Susan Wright
Administrator and Founder of the school in 1970, which later became the Ballet Centre in 1986 and Ballet Center Utah, Inc. in 2019.
Susan Wright received her training from the late Jean Reneé and has taught locally for 47 years. In addition, Susan designs and produces many of Ballet Center Utah, Inc. costumes, stage sets, and props. Susan is a published author of 2 books and a entrepreneur.
Michelle Armstrong
Artistic Director
Michelle Armstrong is a visionary choreographer and educator committed to expanding access to classical ballet while preserving its artistic excellence. Trained by Susan Wright and Willam Christensen, she performed professionally with Ballet West, Utah Opera, and New York City Ballet/Sun Valley, ID—experiences that shaped her lifelong dedication to disciplined training and expressive performance.
As Artistic Director of Ballet Center Utah, Michelle creates original narrative ballets that make classical art forms accessible and meaningful to today’s audiences. Her choreography emphasizes storytelling, character development, and musicality, offering dancers rich artistic experiences while engaging the broader community through approachable, family-centered productions.
For more than 40 years, Michelle has worked with dancers of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, cultivating an inclusive environment where high standards and individual growth go hand in hand. She believes ballet can be both rigorous and welcoming, and she is passionate about opening doors for students who may not otherwise have access to quality classical training or performance opportunities.
A graduate of the University of Utah with a BFA in Ballet (teaching emphasis) and certified in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum, Michelle furthered her pedagogical studies in St. Petersburg, Russia, under Oleg Vinogradov. She continues her international collaboration with the Youth Ballet Festival “Vivat Ballet!” while remaining deeply rooted in serving her local community through performance, outreach, and mentorship.
Through choreography, education, and leadership, Michelle Armstrong seeks to build sustainable artistic opportunities, strengthen community engagement, and ensure that classical ballet remains vibrant, inclusive, and accessible for future generations.
Dakota Anderson
Dakota Anderson was born and raised in Murray Utah. She has danced and performed for 19 years of her life, first dancing in competitive styles like hiphop, tap and jazz. At age 13, while training at a dance conservatory in Northern California, she fell in love with more artistic classical styles like ballet, contemporary, and modern dance. It was then that Dakota knew dance would be a large part of her future career. In high school she trained diligently in dance to improve her skills both in studio and on Murray Dance Company.
After graduation, Dakota was accepted into the University of Utah’s ballet program on a talent scholarship, leading her to earn her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ballet with an emphasis on performance and teaching. While in college, Dakota became invested in teaching dance and began teaching ballet, contemporary, and jazz in various studios across Utah. These teaching experiences and her former High School dance company director Leesa Lloyd inspired her to continue her education. In May of 2025, she graduated with her Masters degree in Education and accepted a full time dance teaching job at Kennedy Jr. High. Dakota is passionate about giving students a quality education in dance and is excited to be working with the faculty at Ballet Center Utah, Inc.!
Elizabeth Armstrong
Elizabeth Armstrong has been a part of Ballet Center Utah, Inc. for her entire life. She has danced leading roles in Ballet Center productions as well as staged and choreographed many of the ballets. Elizabeth traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia in 2016 where she performed as well as studied ballet, character dance, and historical dance with many outstanding Russian ballet masters, under the direction of Oleg Vinogradov. Elizabeth continues as a teaching assistant in character class and ballet class and holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Utah.
Isabelle Armstrong
Isabelle Armstrong has developed a great understanding for teaching ballet as well as dancing and choreography. In 2012, she began ballet pedagogy under the direction of Susan Wright. Along with teaching at the Ballet Center, she is also adjunct faculty at Westminster University. For the past four years Isabelle has been dancing lead roles in Ballet Center Utah Inc. productions, along with choreographing many pieces for various shows.
In 2017, Isabelle’s choreography was featured at the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. Along with her international status as a choreographer, Isabelle participated for the third year in the International Ballet Festival in St. Petersburg, where she performed and studied ballet pedagogy from Oleg Vinogradov and his highly qualified faculty of Russian ballet masters.
Over the past year, Isabelle has continued choreographing and creating various dance films that integrate classical ballet technique with contemporary movements. Isabelle holds a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from Westminster University as well as an MFA in Dance and Creative Practice from St. Mary’s College.
Amber Giles
Amber Giles has been dancing at Ballet Center Utah, Inc. since 1999. In 2005 she became the stage manager for Ballet Center productions after joining Centre Class, where she currently dances. She began teaching in 2016 and also serves as a rehearsal assistant for Ballet Center productions. She has also been a coordinator/rehearsal assistant for the International Youth Ballet Festival Vivat Ballet in Salt Lake City, under the direction of Oleg Vinogradov.
Amber owns her own Graphic Design business and uses those skills to promote Ballet Center classes/productions and festivals through various media outlets. She loves ballet and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with her students each year.