ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Rebecca Mathews Acosta is a full-time teacher with East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. As director of their dance program, Ms. Acosta provides choreography for the BRMHS theater department and orchestra productions as well. She is the director of the BRBT Youth Ballet and teaches intermediate and advanced ballet at The Dancers’ Workshop. An LSU graduate, she also earned a nursing degree from our Lady of the Lake College. She has appeared in numerous principal roles with BRBT including Azalea Fairy in The Nutracker, the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, the Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Myrtha in Giselle, the Mother in “Family Secrets” and Mother in “Women of Acts”. Rebecca studied on full scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet, New York, and on scholarship with the Eglevsky Ballet, where she appeared as a demi-soloist in Swan Lake and a soloist in Paquita. She also appeared in several LSU opera and theater productions and in West Side Story with Theatre Baton Rouge. As an ABT Certified Teacher, she successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Institute in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum with ABT New York. Outside of teaching dance, Ms. Rebecca is also mom to Marc and Lizzie, a Kappa Delta Alum, and a sustaining member of the Jr. League of Baton Rouge.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Jonna began her ballet training in Corpus Christi, Texas, with Larry and Bettye Roquemore and then Christina Munro. She received a BFA in ballet from Texas Christian University, where she attended on a Nordan Fine Art Scholarship. She danced professionally for the Dayton Ballet, where she performed in Pas de Quatre, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana, and others. In 2006, her choreography for BRBT was selected for Regional Dance America Southwest’s Emerging Choreographers Performance where it won the outstanding choreography award garnering her a scholarship to the Choreography Conference at University of Utah. She has danced a number of principal roles for BRBT including Azalea Fairy in Nutcracker.

INSTRUCTOR

has a BS in biological sciences and kinesiology from LSU and a Masters in Health Sciences from the University of South Alabama. She is a certified physician’s assistant with the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic. She trained and teaches at The Dancers’ Workshop and appeared in numerous roles in BRBT productions, including as a doll in Nutcracker and as Mother Gothel in Rapunzel.

INSTRUCTOR

has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Centenary College and a Master of Music degree in Dance from Florida State University.  With over 45 years of teaching experience in various schools and at Runnels, Ms. Maddox is completing her 29th year of teaching our youngest students at Dancers' Workshop.  Ms. Maddox was the first coach for the Women's Gymnastic team at the United States Air Force Academy and, each year, she is the director of the Russian gymnastic tumbling divertissement in BRBT's production of The Nutcracker.

INSTRUCTOR

Elizabeth Mathews has a BA in Theater and a Masters in Human Resources from LSU. She trained extensively with BRBT as a soloist and with multiple Ballet and Modern Companies around the country. Elizabeth worked on Broadway with such productions as Shrek, the Musical and Beauty and the Beast. She has performed in local and regional theater for years. A classically trained violinist, pianist, and vocalist, she is currently teaching Talented Theatre at Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

INSTRUCTOR

began her dance career in New Orleans, studying with Joseph Giacobbe, Ceyhun Ozsoy, and Mary Munro and later moving to the stage with Delta Festival Ballet. While receiving her master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, she taught and performed in Shreveport, LA with Louisiana Dance Theatre, performing lead roles in pieces by Dianne Maroney and others. After moving to Baton Rouge, Christine soon joined Baton Rouge Ballet where she performed roles such as the Arabian, Spanish, Doll, and Azalea Fairy in the Nutcracker and pas de deux roles in both Les Sylphides and Sleeping Beauty’s Bluebird. She is now in her 31st year with the company, teaching and occasionally performing.  She is now an Assistant Artistic Director for BRBT, creating and directing its newest community engagement program, Ballet for Every Body, while continuing to work as the marketing and  communications director.  Christine is the mother of three amazing children, including one professional free lance dancer in the Denver area.

INSTRUCTOR

 is a Registered Dietitian and the director of the Metabolic Kitchen at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. She received her bachelor's degree in human nutrition and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Alabama. She grew up in Baton Rouge where she received her ballet training from the Dancer's Workshop` and has performed with the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre in numerous productions. Renee previously served on BRBT's board of trustees, and was the co-chair of the 2016 Regional Dance America Southwest Festival in Baton Rouge.

OFFICE MANAGER

Originally from Raceland, Ms. Adele is completing her 30th year of teaching, with the last 26 at University High, serving as their Middle School Math and Pre-Algebra teacher and the 6th grade chairperson.  After earning her Bachelors degree in K-8 Elementary Education and her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in math from the University of Southern Mississippi, Ms. Adele relocated to Baton Rouge and began teaching at LSU, where she earned her National Board Certification as a teacher.  In addition to teaching and working at the studio, Ms. Adele is mom to two grown daughters.  Whitney is currently dancing professionally with Doug Varone and Dancers of NYC and Delaney is in her last year at LSU