Home of The Nutcracker, performed every December
Now enrolling students of all ages & backgrounds.
Classes in Lihue, Kapaa, and Kalaheo.
(808) 346-2603
Dance Instructors
Hilary Johnson
Owner/Artistic Director
Hilary began dancing at age three at White Shoes Studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. She continued her training as a teenager at the Linda Fenton Ballet Studio, with a focus on Classical Ballet. She was a member of The Utah Junior Ballet Company performing various roles in The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and danced the role of Snow White in the company’s performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
After high school she continued her dance studies, spending time in New York City taking classes at the American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, as well as spending a semester in Cuernavaca, Mexico studying Ballet Folklorico. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Utah in.
Hilary began teaching in 2001 and has taught students in Utah, Maine, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and the Marshall Islands. In 2019 she developed a dance outreach program for underserved children on Majuro Atoll, culminating with a ballet and contemporary performance featuring over fifty dancers.
She taught at Kauai Dance Center from 2012-2019 studying RAD under the direction of Jennifer Bell Grey.
She founded Kauai Ballet Academy in 2019 and directed Kauai's first full-length performance of The Nutcracker in 2021.
Hilary is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level Three of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Hilary is passionate about preserving classical ballet and continuing to share this beautiful art form with students on Kauai.
.jpg)
Sara Day
Master Teacher/Choreographer
Mrs. Day began serious ballet training at 10 years old. From 12-15 years old she was studying with full merit scholarships with such master teachers as Maria Tallchief, Allegra Kent, and Melissa Hayden in Balanchine technique and Trinette Singleton and John Magnus as a Joffrey Trainee. She fell in love with Russian technique as a teen studying with Lila Zali as she danced with Ballet Pacifica. In 1995, she was plucked from San Francisco Ballet's corps de ballet and offered a scholarship with Hungarian National Ballet to become a Vagonova Pedagogue.
Transitioning from performing to teaching, Mrs. Day owned and ran her own ballet school, American Ballet and Conditioning, then after a decade of that, she was hired at South Coast Conservatory to direct and expand their ballet program. Happy to be offered a coveted position at the prestigious Maple Conservatory, she joined the faculty as Junior Company Director and Ballet Mistress.
Mrs. Day has choreographed, directed, and produced such ballets as Cinderella, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita, Coppelia, Nutcracker, Firebird, Le Corsaire, the full length Paquita, and An American In Paris.
At Maple Conservatory she set Nutcrackers, Alice In Wonderland, Snow White, and Cinderella for major performances and suites from Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, and many more performances for community outreach.
Mrs. Day has produced decades of successful students who have placed at YAGP NY Finals, dance at major companies worldwide, or have used the lessons of ballet to help succeed in all areas of their lives. She is excited to continue to teach students to dance with precision, dedication, artistry, poise, grace, and most of all, strong technique at KBA.
Cesca Luzuriaga
Choreographer/Ballet Master
Cesca began studying ballet at the age of 3 in Venezuela. She continued studying in the Philippines through High School.
Upon coming to the United States for college she studied with Andrea Karlsen (formerly with Marquis de Cuevas) and Paul Maure(Ballet Russe). She danced in their company Ballet des Arts, performing roles in many classical and newly choreographed pieces.
Through her time in Los Angeles Cesca studied with Stanley Holden, Reid Olsen, Marat, Charles Maple, and Nader Hamed amongst others. She performed with Dance Peninsula, Ballet Ecarte, and South Bay Ballet. She began teaching at Dance Peninsula. On moving to the Palm Springs area she started teaching advanced classes and pas de deux at Starlight Dance Center. She has coached many solo and pas de deux pieces, including over 25 Sugarplum fairy soloists, and successfully helped dancers compete in the Mc Callum Open Call. She enjoys working with all dancers to help them enjoy dancing while excelling in their performances. Miss Cesca has been with Kauai Ballet Academy since 2020.
About Kauai Ballet Academy
Kauai Ballet Academy strives for excellence in training dancers of all ages. Founded in 2019, KBA serves the entire island of Kauai providing a variety of classes at three locations. Each December performing The Nutcracker and a full length production each spring.
Our Mission:
Kauai Ballet Academy provides classical training, dance education and performing arts to the island of Kauai through a variety of classes and performances.
