ABOUT
Welcome to Strive, our exclusive Invitation-Only Ballet Intensive for dedicated dancers ages 13 and up. Designed for those with a passion for ballet and a drive to excel, Strive offers an unparalleled opportunity to push artistic boundaries, refine technique, and develop as a well-rounded dancer in a focused, professional environment.
Over the course of this intensive, dancers will receive specialized training from renowned guest ballet instructors, emphasizing advanced barre work, center exercises, jumps, turns, and musicality.
Hannah Christian
Hannah Christian (formerly known as Hannah Bettes) is an internationally acclaimed ballerina, freelance artist, choreographer, Pilates teacher, General Manager, and real estate professional based in Austin, Texas.
She began her training at The Central Florida Ballet School before moving on to Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, Florida, and later completing her studies at The Royal Ballet School in London, England. During her formative years, Hannah distinguished herself as one of the most decorated young dancers in the world, earning the Gold Medal in both the Junior and Senior Divisions at Youth America Grand Prix, two consecutive Silver Medals at the World Ballet Competition, the Bronze Medal at the Beijing International Dance Invitational, and Second Prize along with the prestigious “Audience Choice Award” at the Prix de Lausanne.
Shortly after arriving at The Royal Ballet School, Hannah was selected as the Nadia Nernia Scholar. While there, she danced with The Royal Ballet, performed at Buckingham Palace, and had the honor of being choreographed on by Liam Scarlett and working with David Dawson.
In 2014, Hannah joined Boston Ballet, where she quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to Second Soloist in 2017. Her repertoire includes leading roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the Sugar Plum Fairy in both Mikko Nissinen’s and Ib Andersen’s The Nutcracker, Effy in Bournonville’s La Sylphide, the Principal Pas Girl in William Forsythe’s Artifact, Sanguinic in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, and the Pas Girl in Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free.
Her artistry has been celebrated internationally—she has graced the cover of Pointe Magazine and been featured in Dance Magazine and Dance Spirit.
Today, Hannah continues to perform as a freelance dancer and choreographer while also expanding her creative reach beyond the stage. She is the Lead Pilates teacher & General Manager of Olga Roberts Studio | Body Intelligence Pilates, a private ballet coach, and real estate professional, blending her artistic discipline with her passion for helping others build strength, alignment, and spaces they love.
Kirsten Kemp
Kirsten Kemp is a former professional ballet dancer turned Mental Performance Coach for Dancers, International Speaker, and Founder of The Confident Dancer. Kirsten specializes in helping dancers resolve mental challenges like self-doubt, performance anxiety, and perfectionism, and build a mindset that allows them to consistently perform to their fullest potential with confidence and joy.
On top of serving hundreds of clients globally, including soloists and principals in top ballet companies, YAGP finalists, and a recent Prix de Lausanne prizewinner, she's also been featured as a guest expert in Pointe Magazine and on Dance Masterclass where she hosted a masterclass on “How to Grow Your Confidence as a Dancer”. Kirsten has also built a large online community between The Confident Dancer YouTube channel and podcast and her community on Instagram where she shares actionable insights on how to master the mental side of dance. As a speaker, she has had the honor of speaking to groups of dancers at top institutions such as Miami City Ballet School, Estonian National Ballet, University of Utah's School of Dance, Texas Ballet Theater School, and many others.
Daniela Bustillos
Daniela Mitchell Bustillos was born in Caracas, Venezuela and later moved to Barcelona, Spain where she began her dance training in ballet under the direction of Lolita Vilalta of Ballet Sitges. Upon moving to the United States she was able to further pursue her passion and training for dance. She studied ballet with former Royal Ballet Theater's principal John Adamson and furthered her training withNew York City's Joffrey Ballet School, Houston's Ballet Forte, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Point Park University and Spellbound Contemporary Dance Company in Italy summer intensives.
Daniela served as Assistant Artistic director for Verge Dance Company for four years where she performed professionally across Texas. She has taught ballet, pointe, pre-pointe, contemporary and technique extensively for all levels and and all ages. Upon moving to New York City, Daniela taught and choreographed at multiple studios across the state as well as performed with New York City's top choreographers. Daniela graduated with honors from Texas State University with a BA in Political Science and International Relations and a minor in Psychology
AGES
Ages 13+