About Us

Dance Studio Classes Orlando Lake Nona

City Beautiful Ballet is dedicated to offering excellent classical dance training, performance opportunities, and community outreach.

 

We are a Christ-centered dance studio located in St Cloud, Florida near Orlando and right by Lake Nona and Kissimmee. We are a haven for your dancer to be nurtured, encouraged, and strengthened to become more skilled while also developing character.

 

Meet Our Staff

Briana

Briana Hofer was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. She is wife to her wonderful husband, Andrew, and mom to four lovely children.

At age six, Briana joined James Dance Center where she was under the instruction of Judy James, Annette DuBose, and Juan Sanchez. Over the twelve years she was with James Dance Center, she participated in community performances for elementary schools, senior citizen centers, as well as at community festivals. As a member of Images, the competition dance company at James Dance Center, she was featured in solos, duets, and group dances. Additionally, she has been involved in a variety of dance conventions including Florida Dance Masters, NYCDA, JUMP, and ADA. She also auditioned and received dance tuition scholarships.

In 2010, Briana graduated from Valencia Community College with a degree in Dance Performance and as a member of Phi Theta Kappa. There she was extensively trained in ballet, modern, and choreography. Briana choreographed for Valencia’s Student Choreography Showcase and their Summer Dance Concert for the high school summer program. She also joined their company, Valencia Dance Theater, where she performed in lecture demonstrations for local middle schools and performed with Rollins College, University of Florida, and Boston University. Being a part of Valencia Dance Theater gave her the opportunity to work with Jaime Martinez from the David Parsons Dance Company.

In spring of 2014, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida with her Bachelor degree in Sport and Exercise Science specializing in Strengthening and Conditioning.

Briana taught with Cambridge School of Ballet as a senior instructor for 11 years under the artistic direction of Stephania Rogers. In 2022, she transitioned to City Beautiful Ballet and has enjoyed leading as Artistic Director.

Her heart is for students to pursue excellence in their dance training for the glory of God.

Kenzie

Kenzie Murray started dancing at the age of 4 with Cambridge School of Ballet under the instruction of Stephania Rogers, Briana Hofer, and Chandra Judy. She has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, and lyrical. She joined Cambridge School of Ballet’s Junior Company in 2021 and City Beautiful’s Company in 2022. She attended Ballet Magnificat!’s summer dance intensive twice, where she experienced how powerful it is to worship God through dance.

This is Kenzie’s second year teaching and she loves watching young dancers grow and develop their skills. Kenzie is a junior at Lake Nona High School and her dream is to dance professionally. She also desires to teach dance and enjoys growing and instructing the next generation of dancers.

Katie

Katie was born and raised in Orlando, FL. She began dancing at the age of 4, and accepted Christ into her heart soon after at the age of 6.
She began her professional training at the Orlando Ballet School at the age of 12. Here she was trained in Balanchine technique and was mentored by the Orlando Ballet School’s Director Peter Stark and instructor Kim Marsh. She also performed in their production of the Nutcracker.
From there, she continued her training with the Russian Academy of Ballet Alafaya with Irina Deplar and Vadim Fedotov. Here she was educated in the Vaganova Method of Ballet. This style of training is progressive and works on building strength and flexibility while minimizing injury.
After graduating high school, she danced professionally for 6 years with Ballet Fedotov and taught at the Russian Academy of Ballet Alafaya. Katie has danced multiple principal roles in full length classical and modern ballets, including: Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Cinderella, Snow White, Coppelia, Giselle, Faust, Snow Queen, La Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadère. She also danced principal and solo roles in excerpts from the following classical and modern ballets: Le Corsaire, Faust, and Requiem.
After her time with Ballet Fedotov, she performed as a contract dancer for independent choreographers Dawn Branch and Aretuza Garner, and with the Central Florida Ballet.
She has also starred in multiple music videos, religious stage productions, and other cross-collaborative artistic initiatives.

Katie and her husband Dakota recently graduated from 3 years of Jesus School through the ministry Jesus Image, and she has completed 2 years of House of Bethany Worship Academy with Dance as her focus. She currently dances with the Jesus Image Worship Team.

Hannah

Hannah Lehman began dancing at the age of 8 under the instruction of Glenda Langford at Glenda’s Dance Center. She trained in ballet and contemporary until attending Cambridge School of Ballet at age 12 under the instruction of Stephania Rogers, Briana Hofer, and Chandra Judy. Since then, Hannah has trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, and lyrical and continues to dance at City Beautiful Ballet. Hannah is in the senior company at City Beautiful Ballet and is excited about the opportunity to teach and invest in the next generation of dancers.

Chloe

Chloë Mora began dancing at age 6 at a small local dance center in her hometown of Manassas,VA, right outside of Washington, D.C. At the time, it was just a fun, after-school outlet for her, but as she grew, so too did her love of the art form. She enrolled in the Northern Virginia Dance Academy at age 8, the youngest age permitted to begin formal ballet instruction. Trained in the French style under Robin Conrad Sturm, formerly of The Washington Ballet, Chloë developed a passion for the artistry of dance. For 9 years, she trained rigorously after school for 18-20 hours a week at NVDA, advancing in ballet and pointe, as well as contemporary, modern, lyrical, jazz, and pas de deux.
At 12, Chloë was invited into NVDA’s Academy Dance Ensemble, a student apprenticeship to their professional company, The Asaph Ensemble. As an ADE member, Chloë received extra training, participated in choreography workshops, and was a core dancer for numerous Asaph performances at George Mason University’s Hylton Performing Arts Center. The highlight of her ADE experience was performing the role of Clara in Asaph’s rendition of The Nutcracker. After that performance, at age 16, Chloë was formally invited into Asaph’s professional company, but the events of 2020 brought the season to an abrupt end. Shortly thereafter, her family relocated to Orlando, and although leaving NVDA and Asaph was difficult, she was fortunate to finish her last two years of high school dancing with Integrity Dance Company under the leadership and instruction of Mrs. Wendee Engle.
For all of Chloë’s excellent training, what she appreciates most to this day is that NVDA, ADE, Asaph, and Integrity Dance were all Christian schools/companies. Through these environments and in conjunction with her church’s participation in the National Fine Arts Festival, she understood that dance is a gift from God that is most wonderfully experienced as an act of worship offered back to Him. To that end, Chloë cherished opportunities to minister through dance in the community, whether as worship in the local church or bringing joy through dance to residents in an assisted living facility. For Chloë, there is no difference between dancing alone in her own space or performing her National Merit winning worship dance troupe piece before thousands of her peers at the National Youth Convention: She’s learned to keep her heart focused on an audience of One–The Lord. Chloë has a passion for the artistry and technique of ballet and for helping young girls and boys discover their passion for dance, not only as an art form, but as a creatively expressive act of worship to their Creator.

Email
info@citybeautifulballet.com
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