History

The Performing Arts School of Classical Ballet has been teaching for over 38 Years.  In 1990, Billie Fielden (“Miss Billie”) assumed ownership and began guiding the school. Since then, the reputation of the school as a well-known classical ballet training site has continued. Nancy Smith joined the faculty in 1997 and teaches our advanced classes.

Philosophy

Over the years our students may or may not aspire to be professional dancers, but still they devote many, many hours to ballet training. It gives them an aspect of their lives that they value – the satisfaction of working hard and creating something beautiful.

Students

A number of our former students have chosen ballet as their career. Many have become soloists with major ballet companies, and some have even been chosen as principal dancers. Still others have become ballet teachers, choreographers or have become successful in related dance fields.  While the majority of our students do not intend to dance as a career, they are experiencing the discipline and challenge of ballet as excellent training physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Instructors

Elizabeth Saathoff

Elizabeth Saathoff has studied the art of classical ballet for over 20 years under the auspices of Nancy Smith, Billie, Cristina Ritter and Carol Boice. Through out the time she has traveled intensely to enhance and polish her ballet training under the renown Cincinnati Ballet as well as Houston, Tx.

Elizabeth’s Repertoire includes Swan Lake, Paquita, La Sylphide, Giselle, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Les Sylphides, Le Corsaire, Pas de Quatre and excerpts from Firebird, Don Quixote, and Raymonda.

Elizabeth has taught Classical Ballet for 15 years and has a remarkable teaching dossier with students performing well enough to be accepted into the prestige’s American Ballet Theater Summer training program.

Miss Elizabeth spends her free time traveling, reading and enjoying French wine and strong coffee mostly with her giant dog, Hanzo.

Ballet class success - An Interview with Nancy Smith

Nancy Smith

Nancy has studied extensively (including Joffery Ballet School and Ballet Repertory School) and has performed as a soloist with Ballet Repertory Company of New York, Shreveport Ballet, and San Antonio Ballet Company, later serving as Ballet Mistress for that company.

She has staged classical ballets for many organizations. Her students have been accepted into major ballet companies and have become teachers and choreographers. She has coached students for international ballet competition in Lausanne, Switzerland; Jackson, Mississippi; and Helsinki, Finland. Miss Nancy teaches Ballet V and Repertory.

Billie Fielden

Billie has been the advisor of PASCB since 1992. Her students have been accepted into major ballet companies (including four who became principal dancers), awarded Ford Foundation Scholarships, and danced in Broadway musicals.

“Miss Billie” has taught ballet for 50 years and previously owned a successful dance school in West Texas for twenty years. She has performed in, directed and choreographed numerous television and stage productions, and has been an instructor for the Cecchetti Method Exam Preparation Classes for Teachers.

Michelle Badillo

Michelle Badillo was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. She studied at San Antonio College, earning her Associates Degree in both Dance and English under the careful direction of George Ann Simpson and Annette Flores, and is now a member of Flores’ dance company Soul Fusion.

Michelle began her dance journey at the age of 3 under Billie Fielden at The Performing Arts School of Classical Ballet. There, she teaches the next generations of young, aspiring ballerinas while continuing her own ballet instruction.

Throughout her dance career Michelle studied and danced with some of the best instructors and companies around the world. She participated with both BalletMet Columbus and Dallas Fort Worth (now the Texas Ballet Theater) in their Nutcracker productions, has studied under Ballet Masters from the Joffrey Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet and studied in far away locations like England and Japan.

Today, if Michelle is not dancing or teaching you can find her reading with a couple of dogs and a handful of cats (usually piled on top of her). She is an animal lover, book lover, and a huge nerd of Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and fantasy.

Sarah Meadows

Sarah Meadows, born and raised in the beautiful Texas Hill County, found her love for dance at an early age. Beginning ballet instruction under Nursel Conrad when she was five, she found the stage to be a place where she delighted. Adding to her love of dance, tap became a joyful expression at the age of nine under Kathy Honeyfield in Raton New Mexico where she lived for three years and continued in both ballet and tap, there she earned her first of many solos. At her return to Kerrville Tx she studied Classical Ballet under Ms. Nancy Smith and Tap under Ms. Beth Zachary to which she was honored with being recognized as a lead student. During the summers she participates in several dance intensives where she has gained further development in technique from the renowned Ballet Magnificat as well as Jeremy Arnold and Nick Dinicolangelo. She finds dance to be the greatest expression of the gift of joy and delights in seeing dancers of all ages embrace their own giftings through the art form of dance. In her free time, you can often find Sarah having a latte at a local coffee shop, swing dancing with her friends, baking or enjoying a ride in her Jeep.

Ashley Updike

While Ashley has only been at PASCB for 2 years, her ballet career started 15 years ago when she was just 3 years old at the Belleville School of Ballet. Ashley moved to San Antonio in 2019, and joined The Performing Arts School. Miss Ashley cherished her previous studio’s performances of The Nutcracker every year and can say she has danced almost every part! Ashley’s true love is ballet, however she is also proficient in tap, jazz, and lyrical. She absolutely loves working with kids and the opportunity it offers to be able to share her knowledge of ballet with future ballerinas. In addition to studio dance, Ashley’s high school dance involvement has included being a Varsity Lancer Dancer and a Marching Lancer Dancer at Belleville East High School, and a Junior Varsity Silver Star at Reagan High School. Ashley is currently a senior at Ronald Reagan High School and looks forward to studying sports journalism in college. In her free time, Ashley loves catching up with her friends back in Illinois, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, and watching reality TV shows.

Mina Sifuentes

Hello my name is Mina Sifuentes. I am seventeen years old and I am a senior at Tivy High School. At school I’ve been running cross country and track I even lettered my freshman year in cross country. I’ve been dancing at Kerrville school of dance since I was three. While dancing at the school I’ve done jazz, ballet and continue lyrical. I love to watch basketball, workout, read, watch movies and binge tv shows. I am looking forward to this upcoming dance year!

Start Learning to Dance Today

Give us a call to schedule your first lesson FREE!

  • (830) 484-8890

Testimonials

My daughter has been at this studio for 2 years. She has learned so much and loves it! Instructors have all been kind and patient. We tried several other studios in San Antonio and this has definitely been the best.

Jessica C.

Excellent instruction. We have been dancing here for three years (two daughters) and wouldn’t go anywhere else. The owner is kind and compassionate and works with the parents.

MIchelle T.

My experience with PASCB extends over several years, and my girls have always insisted on returning each Fall. I’ve watched them grow, learn and mature as dancers under the tutelage of the excellent teachers here! There is always individual attention, professional atmosphere and thorough instruction. I am no expert of course but if my girls are any indication this school is the best around!

Daniel W.