Alicia Barden is a graduate of the University of Hartford, Hartt School of Dance, class of 2005, with a B.F.A. in Ballet Pedagogy. While in college, she has had the opportunity to work with many amazing instructors and choreographers, such as Peggy Lyman, Adam Miller, Katie Stevenson-Nollet, Susan Brooker, Hilda Morales, Alla Nikitina, Amy Marshall, Peter O'Brien, Ralph Perkins, Pascal Benichou and Rebecca Anderson Darling. She has performed in various works by Martha Graham, Jean Grand-Maitre, Marius Petipa and Joanne Whitehill. Additionally, she has performed with the Albany Berkshire Ballet in their annual Nutcracker from 1990-1997, in which she has had the pleasure of dancing in many different roles, from a reindeer to a soldier and even including the main role of Clara. Alicia has also attended the Burklyn Ballet Theater for two summer programs. Her beginning ballet training includes Dance Arts, while it was under the directorship of Debora Wright Haskins and continuing through Lisa Baldyga Harty's directorship. Upon graduating, she had the pleasure of becoming the artistic director of Dance Arts for five years before having been welcomed in to the All Stars Dance family in 2011.