Tina Ray

Tina Ray has fond memories of her first ballet class at the age of 3 with Gardner Schneider-Cole in Slidell, LA. As a young student she danced with the Picayune Ballet Company and performed throughout Mississippi and Louisiana, including the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans. She studied dance at the University of Southern Mississippi before opening her own school of dance where she directed the Picayune Youth Ballet Company for 10 years. She received her teacher’s training from the International Ballet School in Jackson, MS and enjoyed spending several summers studying ballet in New York with various teachers. She danced with the New Orleans Ballet, under the direction of Allison Gonzales from 1994 to 1999. Tina enjoyed dancing in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland, Billy the Kid, and Sleeping Beauty as The Lilac Fairy. Tina’s students were often featured in the New Orleans Ballet’s performances. While with the New Orleans Ballet, she enjoyed teaching and performing with the outreach program for the Orleans Parish Public Schools which brought dance education and appreciation to elementary school students who would not otherwise have the opportunity. Tina loves sharing her lifelong passion of ballet with her students. She is thrilled and honored to be teaching for The Kansas City Ballet School.