Who We Are
Richmond Academy of Ballet is our Magnum Opus. We are a married couple who have devoted our lives to the art of classical ballet. We've grown up with it, and it has provided us with a living as performers and teachers.
Our mission is simple - to inspire generation after generation to see more beauty in the world and then to find their own contribution to it. We guide our students to find motivation within. Children must learn that great accomplishments are not achieved through brief fits of strenuous effort, but through consistency, discipline and endurance. It is essential for them to experience the sense of freedom and confidence that comes from developing themselves in this way. Having done so, no matter which path they choose in life, they will be well-prepared to succeed.
Richmond Academy of Ballet began in September of 2020, teaching socially distanced classes, 3 students at a time, in our parents' basement. The families of our students supported us through word of mouth, and our school soon outgrew that tiny basement.
In April of 2021, RAB opened the doors to its permanent home at 413-C Branchway Road, conveniently located, yet tucked away near Chesterfield Towne Center.
Michelle Bettin/ Owner & Artistic Director
Michelle Bettin has danced professionally with Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Columbus Dance Theatre, and Manassas Ballet Theatre, where she met her husband and dance partner, Jack Bettin.
At nineteen, Michelle was a semi-finalist in the XII International Ballet Competition, Trujillo, Peru. She later returned that year to teach American jazz dance in Lima, and Arequipa, Peru.
She received her early training through Maryland Ballet Theatre and Georgetown School of Ballet. Michelle is a Cum Laude graduate of Towson University in Dance Performance and Choreography and has been certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer.
Later in life, Michelle studied ballet pedagogy through Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz, from Kintz-Mejia Academy of Ballet. She has received a certification through The Classical Dance Alliance, and had the wonderful opportunity to study at the Paris Opera Ballet.
Michelle has been the Academy Director for Metropolitan Ballet Theatre - a non- profit arts organization, and on faculty with The Washington School of Ballet, Maryland Youth Ballet, and Joy of Motion.
Jack Bettin/ Owner & Artistic Director
Jack Bettin has had the good fortune to have been mentored by three masters of ballet - Roudolf Kharatian, Linda Kintz, and Mark Mejia. These three masters instilled in him an understanding of ballet that is both deeply rooted in the Russian tradition and cutting edge in its expression.
He has trained on scholarship at the Washington School of Ballet, Kintz-Mejia Academy of Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, STEPS on Broadway, the Virginia School of the Arts and also at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Jack has been certified as a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and as a Gravity Yoga Teacher through Yoga Teachers College.
Jack has performed as a company member with the Sacramento Ballet, ARKA Ballet, the Washington National Opera, the Omaha Theater Company, Manassas Ballet Theatre (where he met the love of his life and long time partner, Michelle), and the Columbus Dance Theatre. He has enjoyed performing in theaters from New York to California, and many places in between.
Towards the end of his performing career, Jack served as the Principal Instructor, Choreographer, and Manager for the Falls Church School of Ballet under Linda Kintz and Mark Mejia. Among his former students are professional dancers and performers both in the United States and abroad.
In addition to his career in ballet, Jack is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and has worked as a Captain, Manager, Sommelier, and Wine Director in many restaurants, some of which have earned highly coveted Michelin stars. Among them are The Inn at Little Washington, Minibar by Jose Andres, and Tail Up Goat. His time in hospitality has forged an awareness that extends to each individual student in his classes and has inspired him to create a reverent and welcoming culture in his school.
Alyssa Fujimoto/ Contemporary Director
Alyssa began her training under the direction of Bonnie Story, Rick Robinson, Linda Fenton, and Stacey Bills. Upon receiving her BFA in Modern Dance, Alyssa continued her professional training with Aspire Modern Dance Company, Repertoire Dance Theater, Raw Moves, Wasatch Contemporary Dance and Salt Contemporary. In 2016, Alyssa co-founded the professional dance company The Oquirrh West Project where she worked as the Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer for three years.
Additionally, Alyssa worked as the Artistic Director for Kinuko Modern Dance for one season. Her choreographic works have received countless honors and awards, and have been featured across the country in both professional and studio settings. Her most recent choreographic project has been setting work on the students of Appomattox Regional Governor's School for the Arts.
Alyssa has 14+ years of teaching experience. She has continued her education by attending dance educator training with Sarah Pickett, RDT, Salt Contemporary, amongst others. She is CLI certified in Choreography, as well as CLI certified in Strength Training and Injury Prevention. She has also trained in sugar foot therapy techniques. To ensure the safety of her students, Alyssa has completed multiple YPAD safety and wellness courses. She has also received several hours of DEI training within her current YTT 200hr enrollment. Alyssa will complete her YTT 200hr with Susanna Barkataki in May of 2023.
Upon relocating to RVA with her family in 2019, Alyssa has had the opportunity to work with several of the local studios. She is pleased to have found her dance home as a resident instructor with Richmond Academy of Ballet, and Prestige Dance.
Allison Kahelski/ Studio Manager/ Childhood Development Specialist
Allison’s passion for ballet started at an early age while growing up in Chambourcy, France and Surrey, England where she was instructed in the Cecchetti and Royal Academy of Dance Methods. She was inspired by her teachers and by the many extraordinary dancers she had the opportunity of seeing in Paris and London. After moving back to the United States to Rhode Island she continued dancing classical ballet while being involved in theatre, musical theatre, and working with children.
She went on to study Theatre, Elementary Education and Spanish at the University of Rhode Island. While in Rhode Island she worked in the modeling industry locally on the runway. She has always had a passion for fostering enthusiasm and love of learning in children through creative teaching techniques. Her teaching career began as a Dance/ Drama integration teacher working to teach content in the elementary school classroom while using dance, movement and drama techniques. While continuing on as an elementary school teacher, she earned her MA in Education, with most of her research focusing on integrating the Arts into core curricular subjects.
During her 14 year teaching career, she adored inspiring children from preschool age through the college level, earning the title of Teacher of the Year for her school and of one of Henrico’s Top Teachers. She also welcomed the opportunity as an adjunct professor at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Education Department for 4 years, leading a class that explored and teaching and management techniques of Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts using Dance, Music, Art, and Drama.
Allison believes in inspiring self-confidence and positivity in a creative, safe learning environment and looks forward to working with the dancers at Richmond Academy of Ballet.
Sona Kharatian/ Faculty Member
Sona Kharatian is a seasoned professional in the world of ballet, bringing over two decades of experience as a professional ballet dancer, instructor, and rehearsal director.
Most recently, she held the position of Rehearsal Director / Ballet Master at The Washington Ballet, where she was instrumental in coordinating rehearsals, teaching and coaching dancers, and maintaining the artistic integrity of performances.
Sona’s journey in ballet began with her training at the Choreographic Institute in Yerevan, Armenia, followed by studies at the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet and The Washington School of Ballet. Her extensive training and dedication to the art form have led to a successful career marked by performances in principal and featured roles in a diverse range of ballet works by renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Choo San Goh, Antony Tudor, Nacho Duato, Christopher Wheeldon, Trey McIntyre, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, Frederick Asthon, Septime Weber, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and more. Notable roles in her repertoire include Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, Giselle and Myrtha in Giselle, Carmen in Carmen, and The Siren from Prodigal Son, among others.
In addition to her work on stage, Sona is deeply committed to sharing her knowledge and passion for ballet through teaching and coaching. Her strong teaching expertise, pedagogical knowledge, and leadership abilities have made her a valuable asset in nurturing the next generation of dancers and fostering a lifelong appreciation for dance. Sona is fluent in English, Russian, and Armenian, allowing her to communicate effectively with diverse teams and audiences. She is a two-time recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award, recognizing her contributions to the arts and her dedication to artistic excellence.
Amelia Virtue/ Faculty Member
Amelia Virtue (she/her) born in Morgantown, West Virginia began her dance training at Kat and Company Dance Studio under Katreena Snyder and Wendy Virtue (her Mom), and later trained at Morgantown Dance Studio and Pittsburgh Youth Ballet. Amelia attended summer intensives at Virginia School of the Arts, American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, Ellison Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.
At the 2011 Youth American Grand Prix, she was invited to Ellison Ballet’s Professional Training Program in New York City under the direction of Edward Ellison, and subsequently attended the year-round program. At Cincinnati Ballet’s year-round training program, she performed with the professional company in the corps de ballet in ballet classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Romeo and Juliet. Upon joining Nashville Ballet’s Trainee Program, Amelia performed in excerpts from Le Corsaire, Peter Pan, and The Nutcracker.
In 2016, Virtue began teaching for Kansas City Ballet in Kansas City, Missouri, where she taught young dancers and led workshops throughout the Kansas City metro area. Amelia is currently based out of Richmond, VA where she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) with a BFA in Dance and Choreography. Virtue performed in the VCU Dance NOW 2022 concert in a duet with a robot, titled Amelia and the Machine, choreographed by Dr. Kate Sicchio (Assistant Professor Dance and Media Technologies) and Alicia Olivo (VCU Arts and Engineering Alum). She performed in the dance film, Soledad choreographed and directed by Eric Rivera, Associate Professor at VCU Dance. Amelia is currently a research assistant in human-robot creative investigations with VCU Dance and the College of Engineering led by Dr. Sicchio and Dr. Patrick Martin (Assistant Professor of Computer Science at University of Richmond).
Amelia is grateful to be a part of the Richmond dance community. Her most memorable performances have been Angelica Burgos Rivera’s “V Voices”, Kristina Ancil Edwards’ “Spirit Lake”, and Miguel Perez’s and River City Taiko’s “Whispers of the Forest”. Amelia is grateful to be a founding member of Conflux Dance Theater and continue into the second season! Amelia is thrilled that Richmond Academy of Ballet is the next stop on her lifelong dance journey!
Taylor Rolfe/ Faculty Member
Taylor Rolfe is from the Richmond, VA area and is currently a Dance and Choreography Major and Business Minor at VCU. She has been dancing for 16 years and has trained in various styles such as ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and hip-hop.
In her first two years at VCU, she performed in the Freshman Repertoire Concert and earned an “Outstanding Freshman” award by her professors; her senior dance program members also chose her to perform in various senior capstone projects, including Énouement and Two Truths; Taylor was given the opportunity to audition for her VCU professors and seasoned choreographers, and was hand-picked to dance in the VCU Dance Now performance, which includes works choreographed by Trebien Pollard and Norbert De La Cruz III.
Recently, she earned the Carpenter Foundation Scholarship for the upcoming year to continue her artistic and academic goals. She strives to continue sharing her passion for movement and dance-making through teaching and collaborating with others.
