Betsy McBride, Simon Wexler, and Daniel Saez Join Faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Intensive

Betsy McBride, Simon Wexler, and Daniel Saez, will be members of the faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Intensive which will be taking place from July 26 - August 6, 2021.

Ms. McBride, and Mr. Wexler will be teaching during the week of July 26-30, 2021, and Mr. Saez will be teaching during the week of August 2-6, 2021.

BETSY McBRIDE is originally from Coppell, Texas. She began her training at the Ballet Academy of Texas. At age 14, she continued her training at Texas Ballet Theater's School. She performed Clara in The Nutcracker with Texas Ballet Theater and joined the company under O.B.E. Ben Stevenson at age 15.

Ms. McBride was an American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar and performed in George Balanchine's Mozartiana during ABT's tour of Texas at age 11. She was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2007 Youth American Grand Prix Regional Competition and was a finalist at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition.

Ms. McBride danced for Texas Ballet Theater, rising through the ranks to principal dancer, from 2007 to 2015. Some of her principal roles include Ben Stevenson's Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and The Nutcracker, Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, Svetlana in Stevenson's Dracula, Green Lady and Solveig in Stevenson's Peer Gynt, Waltz Girl and Dark Angel in George Balanchine's Serenade, Solo Girl in Balanchine's Rubies, pas de trois in Glen Tetley's Voluntaries and Stevenson's Sylvia Pas de Deux, as well as roles in Jiří Kylián's Petite Mort, Val Caniparoli's Lambarena, Jonathan Watkin's Crash, Stevenson's Five Poems and Kenneth MacMillan's Gloria.

Ms. McBride joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in June 2015. Her repertoire with the Company includes a Flower Girl and the Lead Gypsy in Don Quixote, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, Columbine and one of the Nutcracker's Sisters in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Rosaline in Romeo and Juliet, Snow in The Seasons, Fairy Fleur de farine (Wheat flower), Fairy Miettes qui tombent (Breadcrumb), Silver Fairy and Red Riding Hood in Ratmansky's The Sleeping Beauty, the pas de trois, a little swan, the Hungarian Princess and Lead Czardas in Swan Lake, a leading role in Symphonic Variations and featured roles in AfterEffect The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Deuce Coupe, Dream within a Dream (deferred) and A Time There Was.

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, SIMON WEXLER immigrated to the United States in 1993 when he was only nine months old. At age eight Mr. Wexler started his dance training at the Academy of Ballet in Tucson, Arizona under the guidance of Linda Walker and Gary McKenzie. Mr. Wexler began his intensive ballet training, at 13 years-old, at the prestigious Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. where he trained under the guidance of Anatoli Kucheruck and Vladimir Djouloukadze.

Upon graduation from the Kirov Academy of Ballet, Mr. Wexler joined Orlando Ballet II where he trained with Peter Stark, Olivier Munoz, and Artistic Director, Robert Hill. While with Orlando Ballet, Mr. Wexler danced featured roles in Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and Le Corsaire as well as performing the Basilio male variation in Don Quixote for a charity gala. In 2010, Mr. Wexler left the Orlando Ballet and joined Texas Ballet Theater under the directorship of Ben Stevenson O.B.E. Mr. Wexler has since danced various soloist and principal roles. Mr. Wexler was promoted to the rank of First Soloist in 2013 and in 2014 was again promoted to the rank of Principal.

Mr. Wexler's repertoire includes the roles of the Cavalier and Snow Prince in Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, Blue Bird in Stevenson's Sleeping Beauty, Pas de Trois in Stevenson's Swan Lake, Renfield in Stevenson's Dracula, Benvolio and Paris in Stevenson's Romeo and Juliet, Cupid in Stevenson's production of Don Quixote, Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, Camile in Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, and the Male Principal Lead in George Balanchine's Rubies, as well as George Balanchine's Theme and Variations.

Mr. Wexler has also distinguished himself in contemporary ballets including roles in Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort, Glen Tetley's Voluntaries, Kenneth MacMillan's Gloria, Val Caniparoli's Lambarena, Stevenson's Four Last Songs, Stevenson's Mozart Requiem, Stevenson's Sylvia Pas de Deux, and Stevenson's Five Poems.

From 2015-17 Mr. Wexler was a member American Ballet Theatre, and he expanded his repertoire to include roles in Frederick Ashton's Sylvia, and La Fille Mal Gardee, Kevin McKenzie's production of Swan Lake, Anna-Marie Holmes' production of Le Corsaire, Alexei Ratmansky's The Golden Cockerel (Skomorok), Chamber Symphony, and Whipped Cream, Benjamin Millepied's Daphnis and Chloe, and Balanchine's Prodigal Son.

Mr. Wexler is currently pursuing a career as a freelance guest artist and master teacher.

In May of 2020 Mr. Wexler graduated Magna cum Laude from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Financial Economics.

In 2010, Mr. Wexler won the Silver Medal at the Youth American Grand Prix Competition in Orlando, Florida and later that year was named a Semi-Finalist at the Jackson International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2012, Mr. Wexler traveled to Helsinki, Finland to compete in the Helsinki International Ballet competition where he made it to the Semi-Finals.

In 2011 Mr. Wexler performed alongside American Ballet Theater and San Francisco Ballet principal dancers in the "Stars of Russian Ballet Gala" in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In 2012, Mr. Wexler was a guest artist with the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet where he performed as the Jester in their production of Cinderella, and in 2015 Mr. Wexler was on the faculty for the Shreveport Dance Academy's Summer Program.

In 2013, Mr. Wexler appeared as a guest artist with Studio A Dance, where he performed the Grand Pas de Deux from Don Quixote alongside fellow Texas Ballet Theater principal dancer Betsy McBride for a gala performance in Dallas, Texas.

In 2020 Mr. Wexler appeared in Zhong Jing Fang's Perception, a dance film made in coordination with American Ballet Theatre's Moving Stories series.

DANIEL SAEZ received his ballet training at the Academia de Julie Mayoral, and Summer Intensive Programs at the Eglevsky Ballet in New York, and Point Park College and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Saez has studied under the guidance of Julie Mayoral, Maria Carrera, Maria Julia Landa, Maria C. Palacios, Miguel Campaneria, Joaquin Banegas, Tato Molina, Ana Maria Castañon, Luba Gulyaeva, Elizabeta Calero, Maria Simonetti, Grace Bigas, and others.

Mr. Saez has danced with the Ballet Teatro Musical de Ponce, Ballet Theatre of Annapolis, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Señorial, and the Balleteatro Nacional de Puerto Rico. He is currently a principal dancer with the Mauro Ballet Company.

Mr. Saez's repertoire includes principal roles in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, la Bayadere, Grand Pas Classique, Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux, Le Corsaire Pas de Deux, Flower Festival at Genzano, Flames of Paris, Swan Lake, Giselle, Sylvia, La Fille Mal Gardee, Giselle, Alice in Wonderland, and roles in the contemporary ballets, Carmina Burana, Lady Lost and Found, Piazzolla en Concierto, Majisimo, Tributo a Rafael Hernandez, Sonata, Green Table, Flaming June, Tres Musicos, and Celtic Fire.

As a member of Sabor Latino, Mr. Saez performed in the Chicago Salsa Congress, the Festival de Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Roma Salsa Congress, Sicilia Salsa Congress, and in Puerto Rico winning third place in the National Salsa Competition. He was awarded World Champion, along with his partner, Licelott Maldonado, in the World Salsa Open.

Mr. Saez has also appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies in the United States.

Mr. Saez also teaches at the Guaynabo City Ballet School and has also choreographed works for the School's performances.