Civic Ballet

Thom Yzaguirre

Originally from Montana, Thom began formal dance training at Minnesota Dance Theatre and School where he trained in ballet and modern dance on scholarship and then as a Company 2 dancer. Thom also received scholarships with Tidewater Ballet Academy, Milwaukee Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and School of American Ballet. His teachers included Bonnie Mathis, Gene K. Hammett, Susan Borree, Robert Joffrey, Michael Bjerknes, Stephen Jenkins, and Elaine Thomas.

Thom danced professionally with Duluth Ballet, Ballet Arizona, as a soloist with Louisville Ballet, and as a principal with Nevada Ballet Theatre and Nashville Ballet. He worked with directors including Loyce Houlton, Vassili Sulich, and Janek Schergen and danced masterworks including Antony Tudor, Geroge Balenchine, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Graham Lusting, Paul Vasterling, and Choo San-Goh.

Mr. Yzaguirre currently splits his time between Tupelo and Nashville. In addition to his Artistic Leadership of Civic Ballet and Master Instruction at North Mississippi Dance Centre, Thom is the ballet director at Franklin (TN) School of Performing Arts. He also works with competitive figure skaters at Nashville Skating Academy. He has been guest teacher for the Academy of Nevada Dance Theatre, Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, and Tennessee Association of Dance (TAD) Tennessee Dance Festival. Thom was the recepient of the 2014 Judith Woodruff Professional Development Award from TAD and the 2018 Outstanding Dance Educator Award from TAD.

Thom Yzaguirre is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who successfully completed ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 + Partnering of the ABT® National Curriculum (NTC). ABT® NTC is a breakthrough nine level program that embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian, and Russian schools of training.