LAFA STAFF & Faculty
Executive Director, Artistic Director, Owner
Julie began teaching classical ballet in 1991 after a professional career with the Louisville Ballet and the Lexington Ballet. In this time she quickly realized her calling was for performing arts education and thus sought to create her own Academy of Dance. As co-owner of the A.R.T. Centre with Amy Delaney from 1993-1998, Julie began choreographing and directing full-length storybook ballets for students and young professionals. Early in her career Julie proved herself to be a serious educator in dance and a symbol for wholistic artistic development in the City of Louisville. In 1998 she was asked to join the Ursuline School of Music and Drama in order to found their dance department using her experience and her following in the artistic community--this would then be renamed to the Ursuline School for the Performing Arts. From 1998-2019, Julie administrated over 300 students as chair of the dance department for what is now known as the Sacred Heart School for the Arts (SHSA); While there she choreographed and directed two full-length storybook ballets annually, and created the tradition of Community Nutcracker Auditions that saw over 150 students each year. Beginning as co-founder of her own dance studio, and ending as director of the SHSA Dance Program and the Ursuline Arts Centre (UAC), Julie developed a strong presence as a successful female entrepreneur and respected instructor of classical ballet. Looking forward, she has set a new goal of professionalism and artistic development in the city of Louisville with the recent establishment of the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts (LAFA). As artistic director of this new school, Julie is using LAFA as a beacon of professionalism, artistry, and equality in the Louisville Community. The Louisville Academy of Fine Arts is a home as much as it is a school, for all students on their artistic journey through life.
Assistant Director, Rehearsal Director
Grace McWilliams graduated as a dance major from the Youth Performing Arts School in 2015. Grace is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisville majoring in Business Management. She has performed with Sacred Heart School for the Arts (SHSA), the Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville Dance Alliance, Vandiveir Ford Dance Company, Louisville Dance Series, and Lou.Co.Lab. Grace has also created numerous works, and has had the opportunity to present her choreography in the Regional Dance Festival (2015), Moving Collective (2015), Vandiveir Ford Dance Company (2018), Louisville Dance Series (2019, 2020), and Lou.Co.Lab (2022, 2023). More of her works include SHSA collaboration with the Louisville Youth Choir and SHSA's musicals including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Jr., The Lion King Jr., and Aladdin Jr. Grace’s more recent choreography has appeared in the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts’ The Nutcracker (2019-2023), Spring Arts Gala (2021-2023), Peter Pan (2021), Cinderella (2022), and The Little Mermaid (2023). Grace is going into her 8th year of teaching dance, ranging from ages 3 to adult. Her teaching knowledge includes ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, improvisation/composition, with some tap, hip hop, and yoga experience. She taught dance at Sacred Heart School for the Arts for 4 years and Louisville Dance Alliance for 2 years. This will be her fourth year with the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts as the assistant director. Grace is determined to ensure that her classes remain welcoming, judgment free, and a safe place for all of her students.
Emma Lucas is a Louisville native who has trained in ballet, modern, and jazz for over 20 years. She is a graduate of Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts (2016) and the University of Kentucky (2021), earning degrees in Arts Administration and Communications with a minor in Dance. Emma has performed at the collegiate level in Louisville, Lexington, New York City, and Lorton, VA, as well as at the American College Dance Association. Since 2022, she has been a choreographer and dancer with Lou.Co.Lab, creating original works alongside fellow local artists. Emma joined Louisville Academy of Fine Arts in 2019 and continues to be involved in many aspects of the studio, including teaching dance, stage managing productions, and more. She is grateful to be part of a community that celebrates each student's growth, creativity, and love for the arts.
Director of Marketing & Production
Assistant Rehearsal Director, Graphic Designer
Clare Kresse is excited to continue her creative journey at Louisville Academy of Fine Arts. Kresse is the cofounder and director of the local dance company Lou.Co.Lab established in 2022. Through her company she continues to create opportunities for adults to continue their dance journey in supportive environment. She hopes to open her students eyes to the many opportunities awaiting them beyond the classroom. Kresse graduated form Goucher College in 2020, with a BA in Dance and Environmental Studies. While in school she had the opportunity to study abroad to Edinburgh, Scotland and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Kresse attended and performed in the American College Dance Association conference for 3 years. As an instructor, Clare sees herself as a dance technician, stemming from her interests in labanotation (the physical writing of movement on a score) dance anatomy and kinesiology. She hopes to broaden her students understanding of the interconnectedness of all dance genres through the beauty of movement efficiency and quality. She is certified yoga teacher and certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT). This with balance of mindfulness that movement brings, Clare hopes to aid in the well-roundedness and confidence of all her students.
Administrator, Assistant Stage Manager
Abby is a proud alumna of Louisville Academy of Fine Arts, where she trained throughout high school before graduating in 2021. Since then, she has worked behind the scenes as Assistant Stage Manager for every LAFA production and has been involved in LouCoLab both onstage and backstage. Abby officially joined the LAFA staff in August 2024, bringing her passion for the arts and her organizational experience to the administrative team. Outside of the studio, Abby earned dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Economics from the University of Kentucky and is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor at the University of Louisville. She loves contributing to LAFA’s creative community and supporting productions that are well loved in the community.
Selena Elbl
Costume Designer
LAFA FACULTY
Dance Instructor
Robin Franck Schulman has over forty years of experience in the field of dance with numerous accomplishments and accolades in various genres as a performer, choreographer, and dance educator. Robin trained professionally with Gus Giordano, Joe Tremaine, and Tommy Sutton. Her works have been featured in the Miss Kentucky Pageant and regional dance companies. She has also choreographed numerous productions for Music Theater Louisville, Center Stage Theater, and the Clarksville Little Theater, including Hello Dolly, Mame, Annie, Big River, Cabaret, and Gigi to name a few. She has choreographed High School musicals for Sacred Heart School for the Arts to include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Wiz, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. She has performed with countless companies in West Side Story, The King and I, Grease, Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma, A Chorus Line, and Anything Goes. Robin is a Certified Creative Movement Specialist and renowned speaker in the field of early childhood education. She has taught jazz, tap, ballet, creative movement, and musical theater in the metropolitan Louisville area for numerous organizations and owned her own studio, The Dance Connection, for over ten years until she closed its doors in 1995 to raise a family. Robin and her husband Butch have four grown children: Benjamin, Halle, Matthew and Emily.
Musical Theater & Vocal Instructor
Erik (he/him) is an theatre artist from Louisville, Ky. He holds a BFA in Acting (Musical Theatre) from Wright State University in Dayton, Oh. In addition to teaching Voice and Musical Theatre, Erik Co-Directs shows at Saint Margaret Mary School. He also performs as much as he can, both on stage and screen. He’s represented by Heyman Talent and has gone on to work on multiple films including White Noise on Netflix. On stage some of his favorite roles include: Dan (next to normal), Frank (The Memory of Water), Barfeé (Spelling Bee), Conrad (Stupid F***ing Bird), and Mendel (Falsettos). Erik is proud alum of GSA (Drama 2015), as well as a produced playwright. He is so thankful to work at such an incredible studio alongside such a wonderful team of artists.
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Creative Writing Instructor
Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, Lynn earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She is the award-winning author of five young adult romantic mysteries: MISSING MOM, DEADLY SETUP, LEISHA’S SONG, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, AND WHILE I DANCED, as well as an adult mystery, MISSED CUE. Lynn lives in Kentucky, where she’s at work on her next novel.
Dance Instructor
Raised and initially trained in Louisville, Kentucky, Sherry Gilpin has also lived, studied, and performed in every region of the country, including New York, Colorado, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. After years of studying ballet, Sherry joined the Louisville Ballet (1978-1982). Under the direction of Alun Jones and Helen Starr, she danced principal and soloist roles with the company. Sherry had the privilege of sharing the stage with, among others, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Galina and Valery Panov, Patricia McBride, Galina Samsova, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Merrill Ashley, Sean Lavery, Jean-Paul Comelin and Maria Tallchief. Sherry joined the St. Louis Ballet Theater where she acted as assistant artistic director, principal dancer, ballet mistress and choreographer. She then performed as principal and soloist for the Ohio Ballet under the direction of Heinz Poll. Sherry has danced in a repertory of works ranging from such classical ballets as Giselle, Cinderella, Petrushka and numerous Balanchine ballets to the work of Anthony Tudor, Bournonville, Ruthanna Boris and modern choreographers such as Domy Reiter-Sofer, Molissa Fenley and Paul Taylor. Ms. Gilpin’s ability to encompass a wide variety of dance styles as well as her ability as an actress and singer, have set her work apart and won her much recognition from choreographers, audiences, and critics alike. Sherry was previously the dance department chairman and head teacher for the Youth Performing Arts School in Louisville, Kentucky. She has served as guest faculty for the University of Louisville, Stephens College/Perry Mansfield, and Interlochen Arts Academy. As a choreographer, Ms. Gilpin was the recipient of the Monticello Fellowship Award for Outstanding Choreography. She has created works for Louisville Ballet, Stephens College/Perry Mansfield, University of Louisville, Derby Dinner Playhouse, Actors Theater, Stage One, St. Louis Ballet Theater and Youth Performing Arts School. Ms. Gilpin has served on faculty and as artist in residence choreographer for Interlochen Arts Center, Michigan, Columbia College, Chicago, and Beloit College in Beloit Wisconsin. Additionally, Sherry instructed in the preprofessional program at Milwaukee Ballet. On Broadway Sherry has served as assistant choreographer in “Candid” with Harold Prince which won a Tony award. It is as a master teacher and choreographer that Ms. Gilpin continues to share the disciplines and techniques that created her successful career.
Cassia Wigginton
Musical Theater & Music Instructor
Coming Soon...
Musical Theater Instructor
Coming Soon...
Dance Instructor
Coming Soon...
Music Instructor
Katherine Alberts is adjunct professor of oboe at Bellarmine University and Indiana University South East where she also teaches Music Appreciation. She was a regular member of the Louisville Bach Society Orchestra and has often performed with the Louisville Orchestra, the Louisville Opera, Louisville Ballet and Harris Entertainment. In 1998, she recorded for National Public Radio with the Derrière Guard Festival Orchestra. In the summer of 2004, Ms. Alberts was principle oboist with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra ’04 River Tour. Recently as principle oboe on three cds, she recorded with Arlo Guthrie’s In Times Like These, Thomas Pasatieri’s Hotel Casablanca, and George McKay’s Epoch: An American Dance Symphony with The University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. In June 2009, Ms. Alberts performed at the Vatican with the UK Women’s Chorus. Currently she is a freelance artist and active instructor of Double Reeds at several Kentuckiana schools, the K-8 general music teacher at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic School in Clarksville, Indiana.