HTX Connect

☀️SUMMER INTENSIVE FACULTY ANNOUNCEMENT

June 15-19, 2026 | The PAC

Holda earned her BFA in Dance from the University of St. Thomas and trained in Mexico City under Paloma Zepeda Novelo in ballet, contemporary, flamenco, capoeira, and Mexican folklore. In 2004, she moved to Houston to complete her RAD training under Rocio Braggiato and Catriona Steel. She performed nationally and internationally with Allegro Ballet of Houston under Glenda Brown, Peggy Girouard, and Vanessa Brown, including tours in Austria.

Holda is a Royal Academy of Dance Certified Teacher, ABT Certified Teacher (Pre-Primary–Level 5), and Progressing Ballet Technique certified. She has taught at Allegro Ballet, Intempo Dance, Houston Ballet Academy, and Hope Stone, and has collaborated with renowned choreographers and master teachers throughout her career.

☀️SUMMER INTENSIVE FACULTY ANNOUNCEMENT

June 15-19, 2026 | The Pac

A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ben spent summers at Ballet Austin, Harid Conservatory, and Hubbard Street before graduating from the ballet department at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where he danced in works ranging from George Balanchine to Agnes DeMille, Twyla Tharp, Frederick Ashton and Joshua Bergasse. He spent multiple seasons with Ballet Memphis and Ballet Nouveau Colorado and later formed a strong relationship with Houston Grand Opera, where he was a regular dancer for six seasons. Regional theater credits include the Arvada Center Theater, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Central City Opera, and Boston Early Music Festival.

He is a former member of the ballet chorus at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as former faculty for Ballet Academy East, Rioult Dance Center, and New York University. He has worked in Houston at Kinder HSPVA, Memorial Dance Center, and Houston Ballet Academy. Most recently, he served as a rehearsal director at Ballet Memphis and on faculty at the Ballet Memphis School for three years, and is now based back in Houston, TX as a multidisciplinary dance educator.

☀️SUMMER INTENSIVE FACULTY ANNOUNCEMENT

June 15-19, 2026 | The Pac

Meoka McBride is from Bryan, Texas, and is a graduate of Sam Houston State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance in 2007. She has over 20 years of experience in the fitness industry and pedagogy, working across dance, Pilates, and movement education in Houston.

She was introduced to Pilates in 2006 and became certified through Peak Pilates in 2013. She is the founder of Meoka Pilates and works as a Pilates instructor and business consultant. Meoka is a former Athleta National Brand Ambassador and is a mother of two boys, as well as a recent empty nester.

Meoka has presented at TAHPERD and the Texas Dance Educators’ Conference and has served as a workshop leader and panelist for Black Girl Pilates®.
She currently teaches at multiple studios throughout Houston, Texas, and recently launched the Houston Pilates Collective to connect instructors, studios, and the local Pilates community through events and shared resources.

Happy National Tap Dance Day 👞✨

Today we celebrate the rhythm makers, the storytellers, and the artists who turn sound into movement. Tap dance is more than technique… it’s history, expression, community, and joy.

At HTX Connect, we love honoring every style that continues to inspire connection through dance, and tap will always hold a special place in that conversation. 🤍

Here’s to the dancers and educators keeping the tradition alive while pushing the art form forward. Keep making noise. 👏

RhythmAndMovement