Alumni of ABA

Emily Braga is a graduate from UCLA with a B.S. in Biology and has plans to attend graduate school in the future. She currently works at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in the Center for Immunobiology and Vaccine Development as a Staff Research Associate. Emily still goes out dancing with her friends, around her room to good music when no one is looking (of course!), and participated in a swing dancing club while in college. Dance has taught Emily to value being in good physical shape and to take care of her body, while performing has given her the confidence to go in front of crowds. Dancing has also given her an appreciation of many different art forms and the dedication and talent behind them.

Claire Connacher has been dancing since she was four years old. She danced at Dance Arts Project in Alameda until she was ten then came to train at Alameda Ballet Academy. She performed in a recital every year at Dance Arts Project and at ABA. As a company member of Alameda Civic Ballet, she danced in many Nutcracker performances and other spring productions. Claire taught at ABA from the Fall of 2007 fall to 2011.

Nicole Greenspan is currently pursuing her Masters at Stanford University in the Earth Systems Program with a focus on Sustainability Education and Communication. Her undergraduate work was also in the Earth Systems Program at Stanford with a focus on Energy, Science and Technology. She is interested in how education and effective communication methods, incorporating persuasive psychology and design thinking, can promote more environmentally sustainable behaviors among the general population, particularly by empowering youth to shape their own communities. After taking an Afro-Peruvian class at Stanford her freshman year, she joined Kuumba African Dance and Drum Ensemble and has been practicing and performing with them ever since. Though she has not put on her toe shoes for a while, she has enjoyed practicing and performing a range of dance, including Bellydance, Modern, Jamaican Dancehall, Congolese, Hip Hop, Salsa and more. She credits ballet for teaching her the discipline, confidence, leadership and teaching skills that continue to help her today. Dance has been an integral part of her life and always will be – from a supportive community to maintaining both physical and mental health through a creative outlet.

Sherri Greenspan graduated from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a D.V.M. and a special interest in caring for dogs, cats and pet exotics. She previously earned a B.S. in Animal Science from UC Davis. As an undergraduate at UC Davis, she studied ballet with Ron Cunningham, contact improvisational modern dance with Eric Kupers, and tried her hand at Capoeira Angola, West African dance, and swing. She also danced and performed ballet with Applegate Dance in Davis, and continued to dance and perform with the Alameda Civic Ballet and Alameda Vintage Dancers on weekends. Dance has taught Sherri discipline and leadership, inspired creativity and self-expression, and instilled a life-long passion for teaching, movement and the arts. Dance has been and always will be a fundamental part of Sherri's life.

Ariana Mah graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Neuroscience and plans to go to Physical Therapy school. While at USC, she danced with and choreographed for the USC Chamber Ballet Company and was Captain of the USC Traditional Chinese Dance team, starring in its productions of "Mulan" and "Ye Xian: the Chinese Cinderella." She is currently a scholarship dancer with DreamDance II Folk Dance Theatre under the DreamDance Foundation, a non-profit professional dance organization in Southern California. Dance remains her emotional and creative outlet, and she plans to continue dancing wherever life may take her.

Jennifer Mah is a medical student at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. After earning a bachelor's degree in Physiological Science from UCLA, she had the amazing opportunity of being involved with ABA and Alameda Civic Ballet as the Executive Assistant. Dance continues to be her source of inspiration and grounds her in patience, dedication and perseverance. She performed hula and Tahitian with Hui O 'Imiloa in college, and Chinese fan dance for Lunar New Year at Pitt Med. Jennifer currently studies ballet at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and looks forward to continue discovering all that dance has to offer..