Amanda Cobb, Founding Director

​Amanda Cobb brings many skills to her role as Director of Ballet Academy & Movement. From gymnast to American Ballet Theatre ballerina to teacher and Pilates teacher to choreographer to director, all of her 20 years of professional experience have culminated in Ballet Academy & Movement​.

Her diverse training and extremely rare background of gymnastics, jazz, modern, and ballet allow her to give her students exposure to the same diversity and high level of training, with only the very best teachers. Her goal is to support her students to become diverse, strong, passionate, and determined people, and know that whatever they put their minds to they can create, whether in dance or in life. ​
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The word 'academy' is defined as "a place of study or training in a special field." THIS is what we do here!

We challenge you to explore ​your artistry, range of movement, and technique
​to be the very best artist
and athlete you can be!

Are you ready for the challenge?
We are ready for you!
~ Amanda Cobb

The Team

We have the best teachers anywhere! Come join us!

Cara Matchett

Assistant Director

Ballet, Pilates/Gyrotonic
Ms. Cara Hansvick danced with Charlotte Ballet, was a Principal with the American Contemporary Ballet, and is a company dancer, teacher, and choreographer with Ballet Project Orange County.  She attended Chautauqua Institution on full scholarship two summers in a row and upon graduation was chosen by Jean–Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride to join Charlotte Ballet, where she danced for two seasons.

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After that, she moved to Los Angeles where she was a principal dancer with the American Contemporary Ballet for 5 years. She started dancing with Ballet Project Orange County during the pandemic, and recently joined full time as a company dancer, teacher, and choreographer. Some of her performance highlights include principal roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Concerto Barocco, Who Cares, Élégie, Raymonda Variations, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker, and Merce Cunningham’s Duets, Dwight Rhoden’s The Groove, and Antony Tudor's Dark Élégie. She is also a certified Classical Pilates and Gyrotonic Instructor. ​Read more about Ms. Hansvick here.

Melissa Chyba

Ballet
Ms. Melissa Chyba teaches ballet, pre-pointe, and variations. She is certified in American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum through level 5, is a certified Pilates Instructor, and holds the highest certification in Progressing Ballet Technique. Her ballet training background is a combination of Cecchetti, RAD, and Vaganova, and she studied under master teachers such as Stanley Holden, Don Hewitt, Gregory King, Sallie Whalen, Reid Olson, Charles Maple, and the amazing staff at Alonzo Lines Ballet.

She has danced ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz for over 40 years; has worked as a professional dancer for shows produced by Disney, Six Flags, Redken, and The Los Angeles Choreographer's Showcase; and was a soloist and member of the modern dance company Frank Guevara's Dance Theatre. Additionally, she has served as coach and choreographer for high school dance teams and choreographed for award-winning studio competition teams.

Melissa has held various leadership and executive roles in the corporate world while continuing her dance training mainly focused on ballet, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Masters Degree in Psychology.

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Aleah Doone

Jazz, Hip Hop, Cheer, Ballet
A versatile performer, choreographer, and dancer based in Orange County, California, Ms. Aleah Doone has extensive experience performing, teaching, and choreographing for ballet, jazz, hip hop, and cheer.

Aleah began training at age 5 in ballet, contemporary, jazz, and lyrical dance, and won numerous competitions and participating in many conventions. Venturing into the hip hop dance community, she took 1st place in the United States at Hip Hop International, then mastered Competitive Cheer, winning numerous CIF championships and medals at UCA Nationals.

Currently pursuing a degree in business marketing, Aleah is expanding her academic knowledge and still showcasing her passion for dance as a member of Team Shaka at Chapman University. Aleah continues her career as a dancer professionally alongside American Events, further growing as a performer.

With her extensive experience in the dance industry, Aleah hopes to nurture and guide the new generation of dancers with us at Ballet Academy & Movement.

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Paola Gonzales 
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Paola is a professional dancer who has been dancing for the last 20 years. She began at the age of three and fell in love. She began with ballet and tap and later transitioned into competitive dancing training in genres like contemporary, jazz, hip hop, etc. 

While in high school she danced on a Varsity Song team while training at Xtreme Allstars dance studio in their senior program. She then danced at Orange Coast College winning many national titles at UDA nationals. 

She later became a Los Angeles Rams Cheerleader in 2019 and performed at Super Bowl 56 and traveled all over the world from London, Japan, Hawaii, and Mexico representing as an ambassador for the NFL and Rams. She graduated in May 2023 from California State University, Long Beach with a BA in Communication Studies. 

Now Paola is coaching San Juan Hills High School’s JV Song team and teaching barre on the side.

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Deborah Fauerbach

Musical Theater, Ballet
Ms. Deborah Fauerbach has choreographed and performed professionally in numerous musical theater productions, including at Playhouse Merced, SeaWorld San Diego, Moonlight Amphitheater, Candlelight Pavilion, San Diego Musical Theatre, Musical Theater West, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Performance Riverside, and more. 

She has double majors in BA Drama and BA Dance from University of California, Irvine.

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Madelynn Hampton

Ballet
Madelynn Hampton, a New Orleans native, trained at Jefferson Ballet Theatre and attended prestigious summer programs including ABT, Orlando Ballet, Ballet Austin, Kaatsbaan, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Daria Klimentová’s master classes in Prague.
She began her professional career with Colorado Ballet, placing first in regionals for YAGP and performing at Lincoln Center. In 2019, she joined Alabama Ballet, dancing in several Balanchine works, then became a soloist at Ballet Pensacola in 2020, performing lead roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy, Evil Queen, and Glinda. She has also guest-starred with Jefferson Ballet Theatre and recently danced a season with Tallahassee Ballet in leading roles.
Madelynn is a certified Pilates instructor and incorporates that expertise into her dance teaching.

Ally Helman

Ally Helman was born and raised in Southern California where she began dancing at a young age. Her professional training lead her to The School of American Ballet in New York City. Ally danced professionally with New York City Ballet and performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet.  In addition to this, Helman has selected choreographed on both SAB and PNB students.
Ally founded Ballet Project OC in 2019. Since its inception, Ally has taken on artistic leadership as well as choreographer and dancer roles. Ms. Helman has created over twenty new works for Ballet Project OC and continues to lead the company towards a successful future.

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Katherine Rochon Thomas

Katherine Rochon Thomas is a dedicated dancer, teacher, and choreographer with a rich background in classical ballet. She trained at top institutions including the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and later became a trainee with Dallas Fort Worth Ballet. A certified Pilates instructor and founder of FyneLine Pilates, Katherine integrates conditioning and injury prevention into her teaching. She’s known for her thoughtful choreography, community leadership—founding a beloved local Sugarplum Tea—and inspiring teaching style that blends discipline with encouragement. Katherine is thrilled to join the staff at Ballet Academy & Movement this season. She and her husband, Donald, have three children: Aidan, Giselle, and Jack.

Sam Weeks

Samantha Weeks holds a BFA in Dance from Dominican University of California through the Alonzo King LINES Ballet program, where she trained with renowned artists including Alonzo King and Marina Hotchkiss. After graduating in 2019, she joined Visceral Dance Chicago, performing works by Mike Tyus, Monica Cervantes, Danielle Agami, and Nick Pupillo over four seasons, including touring internationally.
​She has also performed with Symbiosis Arts, Fever Candlelight Series, and Freckled Sky. Now based in Southern California, Samantha continues to dance professionally with companies such as San Diego Dance Theatre and Selah Dance Collective.