The Dance Hub Youth Ballet

Carrie Diamond, President, AD&M and Executive and Artistic Director of The Dance Hub; Artistic Director, AD&M Performance Group, is a 2019 Recipient of the Apogee Award for Excellence in Education. Her lifelong interest in dance developed early on by the mentorship of three individuals: Don Hewitt (ballet), Marilyn Allen Suleiman (choreography), and Virginia Storie-Crawford (modern dance). She later trained with Cecchetti master teacher, Margaret Craske, and such luminaries as Lawrence Rhodes, David Howard, and Benjamin Harkarvy. She danced professionally in New York City for over fifteen years and holds an M.F.A from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, she founded New American Ballet Ensemble, a New York City company that promoted new music and choreography. She was an instructor for the Alvin Ailey School, the 92nd Street YM/YWHA, Peridance, and Marymount Manhattan College. In Santa Barbara, Ms. Diamond co-founded American Dance and Music in 2006 with Eric Valinsky, where she directed the AD&M Studio, AD&M Performance Group, and Moving To Learn, a curricular dance program for elementary school children. In 2017, the AD&M board of directors opened The Dance Hub, a thriving community dance space where Ms. Diamond serves as the executive and artistic director and principal ballet teacher for adults of all levels and ages. She is dedicated to bringing as many people as possible into and back to dance at The Dance Hub, whether they are 18 months or 84 years old.

Aimee Lopez received her early dance training from Bob and Carol Hanlin at the Goleta School of Ballet, from Michele Pearson and Denise Rinaldi at the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, and the Rock School in Philadelphia under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff.  Ms Lopez’s teaching style is influenced by her studies in the Royal Academy of Dance and Cecchetti syllabi, as well as the Balanchine technique.  Ms Lopez has taught students ages children through adult.  She was artistic director of the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet’s pre-professional dance company for five years where she worked primarily with high school to college age dancers.  Ms Lopez has completed teaching certifications through Cecchetti USA, the American Ballet Theater teacher training curriculum and Progressing Ballet Technique.  Ms Lopez performed as one of the founding members of Carrie Diamond’s Ballet Santa Barbara.  Her class emphasizes proper placement, movement dynamics through musicality, and artistic expression.  

Carin Noland Tahouri is a movement artist and educator whose work blends strong technical foundations with expressive, music-driven movement. She began as a competitive gymnastics before transitioning into dance, where she studied jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, and musical theater, along with acrobatics, partnering, and improvisation. This diverse background informs her dynamic teaching style, which emphasizes strength, musicality, and personal artistry. Carin’s professional career includes performance work in Los Angeles with commercial choreographers, appearances alongside major musical artists, commercials and television as well as numerous stage performances. She has performed across the United States and abroad, bringing versatility and stage presence to a wide range of productions. Today, Carin is passionate about creating welcoming, supportive class environments where dancers of all levels can challenge themselves physically while reconnecting with creativity and joy through movement. Her “Movement Canvas” approach encourages both athletic development and artistic exploration.