School of Ballet Indiana, Evansville Faculty and Guest Instructors

Amy Scharf

PREPARATORY DIVISION, MODERN and Outreach

An Evansville native, Amy Scharf began her dance education under Clarice Duffy at the University of Evansville Ballet and Deena Laska at the Evansville Dance Theatre. She majored in English Composition, Education, and Theatre Performance at the University of Evansville, choreographing and dancing in various theatre department productions including Evita and Godspell. Moving to Los Angeles, she studied dance under Stephan Wenta at The Dancer’s Studio, as well as Charles and Phillip Fuller at Le Studio. While at Le Studio, she performed in DanceCorp’s The Nutcracker from 1997-2001. She taught English, dance, and drama for the Los Angeles and Pasadena School Districts and received her master’s degree in American Studies from Pepperdine University. Amy and her family moved back to Evansville in 2003 where she taught English and theatre at Signature School and established the school’s International Baccalaureate Dance program in 2011. Currently, Amy teaches dual-credit English and theatre at Early College High School on the campus of Ivy Tech Community College. She is a board member of CYPRESS (Committee to Promote Respect in Schools), the University of Evansville Theatre Society, and Ballet Indiana. She continues to lead dance workshops across North America for the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Savanah Holland

Primary Division Director

instructor BAllet & Contemporary

Originally from Evansville, Indiana, Savanah Holland has extensive training and experience teaching in a wide genre of dance styles including ballet, contemporary/modern, African, acro, and competitive dance. Savanah attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Science in Community Health focusing in Rehabilitation and Disabilities. While at University of Illinois, she trained under Dr. Kemal Nance in Umfundalai African dance, Cynthia Oliver, Abby Zbikowski and Linda Lehovec in modern dance, Charlie Maybee-Ferrell in tap dance, and Maria Anderson and Endalyn Taylor in ballet. Endalyn became Savanah’s mentor allowing her to be her teaching assistant for the repertory company, studying and developing community outreach programs for dance. Savanah completed her teaching practicum in Creative Dance under the direction of Mauriah Kraker.

Emma Greenawalt

YAGP Coach/ Guest Instructor

Ballet, Pointe, Contemporary and Choreographer

Emma began dancing at the age of two at the School of Ballet Indiana, located in her hometown in Southern Indiana. During her training, she spent summers dancing at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. At the age of 18 she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division, where she performed numerous ballets with the professional company, as well as featured roles in the PNB School’s performances. In 2023, Emma joined Ballet Tucson as an apprentice and was promoted to Corps de Ballet in the fall of 2024. Throughout her time at Ballet Tucson, Emma has been in several performances of classical ballets, including many choreographed by George Balanchine, in addition to lead roles in several neoclassical works, including Justin Peck’s, Pulcinella Variations, and Matthew Neenan’s Bacchus. Emma continues to perform with Ballet Tucson and will be starting her fourth season with the company as of Fall 2026.

Sally Paris

PREPARATORY & PRE PROFESSIONAL BALLET TECHNIQUE/POINTE/VARIATIONS

Sally Paris, originally from Chardon, Ohio, began her ballet training at Elliot’s Fine Arts under the direction of Joe Glowick, and continued her dance training for 10 years at Ballet Arts Academy under the instruction of Suzanne Rosati. Sally also trained for four years under Marguerite Duncan, who pioneered dance in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. After graduation, Sally danced with Ohio Dance Theatre for two years, performing many roles in The Nutcracker, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Carmen.
She was accepted into Ballet Magnificat’s Trainee Program in August of 2005 and promoted to an Apprentice with Ballet Magnificat! Omega in the fall of 2007 and Company Artist in August 2008. Since then, Sally has toured, performed, and conducted Master Classes all over the United States, Europe, Middle East, Canada, and Africa. Sally was selected to become the Company’s Assistant Artistic Director in August of 2013. Sally was privileged to fill the role of Principle Dancer with the Omega Company from 2013 through 2018, performing lead roles in the Omega Company’s repertoire. Sally is now retired and teaching dance at SBI as well as Guest Teaching all over the United States and Internationally.

Danielle Troyano, from Long Island, New York, began her early training there, continuing with Sara Knight at SLKBallet, in New York City. Danielle received scholarships to summer intensives at The Rock School, The Walnut Hill School, the HARID Conservatory, Orlando Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. She has also received training from the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Ellison Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet summer intensives. In 2012, Danielle studied in London at the Central School of Ballet as part of an exchange program with SLK Ballet.

At 19, Danielle joined Montgomery Ballet under the direction of Darren McIntyre. There, she performed soloist roles such as Snow Queen and Arabian Princess in The Nutcracker, Carmen Pas De Deux, and the lead female role of Liberty Bell in Mr. McIntyre’s original ballet, Liberty Bell. Danielle has worked with the Albany Berkshire Ballet for two seasons where she danced in Carmina Burana, and as Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop in the ABB’s Nutcracker tour. Danielle has been a guest artist with Hinsdale Ballet Theater, originating their title role in Cinderella and in the same year, performed as the Fairy Godmother in the Charleston Ballet Theater’s Cinderella.

Since joining Ballet Idaho in 2014, Danielle has had many performance opportunities such as George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantasie, and a demi-soloist role in Agon. She has danced lead marzipan in Peter Anastos’ The Nutcracker, the Fairy of Grace in Anastos’ The Sleeping Beauty, and a Pirate in Peter Pan.She was happy to finish out Peters last season of directorship by dancing the Pas De Trois in his Swan Lake.

In addition to teaching for the Ballet Idaho Academy, Danielle is proud to be certified and currently teaching Dance for Parkinson’s, a movement class designed to ease the symptoms of those with Parkinson’s Disease. She remains on permanent faculty at the Hinsdale Dance Academy in Hinsdale, Illinois, which just won the Outstanding School Award at the Youth America Grand Prix finals. Over the years, she has served as the director of the young children’s program, the Nutcracker production manager and returning summer faculty. Danielle loves teaching and passing along her love of dance to the up and coming generations of talent.