FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR
PHILLIP MCABEE
was a digital systems analyst working in a cubicle when he realized he was neglecting his true love, dance. It was 2012, and nearly thirty years had passed since his last performance with the McAbee Dance Company in New York City where he trained under distinguished Julliard ballet teacher Alfredo Corvino. Now in Los Angeles, Phil began teaching ballet inspired by the belief that adults with little or no former training may grow into strong, performing dancers. Phil is a native of Louisville, Kentucky and holds a BFA in Choreography from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Dance from UCLA. He has a special love for Los Angeles as a city where people with uncommon dreams find themselves doing things they never thought possible.
DANCERS
moved to California from France at age 22 to complete his Masters in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Stanford University. His work focuses on water treatment in Los Angeles, while his free time is spent pursuing a dream he had since childhood of dancing ballet. With no previous ballet experience, he began dancing with ABLA in 2013. Simon is also a jazz trumpet player, competetive skydiver, rock climber, surfer and gardener.
is a public defender working for the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Public Defender's Office where she helps indigent, death-sentenced inmates challenge the constitutionality of their convictions and sentences. Her work includes researching and writing habeas corpus petitions, visiting prisons across the state and interviewing witnesses. She loves every one of her clients. Andrea attended ballet classes as a child, but quit after she had endured enough abuse from her sadistic teacher. Years later, curiosity prompted her to revisit ballet, and as an adult dancer she discovered the transcendent joy of dance.
is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at a transitional housing program for youth in Compton, CA. She earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Southern California in 2010 with a focus in community mental health. While in graduate school, Zuleika discovered her passion for dancing, performing weekly as a member of a 20-piece New Orleans style cabaret show called Vaud and the Villains. A community activist at heart, she brings to ABLA her passion for working with others. Zuleika was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico and grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire.
trained at the Washington School of Ballet until age 14. A graduate of CalArts, Sinosa is a singer, writer and producer of electronic music and founder of OSA Music, an experimental arts program. She has toured in Europe, Africa and North America, and commissioned music for the United Nations, GOOD and Backhausdance. Sinosa is a fourth-generation Californian.
moved to Los Angeles from Rumson, New Jersey in 2012 and started dancing as a way to meet people in a new city. A former sprinter, he was drawn to the technique and athleticism of ballet and the freedom of contemporarty dance. John holds a degree in math from NYU and currently works for a small healthcare consultancy that does business with hospitals around the country.
is a dancer, actor, dance teacher and filmmaker. Originally from South Texas, Sarah graduated with a BS Degree in Radio-Television-Film from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the award-winning Cabaret Versatile dance group, with which she has traveled and performed in places including Guatemala, Hawaii and The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS.