Our Team

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 Ballet Havasu’s 2024 Nutcracker and the company’s original rendition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Working in close collaboration with Ballet Havasu’s talented staff, she provides leadership and direction to ensure the success of every performance.

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 as Executive Director of the London Bridge Renaissance Faire in Lake Havasu City. Melanie believes ballet is an art form that every student with the desire to study should have the opportunity to pursue, and she is dedicated to bringing classical ballet performances to Lake Havasu City.

Instructors

Marcus Bugler

Lead Instructor- Intermediate and Advanced Levels, 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.
Cassandra Betancourt

Intermediate and Advanced levels Instructor
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.
Stephanie Schmidt

Elementary, Intermediate and Adult levels Instructor
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!
Emma Preston

Elementary and Intermediate levels Instructor
Emma Preston has been dancing since the age of two and a half and has trained extensively in multiple styles, including tap, jazz, contemporary, modern, and hip-hop. While she excels across genres, Emma’s greatest passion has always been ballet. She joined Ballet Havasu in 2023 to advance her pointe work and has since grown into a standout performer and instructor.
Emma has performed leading roles such as Myrtha in Giselle, the Sugar Plum Fairy in Ballet Havasu’s 2024 and 2025 productions of The Nutcracker, and the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where inspiration from the Royal Ballet’s interpretation was drawn while weaving Emma’s own tap expertise. She also performed as the Rose in the Pas de Deux garden scene, showcasing her artistry and versatility.
Beyond performing, Emma is a dedicated teacher and choreographer. She has taught competition teams for the past three seasons, earning multiple choreography awards in a variety of dance styles. Emma brings her technical skill, creativity, and love of dance into every class, inspiring her students to grow both as dancers and as artists.
Sarah Aitken

Creative Dance, Level 1 & 2
Sarah Aitken teaches Creative Dance and Ballet Beginnings, introducing our youngest dancers to the joy of movement and the foundations of ballet. A longtime part of the Ballet Havasu family, Sarah first began taking classes here herself and now shares her love of dance with the next generation. She brings patience, creativity, and encouragement to every class, helping little ones take their very first steps into the world of ballet. Sarah is also a proud Ballet Havasu mom—her children, Alexis and Ian, dance in our advanced programs.