Linda Walker - Deborah Kenner - Leslie Milligan - Geri Salmen - Mirela Roza - Kristin Jensen

Linda Walker began her dance training at the age of six in California. She studied with many small ballet schools throughout California, Robert Joffrey in New York, and San Francisco Ballet on full scholarship. She is the founder of, and principal instructor at Academy of Ballet (formerly Tucson School of Ballet, 1981), founder and Artistic Director of Tucson Regional Ballet (1983), proud mother of four, and grandmother of five. From 1988 through May 2002, Ms. Walker instructed students from St. David, Sierra Vista, Dragoon, Pomerine, Benson, and Wilcox at her Benson site.

Ms. Walker’s dedication to quality ballet led the Tucson Regional Ballet to audition for, and gain membership in, Regional Dance America/Pacific (1994), and her innovative creativity has brought TRB to new heights with the original production of A Southwest Nutcracker. TRB also premiered Ms. Walker's original ballet adaptations of the best-selling children's books, The Three Little Javelinas and The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit. Ms. Walker has served on the board of Regional Dance America/Pacific and as a panelist for Tucson Pima Arts Council.

Deborah Kenner began her ballet training at the age of five, receiving her core training at the Academy of Ballet in Tucson, Arizona under Linda Walker. In addition to studying with Ms. Walker, she also studied at The Ballet West Conservatory in Salt Lake City, Utah, Milwaukee School of Ballet and The Aspen Dance Festival on scholarship. Ms. Kenner received a full dance and academic scholarship to the University of Arizona. Upon graduation with a BFA in dance performance, she relocated to Denver and spent one season as an apprentice with Colorado Ballet. She has performed with the Arizona Opera Company, Ballet Arizona, The International Theatre School Festival in Amsterdam, Holland, The American College Dance Festival in Laramie, Wyoming and Redlands Music Festival with State Street Ballet. Ms. Kenner has had the opportunity to work with Jory Hancock, Melissa Lowe, Michael Williams, Susan Quinn Williams, John Sarabia, and Christina Noel Adcock and Summer Klund. Her favorite roles include Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker, Mobile by Tom Rude, Fire in Carmina Burana and Pas de Duex couple in James Canfield's Equinox. Recently, she performed in Boulder with the Threshold Dance Project. In 2006, Ms. Kenner was nominated for the News 7 Everyday Hero.

In addition to performing, Ms. Kenner is also an accomplished teacher. In Denver, she was an instructor at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanity. She was the Assistant Director of the Youth Jazz Company and assisted with the Youth Ballet Company and Adult Programs in Tap and Ballet. In addition to studio work, she choreographed Footloose and Godspell at Alameda High School. She was also on staff through The David Taylor Dance Theatre Art Reaching Children's Program and the PEAK Program. Recently she helped choreograph the musical Get Into the Game at Bishop Elementary and gained her certification in Pilates. Ms. Kenner enjoys working with all ages, levels, and styles, and returns to Academy of Ballet as an instructor and as Co-Artistic Director of Tucson Regional Ballet. She brings with her years of training, experience and lovely technique.

Leslie Milligan began her ballet training at the age of nine, receiving her core training at the Academy of Ballet in Tucson, Arizona under Linda Walker. She studied intensively at Ballet Arizona, Ballet Aspen, Houston Ballet, Joe Tremaine, Lines Contemporary Ballet, UA Dance Ensemble and has completed the teacher training program, in Pilates, at the Body Works Studio. She performed as a soloist with Tucson Regional Ballet and performed professionally with Oakland Ballet. Ms. Smythe has been an instructress of ballet and jazz in past years at Academy of Ballet and held the position of Ballet Mistress to Tucson Regional Ballet for the 01-02 season.

Geri Salmen began her dance training at the age of 15. She studied with Zuleka's School of Belly Dance, Fritschy's Dance Academy and Academy of Ballet where she has performed in annual school recitals. She has performed in Tucson Regional Ballet’s production of A Southwest Nutcracker since its inception and is currently the TRB’s Wardrobe Director. It was in the fall of 2002, when Ms. Salmen began working as a teaching assistant, with the younger children, that her natural abilities as an instructor was revealed. This revelation lead to an invitation to be on staff at Academy of Ballet, as an instructor.

Mirela Roza began her study of ballet at the age of four in Fortaleza, Brazil with Monica Luiza. At the age of thirteen she continued her classical study in Rio de Janeiro with Emilio Martins and Tatiana Leskova from the original Ballet Russe. Ms. Roza performed professionally with the Municipal Theatre Ballet in Rio de Janeiro. Her ballet repertoire includes Les Presages, Daphinis et Chloe, Sleeping Beauty, La Fil Mal Gardee, Nutcracker, Coppelia, Giselle, La Bayadere, and Paquita. After performing as a professional ballerina for four seasons with the Municipal Theatre Ballet she ran away with the circus, Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey. She performed as dancer and gave regular dance class to the performers of the circus from 2002 until 2006. She met and married an American musician in the Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey Circus and now resides in Tucson with her husband, and their three-year-old son. She is currently giving a creative movement class to adults with special needs at the University of Arizona, is performing with Zuzi Modern Dance Company and an instructor at Academy of Ballet and Tucson Regional Ballet.

Kristin Jensen has been dancing for twenty years and teaching for eight. As well as being crowned both Miss Teen Dance of Iowa and Miss Dance of Iowa, Ms. Jensen is a well-established show choir choreographer with the top show choirs of Iowa. She has received several awards, including seven Best Choreography titles. In addition to dancing in Iowa and now Arizona, Ms. Jensen has danced in New York, Chicago and Colorado. At the University of Arizona, four of her dances have been performed in different faculty shows. Ms. Jensen brings her brilliant tap dance technique to the Academy of Ballet as the intermediate through advanced tap instructor.