Leadership Program Teachers

We are proud to promote a select group of advanced dancers to participate in DTI's Leadership Program. DTI believes in fostering the gift of teaching and mentorship.

JACQUELINE CAINE
Jackie has been training with DTI for the past 13 years. She participated in DTI's Summer Ballet Intensive for the past 5 years. I was also accepted to the American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive in Detroit for the summer of 2008. She is currently enrolled in Jazz III Honors at Valley Christian High School and is a member of the Vivid Dance Company and Competition Team. She performed in various festivals, most recently, the Corps d'Art, benefiting San Jose Youth Ballet. I have also participated in the National Day of Dance in downtown San Jose. She also participated in multiple Evergreen Community events. She competed in Jazz, Tap, and Lyrical dance forms at competitions such as Spotlight Dance Cup and New York City Dance Alliance. This past year, she received a special certificate of excellence at NYCDA's convention which was held in San Jose, for ballet and lyrical. She performed each year in San Jose Youth Ballet's Nutcracker since she was seven where I've had roles such as Cookie, Captain Soldier, Peppermint Drop, Party Girl, Russian, Christmas Light, Chinese Ribbon, Snow and Flower Ensemble, Marzipan Shepherdess, Chinese Tea Lead, Spanish Cocoa and Ballerina Doll. Her family looks forward to volunteering for the SJYB's Nutcracker. Her father chaired the Stage Volunteers and her mother chaired the Dressing Rooms. She takes classes at DTI because of Xavier Ferla and his reputation in the dance world. She loves to share her passion and excitement for dance through youth mentorship. She feels blessed to be able to teach where she started to dance.

ALYSSA FRIEND
Open Program Coordinator
Alyssa Friend has been dancing at Dance Theatre International since the age of 4. Her main focus is Ballet, although she has been trained in several other styles. Due to the incredible training that Dance Theatre International has to offer, Alyssa has been accepted into several Summer Programs across the country. She has participated in Boston Ballet’s Summer Intensive as well as a Summer Session at The Rock School of Dance in Philadelphia. Alyssa has danced Soloist roles in San Jose Youth Ballet’s annual production of the Nutcracker, including: The Snow Fairy, Marzipan Shepherdess, Ballerina Doll and Spanish Coco Lead. She participates in the Nutcracker year after year because it offers something to strive for as well as a wonderful opportunity of growth. Alyssa and her family are heavily involved with both dancing and acting on stage as well as lots of behind the scenes work. Her dad has created backdrops, programs for the productions, graphics, photography, as well as acting for the past 6 years in SJYB’s annual production of the Nutcracker. Her mother has created many costumes, was a member of SJYB’s Board, involved with marketing and also acted in the SJYB’s Nutcracker. Alyssa’s brother and cousins have also been involved with the Nutcracker. Dance Theatre International has a great atmosphere that allows dancers, like Alyssa to grow and develop into artists. Alyssa is in Level 7 and enjoys Mr.Ferla’s classes because the dancers are pushed to think and analyze their movement rather than just imitate steps. There is always something to work on and something to strive for. Alyssa has been given a huge opportunity to help Dance Theatre International grow! She’s been given the position as The Open Program Coordinator. She is in charge of a lot of what goes on with the Open Program at our Studio. Alyssa has worked her way up to teaching. She started doing Work-Study and assisting classes for a couple of years and was given her own set of classes to teach during the 2009-2010 School Year. She is so grateful for the opportunity to teach at DTI. Dance is such a wonderful art-form, who wouldn’t want to share it with others! Alyssa is very experienced with children; she’s been a youth leader for many years at church events and week-long science camps. She absolutely loves kids and wants to be a part of the molding of young children into beautiful dancers. Alyssa is very excited to teach and share her passion of dance.

JENNIFER WILLIS