Our Team

Melanie Preston, Studio Director

Melanie Preston, Studio Director
Melanie Preston is a passionate dance instructor with experience teaching competitive dance and is an award-winning choreographer recognized at dance competitions. She began dancing at age three in Southern California and has been in love with it ever since. Melanie holds an AA in Humanities and Dance from Mt. San Jacinto College. She was formerly a licensed Zumba instructor (2016) and a certified barre instructor (2019). Over the past six years, she has taught various classes, including ballet/tap, creative dance for ages 3-8, tap, ballet, jazz, and acro.

Melanie has successfully overseen productions such as the 2024 Ballet Havasu’s Nutcracker and is currently guiding the creation of Ballet Havasu’s own rendition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. With a team collaboration in artistic direction with our wonderful staff, she actively ensures the production's success by providing leadership and direction.

In addition to her dance career, Melanie is deeply committed to the community. She serves as the President of the Lake Havasu Historical Society, which operates the local museum and is the executive director of the London Bridge Renaissance Faire in Lake Havasu City. Melanie believes that ballet is an art form that every student with a desire to study should have the opportunity to pursue, and she is dedicated to bringing the art of classical ballet performances to Lake Havasu City.

Instructors

Marcus Bugler

Levels 3,4,5, Intermediate and Advanced Pointe & Adult
With dance knowledge covering a wide range of techniques, including ballet, pointe, character and ballroom, Marcus has taught and choreographed in dance schools, conventions, dance camps, and universities across the US; notably STEPS NYC, Broadway Dance Center, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Lindenwood University, and Utica College. He has danced at the Muny, Harkness Ballet Company, Joffrey II, Eglevsky Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Ballet and joined the artistic management team of Cirque du Soleil, opening Zumanity in Las Vegas. He has since been on the staff of the Academy of NBT, the Las Vegas Dance Academy, the Rock Center for Dance and Ballet Havasu. As well as co-creating works for the company and school, he has also performed as Herr Drosselmeyer in Nutcracker and Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, both new productions in 2022 and 2023.
Stephanie Schmidt

Level 3,4,5, Beginner Pointe & Adult
Stephanie Schmidt is a dancer, actor, choreographer and teacher who has been teaching at Lake Havasu Ballet since 2018. Stephanie grew up in San Diego where she learned ballet as a teenager. During high school she started educating others teaching dance at studios and day cares. After that, she began choreographing musical theater productions for various production companies through San Diego. She choreographed numerous productions and some of her favorites she’s done include “Grease", "The Sound of Music”, “Footloose", "Hello Dolly", "Once Upon a Mattress", and “Carousel". Stephanie has appeared in over 45 stage, dance, and ballet productions. She also danced in the Super Bowl XXXII pregame show, and she served many years on the board of directors of a non-profit community theatre company in Fallbrook. When Stephanie isn’t in the dance studio you can find her working as a dental hygienist at Pleasant Valley Dental. It is her pleasure to be teaching your dancers classical ballet and she absolutely loves connecting with the kids and giving them a sense of self confidence through dance!
Sarah Aitken

Creative Dance, Level 1 & 2
Cassandra Betancourt

Level 4 and 5 Ballet
Cassandra is a passionate ballet instructor dedicated to helping students develop grace, technique, and confidence. She trained at Ballet Havasu and continued her dance education with NAU En Pointe and NAU Dance Society. She creates a supportive and engaging environment where dancers can refine their skills and express themselves through movement. Cassandra strives to inspire a deep appreciation for ballet in every student she teaches.