Amy Schaefer has 20 years of experience teaching ballet and dance to all ages. She is passionate that training dancers is a collaborative effort between faculty, students and their families and believes all dancers deserve to have the highest quality training. Ms. Schaefer grew up in Wichita, KS where she began dancing just before her 3rd birthday. Her early training included ballet, tap and jazz at the Kansas Dance Academy. As a competitive dancer she was awarded several scholarships, including one to study in Los Angeles with the EDGE Performing Arts Center, and twice awarded Top All American from the National Dance Alliance. In high school Ms. Schaefer left competitive dance and began studying classical ballet intensively with Ms. Sharon Rogers at Rogers Ballet, Inc. Relearning ballet technique as an older student was challenging both physically and emotionally. The experience not only gave her the gift of perseverance but also a deep appreciation for the difference quality training can make. As a senior in high school, she was accepted into the classical ballet apprenticeship program at Friends University to begin her collegiate ballet studies early. Ms. Schaefer later graduated from Friends University with a B.F.A. in Ballet. During her time at Friends, she was honored to have roles created for her by Dominic Walsh, formerly with Houston Ballet and Dominic Walsh Dance Theatre, and Shawn Stevens, formerly with New York City Ballet. In addition to performing many original works, she was a soloist in The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, and performed the principal role in Les Sylphides. She also taught evening classes for children and adults. After graduation, she began her professional ballet career with Wichita Ballet Theatre and was an adjunct professor at Friends University teaching tap and ballet for Music Theater. In 2009, Ms. Schaefer joined Ballet Emmanuel, a full-time Christian ballet company based in Colorado Springs. With the company she helped choreographed full length ballets, taught master classes and workshops, and performed nationwide. In 2012, Ms. Schaefer shifted her focus from performing to teaching and has been pursuing excellence in dance education ever since. She is certified in the Vaganova method of Pre-Ballet through the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and is currently training in Level 1. She is also an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Amy has a special passion for dancers with additional needs and is also training to become a Recreation Inclusion Specialist with the National Inclusion Project. Ms. Schaefer’s students have gone on to dance with many companies, full-time pre-professional schools, and collegiate programs such as Boulder Ballet, Ballet Magnificat!, Oregon Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, Butler University and more. In 2025, she was a presenter at the Colorado Dance Education Organization annual conference. Amy and her husband, Jared, have been married for 17 years and have four beautiful children. She is a homeschooling mom and enjoys sharing her love of dance with her family.

Before moving to Colorado Springs, Patricia Hoffman was the founder and Director of La Jolla Festival Ballet and Dance Center in Southern California for 10 years. In 1997 Ms. Hoffman founded Colorado Ballet Society, formerly known as Ballet Society of Colorado Springs. Today she continues to teach ballet at several local dance schools as well as Pilates classes and private sessions. Ms. Hoffman began her studies in Monterey, California, with Patricia Wester. At age 16, she began studying full-time with England's Ballet Rambert. She received her MFA in classical ballet from U.S. International University where she also later joined the faculty. Ms. Hoffman performed principal roles created for her with Ballet International and San Diego Ballet. She also directed and taught in London, at the San Diego Ballet School, and at the USIU Conservatory of the Arts. Former students of Ms. Hoffman have gone on to dance with more than 30 professional companies, including world-renowned American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, Czech National Ballet, Ballet West, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Washington Ballet. Additionally, students have been accepted into over 60 prestigious dance schools and trainee programs. Ms. Hoffman is Pilates certified and is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.