OUR FACULTY
The Dancers’ Workshop proudly boasts an entire faculty of master instructors, most of whom are degreed dance teachers with professional training and performance experience.
MOLLY BUCHMANN
CO-OWNER
Molly Buchmann is co-owner of The Dancers’ Workshop and retired co-artistic director of the BRBT and Director of Dance for the LSU Department of Theatre. She has choreographed over 50 musicals for professional, community and university theatres and is currently choreographer-in-residence for Swine Palace. Named a Louisiana Division of the Arts Choreographic Fellow in 1982, she has created ballet and modern works for BRBT, LSU, Western Oklahoma Ballet, and San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, with works for both BRBT and San Antonio chosen for Regional Dance America Galas. Mrs. Buchmann has written dance and fine arts curriculum guides for the Louisiana State Department of Education and served as dance clinician for teachers throughout the state. She holds a master’s degree in dance and has taught choreography, dance history and dance performance at LSU where she won a TAF Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching and also serves on the graduate faculty. She has studied and performed with ProDanza Italia and studied with noted teachers in New York City including Leon Daneileon and Bertram Ross. In 1999, she and Mrs. Mathews received the Mayor-President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, and in 2003 she was inducted into the Baton Rouge High School Hall of Fame. In 2007, she and Mrs. Mathews received the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s John W. Barton Excellence in Nonprofit Management award. She is an ABT Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Institute in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
SHARON MATHEWS
CO-OWNER
Sharon Mathews is co-owner of The Dancers’ Workshop and retired co-artistic director of the BRBT. She worked as Dance Director for Baton Rouge High School from 1976 until her retirement in 2014. Mrs. Mathews holds a BS and MS in dance from Louisiana State University. The Louisiana Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance have named her Outstanding Dance Educator in Louisiana. Mrs. Mathews serves on the Board of Directors of Regional Dance America Southwest, and is a member of the Superintendent’s Task Force for Arts in Education and the State Arts Contents Standards Committee. She has written curriculum guides for dance at the state and parish levels. Mrs. Mathews was resident choreographer for the Baton Rouge Opera and has choreographed for Baton Rouge Gilbert and Sullivan Society, LSU Opera, LSU Theatre, and Baton Rouge Little Theater. Her choreography includes Carmen and The King and I for LSU and Oklahoma! and West Side Story for Theatre Baton Rouge. In 2003, she was inducted into the University High School Hall of Distinction and Baton Rouge Magnet High School Hall of Fame. In 2007, she and Mrs. Buchmann received the Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s John W. Barton Excellence in Nonprofit Management award. She is an ABT Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Institute in Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum.
REBECCA MATHEWS ACOSTA
INSTRUCTOR
Rebecca is a full-time teacher at Baton Rouge Magnet High School (BRMHS). As director of their dance program, Mrs. Acosta provides choreography for the BRMHS theater department and orchestra productions. She is co-artistic director of BRBT, directs BRBT’s Youth Ballet, and teaches intermediate and advanced ballet at The Dancers’ Workshop. 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 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 American Ballet Theatre (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. Mrs. Acosta graduated from LSU, earned her nursing degree from Our Lady of the Lake College, and is also a Kappa Delta Alum and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Baton Rouge. She lives with her husband, Marc, and their children, Marc Jr. and Lizzie.
ALYSSA BOURQUE
INSTRUCTOR
Alyssa is a Baton Rouge native whose passion for dance began with her training at The Dancers’ Workshop. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Belhaven University, further developing her artistry and technique. Alyssa performed with Of Moving Colors Productions in Baton Rouge for two seasons, and now shares her love of dance as an instructor at The Dancers’ Workshop. Through both performance and teaching, she is dedicated to fostering artistic growth and inspiring the next generation of dancers.
JONNA COX
INSTRUCTOR
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 The Nutcracker.
LEAH COX
INSTRUCTOR
Leah graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL) with her BFA in Dance. During her time at UL, Leah performed as a soloist in ballets such as Pas De Quatre, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, and was a soloist in an original ballet by Brie Castro. She has also worked with choreographers such as Norbert De La Cruz III, Fabio Liberti, and Gabriel Speiller. Leah’s choreographic works have been performed at American College Dance Association (2025), Regional Dance America (2022), and UL’s student choreographed show, An Evening of Dance (2024-2026). She also served as Vice President and President of the Dance Honors Society, and was on student council for the Dance Program. Leah was a recipient of the Performing Arts Scholarship throughout her time at UL, and was a student on the Dean’s List and President’s List. Her training also includes Dance West’s summer intensive (scholarship), Brucewood Dance Dallas’s summer intensive (scholarship), and Central Pensilvania’s Youth Ballet teacher training program. Leah is returning back to BRBT this season as an Artist in Residence, and will also be joining Marigny Opera Ballet in New Orleans for their 2026/2027 season.
MARY BETH MADDOX
INSTRUCTOR
Mary Beth has a BS in biological sciences and kinesiology from LSU and a Master’s in Health Sciences from the University of South Alabama. She is a certified physician’s assistant with the Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic. She trained and teaches at The Dancers’ Workshop and appeared in numerous roles in BRBT productions, including as a doll in The Nutcracker and as Mother Gothel in Rapunzel.
MARY CAMILLE MADDOX
INSTRUCTOR
Mary Camille 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 including The Runnels School, Mrs. Maddox is completing her 29th year of teaching our youngest students at Dancers' Workshop. Mrs. Maddox was the first coach for the Women's Gymnastic team at the United States Air Force Academy and she is the director of the Russian gymnastic tumbling divertissement in BRBT's production of The Nutcracker.
ELIZABETH MATHEWS
INSTRUCTOR
Elizabeth 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.
CHRISTINE PERKINS
INSTRUCTOR
Christine 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, the pas de deux in Les Sylphides, and the Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty. 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.
NICOLE SIMMONS
INSTRUCTOR
Nicole earned her MA in speech-language pathology from University of Tennessee - Knoxville. She returned to dance classes approximately 20 years ago, after her daughter began studying at The Dancers’ Workshop and performing with Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre. Nicole has participated both on and off the stage in The Nutcracker - A Tale from the Bayou, and has performed with the outreach program Ballet for Children (now known as Ballet for Every Body). She is a certified Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) through the Yoga Alliance with 20 years of personal practice and over 1,000 hours of teaching experience. She deeply values the meditative benefits found in both dance and yoga and designs her yoga classes for all experience levels to benefit.
ADELE DUFRENE
OFFICE MANAGER
Originally from Raceland, Mrs. 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 bachelor's degree in K-8 Elementary Education and her master's degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in math from the University of Southern Mississippi, Mrs. 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, Mrs. Adele is mom to two grown daughters, Whitney and Delaney.