Vitacca Ballet & School For Dance The Woodlands Appoints Jordan Brasfield Associate School Director

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Vitacca Ballet & School For Dance The Woodlands Appoints Jordan Brasfield Associate School Director

August 19, 2024: HOUSTON, TEXAS – Vitacca Ballet & School for Dance Artistic Director + Founder Kelly Ann Vitaccaappointed longtime faculty member Jordan Brasfield to The Woodlands Associate School Director in August.

Ms. Brasfield remarks, “My goal is to always act in service to the arts in our community and to our school’s dancers and families by providing excellence in dance training and cultivating an environment that nurtures a dancer’s fledgling artistry while they hone their technique. I look forward to helping dancers and their families navigate the process of pre-professional training while working to bring beautiful performances from our talented student body to The Woodlands community.”

Ms. Brasfield is originally from Louisiana where she began her classical ballet training in the Vaganova method from Constantin Apetrei, a graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow and from Kelly Fortier Apetrei of Dallas Ballet. After moving to Texas, she continued her training at Houston Ballet Academy, studying under Clara Cravey, Martine Harley, and Steve Brule. Upon graduation, she received a ballet scholarship to the University of Oklahoma where she majored in Ballet Performance. As a ballet scholarship dancer, she studied under Mary Margaret Holt and Allan Kinzie while performing with the Oklahoma Festival Ballet. Additionally, Ms. Brasfield’s strengths afforded multiple scholarships opportunities including the Joffery Ballet and North Carolina School of the Arts.

Ms. Brasfield has taken the stage in leading roles such as the beloved Clara and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker and danced the role of Cinderella as Guest Artist for Beaumont Ballet Theater. She was honored to perform as Guest Artist for the Sandra Organ Dance Company and Kingwood Dance Theater. Ms. Brasfield has taught ballet as a guest teacher to all ages throughout the greater Houston area including the Rowland School of Ballet, Kingwood Dance Theater and over five years at Vitacca Ballet & School for Dance, The Woodlands. In 2024, Ms. Brasfield was appointed The Woodlands Associate School Director for Vitacca Ballet & School for Dance, The Woodlands.

Additionally, Ms. Brasfield’s holds a BA in English Literature and for several years, worked outside of the arts sector for the Texas Legislature as a Legislative Aide, Constituent/Lobbyist Liaison, and clerked for the Committee on Land and Resource Management.

Ms. Brasfield’s love of ballet as an artform drives her to instill a strong technical foundation in her students while guiding them to experience the joy of dance. It is her motivating belief that through the study of ballet, students reap lifelong rewards by developing such discipline at a young age. Her years of dedication to high caliber ballet training and performance allows her to continue to share and grow the future artists of tomorrow.

Vitacca Ballet & School for Dance Biography
Vitacca was established in 2012 as Vitacca Dance Project in the Montrose section of Houston where it took over the former Dominic Walsh Dance Theater studio. Since then, Vitacca has solidified its reputation as one of Houston’s top dance training programs, offering primary, pre-professional and professional dance students access to a world-class destination for dance education and rebranding itself as the Vitacca Vocational School for Dance. The school’s curriculum and culture are designed to push each dancer beyond their technical and artistic abilities and offer the education needed to pursue a long, healthy, and professional career.

Successful training comes from tailoring each season’s programming to the skills and strengths of the incoming class. Artistic Director Vitacca comments, “Our goal is to help grow and educate the individual dancer allowing them to surpass their preconceived limitations. To do that, we have created a mentorship program including specific technique schedules per dancer and provide a foundation of discipline and work ethic expected in the professional world.”

The focused mission and tailored approach have paid off. Graduating students have gone on to land spots in prestigious national and international conservatories and professional companies such as Alberta Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the iconic Juilliard School, to name a few. Brittany Broussard, now a professional dancer at Alberta Ballet, and Maddie Medina, a freshman at Juilliard, both chose the school for its strong dual-program training and focus on creating professional dancers. “I knew I would be getting the best training possible with Vitacca,” says Medina. “Vitacca Vocational School for Dance is a place where all the faculty truly care and want you to grow to your highest potential. Without my time there I would not be at Juilliard today.”

In 2018, Vitacca acquired Payne Academy of Ballet in The Woodlands, Texas. The school was rebranded as Vitacca’s The Woodlands campus and welcomes dancers ages 3-18.  Ms. Vitacca was humbled to be asked by Payne Academy of Ballet Program Director Jim Payne and Principal Bridget Payne to take over the well-established academy as the duo moved out of state. Mr. Payne commented, “It was most important for me and Bridget to find the right person to continue what we have built for the past 17 years. Someone with compassion, integrity, and sound training principles. We feel Kelly Ann and her team were a perfect fit.” As a female entrepreneur, Ms. Vitacca’s expansion has provided up-and-coming dancers and The Woodlands community the benefits classical and contemporary dance training by leading industry professionals. “Ms. Vitacca is one of the main reasons I fell in love with dance. It was with her that I learned technical concepts and discipline. More importantly, it was with her that I learned how to express the passion and joy I feel for dance through the beauty of movement,” enthuses former student Ashley Tsai.

For more information on Vitacca Ballet & School for Dance visit www.VitaccaDance.com.