area ballet teacher and former ballet dancer with Ballet Memphis, Alberta Ballet, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, and Post:ballet. He is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor and his classes center a methodical approach to the high demands of ballet on the body.

Lexi Duff is a Bay Area dancer and teacher. After attending the LINES training program, Lexi has danced for many companies in the area including Post:ballet. She enjoys kite-surfing and the ocean.

Bethany Mitchell was raised in Mission Viejo, California, where she studied dance from the age of four at the Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Alan McCarter. She began her professional career in 2004 with Ballet Pacifica in Irvine, and continued on to dance with State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara and City Ballet of San Diego. After moving to San Francisco in 2007, Bethany performed and toured internationally with Liss Fain Dance while teaching children at ODC Dance Commons and Blue Bear School of Music. She was also a guest artist with Tanya Bello Project B, Garrett + Moulton Productions, and ODC Dance. Bethany received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business from San Francisco State University.

Bethany moved to New York City in 2012, and danced with Battery Dance, Indelible Dance, The Onomatopoeia Theatre Company, Royal Caribbean Productions, and General Mischief Dance Theatre. She has toured to over forty countries as a professional dancer, and taught masterclasses and creative workshops in over twenty countries as a teaching artist with Battery Dance. Bethany was also a faculty member at the Mark Morris Dance Center and Harlem School of the Arts and received a Fulbright Specialist Award in 2019 to further her work as an international dance educator. She is thrilled to be collaborating with Delfos Danza Contemporanea in Mazatlan, Mexico in 2022.

Skye Montante began studying ballet at Petaluma School of Ballet at the age of 8. In later years as they were introduced to other forms of dance; they found their true calling with Hip-Hop and Contemporary styles. They continued their dance through college and graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Dance. Skye spent the past 10 years teaching both youth and adult classes in New York City, such as Steps on Broadway and Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Skye’s focus as a teacher and creator is to help their dancers find their own individual voice and establish a safe space to move.

Emma is a former professional ballet dancer with San Francisco ballet. After retiring in 2019 to pursue another career path she has continued to enjoy teaching and freelancing within the Bay Area.  Emma works as a product designer at Unite Us and lives in San Francisco with her husband and two cats.

Terez Dean Orr (she/her) teaches Intermediate/Advanced Ballet on Wednesdays. Originating from the Hudson Valley of NY, Terez has danced with Smuin Ballet for fourteen seasons, sharing her passion for dance with the audience and her students. Terez’s classes dive into the elements of neoclassical technique, focusing on dynamic footwork, musicality, and the expansiveness of movement. Approachable, positive, and built to work up a sweat, Terez will help each dancer improve their strength, balance, and grace, all with a smile!

 Favorite San Francisco neighborhood: My vibrant neighborhood of the Castro: on any given day, you may find a cellist on her stoop, an Opera singer practicing in the park, or a colorful costume bestowing a queen. This area represents the artistic and eclectic beauty that makes up our unique city.

Thing that most inspires you: Traveling, discovering new architecture, food, and culture. 

Best advice a teacher ever gave you: “Always feel as if you are draped in the finest of jewels when approaching class or rehearsal. Don’t dance like a frozen fish stick.”

Emma Andre is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Oakland, California. They studied contemporary dance with an emphasis in ballet at The Boston Conservatory, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2021. After graduating Emma moved to New York to work as a freelance performer and teacher. There, she had the pleasure of teaching children within the New York Public School system. Emma moved to Oakland in June of 2023, and has enjoyed dancing and connecting with students in the Bay Area. Since moving, they have had the pleasure of teaching at Berkeley Ballet Theater, Boys and Girls club of SF, TuTu School, and Smuin Ballet.

Brennan Wall (she/her) teaches Ballet Fundamentals on Mondays, Beginning/intermediate Jazz on Wednesdays, as well as a bi-weekly Theatrical Jazz class on Thursdays. She is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and is currently dancing her third season with Smuin Ballet. Brennan draws from the wide range of styles she has trained in to offer fun yet structured movement that is sure to get your heart and mind moving. Her classes are designed to be motivating and musical with an obtainable flow that allows the student to progress each week. Brennan loves the balance between artistry and technique that lies within dance and looks forward to bringing an appreciation of such to her students! 

Fave SF Spot: Alamo Square 

Best advice a teacher ever gave me: “If a teacher gives you a correction, it’s because she thinks you’re worth it.” 

Thing that most inspires me: Music! All kinds of music, and especially when it’s live.