Faculty
Glenda Brown, Director -- In Loving Memory
Glenda began her dance training in Beaumont, Texas where she was a Melody Maid. She was on faculty at the Emmamae Horn School in Houston. She is Co-Artistic Director of Allegro Ballet of Houston and Allegro Academy of Dance. Ms. Brown is a founder and director emeritus of Regional Dance America. She served as president of Regional Dance America/Southwest from 1981-2001. Prior to RDA, she served on the National Board for National Association for RDA and was elected national president of RDA 1995-2000 and coordinated the first Regional Dance America National Festival held in Houston Texas in 1997. She is now coordinator for RDA/SW. She directed the RDA National Craft of Choreography Conference from 1987-2001, and founded The Glenda Brown Choreography Project in 2001. She has served on the dance panel for the Cultural Arts Council of Houston and the Texas Commission on the Arts. She has served on the Advisory Board of Dance Teacher magazine, The Austrian Alps International Arts Festival, and is also Director of Stars of Tomorrow.
Miss Glenda left this earthly stage in April 2021
to dance in heaven with the other angels.
Vanessa Brown, Director
Vanessa is a native Houstonian and began her study of dance at the age of 3 with Emmamae Horn in Houston, Texas. She was auditioned and selected to join the Allegro Ballet company at the age of 11, and traveled abroad to Poland, Scotland, England, and Austria as a soloist. Vanessa attended the University of Oklahoma on a dance scholarship. She studied at San Francisco School of Ballet, The Joffrey Summer Workshops and with many outstanding master teachers. She is a co-director and Ballet Mistress of Allegro Ballet, and has been on staff at Allegro Academy of Dance since 1982. She taught dance at Village School for 22 years, and several other schools in Houston. She coordinated the first Regional Dance America National Festival held in Houston, in 1997, and was on faculty for the RDA/SW Festival in 2001. She also serves as Co-Director of Stars of Tomorrow.
Carla Capetillo
Carla was born in Mexico City and was trained in ballet in the Royal Acadey of Dance (RAD) system. She studied under Jennifer Johnson, Andrea Andraca, Carlos Lopez, and Sergio Vicenzio, among others. Mrs. Capetillo presented RAD examinations to the Advanced level, and she attended several summer programs in Toronto, Canada, and Mexico City. She danced semi-professionally with the Ballet San Angel Inn in Mexico City. She started as a teacher assistant to Mrs. Andraca who trained her as a teacher for many years, and was teaching her first RAD group for examinations at the age of 19. She is currently a Teacher with Registered Status for the RAD, as well as a Mentor and the Practical Training Supervisor for the Southwest for the Teaching Certification Program of the RAD. Mrs. Capetillo received her Bachelor’s Degree in Pedagogy from the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City. She has teaching experience of over 25 years. She developed a Creative Movement program for a school in Mexico that she has been updating and implementing in several studios, which works as a basis for the RAD Pre-primary level. Mrs. Capetillo moved to Houston in 1995 with her husband and three sons and has been teaching in studios around Houston since 2000. This is Carla’s 19th year at Allegro.
Rosario Ramos
Rosario Ramos was born and raised here in Houston. She is a former student of Allegro Academy of Dance where she received most of her ballet training. Rosario began teaching dance at 16 and is currently a student at the University of St. Thomas here in Houston. Her training and background in dance greatly influenced her decision to pursue vocal performance, specifically performance in opera, Broadway, and musical styles where she could incorporate some form of dance. Rosario is excited to come back to Allegro to pass down her love of dance to students!
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Lise Lund
Inger Lise Lund Jensen is a certified dance teacher that recently moved from Norway to Houston. She has more than 20 years of experience of teaching ballet, jazz and tap. She has worked as a freelance choreographer and dance teacher.
Lise is the founder of Fitness Akademiet of Norway.
She has successfully facilitated numerous workshops and instructor courses for dancers as well as teachers.
She is passionate about spreading the joy of dancing, and sees each student as an individual to give them the wonderful
feeling of mastery and achievement.
Coco Braggiato
Miss Coco began her classical training at a very young age in the Royal Academy
of Dance (R.A.D) programme with the direction and training of Rocio Braggiato and Catriona Steel.
Ms. Coco danced with Allegro Ballet of Houston and has performed at the Regional Dance
America Festivals, as well as the recognized Young Tanzsommer tour in Austria in 2008 and 2012.
Miss Coco graduated from the University of Houston in May of 2019 with a B.A. in Dance and a
minor in Psychology and was President of Phi Mu - Alpha Pi Sorority. Coco is both a Progressing
Ballet Technique and ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher
Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT National Training Curriculum. Miss Coco is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with the dancers at Allegro Academy of Dance.
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Laura Ely
Laura Ely grew up in Schaumburg, IL and got her start at Lisa Boehms School of Ballet. In the process, she performed in the Nutcracker each year for 12 years, and performed in nearly every dancing part of the play. Laura’s love for ballet continued through high school and she eventually graduated from Barat of DePaul University with a BFA in Dance. At Barat, she experienced great teaching and choreography from people such as Jessica Lang, Rory Foster, and Eileen Cropley to name a few. Laura’s ballet training continued in NYC where she performed with Peridance Ensemble and was on scholarship at Peridance and Steps on Broadway. Laura further developed her craft as a performing artist, choreographer, and teacher by joining Dance Ad Deum Dance Company, and moved to Houston in 2004. Laura has taught at various dance schools and college-level dance courses in the Houston area, including Houston Ballet Academy and Ad Players. Laura is thrilled to be working alongside excellent teachers at the Allegro Academy of Dance, to share her passion with these capable young dancers.