Southwest Ballet Theatre announced the selection of Tasha Stramecki as its new artistic director and head ballet instructor.

Ms. Stramecki will join the nonprofit ballet company for its seventh season in the West Valley.

SWBT is known locally for its classical ballet program and full-length ballet productions performed at Estrella Mountain Community College’s Performing Arts Center, through a unique co-production agreement with EMCC, according to a release.

“Tasha brings a wealth of experience as a teacher, choreographer, director, and former professional dancer,” SWBT Board President Dr. Susan Richardson said. “She is certified and well-versed in the American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, which is the gold standard in ballet instruction. We are thrilled that she will be applying the ABT’s curriculum structure and principles to our classes. This is such a wonderful opportunity for the West Valley and aspiring dancers of all ages!”

Ms. Stramecki began her dance career after graduating from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of fine arts in ballet performance.

After international tours in France, she settled in the New England area as a professional dancer and teacher. For the last 18 months, she has been guest teaching in Mexico, Peru and Brazil the release stated.

“I am thrilled to be joining SWBT as artistic director,” Ms. Stramecki said. “Classical ballet and dance training provide a strong foundation for students to achieve anything that they want to, inside or outside of dance. I was drawn to SWBT because they value high-quality instruction. We share a passion for training the whole dancer, inviting diversity and inclusion, and providing professional-quality productions and experiences for the students and community.”

The ballet company has been holding classes at Effusion Dance Center in Goodyear since last spring, when EMCC closed its campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials expect to operate out of both sites beginning in August, the release stated.

They also are looking forward to the company’s seventh annual performance of “The Nutcracker” at EMCC in December.