Introducing New School of Ballet 5:8 Full-Time Faculty for the 25/26 Season
As we look ahead to a new season of growth, excellence, and discipleship at the School of Ballet 5:8, we are delighted to introduce two women who will play a vital role in shaping our students’ journeys. Both Emma Michaux and Selah Strong embody the heart of our mission—to nurture the whole person through the art of ballet—and their leadership will help steward our programs with both technical rigor and deep compassion.
Assistant Director for the Children’s Division
Selah Strong
Selah Strong began dancing at age four with Ballet Chelsea in Michigan under Wendi DuBois. There, she fell in love with classical ballet and performed in productions such as The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Giselle. She first connected with Ballet 5:8 through our Summer Intensive in 2020, and after graduating high school, joined the Trainee Program.
Selah currently dances in the Second Company and has taught in the School of Ballet 5:8 for two years. In her new role as Assistant Program Director of the Children’s Division, she will work alongside Program Director Katrina Clarke to nurture our youngest dancers with joy, structure, and grace.
Assistant Conservatory & Trainee Director
Emma Michaux
Originally from Colorado, Emma trained at Colorado Ballet Society under Patricia Hoffman. She has danced professionally for six seasons with companies including Boulder Ballet and Wonderbound, and as a guest artist with Westchester Ballet Company, BalletNEXT, Zikr Dance Ensemble, and Thomas Dance Project.
Emma’s performance repertoire spans works by Val Caniporelli, Christopher Wheeldon, Amy Seiwert, Michael Smuin, and Paul Taylor, as well as premieres by Caili Quan, Amy Hall-Gardner, Sidra Bell, Gregory Dawson, Andrea Schermoly, and Makino Hayashi. Classical highlights include principal roles such as the Sugarplum Fairy, Princess Aurora, and the Black Swan pas de deux.
Emma brings a rare combination of technical excellence and nurturing leadership. As Assistant to Conservatory & Trainee Director Sarah Clarke, she will support our most advanced dancers at a critical stage in their pre-professional journey.
From Emma:
“I’m so excited to work with you all this year! It’s one of the greatest joys in my life to get to work with dancers and share in this beautiful art form together. I look forward to meeting and getting to know each and every one of you! Have a wonderful summer and I’ll see you all in the fall.”
We are incredibly grateful for the wisdom, talent, and compassion that both Emma and Selah bring to their new roles. Their leadership reflects the heart of Ballet 5:8’s mission: to train the whole person through the beauty and discipline of dance.