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LAFA STAFF
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 from the Youth Performing Arts School as a dance major in 2015 and earned her Associate of Arts degree in Business Management from Jefferson Community & Technical College in 2023. She has performed with Sacred Heart School for the Arts (SHSA), the Youth Performing Arts School, Louisville Dance Alliance, Vandivier Ford Dance Company, Louisville Dance Series, and Lou.Co.Lab. Grace has also created numerous original works and has had the opportunity to present her choreography at the Regional Dance Festival (2015), Moving Collective (2015), Vandivier Ford Dance Company (2018), Louisville Dance Series (2019, 2020), and Lou.Co.Lab (2022–2024). More recently, Grace’s choreography has appeared in Louisville Academy of Fine Arts’ The Nutcracker (2019–2025), Spring Arts Gala (2021–2025), Dance Kaleidoscope (2026), and all of LAFA’s Spring Storybook Ballets (2021–2026). Additionally, Grace was given the opportunity to fully direct and re-choreograph LAFA’s 2025 production of The Nutcracker. Grace is entering her 11th year of teaching dance to students ranging in age from 5 to 18. Her teaching expertise includes ballet, modern/contemporary, jazz, and improvisation/composition. She taught at Sacred Heart School for the Arts for four years (2015–2019) and Louisville Dance Alliance for two years (2017–2019). This year marks her seventh year with the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts, where she serves as Assistant Director. Grace is committed to creating a welcoming, judgment-free environment and ensuring that her classes are a safe and supportive space for all 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.
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 Manager & Head Seamstress
LAFA FACULTY
Dance Instructor
Addison Goan is originally from Lexington, Kentucky, and is thrilled to be joining the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts faculty. She began her dance training at Blackbird Dance Theatre and the Lexington Ballet School. After graduating as a ballet major from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts at Lafayette High School in 2020, she took a gap year and danced professionally with the Lexington Ballet Company, taught ballet to students ages 5-18, and furthered her dance education with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Addison continued her artistic and academic studies at the University of Utah and received a BFA in Ballet in May 2024. After graduation, Addison joined Indianapolis Ballet and had the honor of dancing numerous works with the company, including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and George Balanchine’s Serenade, as well as several new works choreographed by the Indianapolis Ballet staff. During her time in Indianapolis, she was also on faculty with the Indianapolis School of Ballet. In addition to teaching dance, Addison is Louisville Ballet’s Development and Patron Engagement Coordinator.
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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.
Dance Instructor
Charlotte Bariteau is an Alumna of LAFA, proud to be returning as an instructor after graduating in 2021. She has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance, receiving her BA in Dance at Western Kentucky University. Her time at WKU sparked a fascination with jazz dance history and pedagogy research that transcended the stage. Supported by several undergraduate research grants, she traveled to NYC, Calgary, and London to deepen her practice, eventually sharing her work twice at the National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO) conference. Her scholarly contributions were punctuated by her senior honors thesis, which received the 'Creative Experience of the Year' award. Since graduating college she has choreographed and performed with Lou.co.lab, assisted as a choreographer for Little Colonel Playhouse, worked at the Creative Movement Specialist at Camp J for the Louisville JCC, and continued her connections in research through NDEO. In all of her work as a dancer and instructor, her goal is to help people see the possibilities dance has to offer beyond performance and entertainment. Above all, she believes dance holds a rich history we all have the opportunity to be a part of whenever we go beneath the surface of what we believe dance is.
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.