Shan-Yee Poon
Artistic Director, trained at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London, where she spent six years of intensive study. Ms. Poon graduated one year in advance and was immediately accepted as a principal dancer at the State Theater in Gelsenkirchen, West Germany. While at State Theater, Ms. Poon performed for four years in repertoire ranging from classical to post-modern. Since moving to the Bay Area in 1984, Ms. Poon appeared as soloist with the San Francisco Opera Ballet, The Peninsula Ballet, the Ruth Langridge Dance Company and Theater Ballet of San Francisco. As Vice-President of Pear Garden in the West, a Chinese-American Performing Arts Organization, she choreographed and danced the leading role in the famous Chinese folk tale Monkey and the Spider Spirits. She has also staged many delightful children’s ballet productions.
Monique Brown
Brown began dancing at age three and by age eight she was accepted into the professional training program at San Francisco Ballet School. At SFBS she trained extensively and danced in their company productions. She went on to dance with many companies including Theater Ballet, Berkeley Ballet, Malcolm McFarland and the Dancers Synectics Group. Mrs. Brown has also danced numerous principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake and Coppelia.
Brooke Byrne
Artistic Director of the well-known folk dance company, Khadra International Dance Theatre and dancing with the company since 1987, majored in dance and theater at Bard College in New York. She has performed modern dance and several ethnic style for many companies and independent choreographers in the Bay Area, East Coast, and England, as well as choreographing herself.
Carolyn Carvajal
While still in her teens, won a Ford Foundation Grant and, in New York, became an apprentice to the Joffrey Ballet. She joined San Francisco Ballet at age 18, and together with choreographer and husband Carlos Carvajal founded the Dance Spectrum Company, which entertained audiences throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. As Principal Ballerina, many roles were created for her. Ms. Carvajal has performed with the San Francisco Opera for nearly 30 years. She has choreographed Oklahoma and An American in Paris for musical theater companies, show numbers for San Francisco Girls’ Chorus and Ragazzi Boys’ Chorus.
Maryna Drazdova
Our beautiful and elegant ballet instructor, was a soloist with the Byelorussian State Opera and Ballet for twenty one years, has danced in principal roles including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, and Raymonda. She has extensive experience touring, teaching and choreographing internationally including throughout the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Sarah Jessee
Sarah Jessee received her classical ballet training at the Post School of Ballet in Salem, Virginia, and attended summer dance intensives at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and the Northwest Florida Ballet. She also performed as a soloist with the school's associated company, the Southwest Virginia Ballet, where she developed a vast classical and neoclassical repetoire. As a member of the dance company at Bates College, her interests expanded into contemporary techniques, including the "Release" technique, which she studied with the Chilean company, Escenalborde.
Jenya Lum
Jenya Lum studied with City Ballet School under the direction of Damara Bennett. At age 16 she was offered a full tuition scholarship to the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, where she went on to dance in professional roles with Oregon Ballet Theatre. Her performance experience includes works by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, and Lew Christensen, including soloist roles. In addition to ballet she has been trained in jazz, hip hop, modern, flamenco, character dance, and yoga.
Sonoo Petty
Our dynamic and energetic jazz and tap teacher, began her dance training withm Ann Barrett from Dancers Synetics Group in San Francisco and has continued training in jazz and tap with Ann Barrett, Ann-Marie Garvin, and Sally Vanloon. In Osaka and Nagoya, Japan, she has taught, choreographed, and performed ballet and jazz. In the U.S., she first taught jazz and tap dance for Dancers, and continues to instruct and choreograph in her two specialties in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Laura Sheridan
Studied with the San Francisco Ballet School and appeared in productions of the Nutcracker and A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the San Francisco Opera House. She spent two years training in the professional program, and went on to perform in several musical theater productions. She studied voice for 5 years, performed as a soloist in many venues. Most recently she has taught swimming to children and adults, but her specialty is in working with small children.
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