How My Journey Began

Michelle Sherrill was born to be a storyteller. From the tender age of seven she began bringing stories to life through the abstract physicality of dance under the tutelage of Ballet Russe ballerinas Nancy Schaffenburg, and later, Natasha Krassovska. According to a seven-year-old Michelle, she desperately wanted to quit the classes because her teacher “walked like a duck.” It was due to the gentle persuasion of her mother—the first female doctoral student in Chemistry at TCU—that Michelle resolved to overcome her initial impression and continued with the lessons. It was also thanks to her parents that Michelle enrolled in a summer performing arts program at Casa Mañana. Here she was introduced to the wonder-filled world of theater and acting, which she recalls fondly as “brilliant and intriguing.” Her first role as the narrator of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death was the beginning of a thriving career for Michelle; from stage to film and eventually into the classroom. 

Like other kids, Michelle’s teenage years were spent exploring the world and testing its limits. Unlike other kids, she did so while living in the electric cities of New York and San Francisco. At fourteen she was ​studying dance with the prestigious American Ballet Theater and a year later she continued her education at the San Francisco Ballet. Although she divided her time and talent between New York, California, and Texas for a few years, Michelle ultimately returned to Dallas full time in her early twenties and began focusing on her natural aptitude for acting. 

Pursuing both theater and film, Michelle followed the direction of renowned industry coaches Gail Cronaeur and Michelle Condrey. She studied at Condrey at R.E.A.C.T. Studios, where she’s devoted fifteen years, and has developed into an inspiring acting instructor as well. She now owns her own studio, Sherrill Actors Studio.

Thanks to a Masters of Fine Art in Choreographic Theory from Southern Methodist University, Michelle also teaches at the Center for Dance and Brookhaven College. Her remarkable repertoire in the arts garnered her a coveted scholarship from the Meadows School, which covered the complete cost of her educational experience.