Ms. Houston rejoined Saint Louis Ballet in 2015, when she was given the position of Ballet Mistress and Director of Education and Outreach. Originally from Detroit, she received her training from Theresa Crawford, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and the Virginia School of the Arts under the direction Petrus Bosman and David Keener. A former company dancer with Saint Louis Ballet, Ms. Houston performed featured roles in ballets by numerous choreographers including George Balanchine, Gen Horiuchi, and Francis Patrelle, as well as performing as a guest artist internationally. A teacher since 1998, Ms. Houston was at Alexandra Ballet for twelve years, where she taught, choreographed, served on the Board and as Administrator, eventually earning the title of Co-Artistic Director. Also a former Director for Regional Dance America, she participated in eleven festivals in the MidStates region and nationally. As Ballet Mistress for SLB, Ms. Houston rehearses repertoire and works closely with guest choreographers and repetiteurs including Christopher D’Amboise, Tom Gold, Emery LeCrone, Miriam Madhaviani, Nilas Martins, Francis Patrelle, Amy Seiwert, and Artistic Director Gen Horiuchi. 

Christine Settembrino is an alumna of Princeton Ballet School’s Professional Training Program and the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). During her ten-year performance career, she danced with Dayton Ballet, Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance, Albany Berkshire Ballet, Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance), Deos Contemporary Ballet, and other companies. Ms. Settembrino is currently the Assistant Rehearsal Director for Saint Louis Ballet and Rehearsal Director for Deos Contemporary Ballet’s summer seasons. She is also on faculty with DaySpring Arts & Education in St. Louis, where she has directed and choreographed productions of The Dream and Cinderella. Ms. Settembrino is an ABT ® Certified Teacher and is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique.