Artistic Staff and Faculty

Christina Brunk Stroh is the founder of Movement Center LA and an internationally recognized GYROTONIC® Master Trainer, Pilates instructor, and ballet conditioning specialist with more than 25 years of experience. A proud Westside Ballet alumna, she trained under founders Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire before continuing her studies at Pennsylvania Ballet School while dancing with Pennsylvania Ballet. Throughout her career, Christina has trained with renowned movement specialists and acclaimed Balanchine master teachers, blending classical ballet with advanced movement principles.

She trained directly with GYROTONIC® founder Juliu Horvath and has mentored movement educators worldwide. Christina specializes in helping professional dancers, pre-professional students, athletes, and performing artists build strength, mobility, resilience, and longevity. She serves as Conditioning Coach for Los Angeles Ballet and the Los Angeles Ballet Trainee Program and is a member of the Westside Ballet Wellness Team.

Bruce McCormick is an educator, choreographer, performer and scholar. He earned his BFA from The Juilliard School and his MFA from the University of Washington, where he was also on faculty. He joined the faculty at USC Kaufman in 2018 where he serves as Associate Professor of Practice and Interim Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs.

He performed in twelve countries on four continents as a member of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Bavarian State Ballet and the Bern Ballet, where he was a soloist and ballet master. Throughout his career, he was featured in works by choreographers ranging from Balanchine, Cranko and Petipa to Kylián, Naharin and Pite. He also served as Assistant Artistic Director of North Netherlands Dance and Guest Rehearsal Director with Ballet BC. McCormick’s choreography for the concert stage, opera, site-specific work and film has been performed throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Nancy Paradis is an educator, choreographer, artistic director, and inspirer. She began her career on the East Coast, performing principal and soloist roles with Washington Ballet, Richmond Ballet, and Louisville Ballet, dancing a range of classical, neoclassical, and modern works. In Los Angeles, she expanded into commercial dance, performing and choreographing for television, film, and video. As an adjunct professor at UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount University, and Moorpark College, she prepares dancers for careers in the performing arts and collaborates with music, theater, and film departments.

Nancy has choreographed for companies Richmond Ballet in VA, Ballet Project OC and The Realm Company LA. She recently performed Argentine Tango with her husband, Andre, at TEDx Stamford, CT, where the talk connects tango to healthy relationships. She is the artistic director of LA Dance Moves, a multimedia company that creates inspiring, spirit-driven works by uniting dance, music, and art in live and virtual performances: www.ladancemoves.com.

Victoria Vargas is an internationally recognized ballet educator, movement specialist, and creator of The 5th Position Method®, a ballet-based conditioning system integrating kinesiology, biomechanics, and neuromuscular education to enhance technique, alignment, and injury prevention.

Victoria has taught and coached dancers throughout the United States, China, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, Russia, Portugal, Morocco, Mexico, the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Panama. Her international experience includes training pre-professional and professional dancers and preparing students for advanced ballet programs and professional careers. She has received international recognition for her teaching, including the Famous Teacher Award in China and Outstanding Teacher awards in Hong Kong.

Victoria is passionate about helping students develop strong technical foundations, confidence, artistry, and a deeper understanding of their bodies through safe, intelligent, and effective training.<-/p>