Odette began her dance training in Brownsville, Texas under the direction of Linda Young, and later Diana-Hasting Morris. She is classically trained in ballet, tap, jazz, modern, African, and ballet folklorico.

She has been a part of the Austin dance community for over 14 years as a teacher with Tapestry, Ballet Austin and JWSD and as a performer with Toni Bravo’s Kinesis Dance, Zilker Hillside Theatre and currently with Ballet East. She has performed with Tizatlan Dance Co. in the states and abroad.

She has received awards for outstanding choreography, is on staff with Starlight as a dance competition judge and writes the curriculum for several summer dance programs in Austin and Brownsville. She continues her training in Austin and in Los Angeles, CA at the Edge Performing Arts Center. She recently had the privilege to apprentice under the direction of Miguel Iglesias in Havana, Cuba where she studied baile contemporánea and danza Afrocubana.

Odette is the founder and director of Escuelita Dance, a bilingual arts program. She holds a BS from Texas State University.

Born in Central Mexico, an area rich in cultural arts, Maria Carillo always had an artistic view of life. Living her childhood in the state of Guanajuato, she attended Miquel Aleman School of Art specializing in preschool bilingual education. She chose to major in preschool age children because she believes that is the age that children wake their artistic abilities. Maria worked part-time with the artist Curlin Reed Sullivan and developed a great appreciation of modern art.