Annette Hagopian

Annette C. Hagopian is an accomplished dance educator, artistic director, choreographer, and founder with more than 35 years of international teaching and performance experience. Classically trained in England and certified by internationally recognized dance organizations, she has dedicated her career to providing dancers with exceptional technical training, meaningful performance opportunities, and an environment that develops artistry, confidence, discipline, and character.

In 1994, Annette founded Triangle Academy of Dance (TAD) in Cary, North Carolina. Under her leadership, TAD has grown into one of the region’s leading dance schools, serving more than 900 students and offering comprehensive training from early childhood through advanced and pre-professional levels. As Founder and Executive Director, Annette oversees the academy’s artistic programming, curriculum, faculty, productions, and long-term development. She has also served as a lead choreographer and has directed award-winning competitive Jazz Teams recognized for their technique, performance quality, and artistry. Triangle Academy of Dance has been recognized as “Best Children’s Dance Program” by Spectator Magazine.

Annette’s commitment to creating greater performance opportunities for young dancers led to the establishment of Carolina Youth Ballet (CYB), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) pre-professional ballet company serving young dancers and providing advanced classical training, full-scale productions, leadership opportunities, and community outreach. Through CYB, Annette has helped generations of dancers develop their artistry and stage experience, with many students going on to receive scholarships, pursue collegiate dance programs, and enter professional dance careers.

In 2026, Annette expanded this vision with the development of Ballet North Carolina, a professional touring ballet company designed to extend CYB’s artistic mission beyond the Triangle. Ballet North Carolina brings professional-quality ballet performances, educational programs, lecture-demonstrations, and community outreach to audiences throughout North Carolina, with a particular emphasis on expanding access to the arts in schools and communities across the state.

Annette received her formal dance and teacher training in London, England, earning teaching certifications through the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) in Classical Ballet, Modern, and National Dance. She also holds the Advanced Executant’s Ballet Examination Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), awarded during the presidency of legendary ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn.

Her professional career has taken her internationally and throughout the United States. Annette has taught in London, England; Nuremberg, Germany; Maine; and North Carolina, with faculty experience including Bates College in Maine and Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina. Her performance background includes dancing professionally with a modern ballet company in Europe and appearing as a guest artist with the Portland Ballet Company.

Throughout her career, Annette has been passionate about connecting dance education with the greater community. She has developed and presented school performances, lecture-demonstrations, outreach initiatives, and inclusive dance opportunities designed to introduce young people to the arts and make dance accessible to a wider range of students and families.

Annette is a member of the North Carolina Dance Education Organization (NCDEO) and the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA).

At the heart of Annette’s work is the belief that excellent dance education should develop far more than technique. She strives to create an environment where dancers are challenged to reach their highest artistic potential while also learning discipline, resilience, responsibility, respect, confidence, compassion, and the value of community.

For more than three decades, Annette’s greatest accomplishment has been watching generations of young dancers grow, not only into accomplished artists, teachers, and professionals, but into confident young adults who carry the lessons learned through dance into every aspect of their lives.