Productions
Discover the Art of Dance at Sparrow Dance Productions
Our Approach
At Sparrow Dance Productions, we believe in nurturing tradition, precision, and grace through the art of dance. Our philosophy centers around providing a supportive and inspiring environment for students of all ages. We offer a wide range of dance classes including Ballet, Pointe, Partnering, Variations, Jazz, Lyrical, Modern, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop, Break Dance, Belly Dancing, Pilates, Alexander Technique, and Strength and Conditioning.
Christina Daly
Founder & Director
Christina Daly is an Albuquerque native whose early dance training began with Ballet Repertory Theatre before she was accepted into the prestigious Virginia School of the Arts on scholarship. During her two years at VSA, she also trained with the Kansas City Ballet and Ballet Pacifica. Christina accelerated her academic path by graduating high school early to attend the SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance, where she earned her BFA in Dance Performance. Her collegiate accomplishments include a Minor in Asian Studies, advanced training at Taipei National University of the Arts, and the premiere of her first choreographic work at New York City’s acclaimed Dance Theatre Workshop. She also performed featured roles in an original work by Dianne McIntyre and graduated summa cum laude.
After college, Christina founded Sparrow Dance Productions in New York, where she produced and choreographed numerous works. Since returning to New Mexico, Sparrow Dance has become a vibrant part of the performing arts community, with performances across Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, and the greater Albuquerque area. Christina has also danced professionally with Ballet Repertory Theatre and Festival Ballet Albuquerque, earning acclaim in roles such as Carmen in Alex Ossadnik’s Carmen and the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid.
Christina is a fierce advocate for adaptive dance in New Mexico. Living with fibromyalgia, a traumatic brain injury, and complex PTSD, she uses her personal journey to empower others through movement. Her commitment to healing through dance resonates deeply within the Sparrow Dance community. Whether in rehearsal or performance, Christina’s authenticity, resilience, and relentless pursuit of growth inspire those around her to rise to their fullest potential—with kindness always at the heart of her work.
James D. Smith
Director of Operations
James D. Smith is a proud Albuquerque native whose deep-rooted “New Mexico pride” fuels his passion for community outreach, the arts, and local business development. A dedicated advocate for the performing arts, James is known for his unwavering support of Sparrow Dance Productions and his commitment to its students, staff, and company dancers.
In his role as Director of Operations for Sparrow Dance Productions, James wears many hats—Stage Manager, Sound Engineer, and Lighting Designer—bringing a high level of professionalism, creativity, and technical expertise to every production. His dedication to the behind-the-scenes elements of performance is a constant source of inspiration to his wife, Artistic Director Christina Daly-Smith, and to the entire Sparrow community.
James also served as District 2 Arts Commissioner for the City of Rio Rancho, where he gained valuable insight into municipal arts funding, programming, and collaboration. His time as commissioner helped shape his leadership style and broadened his impact within the local arts scene.
With a rare blend of technical skill, community-minded leadership, and heartfelt commitment, James continues to be a driving force behind Sparrow Dance Productions’ growth and evolution. His dedication to his family, his city, and the arts is both irreplaceable and deeply felt.
Instructors
Kira Akmajian
Lyrical and Tap Instructor
Kira Akmajian has been dancing since she was 3. She has trained in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and even hip hop, folkloric, flamenco, and swing dance, but tap dance has always been her passion. She has had the opportunity to train with some amazing tappers through the NM Tap Fest and UNM tap program. She is an Albuquerque native, a graduate of UNM, and an elementary school teacher.
Ja'lynn Ellison
Ballet and Hip Hop Instructor
Bio Coming Soon.
Chelsea Fahrenback
Lyrical and Tap Instructor
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Chelsea began dancing at age 4 at a studio in Jacksonville, Florida. Having danced for 18 years, she has trained in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, and lyrical. She joined her studio's company at 11-years-old and performed throughout the community and eventually began teaching jazz, ballet, and tap at age 16. She's learned from former-Rockettes and Broadway dancers at clinics around the country and has taught ballet and jazz as a guest instructor at schools throughout Peru.
After receiving degrees in Health Administration and Emergency Management from the University of Central Florida, Chelsea took a few years off before her family moved to New Mexico in 2023. She began teaching gymnastics and petite ballet to 3- and 4-year-olds before finding her new dance home at Sparrow in 2025. Having danced nearly all her life, Chelsea is excited to share her passion with students of all ages here in New Mexico.
Amanda Hoyt
Ballet Instructor
​
​
Amanda Hoyt moved to Albuquerque in 2024 and is excited to join the Sparrow family! Originally from Buffalo, NY, she began dancing at the age of 3, and went on to study and compete in all disciplines. She began assisting at the age of 12, and quickly discovered her passion for teaching. While training in Buffalo, she took classes with Configuration Ballet Company, attended the Dance Masters of America Student Honor’s Intensive Program at the University of Buffalo, and trained and performed with Lehrerdance, a modern based dance company founded and directed by Jon Lehrer (now called Jon Lehrer Dance Company.)
After leaving Buffalo, Miss Amanda attended The Ohio State University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance with a focus on modern and ballet pedagogy. In addition to daily technique classes, she studied topics such as dance history, Labanotation and movement analysis, and kinesiology. During her senior year, she organized and ran a program teaching dance to patients from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, specifically working with pediatric cancer patients and children with Ehler-Danlos syndrome.
Miss Amanda taught in Columbus, OH for 8 years, teaching ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical/contemporary, jumps and turns, and stretch and conditioning classes. She moved to Northwest Florida in 2017, and served as Ballet Company Director for a studio in Pensacola for the past 5 years.
In addition to her BFA, Miss Amanda also has a BS in finance from The Ohio State University, and an MBA from Florida State University. She lives in Rio Rancho with her husband, her 2 boys, and their dog.
Jessica Layman
Ballet Instructor
Jessica Layman is an accomplished dance instructor, born in Texas City, Texas. She started with ballet at the age of three then moved to New Mexico at the age of of four, having her focused training begin by the age of 9;continuing with multiple genres of dance. She has performed in numerous productions such as: “The Nutcracker”, “Billy the kid”, “Alice in wonderland”, and her favorite being a Landmark Production of “A Chorus Line”in 2015 and most recently “A White Christmas” in 2022. She has choreographed numerous overall andhigh score competition pieces andenjoys kayaking in her free time.
Rachel Martin
Ballet and Jazz Instructor
Mrs. Rachel has been dancing for 35 years and teaching dance for 25 years. She has taught in various studios in South Carolina, Oregon and New Mexico. She has taught dancers of all ages and skill levels. She studied tap, jazz, ballet and clogging as a teenager. She then went on to earn a BA in Dance. Adding Modern/Contemporary to her dance styles. She loves sharing her knowledge of dance with everyone around her.
Tracy Mensching
Ballet Instructor
Tracy has been teaching locally for over 40 years. She performed with the New Mexico Ballet Company, and was an original member of their Jr. Company. She danced lead roles in The Nutcracker, The Firebird and The Sleeping Beauty for various ballet companies, plus A Christmas Carol, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Red Shoes, The Jungle Book, Petrouchka, and Carmina Burana with NMBC under the direction of David Chavez. Tracy's theater background includes roles in over twenty Albuquerque Civic Light Opera (now Musical Theater of the Southwest - MTS) productions, and summer stock production of My Fair Lady and George M., plus theme park work at Opryland USA. She has been a guest artist for Ballet Lubbock, Texas Ballet in Houston, and the Asian American Ballet Company in Los Angeles, Ca. Her early training was her in Albuquerque with Suzanne M. Johnston, Cecelia Jaramillo, Bill Potenziani, David Chavez, Soili Arvola, and Leo Ahonen. She has been lucky enough to study with many world-renowned teachers in her dance career.
Marissa Montano
Ballet and Tap Instructor
Marissa Montano began dancing at the age of seven, training at La Mesa Dance Academy in Ballet, Tap, and Jazz. In 2018, she joined Sparrow Dance Productions, where she expanded her repertoire to include Modern dance—a style she quickly fell in love with and continues to cherish alongside her foundational loves, Ballet and Tap.
Marissa’s passion for dance extends beyond performance; she finds true joy in teaching and connecting with her students. Whether in rehearsal or in the classroom, she thrives on helping young dancers discover their own love for the art form. Marissa is committed to creating a positive and inspiring environment where students can grow in confidence, technique, and creativity—both in and out of the studio.
Lina Perrson
Ballet Instructor
Lina began dancing at the age of four at The Dance Center in Torrance, California. Throughout her training, she earned several opportunities to dance with master teachers in ballet, tap, contemporary, musical theater, and modern dance techniques. She danced competitively from the age of twelve up until her graduation year in 2019. She received several dance scholarships and opportunities to compete nationally through these competitions and conventions. During high school, she spent three summers training with The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago for their International Summer Dance Intensive. Other companies she attended summer intensives for include American Ballet Theater (ABT) in California and Hubbard Street Dance Company in Chicago. Her extra-curricular activities during the school year at Peninsula High School included the varsity level dance team, Choreo Company, where she earned her spot all four years she attended. Through this team, she received the challenge and opportunity to lead student choreography workshops, and ultimately choreograph for the team’s annual showcase for three consecutive years. During her time in college, Lina was invited to be a part of UCSB’s Senior Dance Company where she toured Europe and worked with world renowned choreographers to put on full length productions and add to the dance program’s repertoire. Lina recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), earning her Bachelor of the Arts degree in Dance with an emphasis in Ballet and pedagogy. Her first year post-graduation, she taught lyrical, tap, jazz, ballet, and directed the competition team at the studio she trained with, The Dance Center in Torrance. Her choreography for the competition team won several awards, and her team earned performance awards, backstage awards, and placed overall at each competition this past season. She is so excited to be part of this empowering and inspirational faculty at Sparrow Dance Productions, and cannot wait to share her knowledge with many future generations of this school.
Cameron Russom
Ballet Instructor
Cameron Russom has been dancing since childhood, but her true passion for dance and choreography blossomed in middle school when she began taking classes with Christina Daly, owner of Sparrow Dance. Inspired by Christina’s teaching, Cameron discovered her love not only for performing but also for creating and instructing. She appreciates the elegance and discipline of ballet, while also embracing the energy and expressiveness of jazz. In addition to her dance background, Cameron brings over eight years of experience as a gymnastics instructor, making her well-versed in acrobatics and movement-based technique.
Natalie Trujillo
Ballet, Pointe, Variations, and Lyrical Instructor
Natalie started dancing at the age 8 with New Mexico Ballet Repertory Theater where she learned ballet, jazz, and contemporary. She started dancing with Sparrow Dance Productions in the Summer of 2023. Natalie has also danced with “The Jilliana School” for two years, training in classical ballet. She has performed in several Nutcracker productions and has been in other performances such as “Wizards of Oz” and “Sleeping Beauty”. Natalie continues to pursue her dream in dance and hopes to share the joy of dance with the community through performance.