Faculty

     After graduating from the Liaoning Ballet School, Mr. Dou began his career as a demi soloist with the Liaoning Ballet. He then joined Suzhou Ballet Theatre, where he served as a soloist and ballet instructor. Over the years, Mr. Dou toured extensively in Europe, Australia, and North America, performing in major shows, competitions, and cultural exchanges. In 2011, Mr. Dou joined San Diego Ballet and later San Jose Ballet as a soloist. With more than twenty years of stage experience, he has portrayed major roles in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Chopin's Poetry, Double Happiness, Encounter Rock, Voyage, Reflections of the Moon on Erquan, and The Last Emperor, among others. In addition to performing, Mr. Dou has worked as a ballet instructor at various schools in Houston, where many of his students have placed in the top three at competitions such as YAGP, ADC/IBC, and UBC.

       With over twelve years of teaching experience. Mr. Dou obtained a Professional Dancers' Teaching Diploma from the Royal Academy of Dance and is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance in 2016. His dedication to both performing and teaching makes him a valuable asset to the ballet community.

      Ms. Mandy graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, specializing in Chinese folk and classical dance, choreography, and musical theater. She has worked at the Beijing Children's Art Theater and the Beijing Art School as a performer, dance choreographer, and senior instructor at the training center, accumulating ten years of stage performance and children's dance education experience. She has choreographed dance and vocal performances for over 60 primary and secondary schools in Beijing, with her choreography winning numerous awards in major children's dance competitions in Beijing. Her strong professional skills and dedicated work ethic have earned recognition from both her employers and parents.

     Additionally, she played the role of Jingjing, one of the Fuwa (mascots) at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games. In Beijing, she has performed in hundreds of children's stage plays and choreographed for them. She also contributed to the 2010 Asian Games, where she choreographed large-scale performances for the volunteers' song and dance program.

      Niyah Pratt, originally from Seattle, Washington, attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she received a BFA in choreography and Performance as well as a Bachelors of Science in Urban Affairs. Pratt began her early training at the British Dancing Academy in Kent, Washington where she trained for thirteen years in ballet, jazz, tap, and modern. During her time at the academy, she was able to complete the Royal Academy of Dancing (R.A.D.) advanced curriculum in each style. Niyah has performed works by Mckinely Willis, Yoshito Sakuraba, Robbie Moore, Nao Kusuzaki, Brandon Coleman, and Norbert De La Cruz III. She currently is a guest artist with Houston Contemporary under Marlana Doyle. 

       Ms. Liu graduated in 2000 from the Liaoning Ballet School, the affiliated school of the Liaoning Ballet, and has since worked with the Liaoning Ballet and the Guangzhou Ballet, serving as a principal dancer with extensive stage performance experience.

      Performed in classical ballet productions such as "Swan Lake," "The Nutcracker," "Sleeping Beauty," "Giselle," "Don Quixote," and "Le Corsaire," as well as modern ballet productions including "The Last Emperor" and "Reflections of the Moon on Erquan."

      Later pursued further studies at the Beijing Dance Academy, where she earned a master's degree and graduated with distinction. Following graduation, she remained at the academy, serving as a ballet instructor in the ballet department. Ms. Liu's students are now actively performing with major ballet companies both domestically and internationally.