Teaching Staff
STAFF
Meet our Pro Class Teachers
Meet our dedicated team of professionals who deliver Pro Classes.
Clare Morehen
Artistic Director & Teacher
Sarah Thompson-Wright
Company Manager & Teacher
Victor Smith
Teacher
Clare Morehen
Artistic Director & TeacherClare Morehen is a freelance artist and former Principal Artist of the Queensland Ballet. Clare trained at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School and was accepted into the Royal Ballet Upper School at age 15. While a student, Clare performed with the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Upon graduation in 2004, Clare accepted a position with Queensland Ballet, where she was promoted to soloist in 2006 and principal in 2009. Clare has worked with numerous Australian and international choreographers, with personal highlights including: Juliet and Lady Capulet in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Swanhilda, in Greg Horsman’s Coppelia, Blanche in Francois Klaus’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and Catherine in Natalie Weir’s Wuthering Heights.
Since departing Queensland Ballet in 2017, Clare has worked as a freelance artist guesting with The Covent Garden Dance Company, M&T in Motion and the Melbourne Ballet Company. She is in demand as a coach in ballet academies across Queensland, becoming a member of the Queensland Ballet Academy teaching faculty in 2020. Clare joined Ballet Theatre Queensland as Rehearsal Director in 2018, before taking up the position of Artistic Director in March 2019. Since taking up the position, Clare has presented 4 seasons with the company, including 3 new productions of: Swan Lake Act II and Graduation Ball, Cinderella and Coppelia. This January she will present her 4th new production, The Sleeping Beauty.
Sarah Thompson-Wright
Company Manager & TeacherA former Company Artist with Queensland Ballet and Staatsballett Hannover (Germany), Sarah brings an abundance of international stage experience and a deep love for the art form. One of her career highlights includes performing The Sylph in Les Sylphides at London’s iconic Coliseum. And before retiring from the stage, she swapped pointe shoes for street shoes to perform as Mugsy in West Side Story (Germany). Sarah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction (awarded on full scholarship), a Diploma of Professional Pilates, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. She is also a registered Royal Academy of Dance teacher. Sarah was appointed Company Manager of BTQ in June 2025.
Victor Smith
TeacherVictor Smith was born in Hong Kong and received his early ballet training at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. After moving to Australia at a young age, he continued his training with Andrew Pronger at River City Dance and Nicole Marshman – Geyl at the Queensland Conservatoire of Ballet in Brisbane completing his Diploma of Dance.
During that time, he studied the Cecchetti Method and the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus, passing exams with honours. He then went on to Sydney at Alegria Dance Studios under the direction of Hilary Kaplan and Archibald McKenzie, with whom he performed at the Sydney Opera House.
Victor then went on to extended his dance education per invitation in the United States with the Boston Ballet School as Trainee, Ellison Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy Studio Company and the Joffrey Ballet School. Former companies include Joffrey Concert Group, Baltimore Ballet, Charlottesville Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Wilmington Ballet, American Midwest Ballet and most recently the Minnesota Ballet.
Mr. Smith has performed numerous leading roles in the classical and contemporary repertoire, dancing as Principal and Soloist. Repertoire highlights include Basilio in Don Quixote, Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Lead Male in Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain, Birthday Variations and Kettentanz, Bluebird in Gelsey Kirkland’s Sleeping Beauty and The Politician in Karl von Rabenau’s POE. Contemporary highlights include original works choreographed by Dwight Rhoden, Africa Guzman, Ray Mercer, Michael Blake, Larry Kegwin, Frank Chaves and many others.
Mr. Smith has over a decade of teaching and coaching experience in professional and vocational capacities. He has had the privilege of coaching students who have gone on to join prestigious companies such as the New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Colorado Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada. Mr. Smith also has had the pleasure of teaching ballet to the Maryland branch of the US National Figure Skating Team. Retiring in April 2024, Victor is grateful to be back on home soil and is passionate to instil and champion upcoming generations. He is honoured to be able to give back to the artistic community here in Queensland, Australia.