Ms. Ortega-Perez is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She holds a BFA in Modern Dance from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio where she studied and performed contemporary dance. She has had the opportunity of dancing in an eclectic environment and has accumulated a multi-lingual movement vocabulary. She is honored to say that she has studied with such artists as Susan Hadley, of the Mark Morris Dance Company, Susan Van Pelt, Karen Woods of Merce Cunningham Dance Co., Ron Brown/Evidence, Dayton Contemporary Dance Co., Irene Hultman, Demetrius Klein and many others.

CATHERINE BATCHELLER returns for her second consecutive year with the Ballet Conservatory as the Artistic Director and principal teacher of both the academy and company.  Through her professional connections she will bring in contemporary choreographers and recognized guest teachers from around the United States to give San Antonio audiences and students a taste of the current ballet scene today.  She seeks to challenge and inspire BCSTX students and company members through these exceptional opportunities, while providing a strong classical training and foundation for these young dancers. 

Originally from Maine, Catherine has had an international career as a Principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, The Stuttgart Ballet (Germany), and The Birmingham Royal Ballet (England).  In addition, she has performed on Broadway an on television in principal roles.  In 2000, she co-founded and co-directed Configuration Dance, a professional Company showcasing leading dancers and choreographers in contemporary ballets, commissioned works, and excerpts from the classics.

Her teaching experience is extensive, and she is a sought after master teacher.  Catherine has been an invited guest teacher for Boston Ballet, Walnut Hill, Portland Ballet, Alberta Ballet, The San Francisco Ballet, and The North Carolina School of the Arts, and her choreography has been performed in many of these prestigious schools.  Former students have gone on to dance at Alvin Ailey, Purchase, and the School of American Ballet. 

Catherine's leadership brings the highest standards to BCSTX and the San Antonio dance community.

Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Ms. Barfield began her training in Ft. Worth with Gayle Corkery, and then continued in Dallas at the Etgen Atkinson School. At 14 she began studying during the summers at the School of American Ballet in New York City, and at the age of 16 moved to New York to study at the School exclusively. Ms. Barfield joined Pennsylvania Ballet in 1984, was promoted to Soloist in 1987 and to Principal in 1990. Her repertoire includes a wide variety of classical roles including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Myrtha in Giselle, Vera in Robert Weiss’ full-length Winter Dreams, Les Sylphides, the title role in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella and Juliet in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet. She has also performed principal roles in Peter Martins’ Fearful Symmetries, and in Petipa’s Paquita and Don Quixote. Ms. Barfield has performed leading roles in numerous Balanchine ballets such as The Nutcracker, in which she performs Dewdrop and the Sugarplum Fairy, Who Cares?, Allegro Brilliante, Agon, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Western Symphony, Divertimento No. 15, Donizetti Variations, Concerto Barocco, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Odette in Swan Lake, Act II. 

Additionally, Ms. Barfield has originated roles in Christopher d’ Amboise’s The Golden Mean and Franklin Court, and danced in such diverse pieces as Merce Cunningham’s Arcade, Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s Menage a Quatre and William Forsythe’s Love Songs. In September, 1992, Ms. Barfield was one of six dancers from Pennsylvania Ballet to appear at the Second International Arts Festival in Tianjin, China, as a representative of The City of Philadelphia. Her favorite role is as mother to her beautiful son, Skylar Barfield Blanchard, born to her and husband John (a former modern dancer) on November 3, 1999. 

Ms. Miller has danced for 17 years and is currently a student at the University of Texas in San Antonio studying psychology.  She currently teaches the Creative Movement classes and Ballet classes at The Ballet Conservatory of South Texas.

Ms. Miller graduated from the English National Ballet School in London, England with a national diploma in Professional Dance and Classical Ballet.  Before training in London, she trained at the Houston Ballet Academy.  Ms. Miller has attended ballet training programs in Czech Republic, Italy, England, France, and the United States.