Professional Educators
Amanda Short (MA, ABT®, Classical Pilates) is a certified Classical Pilates instructor and dance educator whose passion for movement began at age three. She honed her craft at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, and continued her ballet studies and performances while earning a teaching degree from Old Dominion University. In 2006, Amanda completed a rigorous 600-hour Classical Pilates Comprehensive Certification, equipping her to teach both Pilates and ballet with a focus on technique and safety. She furthered her expertise by obtaining a Master's degree in education.
Amanda is an ABT® Certified Teacher, having successfully completed the American Ballet Theatre's Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the National Training Curriculum. She continually enhances her skills through workshops with esteemed mentors like Mejo Wiggins, Franco De Vita, Elaine Ewing, Raymond Lukens, Patricia Sorrell, and Lorraine Graves. With over a decade of experience teaching middle and high school, Amanda seamlessly blends her educational background with her dance expertise, emphasizing proper technique and logical progression. Her greatest reward is witnessing the personal growth of her students and clients.
Amber (ABT®) began her love of dance at age 7 with jazz, tap, and ballet. She trained locally in ballet under Classical and Russian schools. Amber is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She believes in training students in proper technique from day one – providing a solid foundation upon which to build in years to come. She strives to create a classroom that is positively influential where dancers can learn and grow physically and emotionally. She believes in creating an environment where dancers can feel safe and secure about who they are as individuals.
Julianne (MA) attended Bright Lights Performing Arts studio for more than 11 years and enjoyed teaching Creative Movement, Pre-Ballet, and Ballet. Julianne holds a Masters degree in elementary education with a minor in special education. She also spent time running the dance program at Triple T Sports Center. Julianne is a life-long dancer and learner herself and is passionate about sharing her love of dance with some of our tiniest dancers.
Carol Hinman (MA, ABT®) has been training ballet dancers for over 30 years in the Hampton Roads Community. Many of her dancers go onto professional careers in the performing arts. Ms. Carol’s passion is to train dancers to use their gift for God’s kingdom purposes. Ms. Carol received her early training at Tidewater Ballet in Norfolk, Virginia. She was a student of the Governor’s Magnet School, which was the precursor to the Governor’s School. She also trained with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and University of Cincinnati Conservatory. Many of her teachers were trained directly by George Balanchine, Robert Joffrey, Alvin Alley, and Jerome Robbins. Ms. Carol continued her teacher training with Certification courses at Ballet Magnificat, and the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
When Carol is not teaching, she is keeping busy as CFO of Leadership Training International, the ministry she co-founded with her husband. With Masters degrees in World Missions and Business Management, she loves helping others meet God’s full potential. She also manages the finances at a large law firm based in Portsmouth, and teaches Accounting at the college level. Carol Hinman has been married to her amazing husband Kevin for 33 years, and they have 3 grown children who are highly accomplished. When not working, she is walking or brushing her Tibetan terrier, Princess Bailey.
Amelia Martinez (MFA) is a dancing artist (modern dance based). She choreographs with yarn in recurring themes of femininity, Latinidad, and community. Her thesis work entitled Latina, explored her experiences in being Latina shared with the generational passing down of culture from one matiarch to the next. She graduated from Temple University in 2021 with a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and Old Dominion University in 2014 with a BA in Dance Performance and a minor in Psychology. Notable choreographies are Unravel Me for the Choreographers of Virginia Showcase at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Duality/Prayers of My People performed for Temple University’s Endings Showcase 2019. Amelia values community and education to her core. Her passion is to create a positive dance environment where every human can grow to their best abilities.
Jennifer Buchheit (BA) was a resident of Hampton Roads, Virginia when she started dancing at the age of three with The Virginia Ballet Theatre and Eva May Morris School of Dance. In high school she continued her training with the Governors School for the Arts, performing roles in many ballets including Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Mrs. Buchheit holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance from Old Dominion University, where she was a recipient of the Eva May Morris Gregory dance scholarship. She has performed with many modern dance companies including Second Wind Dance Company, The Phillip Deal Dance Project, and Todd Rosenlieb Dance. After moving to San Antonio, Jennifer was a company member with Ballet San Antonio, Alamo Arts Ballet and San Antonio Jazz Ensemble. She had the honor of teaching for ballet schools in the San Antonio area, as well as performing in various productions, including “The Nutcracker” where she had the privilege of performing the role of Clara, and as a principal dancer in “The Passion of Dance”. Before moving back to Hampton Roads, Jennifer served as Ballet Director for Insight Dance Ensemble, Assistant Director for Move & Groove Dance and Ballet Director for Trilogy Dance Center. Jennifer has danced and choreographed along the east coast from Virginia to New York as well as San Antonio. Her work has been featured in many concerts and competitions, winning numerous awards.