Smuin Center for Dance Faculty
Cora is a Bay Area dance teacher who believes in supporting the holistic dancer. She encourages confidence while honing artistry and technique. Cora trained at Alonzo King Lines Ballet and at Black Box Studios under the direction of Ballet22 artistic director Theresa Knudson. Cora’s goal as a teacher is to help each student find their own passion for dance — and to always keep pushing themself to reach their potential.
Valerie Harmon (she/her) is from Lompoc, California, and danced with Smuin Ballet for three years before retiring from her performance career and completing her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University. Valerie loves blending her education with her love of dance through ballet classes with a strong technical foundation. Her stretch and strength classes combine functional movements with strengthening exercises to promote a greater sense of well-being and body awareness by the end of class! She believes that dance and movement are for any body, at any age, at any level, and enjoys sharing her love of dance and exercise with her students. In Valerie’s class you are sure to learn, sweat, and move your body!
Fave SF Spot: China Beach
Thing that most inspires me: Hiking in all of the beautiful places near San Francisco
Best advice a teacher ever gave me: Sometimes it takes corrections a bit of time to ‘sink in’ – be persistent and enjoy all of the little successes along the way!
Erin McMahon is originally from Houston, Texas where she trained under Caryn Stoll, Kathleen Waltz and Mary Beth Arrlington before attending Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. Erin attended the University of Utah where she received her BFA in Ballet, BS in Economics and minor in Modern Dance. She performed both modern and classical works while also as a guest artist with Salt Lake City Ballet. Erin has danced professionally with Central West Ballet, Roanoke Ballet Theatre, and San Jose Dance Theatre. Erin has taught at many studios including Ballet West summer intensive, Kingsport Ballet summer intensive, Central West Ballet Academy, San Jose Dance Theatre, and at Depelchin Children’s Center where she taught underprivileged children ballet. She is also a 200 Hour Yoga Certified Teacher and Rhythm Works! Integrative Dance Certified Teacher where she has taught Sensory Ballet to children on the Autism spectrum.
Benjamin is a Bay Area ballet teacher and former ballet dancer with Ballet Memphis, Alberta Ballet, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, and Post:ballet. He is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor and his classes center a methodical approach to the high demands of ballet on the body.
Nol Simonse grew up in Washington, D.C., and trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He moved to San Francisco in 1997 and is a founding member of Kunst-Stoff, Janice Garrett and Dancers, Garrett+Moulton Productions, and Sean Dorsey Dance. He is also a longtime collaborator/performer of Sue Roginski, Eric Kupers, Christy Funsch, Stephen Pelton, and Kara Davis. Nol has worked with many Bay Area artists, including Deborah Slater, Mary Armentrout, Della Davidson, Carey Perloff, Val Caniparoli, Nancy Karp, and Mary Carbonara. Nol was awarded an Isadora Duncan Bay Area Dance Award in 2011 for individual performance , and in 2009 received a GOLDIE for dance (Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery). Nol currently teaches modern technique at the Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, and ODC. He has taught choreography, repertory, and performance workshops for adults and teens, and has made dances for Robert Moses’ Kin, Diablo Ballet, the Lines summer program, students at USF, Shawl-Anderson Youth Ensemble, ODC’s Dance Jam, and Dance Mission Theater’s Grrrl Brigade. Nol produced eight seasons of ‘Shared Space’ with Todd Eckert at Dance Mission Theater from 2007-2016 and has had residencies at Dance Mission, Studio 210, and the iMPACt center. Nolwas one of the 25 nominated artists to create a dance for the 25th anniversary season of the West Wave Dance Festival, and was a mentee of Margaret Jenkins in 2017 for her CHIME Program. Nol has self- produced much of his own artistic work, including ‘death pod’ at Counterpulse in 2022, and ‘Process and Community’ at Dance Mission in 2023. He created a piece for the Queering Dance Festival in 2024, and is a member of the choreographic collective ‘the straw dogs’.
Lexi Duff is a Bay Area dancer and teacher. After attending the LINES training program, Lexi has danced for many companies in the area including Post:ballet. She enjoys kite-surfing and the ocean.
Terez Dean Orr (she/her) teaches Intermediate/Advanced Ballet on Wednesdays. Originating from the Hudson Valley of NY, Terez has danced with Smuin Ballet for fourteen seasons, sharing her passion for dance with the audience and her students. Terez’s classes dive into the elements of neoclassical technique, focusing on dynamic footwork, musicality, and the expansiveness of movement. Approachable, positive, and built to work up a sweat, Terez will help each dancer improve their strength, balance, and grace, all with a smile!
Favorite San Francisco neighborhood: My vibrant neighborhood of the Castro: on any given day, you may find a cellist on her stoop, an Opera singer practicing in the park, or a colorful costume bestowing a queen. This area represents the artistic and eclectic beauty that makes up our unique city.
Thing that most inspires you: Traveling, discovering new architecture, food, and culture.
Best advice a teacher ever gave you: “Always feel as if you are draped in the finest of jewels when approaching class or rehearsal. Don’t dance like a frozen fish stick.”
Emma Andre is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Oakland, California. They studied contemporary dance with an emphasis in ballet at The Boston Conservatory, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2021. After graduating Emma moved to New York to work as a freelance performer and teacher. There, she had the pleasure of teaching children within the New York Public School system. Emma moved to Oakland in June of 2023, and has enjoyed dancing and connecting with students in the Bay Area. Since moving, they have had the pleasure of teaching at Berkeley Ballet Theater, Boys and Girls club of SF, TuTu School, and Smuin Ballet.