Keith Walls-Director
Keith Walls is a graduate of Missouri Valley College where he majored in Education with an emphasis in Theater & Dance. He began his dance training under Patricia Downey, and with her encouragement he continued on and received a full scholarship to the Summer Dance Lab, a program created by professional dancers drawn from the Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, and American Ballet Theater.
After college, Keith moved to Portland where he continued his training in ballet and theatre. He has performed leading roles in ballets such as; The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, the White Haired Girl (a traditional Chinese Ballet) and Sleeping Beauty. In 2003, Keith moved to New York City where he danced with renowned Russian teachers, Andrea Silantiev of the Bolshoi and Natalia Stavro of the Kirov. Keith’s theatre and musical theatre credits include Sugar, Grease, Once Upon a Mattress, The Hostage, See How They Run, and many more. Keith has trained in musical theater with Diana Laurenson, Amanda Turner and Andy Blankenbuehler.
In the Fall of 2007, Keith began the adventure of opening Abernethy Performing Arts. Now in its 16th season, APA has staged and produced over 26 ballets, 4 musicals, 2 traveling troupes, and a mirage of other performances and community productions. Keith has also written and directed two entirely original productions - the contemporary ballet Constellations and the musical ballet The Goblin Market. APA has trained hundreds of dancers, actors, and performers and continues to offer superior training and education to all who dance, leap, or push their way through the doors.
Christine Wright
Christy first began ballet in 2010 under the teaching of Jackie Kunzman at the Kunzman School of Ballet in Oregon City. In 2012 she joined APA where she has since danced many roles both in the corps and as a soloist. She has attended summer dance intensives with both the State Street Ballet in 2014 and with the Walla Walla Summer Dance Lab in 2015. In 2013 She joined the APA teaching staff and currently teaches Pre-Ballet and Basic ballet classes, as well as our MOVE Early Ed program.
Bernadette LaMarsh
Bernadette was born and raised in Oregon. She began her ballet journey at eight years old with the Clackamas youth Ballet and Abernethy Performing Arts in Oregon City.
At 13 she started her training with the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre under the direction of Damara Bennett.
She has attended summer intensives that include, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Ballet Austin, Oklahoma City Ballet and City Ballet of San Diego.
She joined The Portland Ballet in the first year of the career track program. She was thrilled to work with Nancy Davis and Annie Mueller during her time there.
Bernadette also danced with City Ballet of San Diego for their 2016/2017 season.
Emma Neighorn
Emma began dancing in 2009 at the age of 5yrs old at the Jackie Kunzman School of Ballet. When Jackie’s doors closed two years later, Emma was fortunate to find Keith and Abernethy Performing Arts and has been dancing there ever since. While learning under the direction of Keith, she also had the privilege of taking classes from Bernadette, Melissa, Kaytee, and Christy. She has competed in YAGP in Seattle three seasons where she also participated in their master classes.
After graduating from Oregon City High School in 2023, she started her degree in Early Childhood Development and Education at Clackamas Community College. She was thrilled to have worked alongside Keith and Christy at the MOVE Preschool Camps for 2 summers. Currently she is still dancing at the studio and loves performing in brilliant productions each year.
Mya Spangler
Mya began dancing with APA when she was six years old. She had the privilege of dancing under Keith, Melissa, Christy, Bernadette, and Kaytee. In 2017, she moved to Iowa and continued dancing at The Pointe Academy. Mya participated in one season of YAGP in Iowa, and danced in master classes at YAGP in Chicago. Mya has also taken classes at the Joffrey School of Ballet. In 2020, Mya returned to Oregon and rejoined the APA family. She joined APA to compete at YAGP in Seattle and completed their master classes.
After graduating early she has now begun her degree in accounting. Mya was an assistant instructor for pre ballet class as well as taught our pre-ballet classes. She also taught a six week program, for Imagine Theater. Mya joins the APA instructors as our beginning Musical Theater teacher.
Guest Instructors
Steven Houser
Steven Houser began his ballet training at the age of 6 in his hometown of Portland, OR, studying at various studios before joining the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre in 2003, in addition to spending summers studying at San Francisco Ballet School and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Steven joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 2004, was made a full company member in 2005, and was promoted to soloist in 2007. In 2011 he joined Grand Rapids Ballet where he danced for a further 11 seasons. During his career he performed featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Christopher Stowell, Kent Stowell, Paul Taylor, Helgi Tomasson, Yuri Possokhov, Peter Martins, Julia Adam, Nicolo Fonte, Val Caniparoli, James Kudelka, Christopher Wheeldon, Penny Saunders, Danielle Rowe, Olivier Wevers, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Brain Enos, David Parsons, Gerald Arpino, and William Forsythe. In 2017 he was made a Ballet Master with Grand Rapids Ballet, and was responsible for works by Val Caniparoli, Penny Saunders, Christopher Stowell, Danielle Rowe, and Brian Enos. Since retiring from his dancing career in 2022, he has worked as a rehearsal assistant, teacher, and stager throughout the United States.
Melissa Grant
Melissa began her ballet training with Marjorie Soriano under the RAD syllabus. She was then given a scholarship by Benjamin Harkarvy for training and apprenticeship with Pennsylvania Ballet. Melissa has also trained and performed with Boston Ballet and the North Atlantic Ballet.
Locally, she has preformed with the Portland Opera and Musical Theatre Company and has been a guest performer for other companies, dancing leading roles in dozens of ballets.