Artistic Directors

Kathleen Sinclair, Artistic Director

Kathleen Sinclair is Co-Artistic Director of Ballet Yuma, a member of The Ballet Alliance. Kathleen has taught for the past Thirty years and has specifically developed a syllabus for the first four years of a child’s ballet studies. She also created a pre-ballet syllabus for 3-6 year olds.

During the 1980’s, she and her husband, Jon Cristofori, directed Yuma Ballet Theatre. Taking this small performing group to its first regional ballet festival in 1986, they built it into a Regional Dance America Honor company by 1990. In the fall of 1993, Jon and Kathleen opened their own ballet school, Yuma Ballet Academy in Yuma, Arizona and with a group of dedicated supporters organized Ballet Yuma.

Ballet Yuma is a proud member of The Ballet Alliance. Their students have received numerous awards and scholarships and have or are dancing in professional companies today, including New York City Ballet, English National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Les Grands Ballets de Canadiens de Montreal, Trey McIntyre Project, Houston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, Louisville Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Ballet Memphis, Ballet San Jose, Ballet Idaho, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego and Utah Regional Ballet.

Kathleen is the past Chairperson for The Ballet Alliance. She has also served twice as a grant panelist for the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Emma M.K. Cong, Artistic Director

Emma M.K. Cong is in her 25th year of teaching at Yuma Ballet Academy and was recently named Ballet Yuma’s Co-Artistic Director. She trained under the direction of Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair for eight years prior to majoring in dance at the University of Idaho. Upon moving back to Yuma in 1999, she began teaching at Yuma Ballet Academy developing YBA’s Contemporary dance program. Ms. Cong now leads both the Contemporary program and the Early Childhood Dance program.

For the past 10 years, Ms. Cong has served as the Director of Ballet Yuma’s Outreach Program. Three notable programs include “Ballet Bound” serving underprivileged third grade boys and girls in local elementary schools, “Project Pas de Deux” in partnership with The Boys & Girls Club, also “Making a Pointe” a program for at-risk Junior High girls. In addition to teaching, Ms. Cong is an award-winning choreographer and has set numerous works for Ballet Yuma. As a freelance choreographer, she has created several pieces for other member companies of The Ballet Alliance. Notably, Ms. Cong’s was pleased to have her latest work, “Par  Ici” performed at the Ballet Alliance Festival 2023 in El Paso, TX.

Ms. Cong credits Jon Cristofori with igniting the spark of choreography within her at an early age. Her greatest joy is carrying on Cristofori’s teachings to the next generation of Ballet Yuma dancers. Emma is proud to serve as an Emerging choreographer mentor for The Ballet Alliance. Ms. Cong is excited to begin this new season alongside Kathleen Sinclair as Ballet Yuma’s Co-Artistic director.

Catherine Middaugh-Field, Artistic Assistant

Catherine Middaugh-Field began her ballet training at the age of five at Yuma Ballet Academy with Kathleen Sinclair. Here, she was given the opportunity to study Horton technique under Emma M.K. Cong and quickly fell in love with contemporary artistry and movement. Subsequently, Catherine was accepted into the academy’s pre-professional ballet company, Ballet Yuma, an Honor Company member with Regional Dance America, under the artistic direction of Kathleen Sinclair and Jon Cristofori (late). Ballet Yuma has since transitioned into being a company member of The Ballet Alliance.

Upon graduation, Catherine began teaching for Yuma Ballet Academy with the guidance of Kathleen Sinclair. Here, she truly developed her passion and ability to teach proper technique with an emphasis on the development of true artistry in young dancers. Catherine strives to lay a solid technical and artistic foundation for all of her students so that dancers and audience members may experience true communication and connection through performance. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Catherine has taught and built ballet curriculum for local dance programs, taught overseas in Japan, and in San Diego, CA with The Ballet Institute of San Diego, Artistic Director Eglė Špokaitė.

Catherine is certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), Pointe Safe, and professionally fits pointe shoes alongside her mentor, Gg Muir-Robinson. As of Summer 2024, Catherine will rejoin Yuma Ballet Academy teaching staff and  work with Ballet Yuma as the Artistic Assistant to the Directors. She looks forward to sharing her unique experiences in hopes of guiding and inspiring the upcoming generations of dancers.