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Samantha Shelton is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Â鶹´«Ã½¹ÙÍø. She received her professional training from the Joffrey Ballet in New York and in Michigan with Rose Marie Floyd. She also studied in London with Anita Young (Royal Ballet) and at the Cecchetti International program in England. Most recently, she was appointed to the American Ballet Theatre Board of Examiners, traveling to various schools across the nation to examine for the ABT NTC and teach master classes.

Professional Experience

For the past 25 years, she has been on the ballet faculty for American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensives, currently directed by Kate Lydon, teaching ballet technique, setting ABT repertoire  and choreographing new ballets for the final performances. She has also traveled the country as an adjudicator for the ABT National Audition Tour, selecting dancers for training programs in New York, Texas, California, Florida and Alabama.

She has choreographed and taught for the professional ballet programs at Houston Ballet, Walnut Hill School in Boston, Ballet Tennessee, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Duke University, Tainan University (Taiwan) and Interlochen Arts Academy and taught company class for Eisenhower Dance Detroit, Complexions, Ballet Hispanico and Grand Rapids Ballet.

Samantha received her first professional offer at 17, and has performed extensively in both classical and contemporary ballets. Classical roles include the Grand Pas from Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle and Raymonda. In her guest artist performances, she has partnered with Craig Salstein (of ABT), Arch Higgins (New York City Ballet) and Christopher Stowell (San Francisco Ballet) among  many others.

EDUCATION

Samantha holds an M.F.A in Dance from the University of Michigan, where she was awarded a Rackham Thesis grant, and a B.A. in Political  Science also from the University of Michigan. She has also done graduate work at New York University in Performing Arts Administration with internships in development, PR and marketing at Carnegie Hall and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.  She has held professorships at several colleges and universities, including Wayne State University, Alma College, Grand Valley State University and Belhaven University.