Founder & Director
Adalhi Aranda Corn, founder and director, is originally from Leon, Mexico. She trained under the Royal Academy of
Dancing system. She continued in Guadalajara where she became a professional dancer and started teaching. There
she was the founder and director of a small ballet school where she started her creative process of choreographing
full-length ballets.
Adalhi moved to the US in 1994 and danced at Evansville Dance Theatre, IN where she also served as Ballet Mistress.
She continued her career as a dancer and teacher when she moved to Lexington in 1999. She danced for Lexington
Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Chicago and Kentucky Ballet Theatre, where she directed the Academy. She has attended
the Vaganova Syllabus seminar in Connecticut. Adalhi has danced numerous soloist and demi-soloist roles such as
Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker),
Swanilda (Coppelia),
Paquita,
Romeo and Juliet,
Dracula,
Sleeping Beauty,
Giselle and others.
Adalhi created Bluegrass Youth Ballet in 2003 to satisfy the need for high quality dance education in a healthy,
fun and encouraging environment. Here the students are the priority and are provided with performance opportunities.
She has also created numerous full length ballets, such as
Pied Piper,
Arabella's Journey,
Alebrijes - a dream that became art,
Tales of tails, and her signature
Nutcracker in One Act
and
Dia de los Muertos - performed for hundreds of people every year. She has also created short pieces
such as
Huapango,
Hechizo de Luna,
Banjo Fun,
Four Seasons,
El Baile,
Ara
and many others.
Several of Adalhi's students have followed professional careers as dancers in companies such as New York City
Ballet, Dance Theatre of Tennessee, California Ballet, Anchorage Ballet, Ballet Magnificat!, Atlanta Ballet,
Augsburg Ballett and others. Her students every year are accepted in prestigious ballet summer programs such as
Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet,
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chicago, North Carolina School for the Arts, Cincinnati Ballet, Nutmeg Ballet
and others. Her students also have participated in the Youth America Grand Prix Ballet competition and have placed
high in their categories, and have qualified to perform at the finals in NYC.
Adalhi is married to Duane Corn, guitarist and Suzuki guitar instructor. Together they have a daughter, Adalhi
Elena who was born in 2003, and a son, Mariano Renato who was born in 2008.
