Agapé Dance Academy
Agape Dance Academy Scotts Valley Studio, 2800 S. Rodeo Gulch Rd, #C, Soquel, CA 95073
About
Agape Dance Academy offers classical ballet training, including ballet classes, pre-ballet classes, and pointe training. The program includes a focus on performance and presence in ballet classes, teaching students how to dig into the work and to find and hold the inner light of artistry. Pre-ballet classes are described as having a calm and nurturing environment for young dancers, and pointe training is offered with safety and longevity in mind. The studio is the only school in Santa Cruz County focused exclusively on classical ballet training.
Agape Dance Academy was founded in 2012. The mission of the program is described as “The rigor of classical ballet. The warmth of agapē love,” and it was founded with the dream of having a studio that takes care of its dancers holistically, creating a loving and caring environment where students could grow in their ballet technique and love of dance. The leadership team includes Founder Melanie Useldinger; Owner/Director Conrad Useldinger; Specialty Instructor Anton Pankevic; Show Coordinator and PointeSafe Certified Instructor Hannah Ruvo; PointeSafe Certified Instructor Raina Sacksteder; Instructors Juliana Davis and Riley Butler; and Pre-Ballet Instructor Olivia Hubbard.
Melanie Useldinger danced in the corps of San Francisco Ballet under Michael Smuin, as well as with Dance Theatre of Kansas, San Jose Dance Theater, and Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Conrad Useldinger received an MA in Theatre Practices from Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (NL) in 2019, where he was a recipient of the Artez Scholarship, and a BFA in Dance from Belhaven University (USA) in 2015, where he was a recipient of the Belhaven Dance Scholarship; he learned ballet under the tutelage of Caleb Mitchell (Houston Ballet), Ravenna Tucker (Royal Ballet), Laura Morton (Milwaukee Ballet), and his mother (San Francisco Ballet), among others. Specialty Instructor Anton Pankevic received his ballet training at Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia and later studied at School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School; he has danced with New York City Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Ballet of London, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet San Jose, and has worked as a ballet master and a guest teacher with English National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Wiesbaden Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Leipzig Ballet.
Show Coordinator and instructor Hannah Ruvo is PointeSafe certified and became one of the only PointeSafe certified instructors in Santa Cruz County in 2024. Instructor Raina Sacksteder is a certified Pointe Safe Teacher through SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy; she attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, and LINES Ballet, studied with the dance faculty at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and has danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement, eMotion Arts, Tandy Beal & Company, and Move Speak Spin; she has taught at Motion Pacific, Elaine’s Dance Studio, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center. Instructor Riley Butler is a teacher of ballet and pilates to youth and adults in Santa Cruz County and is currently studying sociology, computer science, and dance in school. The program lists PointeSafe certified instructors and a certified Pointe Safe Teacher through SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy among its credentials.
Parent and audience testimonials describe the program as playing an incredible role in forming confidence, self-esteem, physical health, and character over six years of involvement, as “a very inclusive and supportive studio” with excellent teaching and well-done performances, and note that multiple Agape shows, including Swan Lake and Appalachian Spring, were “wonderful,” with dancers who are well trained and who clearly love their instructors.
Last updated April 1, 2026.
Agape Dance Academy was founded in 2012. The mission of the program is described as “The rigor of classical ballet. The warmth of agapē love,” and it was founded with the dream of having a studio that takes care of its dancers holistically, creating a loving and caring environment where students could grow in their ballet technique and love of dance. The leadership team includes Founder Melanie Useldinger; Owner/Director Conrad Useldinger; Specialty Instructor Anton Pankevic; Show Coordinator and PointeSafe Certified Instructor Hannah Ruvo; PointeSafe Certified Instructor Raina Sacksteder; Instructors Juliana Davis and Riley Butler; and Pre-Ballet Instructor Olivia Hubbard.
Melanie Useldinger danced in the corps of San Francisco Ballet under Michael Smuin, as well as with Dance Theatre of Kansas, San Jose Dance Theater, and Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Conrad Useldinger received an MA in Theatre Practices from Artez Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (NL) in 2019, where he was a recipient of the Artez Scholarship, and a BFA in Dance from Belhaven University (USA) in 2015, where he was a recipient of the Belhaven Dance Scholarship; he learned ballet under the tutelage of Caleb Mitchell (Houston Ballet), Ravenna Tucker (Royal Ballet), Laura Morton (Milwaukee Ballet), and his mother (San Francisco Ballet), among others. Specialty Instructor Anton Pankevic received his ballet training at Vaganova Ballet Academy in Russia and later studied at School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School; he has danced with New York City Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Ballet of London, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet San Jose, and has worked as a ballet master and a guest teacher with English National Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Wiesbaden Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Leipzig Ballet.
Show Coordinator and instructor Hannah Ruvo is PointeSafe certified and became one of the only PointeSafe certified instructors in Santa Cruz County in 2024. Instructor Raina Sacksteder is a certified Pointe Safe Teacher through SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy; she attended summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Cincinnati Ballet, and LINES Ballet, studied with the dance faculty at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and has danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Alma Esperanza Cunningham Movement, eMotion Arts, Tandy Beal & Company, and Move Speak Spin; she has taught at Motion Pacific, Elaine’s Dance Studio, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, and the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center. Instructor Riley Butler is a teacher of ballet and pilates to youth and adults in Santa Cruz County and is currently studying sociology, computer science, and dance in school. The program lists PointeSafe certified instructors and a certified Pointe Safe Teacher through SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy among its credentials.
Parent and audience testimonials describe the program as playing an incredible role in forming confidence, self-esteem, physical health, and character over six years of involvement, as “a very inclusive and supportive studio” with excellent teaching and well-done performances, and note that multiple Agape shows, including Swan Lake and Appalachian Spring, were “wonderful,” with dancers who are well trained and who clearly love their instructors.
Last updated April 1, 2026.
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