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Directors

Sonja Staines, General Manager and Artistic Director

Ms. Staines, an Australian, is the founder of STC, and currently serves as its President. She is also Artistic Director of BE, and owner and director of Excelsior School of Dance and Performing Arts, which serves 300 students.  

Ms. Staines is co-author and examiner of the Sonshine Christian Ballet Syllabus, which is currently being taught in the United States and internationally. Her involvement in the performing arts spans over three decades; starting in Australia, where she trained with Estel Anderson, a Cecchetti teacher and examiner.  Ms. Staines was subsequently co-director of a dance studio in Queensland, Australia for over fifteen years, and has produced musicals, variety shows and ballets in Australia, Canada, and now the United States.  Since the commencement of Ballet Excelsior of Houston, (the performing arm of STC), she has continued to produced theater presentations including Saviour; written and compiled renditions of A Christmas Carol, The Ballet of The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe, and Awaken (Revelations 4);  as well as, directed Ballet Excelsior tours in Australia, Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Greece and China.

Liza Pollok, Director and Choreographer 

Mrs. Pollok, an Australian, is currently Director and Choreographer of Ballet Excelsior of Houston (the performing arm of STC). She has studied dance since the age of five, training in Australia and Canada, before re-locating to the United States.  She has examined in Sonshine Christian Ballet (SCB), Commonwealth Society of Teachers Dance (CSTD), Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and Christian Ballet Academy (CBA). She holds her teacher qualifications in SCB, CSTD, and CBA, and is a co-writer of Sonshine Christian Ballet Syllabus.  Mrs. Pollok has danced in Europe, Canada, Australia, Central America and the United States (Ad Deum Dance Company). She is a faculty member of Project Dance, based in NYC, and has participated regularity as a teacher and dancer at their events.  She is a principle dancer with Ballet Excelsior of Houston, and has choreographed for BE for numerous events and productions since 2003. Mrs. Pollok has also directed BE tours in Australia, Bulgaria, Greece and China.

Sonshine Theater Company
404 Tallow Drive
Conroe, Texas 77385
The United States of America

P: 281.292.7134
E: ExcelsiorSchoolofDance@gmail.com