About
Our Story
CTA Academy, located in Seattle, is a school for classical and traditional learning, movement arts, and etiquette. Our passion is to provide an immersive environment where serious students of living lineage arts may continue in-depth practice under qualified masters and instructors. Our academy offers a range of ongoing programs, workshops and lectures exploring techniques, methodologies and direct practices of traditional arts from varying cultures. We feel strongly these arts are quintessential to the refinement of an individual through logic, deportment, self-discipline and manners.
Our Team
Ana Montes
Dance Director
Ana Montes has been dancing since she was 9, training in classical ballet which she continues to this day. Her flamenco studies started in Sevilla where she studied under Angelita Vargas and José Galván. While in Madrid, Ana studied with many of the most well known and respected flamenco teachers and artists including Ciro, La Tati, El Güito and Merce Esmeralda. She has also studied the Spanish folkdance "jota" with the famous Pedro Azorín.
Ana has danced professionally at various clubs and theaters and with Rosa Montoya Bailes Flamencos, out of San Francisco. She left the United States to dance professionally in Spain, Europe and Mexico for 7 years. These years included dancing with the Ballet Español del Camborio, the Ballet Español de Fernando Romero in Madrid, and at El Burrero Peña Flamenca in Madrid.
She has been performing and teaching in the Seattle and Bellevue areas for over a decade. Ana teaches all levels and age groups, from beginning to professional. Known as one of the West Coast's foremost female flamenco dancers Ana has been acclaimed as brilliant and charismatic, moving with grace and elegance, especially the upper torso, arms and hands which so defines the female flamenco dancer, yet at the same time containing that tension and passion which makes flamenco so exciting.
Cecil Longino
Maître d’Armes
In 2003, Cecil Longino was accepted as a formal student of Maestro Ramón Martínez and Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martínez, training in both classical and historical fencing weapons. He earned the rank of Prévôt d’Armes (Provost of Arms) in November of 2013 and was later elevated to Maître d’Armes (Master of Arms) in November of 2016. He is certified to instruct in all weapons taught at the Martinez Academy of Arms in New York and continues to instruct in these methods at Salle Saint-Georges in Seattle, WA. He is also a student and affiliate instructor, working toward full instructorship, under Maestro James Loriega of the Raven Arts Institute. In 2018 Maître Longino formed the CTA Academy, an institution designed to preserve traditional and classical movement arts, along with traditional methods of learning.
- Weapon certifications by date:
- French foil (September, 2007)
- French small-sword (September, 2007)
- Spanish rapier (July, 2009)
- Traditional rapier (January, 2012)
- Italian rapier (January, 2012)
- Contre-pointe (June, 2013)
- Poignard (June, 2013)
- Dueling sword, Italian foil and Italian dueling sabre (October, 2013)
Striving to educate the public about classical and historical fencing, Maître Longino serves on the board of directors of the Association for Historical Fencing, an organization dedicated to preserving the fencing arts. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Literature (focusing on Elizabethan stagecraft) with a minor in history from the University of North Florida.
DVD work:
L'École Française, A Practical & Combative Guide to the French Smallsword by Palpable Hit Productions.
Corey J. Holmes
Chef de Salle
Corey began her fencing career with Salle Saint-Georges in February of 2010, by June of 2017 she was promoted to the office of Chef de Salle. Prior to this she had trained in other traditional Eastern martial arts and Ballet, with the Royal Academy, before finding our enclave of Polite Society. Her initial interest was in studying the French small-sword. Corey would, for months, stay late after foil class and sit observantly on the bench, taking notes concerning small-sword in hopes of one day being able to partake in a second class. Her first impression of the salle was,"This is a place where I would have to mind my P's & Q's." She was exhilarated at the strictness of the dress code for senior students, as this reminded her of Ballet. She has kept returning to the salle over the years because our community of fencers speaks to her altruism or in her own words, "Makes me want to rise to the occasion."
The Chef de Salle serves as the sergeant of the salle. It is her duty to settle disputes and ensure that all safety guidelines and protocols are followed.
Dashington Rendarious III
Chien de Salle
Dashington or Dash, as he is commonly called, has grown up being an important part of Salle Saint-Georges. Since he was a puppy his responsibilities as Chien de Salle have been to greet students at the door and assist them letting go of daily stress with a fuzz face and wagging tail. He will often be found lounging around the salle waiting for someone to pet him. He takes his duties very seriously.