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Instructors & Choreographers

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Choreographer, and Instructor / Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, Ballet, Lyrical, Character
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Carly started performing at three years old.  At five she joined the competitive world of dance. She danced in competitions all over Texas for 18 years, winning Top Soloist Awards and Choreography Awards for her solo routines and group dances. She danced all through high school with the WHS Texans and was honored to be trained by Kitty Nichols, owner of Wimberley Dance Studio.  At sixteen, Carly started teaching and choreographing professionally.  For six years Carly taught a competitive team called “The Fundanzers” which has been South Austin's elite dance troupe for 30 years! Her choreography placed Top 1st Overall in a variety of different competitions. Carly is classically trained in Ballet, Tap, Lyrical, Hip-Hop and Jazz. In 2010 Carly opened her own dance company inside Lifetime Fitness South Austin. When she successfully ran and operated her own studio inside the nation’s biggest gym, this began her journey into opening her own dance company, "Dance by Carly."  Dance by Carly offers a variety of dance classes for ages two to adults along with Austin's DBC Academy Dance Troupe!  DBC Academy dancers compete on a Regional and National level all over Texas and perform in shows locally all over Austin such as Harlem Globetrotters, San Antonio Spurs and more! Within 7 months of opening the studio, her competitive troupe known as The DBC Academy won 1st place overall in the Starbound National Dance Competition. This award carried the company to placing in the National Championship. The “Pearl” group was the youngest group in the entire 2013 Championship. In her new company holding 30 competitive dancers, DBC Academy brought home over a dozen Choreography, Best Performer, Elite Gold, High Gold and Gold awards. Carly has over a 20 years of experience in teaching and choreographing for competitions, movies, music videos and much more! Carly is inspired by the children she teaches and strives to create and provide a healthy lifestyle in South Austin's youth. 

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"BETTER TO PERFORM FOR YOURSELF AND HAVE NO PUBLIC,

THAN TO PERFORM FOR THE PUBLIC AND HAVE NO SELF." C.C.

Owner, Carly Bell "Ms. Carly"
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Izabella Segura "Ms. Izabella"

Executive Director, Choreographer & Instructor

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Izabella started dancing at the age of four. She was part of Jackie's Fundancerz and competed with them for 8 years. She then joined DBC Academy in 2013 and has been with us ever since. She is trained in Jazz, Ballet, Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Tap. She is so happy that she is able to share her love for Dance with our dancers. She graduated from Bowie High School in 2018 and is attending Texas State University to obtain her degree in Business Administration and Marketing. She is forever grateful to Carly for giving her the opportunity to do what she loves. Being able to teach and express her love of dance to DBC dancers is her passion. 

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Lilly Brown "Ms. Lilly"

Creative Director, Choreographer & Instructor

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Lilly Brown, a local choreographer and dancer in Austin, Texas, has been dancing since she was three years old. Receiving training from a performing arts middle school to then the McCallum High School Fine Arts Academy, Brown has governed technical and creative growth for herself. Brown’s high school career allowed her to craft creative works that embodied vulnerability within oneself to exceed bounds set by society. This personal agency from Brown is now being developed at a greater rigor at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is receiving her BFA in Dance and minor in Arts Administration and Management. Outside of the classroom, Brown teaches at Dance by Carly, a studio in south Austin, to ages two - seventeen. The act of teaching dance has heightened Brown’s passion for dance as well as love for choreography. Brown hopes to continue performing and choreographing for decades to come, while teaching the community the importance of vulnerability in movement and acceptance of personal agency over one's growth. 

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Matthew Vargas "Mr. Matthew"

Choreographer & Instructor

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Matthew Vargas born in Austin, Texas began his dance training at the age of 4 at Tapestry Dance Studio training in hip hop, tap, and ballet Folklorico. At the age of 7, Matthew received a full scholarship to train at Ballet Austin in the Academy where he is trained in ballet 6 days a week. He has performed as Fritz, a party boy, and the Chinese dancer in The Nutcracker, as well as performing as the Junior Card Soloist in Ballet Austins’ production of “ALICE (in Wonderland). Matthew Vargas graduated from McCallum High School where he served as Captain for the award-winning Blue Brigade drill team. He has won multiple awards while on the McCallum Blue Brigade such as multiple 1st places senior solo awards, highest scoring solo overall, best in class dancer, All American Dancer, All American Kick Dancer, Best in class duet, and solo winners circle at the ADTS Texas Dance Championships 2019. He was also in the McCallum Youth Dance Company in the Pre-Professional dance troupe where he has been trained in Flamenco, Modern, House Dance, and Movement Based Contemporary. Matthew also has won scholarships from a Celebrity dance competition as well as 8 National Talent and Starbound competitions where he also holds a national title from both competitions. . He is now apart of the prestigious Tremaine Performance Company where he travels, assists, and performs with Tremaine Dance Conventions. Matthew hopes to continue inspiring young dancers at DBC by helping them grow as dancers and artists through choreographing as well as teaching classes. 

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Mark Sharron "Mr. Mark"

Ballet Choreographer & Instructor

 

Mark Joseph Sharon began training in ballet at the age of three in Southeast Texas. He was selected at the age of 15 by the Joffrey Ballet for pre-professional training in New York; however, a few weeks into the program Mark was stricken with brain cancer and left confined to a wheelchair. Inspired by the example of Agnes B. DeMille, he developed a physical rehabilitation regimen applying the knowledge of movement he had gained from years of ballet training. A year later he left his wheelchair behind and began working as an artist-in-residence choreographer at Southeast Texas Arts Council.

With his years of professional dance training and an enhanced awareness of the mechanics of movement learned from his struggle for physical recovery, Mark excelled at teaching both classical ballet and movement awareness. That year the Texas Commission for the Arts and Humanities showcased film of Mark’s dance company, Jefferson Jazz Ballet, as the dance component of their proposal to the Texas Legislature for state funding of the arts.

Relocating to Southern California in his early twenties, Mark taught and choreographed special projects for studio, stage, and screen for over two decades. He was commissioned by universities including USC, UCLA, and Utah State University to choreograph and lecture for special dance projects, and for years he was artistic director for West Coast Performing Arts Center in Mission Viejo, California. Founder of Laguna Beach Dance Invitational, he produced annual weeklong retreats designed to expose students of dance to a higher caliber of professionalism in classical ballet and contemporary dance movement. With this extensive experience, Mark has achieved a unique ability to improve advanced dance technique and to teach the healing effects of movement awareness in all physical activity.

Having recently completed a master’s degree in humanities with an emphasis on dance at St. Edward’s University, Mark now seeks an opportunity to teach his methodology to aspiring students in an academic setting.

Addison Fuller "Ms. Addison"

After School Director & Choreographer

 

Addison started dancing when she was 8 at a little dance studio in her neighborhood, just East of Seattle, WA.  She quickly realized dance was her passion and moved to a larger studio where she joined their competitive team. She committed a minimum of 20 hours a week in studio dancing and competing in Hip Hop, Lyrical, and Jazz.  On top of all that she took ballet and strength/conditioning classes to keep up with technique and form. She and her team won several competitions throughout her time there and without fail placed at the top.  She graduated with her Associates of Arts degree from Bellevue College and can’t wait to dust off her point shoes and get back to what she loves. 

Laura Anawatty "Ms. Laura"

Instructor

 

Laura Anawaty is an emerging choreographer and dancer in Austin, Texas. Originally born and raised in Houston, Texas, she began her dance training at the age of five at Robins Dance Studio where she focused on ballet, tap, and jazz. She then went to a performing arts middle school, MSPVA, where she expanded her training in many different styles. Following her passion, she attended The High School for The Performing and Visual Arts (class of ’20) where she studied ballet, modern, jazz, musical theatre, choreography, and improvisation. She had the opportunity to work with and perform works by renowned choreographers Michael Foley, Courtney Jones, Rebecca Stenn, and many more. Additionally, she has trained at intensives all around the world, exploring new realms of her creativity as an artist. She is able to expand her artistry at The University of Texas at Austin, where she is receiving a BFA in Dance and a minor in Arts Management and Administration. During her time at UT thus far, she has created many works for the Student Experimental Exhibition Dance Showcase and performed many mainstage works with Dance Repertory Theatre. Anawaty strives to use her passion for dance to inspire the next generation of artists. 

Jazelle Murphy "Jazelle"

Instructor & Choreographer

 

Jazelle, an Austin Native, found their love for dance at the age of 16. After graduating from Lake Travis High School, Jazelle completed a professional semester at broad way dance center in NYC that sparked their drive to pursue dance professionally. Jazelle is a former signed commercial dancer that has trained with some of the top choreographers in the industry, auditioned for music artists such as, Gwen Stefani, Paula Abdul, and Janet Jackson. They have showcased choreography and performed dozens of numbers in LA’s commercial dance scene. After taking a break for a few years, Jazelle is excited to share their love and passion for dance with the studio! 

Glenda Bigham "Ms. Glenda"

Instructor

 

I started dancing when I was about 11 years old and I did all four years of varsity drill team. I was a social officer for two of those years. I also was an Austin city show girl for a couple of years and during that time got an opportunity to audition for America’s got talent with my showgirl team. I’m so excited to have this opportunity to be back in the dance world again.

Shepherd Allen "Mr. Shepherd"

Instructor & Choreographer

 

Shepherd Allen is a Texas born and bred choreographer who started teaching when he was 14 due to a knowledge of dance instruction given by his father. Teaching at local studios helped him develop his own style and he started teaching at Ballet Austin in his very early 20’s. From there he was able to be in music videos, backup for artists tours and was also featured on television (audition level) for so you think you can dance (2 seasons) and was voted fan favorite on the television show “A Chance to Dance”. His current mission is keeping the passion in Hip hop dance and breeding true artists on an individual level. 

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Jennifer Brown "Ms. Jennifer"

Toddler Instructor

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Jennifer began dancing with her ‘student’ dolls at 2 years old and finally got the opportunity to take classes at 5 where she made the decision to soak in every and any type of dance available! She was a teacher for almost 20 years and has made it her life to help children find their joy and fulfill their potential.  

Byron Williams "Mr. Byron"

Instructor

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Byron found his passion in dance when he was 18 years old. From a very early age, he’d always dreamt of being a dancer, but was never able to join a studio. His passion and desire to learn and grow in dance has paid off in a short amount of time. He’s danced showcases at local studios in Austin and choreographs yearly for a production called Dragoween. Bringing his larger than life attitude into the studio is his favorite pastime. His dream is to create a dance class called “late bloomers” for adults who always dreamt of dancing, but started late in life. He’s so excited to join the DBC family! 

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