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 Director of Stars of Tomorrow International.
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 20th year at Allegro.
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Lise Lund
Lise Lund has recently moved to Houston from Norway. She is a freelance dance teacher and choreographer with more than 20 years of experience, specializing in ballet. She is pleased to be returning to the faculty of Allegro Academy of Dance.
Lyndsay Lunsmann Del Rio
Lyndsay Lunsmann Del Rio has studied dance over 30 years. She studied primarily at Abbott’s
Performing Arts Center in Houston for 16 years, under Paula Abbott and Kristen Belknap Vickers
and was apart of the teaching staff for 5 years. Lyndsay also studied at Cypress Academy for 8
years. Lyndsay was an 11 year member of the Abbott’s Competitive dance team and was
awarded Miss Starbound 2004 & 2005 and was awarded “Future Star Award” and was featured
in Dance Spirit Magazine. She attended the High School and Performing and Visual Arts in
Houston for 2 years where she studied dance and then graduated from Cypress Falls High
School. In high school, Lyndsay performed in 3 musical performances at Theater Under the
Stars (TUTS) between 2003-2005 including Brigadoon, A Chorus Line, and Singin’ In the Rain.
After high school in 2005, she worked for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as an entertainer/dancer.
Then, she attended Sam Houston State University, graduated with honors in December 2009
with a BFA in Dance. While at SHSU, she received the prestigious Mary Ella Montague
Scholarship for outstanding dance major. After college, Lyndsay performed with a modern/
contemporary fire infusion dance company called ChinaCat Productions for 3-4 years. Since
2010 to present, Lyndsay has taught dance all around Houston and has choreographed many
competitive routines. In February 2023, Lyndsay had a baby girl named Kenley and can’t wait
for her daughter to be introduced into the dance world.
Maddy Morriss Ross
Madeline began her dance training at the age of 14 and trained at Second Baptist School of Performing Arts, Stephanie's Dance Studio One, and Allegro West Academy of Dance. Madeline's pre-professional career started when she was 17 at Orlando Ballet School where she studied ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, musical theater, hip hop, contemporary, and character dance. She later accepted a trainee position with Magnum Opus Ballet under the artistic direction of Abigail Henninger, where she was able to perform full length ballets and work with several guest choreographers. Madeline continued her training at The School of Nashville Ballet in their Professional Division and later moved back to Houston where she now works at Second Baptist Church as the Preschool Worship Director. In addition to her dance training, Madeline has had the opportunity to share her passion of dance with students of all ages as well as assist in Adaptive Dance programs such as Orlando Ballet's Come Dance With Us program and Gigi's Playhouse in Madison,WI. Madeline is thrilled to be able to share her love and passion for dance with the students at Allegro Academy of Dance!
Cammie Aven
Cammie Aven is an alumni of the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University,
graduating with a BFA in musical theatre with a dance emphasis. She has trained and performed in the greater Houston, New York, and Chicago for the past 19 years, and is excited to continue to share her passion in the city where it began. She specializes in choreographing and teaching ballet, tap, and musical theatre. Cammie is very excited to be a part of the Allegro Ballet family, and continue her passion in the community she grew up in.