Training Faculty
Faculty
Meet the people behind BTQ Training
Students are guided by our dedicated team of professionals, with established careers and active professional networks across Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Clare Morehen
Artistic Director
Victor Zarallo
Director of Training
Mia Thompson
Training Coordinator
Sarah Wright
Company Manager / Trainer & Assessor
Clare Morehen
Artistic DirectorClare Morehen is a freelance artist, choreographer and former Principal Artist of 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 both the Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet in multiple productions. Upon graduation in 2004, Clare accepted a position with Queensland Ballet, where she was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and Principal Artist in 2009.
Clare has worked with numerous Australian and international choreographers,performing in works by: Sir Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, Ai-Gul Gaisina, Peter Schaufuss, Ben Stevenson’s, Greg Horsman, Francois Klaus, Derek Dean, Liam Scarlett, Ma Cong, Tim Podesta, Nils Christe, Nicolo Fonte, Natalie Weir, Kim McCarthy, Barry Moreland, and Irek Mukhamedov.
Clare was appointed the Artistic Director of BTQ in March 2019. Since then, she has presented and choreographed multiple seasons, including Swan Lake Act II and Graduation Ball, Cinderella, Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
Victor Zarallo
Director of TrainingBorn in Barcelona, Victor Zarallo is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Australia. He trained at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart before graduating from the Royal Ballet School in London in 2008.
Victor began his professional career with Scottish Ballet, where he was promoted to Soloist in 2014. During his time with the company, he performed works by acclaimed choreographers including David Dawson, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Christopher Bruce, Angelin Preljocaj, and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.
In 2018, Victor joined the Sydney Dance Company, under the artistic direction of Rafael Bonachela, and performed extensively across Australia and internationally until his retirement from the stage in 2022.
Following his performance career, Victor completed the RAD Professional Dancers’ Postgraduate Teaching Certificate (PDPTC), becoming a Royal Academy of Dance–certified teacher. He has since focused on teaching, coaching, and mentoring, working with leading institutions including Bangarra Dance Theatre and Sydney Dance Company, where in 2025 he served as Guest Rehearsal Director. Victor joined Ballet Theatre Queensland as Director of Training in October 2025.
Mia Thompson
Training CoordinatorAfter completing her training at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Mia joined Queensland Ballet in 2010 under the artistic direction of Li Cunxin. During her time with the company, she performed in Peter Schaufuss’s La Sylphide, Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Nils Christe’s Short Dialogues (presented at the International Dance Salad Festival in Houston), and George Balanchine’s Serenade.
In 2016, Mia joined Scottish Ballet as an Artist and was promoted to First Artist in 2018. Her repertoire included Crystal Pite’s Emergence, Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Le Baiser de la Fée (performed at the Royal Opera House, London), and the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker. During her time with the company, she toured to China and Hong Kong.
Mia joined Sydney Dance Company in 2019, performing in acclaimed works by Rafael Bonachela, Stephanie Lake, Melanie Lane, Gabrielle Nankivell, Marina Mascarell, Gideon Obarzanek, Antony Hamilton, Jenni Large, Charmene Yap, and repertoire by Ohad Naharin and William Forsythe. She toured nationally and internationally with the company to Austria, Germany, Finland, France, London, and Spain, performing at major venues across Europe and the United States.
Following her performing career, Mia was appointed Guest Rehearsal Director with Sydney Dance Company. She is now thrilled to bring her extensive international experience in both classical ballet and contemporary dance to Ballet Theatre Queensland as Training Coordinator.
Sarah Wright
Company Manager / Trainer & AssessorA former Company Artist with Queensland Ballet and Soloist with the Staatsballett Hannover (Germany), Sarah brings extensive international stage experience and a deep love for the art form.
Throughout her career, she performed leading roles including The Sylph in La Sylphide (London Coliseum), Princess in The Little Mermaid, Myrtha in Giselle, Rosaline in Romeo and Juliet, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Swanhilda in Coppélia.
Sarah’s repertoire includes works by Ma Cong, George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Ai-Gul Gaisina, Peter Schaufuss, Lucas Jervis, Nicolo Fonte, Trey McIntyre, Jörg Mannes, François Klaus, Nils Christe, Georg Reischl, and Mauro Bigonzetti. Her final seasons on stage were with Staatsballett Hannover, where she also appeared in Staatsoper Hannover’s acclaimed West Side Story (winner of the GFO Wanderpreis for Best New Production), performing the role of Mugsy under the direction of Matthias Davids and choreography by Simon Eichenberger.
Sarah is a Registered Teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance, holds a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, a Diploma of Professional Pilates (PITC), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts – with Distinction, for which she was awarded a full scholarship.