Staff
Barbara English, Owner, Ballet Mistress,
& Creative Director​
Barbara English is originally from Liverpool, England, and moved to this area 25 years ago. Barbara started dancing with her Aunt at age four, and it has been her passion ever since. She has been teaching dance for 30 years, and has worked with many studios in the area. The curriculum she mainly teaches is from the IDTA curriculum. She was the ballet teacher for 12 years in the after school enrichment program at Stone Academy of Communication Arts. Many of her students have gone on to study dance at the Governor’s School and then to College or to Major Dance Companies. Barbara is currently the owner of English Theatre Arts.
Stephanie Cureton, Director & Instructor
Stephanie's passion for dance was sparked at the age of 3 in Fort Knox, KY. After moving back to Greenville, SC she started her training with Barbara English at English Theatre Arts. She graduated from the South Carolina Governor's School for Arts and Humanities in the dance pre-professional program. While there she studied ballet, pointe, and modern under the direction of Llyod Whitmore, Irina Ushakova, and Stanislav Issaev. She then went on to receive her BA in dance/psychology from Agnes Scott College. While there she studied Ballet, Martha Graham Modern Technique, Jazz, and Labanotation under Bridget Roosa. Not only did she perform in Studio Dance Theatre, the school's dance company, she also choreographed several pieces for the company. She has choreographed and performed for local projects both in Atlanta and Greenville. Currently. She teaches in a variety of places throughout Greenville county while also being a freelance performer and choreographer. In the future, she plans to pursue Graduate school with a master's in dance and physical therapy.
Oxaly Barreto, Instructor
Oxaly Barreto was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the Upstate with her family when she was very young. Oxaly graduated from Byrnes High School, where she found her love for dance. She enjoyed competing with Winter Guard as well as Color Guard. Oxaly has continued to train and dance competivly in Ballet, Hip Hop, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Tap. During this time she earned a Culinary Degree from Spartanburg Community College. Oxaly is continuing to train as a teacher in dance. She looks forward to sharing her love for music, singing, and dancing at English Theatre Arts..
Allie Haney, Company Director & Instructor
I was born and raised in Greenville, SC. I have been dancing since the age of 6, my favorite style being musical theater and jazz. I started competing when I was 7 and continued this through my senior year of high school. After graduation, I obtained my certification in Special Education and designed a dance program for children with disabilities. My passion is to bring the love and beauty of dance to everyone. This program was designed to help students with fine and gross motor skills, rhythm, body placement, crossing the midline, etc. I look forward to continuing to share my love of dance with all the families at English Theater Arts.
Deidre Whitwell, Instructor
Bio coming soon
Ali Waller, Instructor
Ms Ali has been a lover of dance from a young age. Getting involved with the Fine Arts programs, musical theatre, and dance teams growing up. After graduating and starting a family, Ms. Ali got involved with community musical theater and reignited that passion. Over the years she has attended and participated with ETA as her nieces and daughter were students here. Ms Ali joined us as a part-time teacher in the Spring of 2023 following the passing of her daughter, Payton. ETA has given her community, a creative outlet and so much joy just like it provided Payton.
Landon Bollinger, Instructor
Bio coming soon
Tabitha Murphy, Office Manager
Tabitha “Tab” Murphy is a married mother of 4. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Development and a certificate in Child Care Management from Greenville Technical College. She has a background in musical theater, theater production, & performance choirs. Tab, along with her husband Lee, homeschools their children. Her oldest daughter started dance classes at English Theatre Arts in 2016 and joined the Company the following year. Tab quickly became an involved parent volunteer helping with the Nutcracker Tea production and heading up props for the year-end Recital productions. Since then her younger daughter and nephew have joined ETA’s Company. In 2019 Tab officially became part of the English Theatre Arts team as the office and account manager. She assists parents and staff in any way possible while maintaining daily operational duties.
