Victoria Ballet Theatre
Staff
Directors
Brenda Serrata Tally — Executive Artistic Director
Brenda Serrata Tally is an arts educator, administrator, and choreographer dedicated to engaging artists of all ages in developing their creative voice through the study of dance technique, choreography, and performance.
Brenda holds an MFA in Dance Performance from the University of Iowa and a BFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. She received her early dance training in Victoria, Texas, where she was an original member of Victoria Ballet Theatre. She has studied at the Houston Ballet Academy, Joffrey Workshop Texas, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She has also served as faculty for Joffrey Workshop Texas, Dance New Amsterdam in New York City, the University of Iowa, the University of Houston-Victoria, and Texas A&M-Victoria.
A Dean’s Graduate Fellow and member of the touring company Dancers In Company at the University of Iowa, Brenda’s choreographic work represented the university at the American College Dance Festival. She has performed professionally with Sundance Summer Theatre, Duarte Dance Works, Kayle+Co, and Charlotte Adams & Dancers.
As Executive Artistic Director of Victoria Ballet Theatre, Brenda has created more than 20 original works. Her choreography has been recognized with the Natalie Skelton Award for Choreography from Regional Dance America, and she is a two-time recipient of the Monticello Foundation Scholarship. In pursuit of her lifelong passion for dance and education, Brenda is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher and has completed teacher training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. She is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique and the 4Pointe Teaching Method and is also a Texas-certified educator in Early Childhood–Grade 4, Special Education, and Dance.
In 2022, Brenda founded Ballet Academy of South Texas, a center for dance education dedicated to excellence. The Academy now also includes SPARK Fine Arts Preschool, expanding its mission to serve young learners through arts-integrated early childhood education. At the Academy, Brenda has cultivated an inclusive and joyful environment where students develop as artists and members of their community while pursuing technical excellence, artistic confidence, rigor, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
Brenda is actively involved in arts and community leadership, serving on the boards of The Vine School, Regional Dance America Southwest, and the Victoria Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Board.
Kelli Klein Tamm — Director of Operations & Finance
Kelli began her ballet training in Michigan under Evelyn Kreason and was a member of Michigan Ballet Theatre. Upon moving to Dallas, she furthered her dance training with Kathy Chamberlain and was a founding member of Chamberlain Ballet. She studied several summers in New York City under Melissa Hayden and was accepted and trained at the School of American Ballet (SAB) and American Ballet Theatre. Kelli holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Oklahoma where she was on scholarship. From 1986 to 1988 she danced professionally with Dallas Ballet under the direction of Flemming Flint and Bryan Pitts.
Kelli is an experienced instructor in early childhood dance as well as beginning, intermediate and advanced ballet and pointe. She is currently the Victoria Ballet Theatre’s Director of Operations and Finance and has also choreographed several pieces for Victoria Ballet Theatre’s Fall productions. Kelli also continues to stay current in her profession by attending workshops. During the summer of 2023 she attended Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Teachers Workshop.
Amanda Rocha Urbano — Director of Development & Technical Director
Amanda Rocha Urbano has served Victoria Ballet Theatre as stage manager, technical director, lighting designer, and now development director. It has been her privilege to be a part of VBT’s growth it growth over her almost 20 years of involvement with the organization. She sits on the board of Theatre Victoria as the Vice-President of Development and is also on the Tivoli Volunteer Fire Department board. She owns her own business, Amanda Rocha Urbano Event Management Co., specializing in Day of Event Coordination.
Amber Packard — Wardrobe Director
Amber has served as the Wardrobe Director for Victoria Ballet Theatre (VBT) since 2016. With a strong foundation in both artistry and technical skill, Amber holds a degree in Nutritional Science from Texas A&M University but has always had a passion for sewing and costume design. She has honed her craft through years of experience, including completing an advanced course in classical tutu making at Regional Dance America (RDA). In her role at VBT, Amber has designed and created costumes for a variety of productions, including Alice in Wonderland and Madeline. Her responsibilities extend beyond design—she is also dedicated to preserving and enhancing the company’s extensive collection of costumes, ensuring they remain in top condition for future performances. Amber’s personal connection to dance is strong, as both of her daughters started dancing at a young age and are now proud members of the company. She takes great joy in helping all dancers feel confident and look their best on stage, blending her love for costume design with her deep commitment to VBT’s artistic vision.
Staff
Phoebe Keith — Company Administrator
Phoebe began her dance journey at Busby Dancenter at the age of nine under the instruction of Brenda Tally, Kelli Klein Tamm, and Debbe Busby taking classes and performing in ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, contemporary, and tap. Immediately Phoebe found a love all performing arts but especially dance. Phoebe was a member of Victoria Ballet Theatre for nine years, working her way from Junior Company Apprentice to Artist in Residence, loving every step of the way. Phoebe started teaching at the age of fifteen and hasn’t stopped. She loves getting to know her students and being able to help them develop a love for dance as well. She graduated from University of Houston – Victoria with her bachelors in Kinesiology to help further understanding of how the body moves and develops which is often tied into lessons she learned from dance. She is certified in Acrobatic Arts Module 1 and Progressing Ballet Technique which she gets to teach at Ballet Academy of South Texas. Phoebe serves as the Company Administrator at Victoria Ballet Theatre. Phoebe loves being part of the VBT family and cherishes the opportunity to share her passion for dance every day.
Kennedy Velasquez — DEMI Director
Kennedy began training in the Early Childhood Program and advanced through the upper school at Busby Dancenter studying under Debbe Busby, Brenda Tally, Kelli Klein Tamm and Courtney Bosier Hawthorne. At the age of 9 she joined the Victoria Ballet Theatre Company and participated in productions of “Fall for Dance,” “The Nutcracker,” and “Spring Gala,”. During her time with VBT Kennedy attended four Regional Dance America (RDA) Southwest Festivals and two (RDA) national festivals in Montreal, Canada and Phoenix, Arizona. She has performed at Regional Dance America Southwest and has studied under many renowned dance masters at the same. Kennedy has choreographed four pieces as an emerging choreographer for VBT titled “The Light Within,” which was performed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, “Compelling Urgency,” “Swarming Compulsions,” which were performed in Dallas, Texas and her last choreographed piece “Clarity” which was performed at RDA adjudication. Kennedy also received a full scholarship to attend the National Choreography Intensive (NCI) in Tallahassee, Florida in 2017 where she was able to learn and work with world renowned dance teachers and choreographers.
Kennedy’s was awarded the Spirit of VBT award by her dance peers award during her senior year, and graduated top 15 percent from Victoria East High School in 2017. After graduating, Kennedy attended Victoria College, earned her Associates of Arts, and continued with VBT as an Artist in Resident, an Emerging Choreographer, and an intern as VBT’s Social Media Director. Now she is the instructor and D.E.M.I. Director for the Victoria Ballet Theatre’s Dance Education Movement Initiative (D.E.M.I.) outreach program that partners with the Victoria Boys and Girls Club, teaching and giving the opportunity of dance to their students.
Angelica Vela — Social Media Director
Angelica graduated from Texas Christian University in May 2021 with a B.F.A. in Modern Dance from the TCU School for Classical and Contemporary Dance, along with a Pilates Teacher Certification. She began her dance training at Busby Dancenter, studying ballet, pointe, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, and improvisation. An alumna of Victoria Ballet Theatre, Angelica performed for 10 seasons in classical ballets and contemporary works by notable choreographers such as LeeWei Chao, Joshua Peugh, Dominic Walsh, and others. She has trained with prestigious institutions including The Joffrey Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and BalletMet. As a TCU Dance Scholar, she performed in works by resident faculty and guest artists including Susan Douglas Roberts, Suki John, Bryn Cohn, Francisco Aviña, Elijah Gibson, Adam Barruch, and Kurt Douglas. Currently, Angelica serves as the Social Media Director for Ballet Academy of South Texas and Victoria Ballet Theatre, where she supports both organizations’ community and online presence. Beyond the studio, she contributes her creativity and leadership to Sign Works, her family’s locally owned and operated business in Victoria since 1977, where she is dedicated to continuing its growth and legacy.
