Baltimore County Youth Ballet Faculty
Stephanie Harris - Director
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Stephanie Harris is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and started her dance training at the age of 3. Her training started at the Baltimore County Youth Ballet, Baltimore School for the Arts, and the Dance Theater of Harlem Residency Program. Stephanie has received numerous scholarships to train over the summer at Ballet Austin, Dance Theater of Harlem, Dallas Black Dance Theater, and Alonzo Kings Lines Ballet. Stephanie was selected to perform with the Dance Theater of Harlem at the White House and Library of Congress for the dedication and recognition of Arthur Mitchell and his contributions to the performing arts. She has graduated from Towson University majoring in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Education. While at Towson Stephanie has studied under Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Vincent Thomas, Catherine Horta-Hayden, Runqiao Du, Erin Du, and Sandra Perez. Stephanie was honored to be nominated as the Undergraduate speaker for the College of Fine Arts and Communication upon graduating from Towson University. Stephanie is currently teaching dance in the Baltimore County Public School system. Her students have been members of the Baltimore County All Honors Dance Ensemble and she is a proud mentor of the Lady Pythons girls mentoring program. She has assisted choreography with many musicals such as The Wiz, Annie Jr, and Seussical the Musical, and she has worked with the Century High School Marching Band. Stephanie has been an active member of the New Psalmist Baptist Church Dance Ministry since its inception and is in her third season with the professional modern based company Full Circle Dance Company.
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Samantha Roche - Administrative Director/Faculty
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Samantha Roche started dancing at age three at her local recreation center, leading up to the privilege of dancing with the Mercy High School Dance Troupe under the direction of Gloria Lang for four years at Mercy High School. While at Mercy, Sam danced for the Symphony of the Arts, at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and took instruction from choreographers such as Samantha Harvey, Torens Johnson, and Lauren Putty White. After Mercy, Sam attended the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) to purse an AFA in Dance, specializing in Dance Pedagogy. She was a selected dancer for the Performing Arts Dance Company for three years and was given many scholarships and awards such as the ‘Outstanding Dancer in Dance Company’. She then went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, Sociology/Anthropology, and Criminal Justice from Towson University. Sam has danced for Nike Project and Central Pointe of Florida, and as well as taught masterclasses in prominent studios in Maryland, California and Florida. For ten years, she has taught ballet, modern, musical theater, creative movement, and jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, contemporary, acro/gym, Irish, pre-pointe and pointe to all ages and levels at various dance institutions. She is a certified American Barre Technique instructor, and an Athletic and Fitness Association of America instructor. Sam has recently completed a M.S. in Psychology as well as a M.A. in Community-Based Education and Leadership with a focus on non-profit development. Sam was recently featured in José Limón’s Chaconne with the CCBC Dance Company as they celebrated the Limón Dance Company's 75th anniversary. She is currently working on her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Stevenson University. Sam is thrilled to pass on her knowledge and artistry to the community and share the joy of movement with all those around her.
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Emily Wampler - Faculty
Emily Wampler was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Mullica Hill, NJ. She studied various styles of dance at the Tricia Sloan Dance Center. While there, she performed lead roles including Clara and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Dalia in Aladdin the Ballet, and Madame Wardrobe in Beauty and the Beast Ballet. Emily is pursuing her BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography with certification in PreK-12 Dance Education at Towson University studying with faculty such as Robert Kleinendorst, Runqiao Du, Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Vincent Thomas, Tracie Burton-Hooper, Dr. Karen Kuebler, and many more. In 2023, Emily is a recipient of the undergraduate scholarship reward of the National Dance Education Organization Student Conference. Falling in love with teaching, Emily hopes to inspire future generations as the teachers she learned from inspired her.
Jada Ector - Faculty
Jada Ector started her dance career at the Arena Players Playhouse in Baltimore, Maryland. She then transitioned from dance to other sports until she picked up her dance shoes again to join the Mercy High School Dance Troupe under the direction of Gloria Lang. At Mercy, Jada trained in a multitude of genres such as Ballet & Point, Irish, Jazz, Modern and others. After graduating high school, Jada moved to Florida to pursue her Bachelors and Masters in Criminal Justice while leading the Lynn University Dance Team. During her time in Florida, Jada danced with the Delray Beach Open VolleyGirls, a professional dance team, and was an official ambassador of the Tennis Open. There, Jada enjoyed meeting professional tennis players, hosted VIP events and other sponsored activities while of course tearing it up on the dance floor during matches. After 3 years with the Delray Beach Open, Jada moved back up north to attend Penn State Dickinson Law where she received her Juris Doctorate in the spring of 2019. During Jada’s career she has taught at various studios in Florida and Pennsylvania. She enjoys teaching Jazz and Modern and private technical courses. Her favorite aspect of teaching is when a student, after hard work and determination, perfects a technique or preserves at something they didn’t think they could do! Jada teaches with compassion, accuracy and the most important thing: fun. Catch Jada meditating with her students or loudly cheering them on during her classes.
Gabrielle Hardy - Faculty
Gabrielle Hardy, born and raised in West Baltimore, began her dance journey with Ballroom dancing before her passion for Modern dance was sparked at Howard College in Colombia, Maryland where she received her A.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography before transferring to University of Maryland, Baltimore County to receive her Bachelor's in Fine Arts with a dance concentration cum laude. Since then, Gabrielle is now a licensed Massage Therapist, certified in Horton technique, and continues to explore her love of dance and choreography by working privately with local artists in the Baltimore area.