Our Team
Chelsea Segrete
Owner and Artistic Director
Segrete began her early dance training in West Palm Beach, Florida. She attended Jon Mullen’s Performing Arts Center, continued her training at BAK School of the Arts and later graduated from AW Dreyfoos Junior School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.
Segrete earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a dual major in Management and Marketing from Florida Atlantic University in 2009. Shortly after graduation, Segrete purchased Susan Lyle Studios from Miss Susan Lyle and currently owns and directs the school, now called Ballet East.
Segrete has been honored to choreograph works for students nationwide, direct full-length children’s ballets, and coach students for International Competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix and American Dance Competition.
From 2014 - 2016, Segrete was the rehearsal director for the West Palm Beach children's roles in Miami City Ballet Presents George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®.
Segrete has been recognized nationally for many outstanding achievements. Recent achievements include 2014, 2015, 2016 ADC-IBC Outstanding Choreographer, 2016 UBC Outstanding Choreographer, 2015 YAGP Outstanding Choreographer, and 2014 and 2015-her work was selected to perform at the Youth America Grand Prix Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala.
Segrete is a member of The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, holds a certification in Progressing Ballet Technique and is currently training with Lisa Howell's Teacher Training Workshop.
Andréa Gregori
Director of Ballet Curriculum
Gregori studied at the renowned Maria Olenewa State School as well as Rio Dance Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She spent two years as a Trainee at the Joffrey Ballet in New York City.
While still a dancer, Gregori decided to fulfill her passion for teaching and received extensive training in Russian Methodology under the Vaganova System. Later, she became proficient and certified in the Cuban (National Ballet School of Cuba) and English (Royal Academy of Dance) ballet methodologies. She is also an ABT® Certified Teacher—ABT® National Training Curriculum, Primary through Level 7 & Partnering.
Apart from her experience as a dancer and instructor, Gregori received certification in “Psycoballet” (dance therapy) from Dr. Georgina Fariñas Garcia at IPIA (Psychiatric Institute for Childhood and Adolescence) in São Paulo, Brazil. She also earned certification in Progressing Ballet Technique and Alixa Flexibility Method. She has been consistently attending ABT’s yearly workshops - Raising the Barre, covering diverse subjects pertinent to teaching classical dance forms. Continuing her education, she attends courses and seminars on Anatomy for Dance and young children's programs.
Throughout her thirty-six years of experience as a professional ballet teacher, Mrs. Gregori has prepared numerous students for the Royal Academy of Dance, The Cuban Ballet School and ABT’s exams, as well as national and international ballet competitions—winning many prizes. In addition, she assisted in producing a variety of full-length ballets, including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Sleeping Beauty, and staged several suites and children’s performances.
Charlene Shaw
Shaw began her dance training at age six and has studied with critically acclaimed artists such as David Howard, Melissa Hayden, Finis Young, Merdith Baylis, Suki Schorer, Stanley Williams and Madam Antonia Tumkovsky. As a professional, Shaw danced with the National Ballet of New Jersey, performing many principal roles in classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Firebird, Stars and Stripes and Rodeo.
Along with being a versatile performer, Shaw has extensive teaching experience and is dedicated to providing a solid technical foundation to her students. Shaw's outstanding choreography has won numerous awards and has been recognized on the state and national levels.
Alaércio Leite
Originally from Brazil, Alaercio began his ballet dance education as a student in 1995. He studied various training methods at the Royal Academy of London, the National Ballet of Cuba, the Russian Ballet and the Olenewa Project. In 2000 he worked as a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher at Ballet Theater Guaira, Pavilhao D Center of Arts, Narcisa Coelho Dance School, Raca Dance Company and Divinadance Company. He was also Co-Director of Escola Paulista de Danca and coordinator of the “growing with the dance” community outreach program for inner-city youth.
In 2019 Alaercio was invited to be a guest teacher at Ballet East in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was then invited to join Ballet East and continues as a faculty member. Remaining in the USA, Alaercio increased his knowledge with training through the Progressing Ballet Technique and furthered his education with dance teacher & practitioner training by Lisa Howell. In 2021 he joined the faculty of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 2022 he assisted in staging the ballet “Firebird” for the Ballet Co.Laboratory in Minnesota.
Flávia Garcia Nascimento
Originally from Brazil, Garcia trained and graduated from The National Ballet of Cuba. From 2006 - 2012 Garcia was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she danced principal roles in such ballets as Raymonda, Balanchine's Four Temperaments & Glinka Pas de Trois, Giselle and Le Corsaire. She's participated in various competitions, such as Brazil's most acclaimed Joinville Dance Festival, where she won Gold.
In addition to the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Garcia danced with Joffrey Ballet 2 and Lazar Ballet NYC. Garcia has been invited to guest at many international galas, such as the Gala of the Stars in the Dominican Republic, performing Diana & Acteon with a member of ABT and NYIBC's Gala 2011. Other ballets in her repertoire include Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Flames of Paris Pas de Deux, Gamazatti of La Bayadere, The River by Alvin Ailey and various original contemporary works. In 2015 she guested at Ballet Ness Ziona (Israel), where she performed Diana and Acteon and Elie Lazar's choreography.
Daisia Pulz
Pulz began her dance journey fifteen years ago with Ballet East, formally Susan Lyle Studios. Aspiring to become a professional dancer, she joined Ballet East’s Accelerated Training Program for homeschooling students.
Many organizations have recognized Pulz for her outstanding work in choreography and superior performance qualities. Recent distinctions include Honorable Mention and Merit Scholarship awards from 2017-2019 in Dance Composition/Choreography through the National YoungArts Foundation. In 2019, Pulz was honored to receive the “Aspire Award” for demonstrating passion, hunger and determination in dance by the Universal Ballet Competition. As a result, Pulz was invited to perform as a guest at the XXIV Intentional Ballet Festival of Miami and performed as a guest with Brazilian Prima Ballerina Ana Botafogo for Ronaldo Fraga’s Eyes Through Brazil.
From 2018-2019, Daisia was honored to receive a full merit summer scholarship to world-renowned dance companies, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Lines Contemporary Ballet.
