Amber Barton
Amber Barton was born and raised on the unceded and ancestral lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. A contemporary dance artist for over 25 years, she trained at Goh Ballet Academy, Arts Umbrella, Ballet BC’s Mentor Program, and The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her choreography has been presented across Canada and internationally, including in Wales, Seattle, and New York. From 2008–2021 she was Artistic Director of her company, the response. Amber recently performed in FRONTERA by Dana Gingras with Animals of Distinction at BAM’s New Wave Festival. She is currently Program Director at New Works and a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT).
Amber will be teaching morning Contemporary class on Friday.
Eva Draw
Eva Draw is a former Associate Professor at the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and recipient of the 2020–2021 Excellence in Teaching Award. She trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Bolshoi Ballet Academy), danced with the Stanislavsky Ballet Theatre, and studied ballet pedagogy at GITIS under Marina Semyonova. Eva later joined Canada’s National Ballet School, earning distinctions in the Cecchetti Method and becoming a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance. In 2009 she joined the Royal Danish Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet School as Ballet Mistress, coaching principal dancers and staging major productions including La Bayadère.
Eva will be teaching morning Ballet class on Thursday.
Livona Ellis
Born in Vancouver on the unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation, Livona Ellis trained at Arts Umbrella before joining Ballet BC in 2010. During her time with the company she performed internationally in works by leading contemporary choreographers. An award-winning artist and choreographer, Ellis has created and staged works across Canada and internationally. Her practice bridges performance, creation, and mentorship, with a strong focus on supporting the next generation of artists. She is currently on faculty at Arts Umbrella and continues to perform with Kidd Pivot, contributing to both creation and touring projects.
Livona will be staging repertoire from Prelude, choreographed by Medhi Walerski.
Patrick Howell
William Patrick Howell was born in New Orleans and began dancing at age 15 at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance. He later trained on full scholarship at the Rock School for Dance Education and the School of American Ballet in New York. Howell has performed internationally with BalletMet Columbus, Northern Ballet Theatre (UK), Theatre Augsburg (Germany), and Milwaukee Ballet. His repertoire includes leading roles in Hamlet, Dorian Gray, Dracula, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Throughout his career he worked with leading choreographers including William Forsythe and Demis Volpi. Since moving to Vancouver in 2020, Howell has taught widely and currently teaches full-time at Harbour Dance Centre.
Patrick will be teaching morning Ballet class on Tuesday.
Pei Lun Lai
Pei Lun Lai (she/her) is from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where she began dancing at age eight. She joined Hung Dance in 2021, performing the online solo premiere Equilibrium by Artistic Director Lai Hung-Chung for the American Dance Festival, and later appearing in Formless Erosion. Her co-creation Listen, I’ll Speak with Xiao Annette won gold at Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture Creative Competition. Pei graduated from Taipei National University of the Arts with a BA in Dance in 2023, performing repertoire by Ihsan Rustem, Lo Man-Fei, Zhang Xiao-Xiong, Tsai Hui Chen, and Tsai Po-Cheng. The 2025/26 season marks her third with Ballet BC.
Pei will be staging repertoire from BoleroX, choreographed by Shahar Binyamini.
Benjamin Peralta
Benjamin Peralta (he/him) grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and trained at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts before earning a BFA in Dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2022. While studying, he performed works by leading choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, and Ohad Naharin. Prior to joining Ballet BC, he staged Forsythe’s The Barre Project alongside Jodie Gates at Dance Theatre of Harlem. Since joining Ballet BC, Peralta has worked in creation processes with artists including Crystal Pite, Medhi Walerski, Johan Inger, and Roy Assaf, while performing works by Sharon Eyal, Marco Goecke, and others.
Benjamin will be staging repertoire from Obsidian, choreographed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber.
Sabra Perry
Sabra Perry is from Vancouver Island, BC, where she began dancing under the guidance of Linda Klassen before graduating from Canada’s National Ballet School. She has performed with companies including the National Ballet of Canada, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Hartford Ballet, and Dances Patrelle, in works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, Nicolo Fonte, and William Forsythe. Sabra has also worked as a rehearsal assistant with Complexions and taught widely across North America. She holds a BA in Dance from SUNY Empire State College and is a certified Pilates Mat instructor. She currently teaches at Arts Umbrella and serves as a rehearsal director for the Arts Umbrella Dance Company.
Sabra will be teaching morning Ballet class on Monday.
