MEET OUR DIRECTOR & Lead Teacher-
Carissa Songhorian
Ballet, Pointe, Advanced Contemporary, Conditioning
Carissa Songhorian, a BFA in Dance and Dance Composition graduate from California Institute of the Arts, began her training at Los Angeles Ballet Academy under the direction of Andrea Paris and Conny Mathot. Throughout her years as a dancer, she has performed professionally with Ate9 Dance Company, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC), Heidi Duckler Dance, String Theory Harp, Sarah Elgart | Arrogant Elbow, Strange & Elegant Dance, Voices Carry, Fabe Dance Company, Iris Company, and Dream Walker, as well as in works by choreographers and artists such as Danielle Agami, Christopher Bordenave, Gustavo Ramirez-Sansano, Troy Powell, Julie Bour, Ryan Mason, Laurence Blake, and Kira Blazek among many others. Carissa has also appeared in several short dance films, commercials and pilots for television, Solange Knowles’s “Metatronia,” and a movie that was produced by James Franco.
As a choreographer, Carissa has created multiple successful works for stage and film, including: Your Kingdom (2019, Iris Company + C3LA's Breath + Body), First Light (2019, Heidi Duckler Dance's Ebb & Flow Festival), Mixed Body (2019, "Best of" New Shoes, Highways Performance Space), Odes 1-2 (2019, Mashup Dance's Balance for Better - International Women's Day Festival, 2018, LAMusArt Winter Festival), Ghosts (2018, Hollywood Fringe Festival - in collaboration), Helmet | Goliath (2018, Highways Performance Space - in collaboration), Premiere (2017, Visual Artists Group), Ours is Malice (2017, Sharon Lund Theater), Habits (2014, Sharon Lund Theater), Dreamscape (2016, Valencia), Beneath the Tissue (2016 film), Dark Places (2016 film), and Ours (2016 film). Carissa has also received honorable mentions for some of her works, including her pre-professional work, Never Mess with Sunday (2013), and her work has been described as “intriguing” (LA Dance Chronicle). Currently, Carissa continues to create as a solo artist, as well as in collaboration with companies and artists such as Dream Walker, Misaq Eshaghi, Joan Padeo, Manuel Meza, Davy Sumner, and more.
Songhorian has rigorously trained in RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) testing since the beginning of her dance career, and has performed pre-professionally with the Mariinsky Ballet, State Street Ballet, and Los Angeles Youth Ballet. This very strict lifestyle greatly influences her classical ballet teachings.
Carissa works as a Dance Specialist for Arts Integration Workshops for Public Schools and Educator Conferences; including conferences for Center Theatre Group's promotion of Matthew Bourne's Cinderella at the Music Center, Community Arts Partnership's workshop for LAUSD, and as a panel member for the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.
Learn more about Ms. Carissa at: carissasonghorian.com.
Meet The Team
Catrina Songhorian
Faculty: Ballet, Pre Pointe / Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Musical Theater
Catrina Songhorian was born and raised in Los Angeles California where she grew up acting, singing and dancing competitively. She has filmed with Director Catherine Hardwicke — who has directed the first movie in the Twilight Saga Franchise among many other blockbuster films — for the National Women’s History Museum commercial. Ms. Catrina has spoken at the Women Making History Awards celebrating famous actors in the Los Angeles Community, including, Kristen Bell, Gabrielle Union and Kathy Bates. She is currently a Theatre major at California State University, Northridge, where her writing was published in the CSUN publication “Waves,” and where she continues to broaden her knowledge in movement, costuming, and lighting design. Catrina hopes to be a lifelong learner and encourages the same attitudes from her students. Her goal is to create a cheerful and meaningful experience for parents, students and fellow faculty members.
Camille Imperial
Ballet, Pre-Pointe / Pointe, Jazz, Contemporary/Lyrical, Hip Hop
Camille Imperial is a Filipino-American dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist born and raised in the Philippines. She trained in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus through Advanced 2 and holds a BFA in Dance Theatre from AMDA. Passionate about nurturing young dancers, Camille strives to create empowering spaces where students can grow as both artists and individuals.
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Kyla Raya
Staff & Lead Front Office Associate
Kyla Raya graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a BA in Anthropology and a minor in Dance Performance. Since the age of three, she has trained in a multitude of dance styles, performing in both exhibition performances and competitions. Her time at California State University, Northridge had allowed her the resources to create and the space to showcase unique concepts using dance as the medium. Kyla's goal in life is to create and facilitate dance related programs that aid in bringing awareness to social issues while also promoting a healthy and meaningful relationship with dance.