WELCOME TO DEBORAH CASE DANCE ACADEMY
Come & Meet Our Experienced Staff!
Every Staff Member at Deborah Case Dance Academy is dedicated to your child's training, good health, and self esteem.
Deborah Case
Deborah Case is the artistic director of the Rio Grande Valley Ballet. She brings a lifetime of dance to each class we offer at the Academy. She began her own training at the age of 3 in Texarkana, Texas under Dixie Splawn. She has since been invited back to Texarkana on numerous occasions to train dancers and stage shows, including The Nutcracker.
Her dedication to teaching the Vaganova (Russian method) of dance has brought unbelievable dance professionals to teach at the Dance Academy. Namely, Galina Mezentseva and Irina Vakhromeeva, Kirov Ballet in St. Petersberg, Russia; Alex Ossadnik, Dresden, Germany; Yloy Ybarra, NYC; and Florian Rouiller, Stuttgart Ballet, Germany.
Through personal invitation from Irina, Deborah traveled to Moscow with six of her dancers to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy. Through the Bolshoi Ballet Academy teacher training program, Deborah received an official certificate from the Russian government.
Deborah studied at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Ft. Worth, graduating with a Major in Education and a Minor in Dance, making the perfect combination for her dream of owning her own dance school. That dream is a big part of Deborah Case Dance Academy.
Along with her teaching at the DCDA and Rio Grande Valley Ballet, she is a certified John Maxwell Speaker, Life Coach, and Leader; certified Les Brown speaker; member of Toastmasters International, Inc., serves on the McAllen Performing Arts Advisory Board. She has served as Senior Warden on vestry at St. John's Episcopal Church where is a Lay Eucharistic Minister, prayer partner and lector. She is most proud of being a Nana of six amazing grandchildren, and wife to Jimmy Kryzak!
Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce has awarded Deborah as "Most Distinguished Woman in Art's and Entertainment." McAllen Chamber Commerce named her as a "Legendary McAllen Woman."
Sarah Almaraz
Sarah began her dance training with Deborah Case Dance Academy in 1993. She competed at several competitions such as Joe Tremaine and Paula Abdul Co. Dance, where she received several gold and silver medal standings. She also attended summer intensives with the prestigious Joffrey Ballet Company.
Sarah continued her love for the art of dance by receiving her Bachelors in Dance from The University of Texas - Pan American. During her time with the university she was asked to assist her modern professor, Fred Darsow, to travel to the University of Utah to create an original modern piece for the university's modern dance company. During her senior year at UTPA she was selected among her peers to enter her senior project to be adjudicated at the American College Dance Festival. Receiving high-standing honors, allowed her piece to be a part of the Top 10 adjudicated movements at the festival.
After graduation Sarah was still hungry for knowledge in her beloved field. This led her to travel across the country to places such as New York City, California, Nevada, and upstate Texas where she engulfed herself in Hip-Hop and Modern/Contemporary cultures. While she was traveling, she was a consultant for the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District. As a consultant, she taught various styles for the dance team, colorguard, choir and drama programs at Edinburg High School.
Sarah hopes to continue inspiring young dancers to reach a higher level of dance education, as well as, helping students to break out of their shells to become the best performer she knows they can be.
Jimmy Kryzak
Winner of the “People’s Choice” award for best photography, Jimmy, brings a wealth of skill and talent to the Deborah Case Dance Academy. Before moving to McAllen, he worked in the health and fitness industry for Lifefitness. He was one of the top salesman 2 years in a row for the Fortune 500 company!
The official photographer of Rio Grande Valley Ballet and DCDA, Jimmy Kryzak Photography captures every dancer’s dream.
He has served on St. John’s Episcopal Day School board. Together, Deborah and Jimmy have created a thriving, progressive dance studio held to the highest standards.
Victoria Barrera
Victoria started dancing at the age of five at Deborah Case Dance Academy where she focused on Ballet. She continued dancing at Deborah Case Dance Academy up until graduation in 2016. She has studied dance with America Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, and Bolshoi Ballet summer intensives. She graduated from Sam Houston State University with a major in Dance and Biology. She in on staff with Showtime International and has choreographed and judged dance all over the state of Texas. She has trained in Chicago at the Gus Giordano Dance school on scholarship for their college pro-intensive. She was accepted into the Ballet Hispanico Pre-professional summer intensive in New York City. Victoria teaches ballet, pointe, contemporary, tap and jazz at Deborah Case Dance Academy.
Cielo Soto
Cielo Celest Soto was born and raised in McAllen, Texas, and began her dance training at Deborah Case Dance Academy at just 2 years old. Her passion for ballet has taken her beyond the Rio Grande Valley to New York City and internationally to Moscow, Russia, in pursuit of a professional career in dance. While studying during the summer at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Cielo received a special invitation at the age of 17 to remain and continue her training with the renowned Bolshoi Ballet. Ultimately, she chose to return to Texas, driven by a deep commitment to further develop her artistry and contribute to keeping the performing arts alive in the Rio Grande Valley. Through her training with Deborah Case and the Rio Grande Valley Ballet, Cielo has cultivated the strength, discipline, and dedication essential to a career in the performing arts. She is Vaganova certified, further solidifying her foundation in classical ballet technique and pedagogy. She brings over a decade of teaching experience at Deborah Case Dance Academy and currently serves as the Assistant Director of the award-winning McAllen High School Steppers, where she also danced as a captain during her high school years. Cielo is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership, strengthening her foundation in dance instruction, mentorship, and team leadership.
Kennedy Castillo
Kennedy Castillo is a McAllen native. She began her dance training at the Deborah Case Dance Academy at 2 years old and has consistently trained since then in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, and Tap. She has attended multiple DCDA Summer Intensives and trained under guest artists Yloy Ybarra, Alex Ossadnik, Irina Vakhromeeva, Florian Rouiller, and Kirill Kruhlov. In addition, she attended Tremaine Dance Conventions and continued her training under Laurie Johnson, Meghan Sanett, Tiffany Maher, Tony Bellisimo, and Keri LaGrand. She has enjoyed performing in the RGV Ballet Company Nutcracker and the DCDA Winter and Spring Recitals for over twenty years. While in high school, Kennedy was Cheer Captain and is a two-time All American Cheerleader. She performed at the Houston Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Capital One Bowl in Florida, and the New Year’s Day Parade in London, England with Universal Cheerleaders Association. She attributes her success in cheerleading to her dance training at DCDA. Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. While in college she supplemented her dance training at the university level under Professor Min Kim. She is Writer and Co-Editor of Woman2Woman Magazine, the owner of Simply Podcast Network which hosts two internationally recognized podcasts: Cultura Conversations and Simply Screen Reviews and is a 2024 nominee of the Latin Podcast Awards. Kennedy is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. In her spare time she continues to train at DCDA, attends St. John the Baptist Church where she is a lector, spends time with her family and friends, and enjoys attending concerts. She is honored to be a part of the DCDA Team because it has always been like home to her.
Will Kauffmann
William Kauffmann grew up on the border city of McAllen, Texas. He began dancing at the age of 6 in ballet at the Deborah Case Dance Academy. Soon he started to venture into other forms and genres of dance such as jazz and tap. He has trained with ballet masters, world renowned choreographers, award winning artists, and touring companies such as Willy Shives, The Moscow Ballet, Alex Ossadnik, Irina Vakhormeeva, Yloy Ybarra, Evie Pena-Shives, Florian Roullier, and Kirill Kruhlov. He has a degree in Kinesiology from UTRGV. After graduating in 2020, he decided to move to Austin to pursue a Bachelors of Fine Arts in dance from the University of Texas at Austin’s Theatre and Dance department. He trained and performed with a variety of companies, choreographers, and artists from around the world such as Charles O. Anderson, Sidra Bell, Michelle Williams, Kevin A. Ormsby, Erica “EG” Gionfriddo, Dorothy O’Shea Overbey, Joel Valentin Martinez, Ryan K. Johnson, Quiland “Que” Arnold, and Ventana Ballet. He performed in a multitude of main stage performances with the theatre and dance department, and around the Austin area. Will is also a piano instructor and an On-Air personality for iHeart Media of the Rio Grande Valley. Most importantly, he is married with one child, and another on the way!
