Instructors
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Halsie BardinMs. Halsie teaches in the Children's Division
Halsie Bardin was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, where she began dancing at the age of three. Halsie trained in classical and contemporary ballet at Briarwood Ballet for fifteen years and performed with Ballet Exaltation, the intensive student company of Briarwood Ballet under Ken Tolle and Brittany Bischoff. She graduated high school from Evangel Christian School in 2024 and is now a sophomore at the University of Alabama studying dance and apparel design. Halsie has performed in Druid City Ballet’s Nutcracker as the Soldier Doll and Waltz of the Flowers Corps and was an understudy in UA’s Emerging Choreographer Showcase last spring. She is excited to learn and grow in dance at DCSB as an assistant teacher!
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Erin EnglandMs. England is the lead teacher for the Lower Children's Division. She also teaches Toddler & Me, and the Adult classes.
Erin England’s passion for dancing was sparked at a young age taking class at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. When her father was re-stationed to Augusta, Georgia she continued her ballet education at Ron Jones Academy of Ballet, where she performed as a member of Columbia County Ballet until graduation. She completed her senior year performing the soloist role as Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker, and principal role as the White Witch in The Roar of Love.
Ms. England continued to pursue movement education at the collegiate level and around the world, including the University of Georgia, Kennesaw State University, and the Suzanne Dellal Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Outside of the studio, Ms. England can be found cheering on the University of Alabama sports teams at various band performances and athletic events. Ms. England is grateful to be on the team at Druid City Ballet and share her knowledge and experiences with the next generation.
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McCall SchlosserMs. McCall teaches in the Children's Division
McCall Schlosser was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and began her dance training at the age of 2. She grew up classically trained under Joseph and Maria Giacobbe at Giacobbe Academy of Dance. Through Giacobbe, she performed the roles of Clara and Marzipan in Delta Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker. She was also an assistant teacher in the Kinder levels at Giacobbe Academy of Dance. Ms. McCall graduated high school in 2022 and continues her dance education at the University of Alabama. McCall is excited to continue her love for ballet through teaching at Druid City School of Ballet.
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Isis ThomasMs. Thomas teaches Toddler & Me classes and in the Children's Division.
Isis Thomas was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and started taking ballet and dance lessons at the age of six. She graduated high school from the Alabama School of Fine Arts in 2017 and went on to attend
George Mason University where she received her BFA in Dance in 2021. Ms. Thomas has performed in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides, Swan Lake and Don Quixote and has attended dance intensives with the Alabama Ballet, Mark Morris Dance Group, Point Park University, and Doug Varone and Dancers. She has worked with artists such as Hope Boykin, Micaela Taylor, and Sharon Milanese.
Shortly after graduating college Ms. Thomas began teaching in Fairfax, VA where she taught children from 2 – 12 years old ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop and is now continuing her teaching journey at The Druid City
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Administrative Assistant
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Samantha BowmanSamantha Bowman is the Administrative Assistant/Receptionist for Druid City School of Ballet. She has lived in Tuscaloosa for over 30 years and has been a very active member of her community, serving as an advocate for survivors of abuse, as well as committing herself to animal rescue, for over two decades. Samantha is an accomplished visual artist and specializes in large-scale acrylic paintings that emphasize the irreverent, and uncanny, nature of everyday life. During her time at the University of Alabama, she studied under highly regarded artists; Henry Betak, Alvin Sella, and Dusty Domino. That is when she developed a love for building, and stretching, extremely large canvases, and she has continued this practice ever since. A minimalist in her home, but a maximalist in her art, she needs all the space she can get.
When she is not painting, Samantha enjoys a quiet life, at her home in Northport, with her husband and their family of rescue cats. Getting dirty in her modest garden, bird watching on the weekends, and curling up with a great book, and a cat, are a few of her favorite things. Samantha is very excited to be a part of the Druid City School of Ballet team and she has never been happier.
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