Dance Faculty

Kate Walker

Dance Conservatory Director / Modern / Dance Wellness / Integration of Abilities / Portfolio / Internships / PE

Kate Walker graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington and an MS in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Argosy University. She has performed and had choreographic works presented around the country. She has been featured in Dance Studio Life, Dance Spirit and Dance Teacher magazines for her experience as both a teacher and dancer. In the summers, she serves on faculty at the American Dance Festival. Kate joined the Dance Faculty at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in 2008 and became Dance Department Coordinator in 2014.

katwalker@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1226 | Room 050

Ruben Gerding

Assistant Director of Production / Ballet / Dance History / Dance & Media / PE

Rubén Gerding received his MFA in Classical & Contemporary Dance from Texas Christian University and his BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. Rubén has danced for Eugene Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, the Bruce Wood Dance Project, Ballet Concerto and Avant Chamber Ballet. From 2017-2021 he was an Assistant Professor of Dance at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO. He was a ballet consultant teacher at Booker T from 2010-2014 and is happy to return as a faculty member this year.

rgerding@dallasisd.org | Room 050

Michelle Zada Hall

Modern / Beginning Rep

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Michelle Zada Hall earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Education, with a minor in Physical Education from The Ohio State University. Her thirteen year professional performing career includes dancing as a member of Philadanco’s second company “D/2”, Lula Washington Dance Theater, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and five seasons with Dallas Black Dance Theatre while serving as their Costume Mistress as well. In addition to dancing, Michelle has appeared as a featured actress in many local and nationwide commercials and print advertising, including McDonalds and Qdoba Mexican Grill. With a duo passion for performing and education, she has taught for privately owned dance studios and numerous master classes throughout the United States and is currently on staff at Dance Industry in Plano, Texas. This is Michelle’s third year on Dance Faculty at Booker T. Washington HSPVA. She teaches Ballet, Modern, Beginning Repertory, Physical Education and also serves as Director of the World Dance Ensemble. Michelle Zada-Hall, a native of Columbus, Ohio, Michelle Zada Hall earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance Education, with a minor in Physical Education from The Ohio State University. Her thirteen year professional performing career includes dancing as a member of Philadanco’s second company “D/2”, Lula Washington Dance Theater, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble and five seasons with Dallas Black Dance Theatre while serving as their Costume Mistress as well. In addition to dancing, Michelle has appeared as a featured actress in many local and nationwide commercials and print advertising, including McDonalds and Qdoba Mexican Grill. With a duo passion for performing and education, she has taught for privately owned dance studios and numerous master classes throughout the United States and is currently on staff at Dance Industry in Plano, Texas. This is Michelle’s third year on Dance Faculty at Booker T. Washington HSPVA. She teaches Ballet, Modern, Beginning Repertory, Physical Education and also serves as Director of the World Dance Ensemble.

michhall@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1226 | Room 050

Omar Humphrey

Assistant Director of Production / Ballet / Modern / World Dance Forms

Omar Humphrey is a graduate of Booker T. Washington HSPVA in dance. He received his Bachelor's of Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Modern Dance. After graduating, Humphrey was a company dancer at Verb Ballets in Cleveland, Ohio where he toured both nationally and internationally. While in Ohio, he taught master classes for several dance competitions, dance studios and dance companies. Humphrey left Cleveland, and moved to New York City, where he found freelance work and performed in some of the city's major theaters. He is very excited to be joining the Dance faculty at Arts Magnet, one of the first places his dance training was both celebrated and cultivated.

ohumphrey@dallasisd.org | Room 050

Jennifer Mabus

Assistant Director of Dance Conservatory / Ballet / Modern / Partnering

Jennifer Mabus is excited to be returning to Booker T Washington HSPVA. She comes from a rich performing career, dancing regionally and internationally for choreographers and companies such as Robert Battle (founding dancer of Battleworks, NYC), Amy Marshall Dance Company (NYC), Heidi Latsky (NYC), Takehiro Ueyama (NYC), Bruce Wood Dance Project (TX), Noble Motion Dance (TX), Dark Circles Contemporary Dance (TX), and Transitory Sound and Movement Collective (TX). She has served on the dance faculties of Texas Christian University, Booker T Washington HSPVA, Interlochen Arts Academy, Houston’s HSPVA, San Jacinto College, and Sam Houston State University. Most Recently, Mabus created and chaired a new BA/BFA dance program at the University of St. Thomas, Houston. Additionally, Mabus has presented her own choreography regionally and nationally in festivals and artist residencies, and has done work for companies, such as Houston Contemporary Dance, Avant Chamber Ballet, METdance, Contemporary Ballet Dallas, Muscle Memory Dance Theater, and Pilot Dance Project. She has been commissioned to create work for the Miller Outdoor Theater and Zilka Hall at the Hobby Center by the Foundation for Modern Music and the Windsync Ensemble. Mabus received her BFA in Dance from Southern Methodist University and her MFA from Sam Houston State University, and she is also a yoga instructor.

jmabus@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1244 | Room 050

Shelley Padilla

Ballet / Pedagogy

Shelley Padilla is a 24-year veteran of teaching dance and is super excited to join the Dance Faculty at BTWHSPVA this year! She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Dance degree at Texas Woman’s University, where she served as the primary ballet instructor from 2010 to 2021 and has also taught at several community colleges in the area, including Collin College, Brookhaven College, North Central Texas College, and Eastfield College. Her performing experience includes Colorado Ballet and Ballet Aerial in Denver, Colorado, as well as local groups Elledanceworks and Collin County Ballet Theater. Some of her accolades include earning the Excellence in Teaching Award at TWU, the Gordon Yeargon Adjunct Professor of the Year at North Central Texas College, working on collaborative projects with Texas Poet Laureate Karla K. Morton, C.C, Hunter, author of Shadow Falls, Sarah’s Quilt author Nancy Turner and presenting pedagogical research at World Dance Alliance Conferences (Madison WI and New York City NY). As the holder of RYS200, ERYT200, RYT200, RYT500, and YAECP yoga teaching certifications, you will find her teaching yoga and certifying yoga teacher trainees when she is not in the dance studio. Her family consists of four grown children and her husband, with whom she lives in Prosper, TX.

shpadilla@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1256 | Room 050

Estela Tejeda-Moreno

Ballet / Modern / Composition

Estela Tejeda is a native of Chicago. She received her MFA from Southern Methodist University where she received a full artistic scholarship. Before coming to Dallas, she lived in New York City where she was a founding member of Sanza Nemo Collective Dance, a company originally based out of Italy, which relocated to New York. She also worked with a number of smaller companies including, Cecilia Marta Dance Company and New York-based Ballet de Puerto Rico where she performed principal roles. In addition, she worked and performed in collaboration with Compagnie Jus de la Vie in Stockholm, Sweden. Ms. Tejeda has taught internationally as well as regionally for over 15 years and has presented her own works in Europe, New York, Houston, and in the Dallas Fort-Worth area. She completed her fourth year of teaching at Mountain View College and at the Hathaway Academy of Ballet where she serves as co-artistic director for their contemporary ensemble "The Project.” She is eager to begin her work as a faculty member of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

etejeda@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1253 | Room 050

Zane Unger

Ballet / Modern / Composition / Beginning Rap / Tap / Jazz

Zane Unger, a native of Dallas, Texas, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York City. Zane Unger is a 2017 Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni. Zane worked internationally in Germany at Saarländisches Staatstheater under the direction of Stijn Celis. Here he performed works by Marco Goecke, Richard Siegal, Marioenrico D’Angelo, and Stijn Celis. Zane is looking forward to beginning his tenure at BTWHSPVA, where he will teach various dance techniques and movement styles.

zunger@dallasisd.org | 972-925-1255 | Room 050