Jennifer Cafarella Betts
Jennifer Cafarella Betts, BS Business Administration (Rivier College), MFA Dance (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Founder Director of Ballet Theatre of Phoenix, is a passionate educator, choreographer and dancer who is certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum Primary-Level 5, Progressing Ballet Technique, and Power Pilates Mat. Her professional career has taken her as far as Ballet de Cali in Colombia, Granite State Ballet where she performed soloist roles in the Nutcracker and Cinderella, Portland Ballet as a summer guest artist, and Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre. Cafarella Betts founded Convergence Ballet in 2010 as a summer only ballet company which attracted dancers from Malpaso, Memphis Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Boulder Ballet, Palmetto City Ballet, Cleveland Ballet and Central Illinois Ballet. It has now grown to a full-time company with a strong presence in the Metro Phoenix Area. Cafarella Betts has created full length ballets on the company such as The Nutcracker Swing! and Alice in Wonderland. In 2016, Cafarella Betts founded Ballet Theatre of Phoenix and since then, has molded the culture that defines the school and Convergence Ballet.
She is dedicated to understanding more about the brain and body connection, therefore updating a traditional method and creating a training program for each dancer and professional artist to reach their highest potential. Her teaching methodologies are rooted in somatic exploration and neuro diversity. Her research background allows for individual analysis and a custom training program for each student to become the best dancer they can be. Cafarella Betts’ approach to dance pedagogy is influenced by her experiences at Walnut Hill School for the Arts where she trained under Sydelle Gomberg, the School of Ballet Arizona, and SUNY Purchase. Her observations of the ever-changing movement patterns developed by technological advances, motivates her to explore and strengthen developmental movement for healthier dancers. She regularly presents her findings at the National Dance Educator’s Organization on creating better pedagogical practices through a neuro athletic lens within the scope of Classical Ballet. She has served on the faculties at School of Ballet Arizona, Arizona School for the Arts, Mesa Community College, Scottsdale School of Ballet and Plumb Performing Arts Center.
Ian Parsons
Ian Parsons brings decades of experience in the professional performing arts. A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) Professional Ballet Program, he went on to perform internationally with Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and The National Ballet of Canada, before expanding into commercial theatre. His credits include the Olivier Award–nominated West End revival of Cabaret, the UK/European tour of Cats, and the film adaptation of Les Misérables.
Alongside his performance career, Parsons cultivated an extensive international teaching and choreographic practice. He has worked with a wide range of institutions in the UK and Canada, including Performers College, The School of Ballet Theatre UK, Chantry School, Danceworks, Pineapple Studios, and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen. His choreographic works have been presented by Youth America Grand Prix, En Pointe and Just Dance Competitions, the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, and several full-time training programs across North America and the UK, including the Company Life Program at Canada’s National Ballet School.
Since joining the Artistic Staff at NBS, Parsons has contributed significantly to pedagogy and programming. In addition to managing the school’s global exchange network—supporting around 100 international student placements annually—he played an active role in student career planning, curriculum design (including creating the school’s formalized Pas de Deux curriculum), and was part of the team that annually staged the children in The National Ballet of Canada’s production of The Nutcracker.