DIRECTORS

Lynn Parkerson, Artistic Director, began her career as a choreographer while living in Germany. German critic Joachim Ernst-Berendt wrote of Lynn Parkerson, She makes music with her body like a musician on his instrument, and when she moves we feel it, that’s the way free music should be danced. Jack Anderson of The New York Times wrote, Ms. Parkerson successfully made her dancers seem witness to a miracle...one knew she was talking to God and the world, and Jennifer Dunning of The New York Times has called her solo dance, an innately spiritual embodiment of grace.

In recognition of her exceptional leadership contributions to Brooklyn’s cultural community, Ms. Parkerson received the Betty Smith Arts Award as part of the Women's “Herstory” Induction Ceremony and Reception on March 22, 2007. Each year, the awards, named after some of the most outstanding women in Brooklyn "herstory," are given to six outstanding Brooklyn women. In November '06 she received the Paul Robeson Award for Artistic Excellence and Community Service.

Lynn Parkerson’s choreography has been presented at many prominent international events and venues, including the Munich Theater Festival, Frankfurt’s Theatre am Turm, the Florence International Festival of Dance, Moers New Jazz Festival, Jazz Festival Baden-Baden and An Appalachian Summer Arts Festival in Boone, NC, among others. In New York City, she presented annual dance programs—notably the popular ballet series To the Pointe—as Director of Dance at Holy Trinity from 1991-2001.  Her work has been supported by grants from the Harkness foundation for Dance, Joyce Mertz-Gilmore Foundation and Con Edison. She also served as the Assistant Director of the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center from 1996-1999. Ms. Parkerson has taught dance to children and adults in New York and abroad.

Caridad Martinez, Brooklyn Ballet Conservatory Director, is a graduate of the Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana, Cuba, where she studied with Alicia & Fernando Alonso. As a principal dancer of the National Ballet of Cuba she performed in the most important theaters in North and South America, Europe and Asia. Caridad was Artistic Director of the Cuban-Mexico Ballet School for 13 years, and Artistic Director and choreographer of The Havana Ballet Theater. The Havana Ballet Theater was the creative concept that transformed the performing arts in Cuba during the decade of the 80's. Caridad Martinez is considered one of the leading figures of the Performing Arts in that country. She has obtained innumerable awards for her choreographic work for dance and theater. She has choreographed for the Hispanic Heritage Awards, and for the acclaimed Julian Schnabel film Before Night Falls.

Catherine Green, Conservatory Faculty, "Elevate" Education Director. Catherine Green began professional training at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She performed with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Ballet Met before attending Purchase College, graduating in 1990 with a BFA in dance. For the past fourteen years, Ms. Green has lived in New York City, working as a dancer and dance teacher. Recent performances were with Ballet Mink Colbert in Copenhagen, Denmark and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Since 1999, Ms. Green has been on the ballet faculty at the Hunter College Dance Program in New York, and she received her MA in dance education from New York University in 2003.

Oona Haaranen, “Elevate” Education Advisor, received her BFA in Dance at Juilliard in 1987 and earned her MA in Dance Research and Choreography at CCNY in 1991. She became a “Language of Dance” specialist in 2003 after five years of study with Anne Hutchinson Guest at the Language of the Dance Center. Before coming to this country she was trained by and was a member of the Finnish National Ballet. In addition she has an extensive musical background having studied piano, music theory and music history for 13 years at The Helsinki Conservatory of Music.

INSTRUCTORS

Megan Brunke holds degrees in dance with a concentration is kineseology from Wayne State University and London Contemporary Dance School at The Place.  She travels as a guest teacher for various companies and schools and held an adjunct faculty position at Wayne State U.  Megan comes to Brooklyn Ballet from Las Vegas and working with the Nevada Ballet Theatre.  Primarily a solo artist since 2003, Megan cultivates a varied repertoire focused on audience connection and drawing from a multitude of techniques, the most recent of which are the Latin dances.  She is thrilled to be a part of the Brooklyn Ballet faculty and looks forward to seeing you in class!

Michael Fields AKA Mike Supreme was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  He has been named one of the best up-and-coming "poppers" in New York City.  He has been teaching kids and adults since 2004, and has taught at Broadway Dance Center and Peridance, among others.  He has performed professionally at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York Theatre Workshop, Kumble Theatre for the Performing Arts, Dance Theater Workshop, Zipper Theater, Bowery Poetry Club, Galapagos Arts Space, Webster Hall, and many other venues.

Patty Foster began her teaching career in 1997 at The Georgia Ballet, where she had received most of her dance training.  She then taught all over the Atlanta area while working towards her Dance Education degree at the University of Georgia on a full academic scholarship.  Continuing her education in Philadelphia at the University of the Arts, she received the "Best Dancer" award and graduated with honors from the BFA program in Modern Dance.  Ms. Foster has taught and choreographed for Koresh Dance Company, Eisenhower Dance Ensemble, Dance Dynamics, the University of Pennsylvania, and Oakland University.  She has performed with companies including the Georgia Ballet, Junk, and the Royal Hoppers Swing Dance Troupe.  In 2006, Patty joined Parsons Dance Company and traveled the world performing and teaching the Parson's modern style.  Currently, Ms. Foster teaches workshops and choreography at several schools around the country, including Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.

Sydnie Mosley earned her MFA in Dance with an emphasis on Choreography from the University of Iowa, where she was a Dean's Graduate Fellow.  She is also an alumna of Barnard College at Columbia University, where she earned her BA in Dance and Africana Studies.  During her time at Barnard she was able to travel to Ghana to study traditional West African dance.  As an educator, Sydnie has taught technique courses in modern, jazz and West African dance to undergraduates at the University of Iowa.  She enjoys performing and choreographing.  Sydnie's work often reflects interests in black cultures and the experiences of women as they relate to the human experience.

Sanem Ozcan built a versatile repertoire of performing skills as the star actress for the State Theater of Istanbul for five years. She has performed in thousands of shows for The State Theater both in Istanbul and throughout Europe. Before dancing for The State Theater, she toured Europe as a professional ballet and modern dancer for five years. As the founder and choreographer of S.O.S Dance Theater Company in Istanbul, Sanem developed a great passion for choreography. Presently a member of the Actors Fund and Michael Chekhov Theater Company, she has taught at The State Theater of Istanbul youth division and at Mujdat Gezen Musical Conservatory. Her goals for her Belly Dance class at Brooklyn Ballet are to lead students to enjoy their movement capacities and find freedom of expression and musicality by learning and practicing this magical art form.

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