Co-Artistic Director, Ballet Mistress, Dancer
Hailing from England, Honey has been dancing since the age of eight. In England, she trained in ballet and modern dance at the Royal Academy of Dance. After moving to the US in 1990, Ms. Almazar held her own classes and also directed talent competitions. While attending Glendale College, she became a member of modern dance companies, Contemperus Arts Theatre and Winifred Harris' Between Lines Company. Her professional career as a ballet dancer was launched when she was invited to join Pasadena Dance Theatre as a corps member in 1991. In 1993, she toured with Katja Biesanz and also danced with Sinay Ballet as a soloist. After recuperating from an injury in 1994, Ms. Almazar resumed her dancing when she signed with State Street Ballet, Dance Peninsula Ballet, and The National Ballet, and eventually joined the G.I.T.I.S. Foundation as a principal dancer in 1999. Ms. Almazar has also worked as a guest artiste, choreographer, and teacher with A Place Called Home, Lyn Fields Dance Academy, Westside Ballet, and other schools in Los Angeles and England. She feels privileged to have had the opportunity to study and work with renowned ballet companies and dancers around the world, and wishes to pass on her knowledge to other dancers. Ms. Almazar lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughter and is currently serving as Co-Artistic Director, Choreographer, and Ballet Mistress with Santa Monica Contemporary Ballet.
Dancer
James began studying ballet, tap and jazz at the age of ten at the Dorothy Farnon School of Dance in South Lake Tahoe, California. In his eight years with Dorothy Farnon, James performed in the main showroom of Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and in musical theater productions with the Lake Tahoe TheaterCompany. In 1987, James attended the Boston Conservatory for four years, earning his B.F.A in dance performance and choreography in 1991. While in Boston, James danced with the Boston Ballet, Ballet Theater of Boston and Beth Soll.
James returned to South Lake Tahoe in late 1991 to perform with the Nevada Festival Ballet, also accepting the position of Dance Master for the Dorothy Farnon Dance Company.
In 1997 James relocated to Southern California, and currently performs with the Donlavy Modern Dance Company and Santa Monica Contemporary Ballet Company. He also choreographs and produces work, having recently founded his own Earthwalk Dance Company.
Dancer
Betsy began dancing at the age of 12 at the Dolly Haltzman Dance Academy in Allentown, PA. While studying under Dolly Haltzman and Jennifer Haltzman-Tracy, Betsy performed in The Nutracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Les Filles Mal Gardee as an apprentice member of Repertory Dance Theatre. In 2000, Betsy began studying with Eugenia Wacker-Hoefflin at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY where she also perfomed with and choreographed for IC Unbound, the student dance company at Ithaca College. In December 2003, Betsy debuted her own version of the classic ballet The Nutcracker that featured an updated storyline, music, and many different types of dance, including modern, tap, and breakdancing. Betsy directed, produced, co-choreographed, and danced in this sold-out production. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2004, Betsy has performed with Cumulus Dance Company and is now a member of the Santa Monica Contemporary Ballet Company.
Emily Morrow
Dancer
Emily Morrow grew up in Dallas, Texas. She attended Ursuline Academy High School, graduating in 2003, and then Southern Methodist University, graduating in 2007 with a BFA in dance performance and a minor in corporate communications and public affairs.
Emily enjoys reading, traveling, sports, and taking care of kids. She advocates many things including supporting our environment, creating dance performance opportunities for underpriviledged children, and creating a better health care system. She has worked with refugees and teaching children and wants to continue to help society. She is interested in public relations writing and the entertainment industry and hopes to combine the two to further her career aspirations and goals.
Dancer
Maritza Navarro began dancing ballet with the Rockmoore's in Texas at the age of three. At the age of 12 she studied ballet, tap and jazz under the instruction of Christina Sterling Munro, as a junior apprentice for The Corpus Christi Ballet, where she performed various roles in productions of The Nutracker, Dracula and performances for Regional Dance America.
In 2003, Maritza began studying under Susan and Buddy Trevino in San Antonio, Texas at the University of the Incarnate Word to earn a minor in Dance. As a company member of the UIW Ballet Company she was able to perform and study in Oklahoma, New York City and Texas. Along with the company, Maritza performed in Voices, Tarantella di Napoli, Valse, original choreography for Mozart, and others. In 2005, Maritza joined the San Antonio School for the Performing Arts under the instruction of Scott Conway. Here she performed as a company member with the Alamo City Dance Company in performances of The Nutcracker, Dracula, and Lepidoptera.
In 2007, Maritza moved to Southern California to obtain her Master's degree in Journalism at USC. She is pleased to embrace new choreography and dance as a new member of the Santa Monica
Contemporary Ballet Company.