Michael Wardlaw
Owner/Artistic Director
Mr. Wardlaw has maintained a distinguished career as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer. A graduate of The North Carolina School of the Arts, Mr. Wardlaw also trained at the prestigious Kirov Academy and the Pennsylvania Ballet on a merit scholarship. He joined the Cincinnati Ballet in 1995, where he served as Senior Soloist for the company for eleven years. Prior to joining Cincinnati Ballet, Mr. Wardlaw was a Soloist for the Tulsa Ballet Theatre and Albany-Berkshire Ballet.
During his fifteen-year performance career, Michael Wardlaw made numerous guest principal appearances throughout the world including international tours to Germany, France, Scotland, Portugal, Alaska, and Venezuela. He has also performed at the Vail International Dance Festival, the Spoleto Festival, the Fringe Festival in Scotland, and has appeared with Ballet Contemporano de Caracas, Mobile Ballet and Boca Ballet Theatre, to name a few. His work as a performing artist has been reviewed in Dance Magazine, Pointe Magazine, and online at Criticaldance.com.
Now a highly sought-after educator, Mr. Wardlaw served as Ballet Director for Labelle Performing Arts (our sister school) for sixteen years, and was the former school director for Northwest Florida Ballet’s Pensacola location. He has taught on the resident faculty of the Cincinnati University Conservatory of Music, Ballet Tech of Ohio, and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of West Florida.
Additionally, he has instructed and/or coached many scholarship winners and competition finalists. Mr. Wardlaw has taught master classes for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Columbia Ballet School, Charleston Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Encore Talent Competitions, Harid Conservatory, Mobile Ballet, and Brevard Ballet Academy.
Mackenzie Bennett
Ballet Instructor
Mrs. Mackenzie received her formal ballet training at Nashville School of the Arts, Classical Ballet of Memphis and Bryant Ballet Chicago receiving extensive training in Ballet as well as other dance styles. Following her training, Mrs. Bennett danced professionally with Bryant Ballet Chicago, MOOSE Project, Katie’s Dance Project, and Chicago Ballet as well as various other freelance and guest appearances. A Beautillion choreographer for five seasons, Mrs. Bennett served on the faculty of The Chicago Multi Cultural Dance Center for seventeen years, Chicago Ballet for four years, as well as Montgomery Ballet for one season. She has had the distinguished privilege of sharing her talents at Penn State University’s summer programs, where she both taught and set Ballets.
Mary McRae
Ballet Instructor
Ballet Instructor/Kinesiology
Mrs. Mary’s ballet journey commenced at the age of eight in a small town in Montana, where she cultivated a lifelong passion for classical dance. With over twenty years of comprehensive training and performance experience, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Brigham Young University. Her academic background includes extensive coursework in various dance styles, as well as specialized studies in ballet pedagogy, anatomy, kinesiology, choreography, music for dancers, injury prevention, and dance film. Throughout her formative years, she performed with BYU’s ballet company and participated in numerous full-length ballet productions.
Miss Mary emphasizes the importance of not only technical proficiency but also musicality, artistry, individual expression, and intelligent, effective movement. Her dedication lies in fostering dancers’ confidence, discipline, and a genuine appreciation for the art of dance.
Elise Preston
Ballet Instructor
Elise Marie Preston began professional dance training as a teen, and also learned fencing. She formed “C’est Parfait!” (It’s Perfect!”) Choreography Production Co. and choreographed “Dream Girls” dance and fashion extravaganza performed at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, FL. She taught dance in Sarasota and Miami and was a dancer with OPUS 10 where she served as choreographer and co-choreographer and danced in commercials for MTV.
Ms. Preston has traveled extensively and at each location, has enjoyed the opportunity to immerse herself in the local arts community while using her dance experience to help with charity events. These include: Ballet Idaho, Boise, Idaho, North Star Ballet, Fairbanks, Alaska. Ms. Preston began to dance with Dorothy Daniels Lister of Northwest Florida Ballet and Dorothy’s Dance Plus as an adult student, and served on the board of Northwest Florida Ballet. At present Ms. Preston teaches at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, she has a Pre-Ballet group in Navarre, and is a Pre-Ballet Instructor for Northwest Florida Ballet. We are thrilled to have Ms. Elise on our faculty.
Michelle Wardlaw
Ballet Instructor
Michelle has performed and choreographed for “Dance Alive” touring company, working under the direction of Kim Tuttle and Judy Skinner. She has choreographed, instructed, and/or performed for Universal Dance Association, House of Blues Orlando, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Disney, professional dance companies, and theatre productions.
She has also instructed “movement” classes for children with severe disabilities.
She participated as a “founding father” in developing Pensacola Young Professionals, and spearheads many community benefits for foundations throughout the city. Michelle founded the Sojourn Project, a multi-faceted arts company, that performed in a variety of galas, fundraisers, festivals, and spectaculars. Michelle co-directed events for NWFL National Dance Week and other performances in 2005 and 2006. Michelle’s greatest talent is helping her students develop artistic expression, connecting humanity in art within music and dance.
Isabela Rabon
Isabela RabonBallet Instructor
Mrs. Rabon is a passionate dancer turned teacher/choreographer with more than 17 years of training and experience.
Born and raised locally, she has been awarded several scholarships, regional and national titles, cash prizes, and other notable awards. These accomplishments afforded many opportunities for further experience, including a performance of Annie Jr: for Carnival Cruise Line, Make-a-Wish Foundation’s “The Dream” Showcase, audition finals for America’s Best Dance Crew with her crew The Outlawz (later known as Panduhmonium), and workshops at The Broadway Dance Center in New York and Edge Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles, respectively. Her love of contemporary dance took hold at just fourteen years of age, when So You Think You Can Dance Season 4 winner, Katee Shean, became her mentor. She would go on to assist Katee at various workshops and continue to hone her skill. Mrs.
Rabon has toured as a company member and assistant with Hollywood Dance Convention and Dance League USA, worked as master teacher and judge for Talent Explosion dance competition, choreographed musical revues for Pensacola Little Theatre’s education department and set award winning pieces for Labelle Performing Arts’ competition company, where she recieved her formal training. Mrs. Rabon brings a fresh outlook on storytelling through unconventional movement and is excited to join the incredible staff at Pensacola Youth Ballet Center.
