FACULTY 2010-11
JACQUELINE PORTER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR and Instructor in all levels Ballet, Pointe +Variations, Theatre Dance, Broadway Jazz, Jazz Technique and Broadway Babies) moved to New York at 17 and landed her first Actor’s Equity role within a month. In 25 years as a dancer, actress, Master Teacher, writer and businesswoman Jacqueline has performed in two Broadway shows (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway), three National Tours including The Unsinkable Molly Brown (covering Debbie Reynolds in the title role) and acted in principal roles Off-Broadway and in regional theatre. She has taught over 3,500 students of all ages to dance from Beverly Hills to Tokyo -- in venues ranging from public school blacktops and international poverty missions to top ballet schools, upscale gyms and Hollywood producers’ homes. Jacqueline was ballet-trained at the world renowned Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, is a graduate of Smith College in Comparative Literature (French and English) and since 2006 is CEO + Founder of the nationally recognized J.Q. PORTER Exquisite Travel, an award-winning travel company specializing in elite Arts + Sports Travel. She just arrived from New York in 2008 and is delighted to be a part of the Dallas Arts Boom!
ELIZABETH PARKINSON (Permanent Guest Faculty, Ballet and Theatre Dance) is considered to be the greatest female Broadway dancer to emerge in the last decade. Her Tony Award-nominated performance in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out is iconic to all dancers, and thousands of dancers and teachers throughout the world made the pilgrimage to New York to see her performance. She is a former principal dancer with the Joffrey and Feld Ballet Companies, and is married to the legendary Broadway song and dance man-turned producer, Scott Wise! Elizabeth is a faculty member of Broadway Dance Center, a Master Teacher nationwide, and she and husband Scott Wise have their own studio in Connecticut.
ELIZABETH PARKINSON (Permanent Guest Faculty, Ballet and Theatre Dance) is considered to be the greatest female Broadway dancer to emerge in the last decade. Her Tony Award-nominated performance in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out is iconic to all dancers, and thousands of dancers and teachers throughout the world made the pilgrimage to New York to see her performance. She is a former principal dancer with the Joffrey and Feld Ballet Companies, and is married to the legendary Broadway song and dance man-turned producer, Scott Wise! Elizabeth is a faculty member of Broadway Dance Center, a Master Teacher nationwide, and she and husband Scott Wise have their own studio in Connecticut.
DOUG MILLER (Director of Musical Theatre and Intructor of Voice, Acting, and Musical Theatre for all levels)
is well known to Dallas audiences as a Director, Actor, Casting
Director and Vocal Instructor. He has won numerous awards for his stage
work in Dallas; a partial listing of Best Director awards includes the
Leon Rabin Award (2004, 2005), the Dallas Observer People's Choice Award
(2005, 2006), The Column People's Choice Award (2004, 2005, 2007) and the DFW Critics Choice Award as Dallas’ Best Director (2004). Doug
served as Performance Director for BARNEY & FRIENDS (PBS) for
several seasons and is a former President of the Dallas Theatre League. He recently directed Dallas Children's Theater's successful mini-series of Clack, Clack, Moo and Giggle Giggle, Quack, as well as the DCT National Tour of Giggle, Giggle, Quack on tour through 2011.
ALLISON WATSON (Director of Primary Ballet and Instructor Ballet + Pointe for all levels, YAGP competition coach) is Dallas' most experienced instructor of very young ballet students. Formerly a professional ballet dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Allison is a Dallas Native and studied with Tuzer Ballet and the Etgen Atkinson School, dancing leading roles for the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. As a student she was scholarship recipient to the prestigious summer programs at the Jogffrey, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and The Rock School. Concurrent with her post at Park Cities Dance /The Dallas Conservatory for the Arts, Ms. Watson is Director of Dance at St. Christopher's Montessori. Allison has been teaching all ages and levels, from 2 through adult for twelve years.
ALLISON WATSON (Director of Primary Ballet and Instructor Ballet + Pointe for all levels, YAGP competition coach) is Dallas' most experienced instructor of very young ballet students. Formerly a professional ballet dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Allison is a Dallas Native and studied with Tuzer Ballet and the Etgen Atkinson School, dancing leading roles for the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. As a student she was scholarship recipient to the prestigious summer programs at the Jogffrey, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet and The Rock School. Concurrent with her post at Park Cities Dance /The Dallas Conservatory for the Arts, Ms. Watson is Director of Dance at St. Christopher's Montessori. Allison has been teaching all ages and levels, from 2 through adult for twelve years.
GREGORY KING (Contemporary and Lyrical Jazz Instructor, upper levels and Adults) was last seen on Broadway in Disney's The Lion King. As a concert dancer, Gregory danced with the Washington Ballet, Eric Hawkins Dance Company, New York Theatre Ballet, Donald Byrd/ The Group, The Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera. Gregory has just received his MFA in Dance from SMU, where he also taught Intermediate Jazz to non-majors. As a Master Teacher Gregory has guest taught for Texas Ballet Theater, Dallas public schools, Contemporary Ballet Dallas and The Dance for the Planet Festival 2010. This year he begins an Adjunct Faculty post for Richland Community College, in addition to his teaching and choreography work for Park Cities Dance/ The Dallas Conservatory for the Arts.
SHAWN STEVENS (Instructor of Ballet, Pointe + Variations for mid- to upper levels; Resident Choreographer, YAGP competition coach) was the last dancer George Balanchine personally selected to join the New York City Ballet. During her ten years with NYCB, Ms. Stevens performed principal roles in many key Balanchine ballets, and principal roles in the original cast of Handel - Brahms choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins. She worked with choreographers Peter Martins, William Forsythe, Edward Villella, Ib Anderson, and Joseph Duell, and danced in PBS's Live from Lincoln Center with NYCB and Dance in America. In 1991 she was invited to join Twyla Tharp's company, where she performed for five years in old and new principal works. Tharp later invited Stevens to dance in the tour of Cutting Up with Tharp and Baryshnikov; to dance in the Tharp-choreographed films I'll Do Anything and In the Upper Room, and to dance on Broadway in Tharp + Billy Joel's smash hit, Movin' Out. Opera credits include principal work with the New York City Opera. Approved by the George Balanchine Trust to stage Balanchine works, and by Twyla Tharp to stage Tharp works, Ms. Stevens now divides her time between staging Balanchine and Tharp, and teaching/choreographing for schools and universities nation-wide.
MICHELLE KITTRELL (Permanent Guest Faculty, Theatre Dance and How To Audition) has performed in eight Broadway shows, most recently as Dance Captain and featured performer in the runaway hit Legally Blonde.
A winner of Broadway’s coveted Gypsy Robe not once but three times,
Michelle’s special energy and verve have lit the stages of Hairspray, Footloose (both as Dance Captain), Grease, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Wonderful Town and more. Read all about her busy career at MichelleKittrell.com! Now working as a theatrical agent for the prestigious Gersh agency, Michelle is a leading authority from BOTH sides of the table on auditioning for - and GETTING the role.
EVGENY LUSHKIN (Director, Boy's Athletic Dance + Stage Fighting Program and Instructor mid- to upper levels of Ballet, Partnering and Variations) danced for American Ballet Theatre and Pennsylvania
Ballet, and is a guest principal dancer nationally. In his native
Russia, he danced principal roles with St. Petersberg Ballet and
performed with Stuttgart Ballet and the Russian State Ballet. Mr. Lushkin
graduated from Perm State Academy of Ballet in Russia in
1998, and in 2001 was invited by Roy Kaiser, the director of Pennsylvania
Ballet who was visiting Russia, to dance in Pennsylvania Ballet's Gala that season.
In addition to his performance career, Mr.
Lushkin has served numerous companies as both Instructor and Assistant
Artistic Director. He has recently been appointed Ballet Director at the
Coppell Dance Center, and will be developing its full curriculum and teaching in addition to his teaching and coaching work with
Park Cities Dance / The Dallas Conservatory for the Arts. Mr. Lushkin is particularly committed to developing a robust army of male dance talent in Dallas and along with Jacqueline Porter, is actively seeking boys for training in all kinds of dance and theatre (scholarships available). Please inquire here.
KEIRA LEVERTON (Director of Tap and Instructor, all levels of Tap) toured nationally and internationally with Barney’s "Colorful World" as dance captain as well as nationally and internationally with "Sesame Street Live" for a total of three years. The granddaughter of tap legend Buster Cooper, Keira has studied with her grandfather an many great tap artists such as Barbara Philips, Acia Gray, Lane Alexander, and Fagan. An accomplished actress too, Acting credits include the leading role in a film that played at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. Keira co-directs the Drawbacks Youth Tap Ensemble, a touring semi-pro tap group based in Dallas, and maintains constant interaction with the international tap community so that she may bring fresh and up-to-date material to her students.
GLENDA TWINING (Director of Yoga, Instructor of Adult Yoga) is a leading Yoga professional who has just moved to Dallas. She appears regularly in local, national and international media - newspapers, magazine articles, and on TV shows including Good Morning Texas. Her books, "Yoga Turns Back the Clock: The Unique Total-Body Program that Fights Fat, Wrinkles, and Fatigue" and "Yoga Fights Flab: a 30 Day Program to Tone, Trim, & Flatten your Trouble Spots" have received widespread critical acclaim and made the covers of "Yoga & Health" and "YogaMagazine" in the UK and USA, with the second book being featured on NBC Prime Time News with Deborah Ferguson. Glenda received her yoga certification from the Houston Institute under Lex Gillian, and extended studies with world-renowned Swami Isvarananda and top teachers across the world. Glenda is also a Physical Fitness Specialist with certification from The Cooper Institute. Her classes and personal coaching provide a balanced workout: a physiologically-based fitness regimen that promotes amazing weight loss through increased cardiovascular, body strengthening, body sculpting and toning, flexibility, and increased emotional well-being.
BRYNNE SHIPMAN (Instructor, Kids' Hip Hop + Fun Jazz, Adult Dance Like Beyonce and Dance Like Beyonce Workout) is a busy Dallas dancer, teacher, producer, director and choreographer. She has taught for a dozen dance studios and drill teams in North Texas in all styles of jazz, hip hop and drill. As choreographer, she was Assistant Choreographer TLC's "Rock the Reception" with Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo among many other credits. As Director and Producer, Brynne led the city's premiere dance showcase "Move to Groove Ball" for two years, Assistant Directs SMU's charity events "Kids 4 Kids United Wed Dance", and was Assistant Director of "Down in Deep Ellum". As Dancer and Choreographer, Brynne works regularly with N2it Dance Company, Kids 4 Kids United We Dance and countless other local special entertainment events.
AMBER
FORD (Director of Hip Hop, Instructor, all levels of Hip Hop) has traveled across America dancing with such noted choreographers
as Tyce Diorio (Janet, Company Dance, Pulse Tour),Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo (So You Think You Can Dance, Monsters of
Hip Hop), Marty Kudelka
(Justin Timberlake, Janet, Monsters of Hip Hop), Shane Sparks (You Got
Served, So You Think You Can Dance), Darrin Henson (N‘Sync, Jordan
Knight, Britney Spears), Fatima (Aaliyah, Backstreet Boys), Tina Landon
(Janet and Michael Jackson, Britney Spears), Dave Scott (“You Got
Served”, B2K, IMX), Antoine “Doc” Judkins (Jam on the Groove), Jason
Wright (Pink), Dena Spellman (Paula Abdul, JayZ), and David Marquez of the Broadway Dance Center in New York. She is the
only female member of hiphop/bboy crew TigerStyle! (America’s Best Dance
Crew Tour, KC’s Best Dance Crew, “The Good Foots”
music video) led by Dancer/Choreographer/Bboy Jeremy Finney.
BRANDI FARRIS (Director of ZUMBA!, Instructor all levels ZUMBA!) is Dallas' premiere ZUMBA instructor, and was one of the first to introduce ZUMBA to Dallas! Brandi has been interviewed by Good Morning Texas, Channel 8 WFAA, Channel 5 KXAS, Channel 11 KTVT, Channel 33 KDAF, The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dallas Morning News, and Modern Luxury for ZUMBA! Brandi teaches for the national fitness chain Equinox Gyms, and performs regularly at local special events with clients including Greenhill, ESD, Neiman Marcus Corporate and more. In 2010 she is developing a ZUMBA performing group of adults through her classes in residence Park Cities Dance!
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Registration for Permanent Guest Faculty workshops is being taken now. Write us a note to reserve your spot with your name, dance background, age, and contact info here.
KEIRA LEVERTON (Director of Tap and Instructor, all levels of Tap) toured nationally and internationally with Barney’s "Colorful World" as dance captain as well as nationally and internationally with "Sesame Street Live" for a total of three years. The granddaughter of tap legend Buster Cooper, Keira has studied with her grandfather an many great tap artists such as Barbara Philips, Acia Gray, Lane Alexander, and Fagan. An accomplished actress too, Acting credits include the leading role in a film that played at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007. Keira co-directs the Drawbacks Youth Tap Ensemble, a touring semi-pro tap group based in Dallas, and maintains constant interaction with the international tap community so that she may bring fresh and up-to-date material to her students.
GLENDA TWINING (Director of Yoga, Instructor of Adult Yoga) is a leading Yoga professional who has just moved to Dallas. She appears regularly in local, national and international media - newspapers, magazine articles, and on TV shows including Good Morning Texas. Her books, "Yoga Turns Back the Clock: The Unique Total-Body Program that Fights Fat, Wrinkles, and Fatigue" and "Yoga Fights Flab: a 30 Day Program to Tone, Trim, & Flatten your Trouble Spots" have received widespread critical acclaim and made the covers of "Yoga & Health" and "YogaMagazine" in the UK and USA, with the second book being featured on NBC Prime Time News with Deborah Ferguson. Glenda received her yoga certification from the Houston Institute under Lex Gillian, and extended studies with world-renowned Swami Isvarananda and top teachers across the world. Glenda is also a Physical Fitness Specialist with certification from The Cooper Institute. Her classes and personal coaching provide a balanced workout: a physiologically-based fitness regimen that promotes amazing weight loss through increased cardiovascular, body strengthening, body sculpting and toning, flexibility, and increased emotional well-being.
BRYNNE SHIPMAN (Instructor, Kids' Hip Hop + Fun Jazz, Adult Dance Like Beyonce and Dance Like Beyonce Workout) is a busy Dallas dancer, teacher, producer, director and choreographer. She has taught for a dozen dance studios and drill teams in North Texas in all styles of jazz, hip hop and drill. As choreographer, she was Assistant Choreographer TLC's "Rock the Reception" with Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo among many other credits. As Director and Producer, Brynne led the city's premiere dance showcase "Move to Groove Ball" for two years, Assistant Directs SMU's charity events "Kids 4 Kids United Wed Dance", and was Assistant Director of "Down in Deep Ellum". As Dancer and Choreographer, Brynne works regularly with N2it Dance Company, Kids 4 Kids United We Dance and countless other local special entertainment events.
BRANDI FARRIS (Director of ZUMBA!, Instructor all levels ZUMBA!) is Dallas' premiere ZUMBA instructor, and was one of the first to introduce ZUMBA to Dallas! Brandi has been interviewed by Good Morning Texas, Channel 8 WFAA, Channel 5 KXAS, Channel 11 KTVT, Channel 33 KDAF, The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Dallas Morning News, and Modern Luxury for ZUMBA! Brandi teaches for the national fitness chain Equinox Gyms, and performs regularly at local special events with clients including Greenhill, ESD, Neiman Marcus Corporate and more. In 2010 she is developing a ZUMBA performing group of adults through her classes in residence Park Cities Dance!
______________________________
Registration for Permanent Guest Faculty workshops is being taken now. Write us a note to reserve your spot with your name, dance background, age, and contact info here.
If you are a top dance, theatre or fitness professional living in DFW with major pro credits, please let us know about you here!