A Raleigh, North Carolina native, Stephanie began dancing when she was three years old.  Her love for dance grew rapidly and she began to explore different styles of dance including ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, modern, and hip-hop. At 8 years old, Stephanie began training at City Ballet. By the age of 11, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in ballet, and started training rigorously. During this time, she participated in five Cecchetti Council of America Exams and received Commendable and Highly Commendable on each one. While a student at City Ballet, she also competed at Youth America Grand Prix and won top twelve in her division, taught private ballet lessons, and was a teaching assistant. Stephanie also danced corps roles in Carolina Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker and La Sylphide throughout this time in her dance education.

Desiring to further her ballet training, Stephanie attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts for high school, learning from world-renowned instructors such as Susan Jaffe, Ethan Stiefel, Warren Conover, and Nina Danilova. At UNCSA, Stephanie had the opportunity to perform George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante and La Source, Ethan Stiefel’s The Nutcracker, Susan Jaffe’s Polovtsian Dances, James Kudelka’s Gazebo Dances, Paquita, and Swan Lake. From ages eleven to seventeen, Stephanie participated in various summer training intensives such as Joffrey South, The Rock School, The School of American Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Ballet, and Richmond Ballet.

Following a year as a trainee with the Richmond Ballet, Stephanie was offered a contract to dance professionally in Richmond Ballet II, where she danced for three years. During this time she performed ballets such as Stoner Winslett’s The Nutcracker, Malcolm Burn’s Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, George Balanchine’s Serenade and The Four Temperaments, Nicholas Berizoff’s Don Quixote, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadere, Salvatorre Aiello’s Rite of Spring, and Bill Soleau’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Stephanie took college classes while working full time as a professional ballerina and graduated in the spring of 2016 with a B.A. in Liberal Studies. Stephanie is excited to join the staff at City Ballet and aims to bring young dancers along in a positive, encouraging environment.