A Legacy of Dance

Brian McSween is the CEO/Artistic Director for Chattanooga Ballet (CHA Ballet). With his leadership the organization has shown growth in its professional company, school and community enrichment programs and he has helped to define the mission, “CHA Ballet serves through the power of dance.” Prior to CHA Ballet, Brian was the Ballet Master for Ballet Memphis under the direction of Dorothy Gunther Pugh where he was also commissioned for three works for the company. He has also served as a teacher for Grand Rapids Ballet School, an adjunct professor for GVSU and was the Associate Artistic Director for Joffrey Concert Group. His professional dance career was with Joffrey Ballet, Complexions and Aspen Ballet. He has also taught, coached and judged internationally. His wife Meg, also an artist with Joffrey Ballet, and he have three kids; Connor, Micah and Madelyn.

With over 15 years of experience in Arts Administration, Aly has enjoyed a rewarding career with major arts organizations, including Atlanta Ballet and the Hunter Museum of American Art, managing corporate, foundation and public funding initiatives, and two successful capital campaigns. New to this role with CHA Ballet, she seeks to coordinate funding efforts that will accelerate the company’s trajectory of artistic growth, fiscal responsibility, and community engagement. Aly has served on many industry boards and was a co-founder of DanceATL. Aly is deeply engaged in the local arts community, mom of two young aspiring ballerinas, and a yoga and barre teacher.

Nena began her pre-professional training at Contra Costa Ballet School in Walnut Creek, CA under the direction of former American Ballet Theatre dancers Zola Dishong and Richard Cammack. During her time there she performed various roles in the student company such as Rose in The Nutcracker, Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, and soloist in James Sofranco’s contemporary ballet Catching the Light. She also had the opportunity to be coached by School of American Ballet’s Suki Schorer in the CCB student productions of George Balanchine’s Serenade and Stars and Stripes. In 2012 Nena received her Bachelors in Family Studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. There she danced with BYU’s Theatre Ballet company and served as company president for one year. She was able to tour the west coast with the company performing lead roles in Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Snow Queen as well as original contemporary works. From 2013-2016 Nena relocated to Detroit, MI where she continued her teaching career. In April 2016 Nena had the opportunity to perform in Detroit as a dance supernumerary under Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of Sleeping Beauty for American Ballet Theatre. In 2017 she relocated to Chattanooga, TN and had the opportunity to premiere the lead role in Alia Kache’s Clickbait. In 2019 Nena began her role as Director of Education at CHA Ballet alongside dancing with the company and in 2021 welcomed her son. Nena oversees the CHA Ballet School, rehearses students for productions such as the Nutcracker, and works with faculty at all satellite locations. She is also the director of the organization’s student performance group CHA Ballet School Ensemble.

Sam grew up in Tallahassee Florida and began her professional career with The Tallahassee Ballet while receiving a B.A. in Studio Art and Art History from Florida State University. As a soloist with The Tallahassee Ballet, Sam performed roles such as Paquita, Silver Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen, and Lead Coffee under the direction of Tyrone Brooks. Post-graduation Sam joined Chattanooga Ballet, and for five seasons instructed in the school and danced principal roles such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Sugar Plum. She premiered in contemporary works such as Andrew Parker’s ‘Carmina Burana’ & ‘Soldiers Tale’, Alia Kache’s ‘Click Bate’, and Brian McSween’s ‘Three Muses for Apollo’. Special moments in her career include dancing background for Weird Al Yankovich, joining UTC's Theater Company in 'CATS', and appearing in music videos for artists such as George Clinton. During the pandemic Sam moved to Asheville NC, and from 2020-2023 she choreographed, instructed and danced with The Asheville Ballet, began her own contemporary dance program at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, and taught kindergarten. Sam is a freelance graphic designer and painter and has had art works in galleries across TN, NC, and FL. She is thrilled to be back at Chattanooga Ballet merging her love for dance, music, education, and humor.

Originally from Detroit, Haley studied ballet for 14 years before graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy. She then went on to receive a dual BFA degree in Costume Design and Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts. After a season with City Ballet of Los Angeles, Haley moved to Tennessee where she worked with Ballet Memphis for 8 years. During that time, she was a costumer for many other live productions and IATSE film projects, including Tennessee Shakespeare company, Netflix, ABC, Tennessee Ballet Theatre, Collage Dance Collective, and Theatre Memphis. She is thrilled to be joining the Chattanooga Ballet team this season.

Monica Alicia (Coates) Ellison was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. She earned a BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University. Her professional credits include ensemble work with Dayton Contemporary Dance Company 2 (Dayton, OH), principal work with Balance Dance Theatre (Brooklyn, NY), and guest work with Sudden Enlightenment Theatre (Queens, NY), including a performance in Seoul, Korea. Her last work before heading south was at the North Shore Music Theatre Company (Beverly, MA) and as an ensemble dancer in the off-Broadway production of Susan Stroman's Contact, directed by Tomé Cousin. Ellison’s teaching career began in Chattanooga, TN, and has included ballet, pointe, modern and jazz for beginner-through-advanced levels, at various dance studios throughout the Chattanooga area. She has danced and choreographed widely in Chattanooga, including choreographing for two operas at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, Treemonisha, and The Gondoliers, for Scenic City Shakespeare and dancing with Ann Law. She loves to share her dance and movement knowledge with children and co-founded Move N Groove Kidz and Capoeira Chattanooga. Since 2021 she has taught for Chattanooga Ballet at the Boys and Girls Club and is excited to continue as she steps into her new role as Making Moves Coordinator.