Instructors & Staff
Ms. Elizabeth Bridgeman
Elizabeth Bridgeman is the founder and Executive Director of Bridgeman Academy of Performing Arts. Throughout her career, she performed with prestigious companies such as The Muny, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Broadway Kids, The Canadian Ballet (Les Grands), and Circus Harmony. Elizabeth founded a non-profit theatre organization prior to starting Bridgeman Academy and is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique. She is passionate about equipping students in the arts to serve God and others and has over 20 years of teaching experience.
Mr. Spencer Everett
Mr. Spencer received a BFA from the Ailey/Fordham Dance program and went on to dance for Ailey’s second company for two seasons. He teaches modern and contemporary while on tour and in NYC with the company. As a choreographer, he has showcased his work at the Young Voices in Dance Program for the 40th Annual Battery Dance Festival, the Ailey Citigroup Theater, and Barnard College in collaboration with the Barnard Movement Lab. He is additionally honored to serve the dance community as a member of Dancewave’s Artistic Advisory Council.
Ms. Ashley Pickholtz
Ashley Pickholtz is a musical theater artist, director, and educator with a BFA in Performing Arts and a minor in Vocal Performance from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her stage work includes Off-Broadway as well as productions in Orlando, Atlanta, and beyond. She is SAG-eligible, a Certified Actor Combatant, and an award-winning choreographer and actress. Ashley has spent much of her career in the classroom, producing junior Broadway productions and leading vocal training to help students find their unique voices. She is excited to share her passion for the arts with the academy community and is happy to be settled in the Midwest with her husband and their three daughters.
Ms. Aspen Ross
Aspen trained in the Pre-Professional Program at the Denver Academy of Ballet before earning a full scholarship to the prestigious Kansas City Ballet School. While at Kansas City Ballet, she had the opportunity to train, perform, and teach students ranging in age from 2 to 18. Aspen also worked with Boston Ballet before moving to Saint Louis to pursue her passion for dance at Saint Louis Ballet. With 8 years of teaching experience, she comes highly recommended by the Children’s Division Dance Coordinator at Kansas City Ballet. We are excited to have her work with our students during the 2024-2025 season!
Mr. Marcus Benson
Marcus Benson has been dancing continuously for over 14 years. Marcus began teaching at Bridgeman in 2021 and has six years of prior teaching experience. His strengths are step, hip-hop, and mime. With immense competition experience across the United States, he has performed both as a team member & coach. Along with Bridgeman Academy, he currently teaches at Dance Plus & Pointe of Surrender Dance Studio where he also serves on the coaching staff for their competition team.
Ms. Clara Wichmer
Clara Wichmer is a St. Louis–area dancer and teacher training in the Professional Training Program at Saint Louis Ballet, where she has studied since 2021. Clara has also served Saint Louis Ballet School as a Teacher’s Assistant for young ballet and tap students and as a Relevé Mentor for younger dancers pursuing a ballet career. She is currently an undergraduate student at Maryville University of Saint Louis.
Ms. Lauren Renner
Lauren Renner is a St. Louis–trained dancer who has trained with Margaret Barbieri Conservatory of Sarasota Ballet and went on to dance with Nevada Ballet Theatre’s Second Company in Las Vegas. She has also trained at intensives with School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Kansas City Ballet, Chicago Ballet, and Nevada Ballet, and has worked in residencies with artists including Christine Rocas, Ron K. Brown, Gemma Bond, and Claudia Schreier.
Ms. Angie Thompson
Angie Thompson is an educator with more than 35 years of classroom and administrative experience. She has worked in a myriad of venues with a variety of students from kindergarten through high school. For 20 years she was the Head-of-School for a performing arts school for preschool through high school. Currently, she has started her own micro-school where she personally teaches elementary students.