CAROLYN LOVETT, artistic director & choreographer
West Coast native Carolyn Lovett is an award winning choreographer and dance teacher. She received her early training from Anthony Sellers and Marnell Heimes of the Orange County Dance Center. Carolyn continued her training on scholarship at the Stanley Holden Dance Academy under Mr. Holden and Margaret Hills. Later she studied under Maredith Baylis, Basil Thompson and Cho San Go at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. Carolyn has been teaching Ballet, Lyrical and Modern Dance in Southern California for 40 years. Many of Carolyn's students have been accepted to and received scholarships to notable Ballet Company schools including The Australian Ballet, Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, The Rock, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The School of American Ballet, Princess Grace Academy of Classical Dance (Monaco) and Washington Ballet. She has also had students hired into Professional Ballet Companies as well as second companies and trainee programs.
Carolyn's award winning performing groups and soloists have won many Overall and Special Awards at the Regional and National Levels. She was awarded "Choreographer of the Year" at the 2006 and 2007 Kids Artistic Revue National Finals in Las Vegas. She has also received many awards in the California Regional YAGP competitions: Outstanding Teacher in 2007, 2013 & 2014, Outstanding Choreographer in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 & 2015 and Outstanding Studio in 2011 & 2012.
Carolyn's students have also been successful at the National Finals in New York City. She has had students place top 12 in all three soloist divisions and the ensemble category. In 2007 during the YAGP Finals her piece "Requiem" was chosen to perform in the renowned Spoleto Festival in Italy as part of the Gala di Danza. In 2011 Carolyn choreographed the Silver Medal piece in the Ensemble category and saw that piece performed in the Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala. Carolyn has also produced two Grand Prize finalists in the Music Center Spotlight Awards; Non-Classical Division in 2011 and Classical Division in 2012. These two students also placed in the Top 12 at the Youth America Grand Prix Nationals in 2011 and 2012.
Her most current achievements were in the 2020 LA YAGP Regionals were her Senior place Top 12 in the Classical and Contemporary divisions and her Junior placed top 24 Classical and top 12 Contemporary. Here Senior went on to become a semi-finalist in the Spotlight Awards and has gone on to join the Trainee program at Ballet West.
Carolyn is excited to be joining the SCPA family.
See Carolyn’s Private Schedule
DEVYN LOVETT, Instructor
California native Devyn Lovett began his Ballet training at the age of 7 under the tutelage of his mother Carolyn Lovett. In 2010 he continued his training under scholarship at the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. Devyn has attended San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet and Ballet West summer intensives all under full scholarship. In 2012 Devyn accepted a position with Houston Ballet 2 as a result of his top 12 placement at the Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals. Devyn later relocated to Utah to dance as a Ballet West trainee. Devyn was a grand prize finalist in the Non Classical dance category of the prestigious Music Center Spotlight Awards in Los Angeles. He has also guest performed in the Anaheim International Dance Festival and the "Gala Di Danza" program of the Spoleto Festival in Italy, both in association with Youth America Grand Prix. He has also performed for the Marina Almayeva School of Classical Ballet and the Vancouver Junior Professional Division Spring Concert in Vancouver Canada.
GUEST INSTRUCTORS
Tiana Lovett
Tiana Lovett was born and raised in Southern California where she began her training under her mother, Carolyn Lovett. She has studied on scholarship with San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet and Tulsa Ballet and has been awarded scholarships to Australian Ballet and Académie Princesse Grace in Monaco. Tiana received the Youth Grand Prix Award in San Diego in 2011 and placed Top 12 as a Junior and Senior in the New York City Finales of the New York City YAGP Finales, 2011 and 2012. She was also a Grand Prize Finalist in the prestigious Los Angeles, Music Center Spotlight Awards in 2012. Tiana is currently residing in Salt Lake City where she is developing her Modern Dance skills through guest performances and training with Repertory Dance Theatre. She has performed in W.A.L.N.U.T 2016 & A Bag of Nuts 2017 by Justin Bass of RDT. She has also performed as a guest for the University of Utah’s Senior Concert 2017. Tiana is honored to be a guest performer with RDT.