Founder & Artistic Director
Joshua Brooksher

Mr. Brooksher spent his early childhood in Mesa, AZ. At the young age of thirteen he left home, due to a lack of available training in AZ, for Washington D.C. to attend the Universal Ballet Academy, one of the premier ballet training schools in the world. Mr. Brooksher graduated simultaneously from UBA with High Honors, and from Bethesda Chevy-Chase High School with a Certificate of Merit, in 1993.

He danced professionally with The Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, and Ballet Arizona before setting out to pass on his knowledge as a teacher. His students are now or have been professional dancers with Washington Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Boston Ballet, Ballet West, Universal Ballet, Houston Ballet, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Het National Ballet and the Kirov Ballet.

Mr. Brooksher, along with his wife Natasha, passes on the traditions of classical ballet through his teaching in the Phoenix Metro area, and is currently Artistic and Executive Director for Southwest Classical Dance Institute, SCDI

Founder & Artistic Director
Natasha Brooksher

Mrs. Brooksher grew up in Woodbury, CT and received her Vaganova based ballet training at Nutmeg Ballet and graduated Valedictorian of her class, both in ballet and academically from Nonnewaug High School. She also received honors in competition on the local, national and international levels.

Mrs. Brooksher's career included performing for Boston Ballet, Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet, and Ballet Arizona. She enjoyed working with leading choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Elisa Monte, Eliot Feld and Lyla York. Some of the world’s masters, including Tatiana Legat, Natalia Dudinskaya, Sergei Berejnoi, Vladmir Kolesnikov, Suki Schorer, Vicki Simon, Ben Stevenson and Caroline Llorca, made a huge impact on her stylistic sensibilities, especially in the classical repertoire.

During her performing career, Natasha also taught as a guest teacher and coach at Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, Boston Ballet School, New York International Ballet Competition, as well as several schools in the Phoenix area.

She shares her life, career, and passion for dance with her husband Joshua Brooksher.