About San Elijo Dance & Music Academy

San Elijo Dance & Music Academy is known for preparing students for the most prestigious companies and schools in the nation, but you don't have to be a pre-professional dancer or musician to benefit from their expertise. The Academy is equally acclaimed for encouraging all levels of students in a nurturing and fun environment. Founded by Ben & Lauri-Michelle Houk in 2001, San Elijo Dance & Music Academy (SEDMA) has grown to be the preeminent academy in San Diego County and will train and encourage hundreds of students this year alone! Class sizes are small for more individualized attention, with talented faculty members who are experts in their fields. SEDMA places great importance on achieving the Academy's vision of excellence in dance, music, and theater in a family-friendly environment. The Academy offers ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, and Pilates, in addition to private and group music classes for voice and most instruments. Former students of the Directors of SEDMA have gone on to great success at some of the most prestigious companies, universities, and schools in the nation including School of American Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Julliard. To learn more about the Academy, call: (760) 410-1999.

Academy Directors

Lauri-Michelle Houk

Lauri-Michelle completed her training as a full-time student at the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York City. At 18 she joined the Chicago City Ballet where she was featured being coached by Maria Tallchief in the PBS documentary "Balanchine's Ballerinas." From 1987-94 Lauri-Michelle danced for the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle where she performed a full repertoire of soloist and principal roles. While at PNB, she was privileged to dance one of the masterpieces of George Balanchine including principal roles in Rubies, Divenimento #15, Apollo, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Who Cares? She performed with Nashville Ballet as a principal dancer in 1997-98. She excelled in the utmost of roles including the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. Lauri-Michelle was pictured solo on the arts front page of The New York Times in Lar Lubovich's "American Gesture". Most recently she has been a very effective teacher and private coach, and has staged several ballets including works by Stowell and Petipa.

Benjamin Houk

Benjamin began his career with Joffrey II and later joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet where he performed as one of their most beloved principal dancers for thirteen years. Adept at both contemporary and the great classical roles, he performed in a wide range of works by Balanchine, Baryshnikov, Stowell and Fosse's Anne Reinking among others. As Artistic Director, Mr. Houk led the Nashville Ballet (1996-98), and Fort Worth Dallas Ballet (1998-2001). Thoroughly experienced in Arts in Education programs as director and lecturer, he has enthralled over a hundred thousand children around the country. He has also served as a guest lecturer for among others, Vanderbilt University, Microsoft, The Kennedy Center's Imagination Celebration, and served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. Ben was pictured with Patricia Barker in a linotype on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Houk has enjoyed popular and critical success on three continents as a choreographer, in over 25 works including Nutcracker, and Shout, and has performed in musical theater, film and TV including PBS' "Bill Nye the Science Guy."

Lauri-Michelle & Benjamin Houk -- Together

Lauri-Michelle and Ben have enjoyed many performances as guest artists, most notably together at the Edinburgh Festival. They have taught extensively as master teachers at ballet and modern dance companies, schools and universities. In 2001, they founded SAN ELIJO DANCE & MUSIC ACADEMY, which has grown to be the preeminent academy in San Diego County. Former students have gone on to film, musical theater, and with scholarships to the most prestigious schools, universities and companies including, SAB, NYCB, ABT, PNB, SFB,UC Berkeley, L.A., SF, Irvine and Julliard. Lauri-Michelle and Ben are happily settled in North County with their five children Madeline, Katherine, Elizabeth, Michael, and Alexandra.