26798 oak ave, santa clarita • 661.251.6844
SANTA CLARITA BALLET ACADEMY
HOME OF THE SANTA CLARITA BALLET COMPANY
FACULTY
2018-19
Corinne Glover - Academy Director, received her early training in Northern California in a credentialed Royal Academy of Dancing Ballet School. Her advanced training was studied in Canada. She began teaching as the Director of the English Ballet School in Los Angeles in 1974 and taught there until opening the Academy in Santa Clarita 1992. Many students have benefited from her careful training and supportive personality. She is a member of the Royal Academy of Dance, London and is Executive Director of the Santa Clarita Ballet Company.
Carol Guidry (Ballet) received her RAD training and Advanced Certificate at the Audrey Share School. She was a soloist with the Minnesota Dance Theatre appearing in works by Balanchine, Ashton, Tetley, Loring and Limón. In Germany, she danced with the Heidelberg City Ballet where she also taught company class and choreographed a number of pieces. She has also appeared with the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. She is the Artistic Director of the Santa Clarita Ballet Company. She has been on the teaching staff at SCB for the past 21 years.
Danica Primo (Ballet) brings to our school an extensive dance background. She trained at the Boston Ballet School, Marin Ballet and the West Coast Conservatory of Ballet. She performed with the Portland Ballet Company, Marin Ballet in San Rafael, California, and Ballet Unlimited in Orange, California. She is a member and registered teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance, London. She has been on the teaching staff at SCB for the past 20 years.
Tawny Gentry (Ballet) was a member of Storling Dance Theater as well as Maxxas Dance Theatre. She has recently performed lead roles in several productions including, Butterfly, Suspended Grace, The Prodigal Daughter, and 3 Days. In Houston, Texas she danced with Ad Deum Dance Company and had the opportunity to tour several places including, Los Angeles, Florida, New York, Singapore and Malaysia. In addition to performing, she loves teaching as well as chore- ographing. Originally a product of Santa Clarita Ballet Academy, she will be joining the teaching staff this fall.
Miki Amen (Tap) graduated with Honors while majoring in Dance and Choreography at the University of California, Riverside with a Chancellor's Performance Scholarship in Dance. Miki toured for two years, traveling around the United States, with the live stage shows "Sesame Street Live" and "Dragon Tales Live" under VEE Corporation. She is also a member of the Taiko Center of Los Angeles, a Japanese drumming ensemble, and with TCLA, has united tap and taiko at such venues as the Ford Theatre, and the Japan American Theatre. Some of Miki's film and television credits include: "187" starring Samuel L. Jackson, "Gilmore Girls", "Seventh Heaven", and the "O.C." She has been on the teaching staff at SCB since 2008.
Lennon Hobson (Jazz) is a Los Angeles based dancer and choreographer well-versed in many different styles of dance. She began her training in RAD classical ballet technique, at the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy where she received her Advanced 1 certification. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor in Theater from Loyola Marymount University in 2013. While attending Loyola Lennon choreographed numerous shows, worked closely with choreographers Rosalynde Loo, Mark Tomasik and Page Porter. Her dance credits include events with Sypher Art Studios such as the Labyrinth Masquerade and the Stanley Kubrick LACMA Exhibit, working alongside choreographers such as Nichelle Bane and Kasmira Buchanan. Her work is seen in music videos with Veva Entertainment Co. and Player Piano as well on stage performing as a guest artist with Louise Reichlin’s modern dance company, LA Dancers & Choreographers. Lennon’s choreography spans many styles and genres for a variety of audiences including commercial work, music videos, musical theater and diverse live events throughout the Los Angeles area. www.lennonhobson.com Lennon will be teaching upper Jazz as well as Creative Movement through Grade 1.
Cedric Dodd (Modern/Contemporary) was born and raised in Peoria, Arizona. He attended Glendale (AZ) Community College where he was a member of their pre-professional dance company. He then moved to LA to continue his education and received his BFA in Dance Theatre from AMDA, LA. Professionally, he was recently seen in Musical Theatre West’s production of “Carousel” Cedric was nominated for an Ovation Award as a member of the ensemble for his work in Cabrillo Musical Theatre's production of Memphis. A few other credits include Lythgoe Panto, Marry Me promo and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Cedric has taught at Los Angeles Ballet Academy, Millennium Dance Complex, Champs Charter High School, Pepperdine University and UCLA. Cedric is thrilled to be joining the staff of Santa Clarita Ballet as their Modern/Contemporary dance instructor.
Mallory Russikoff (Ballet) trained with the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy from age three to age eighteen. She participated in all Royal Academy of Dance exams through Advanced 2. Mallory was a member of the Santa Clarita Ballet Company where she performed in The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Cinderella, and many more. She attended Butler University and graduated with her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education with minors in English as a New Language and Mild Intervention. Over the past two years, Mallory has taught third grade in Indianapolis Indiana. She is looking forward to coming home to the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy. Mallory will be joining the teaching staff here at Santa Clarita Ballet this fall. In addition, she is enrolling in the Royal Academy of Dance two year registered teachers program. She will be making teaching ballet her long-term career.
Suzanne Narbonne (Pilates/Stretch) is an SCB alum, Suzanne has worked as a professional dancer in Hollywood for over ten years. She’s danced for the LA Opera, the LA Philharmonic, and Disney Imagineering. She’s appeared in numerous national commercials for brands like Mercedes-Benz, Skechers, Absolut, Benefit Cosmetics and more. She can be seen in music videos with Katy Perry and Kelis. Feature films include Burlesque, The Muppets and Mother’s Day. TV credits include Bunheads, The Goldbergs and Dancing with the stars. She is also an Ovation-nominated member of the Troubadour Theater Company. Suzanne will be teaching the Pilates/Stretch class this fall.
GUEST FACULTY
Philip Edward Pegler (Ballet) began classical ballet training at age 5. At age 11 he was accepted into the Bush-Davies School, where he trained until 1989. After further training at The Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg he joined The Legat School before accepting a full scholarship to study at The Harid Conservatory in Florida. In 1991, Philip returned to England and was offered a place at The Royal Ballet School in London. He became the School’s Head Student in 1994 and graduated with the School’s Teachers’ Training Course Diploma in 1995.
Although initially employed as Company Ballet Master and Soloist Dancer with the Columbia City Ballet, Philip has dedicated much of his career to the education and training of students. He became the Artistic Director of the South Carolina Dance Theatre in 1996 before joining the Calvert-Brodie School as Director in 1998. In 2002, Philip was appointed to the position of Assistant Professor in the College of Theatre and Dance at the University of Florida, where he taught Classical Ballet and lectured in Dance History. Philip was appointed to the Board of Vocational Examiners of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2005; a position that ultimately took him to five of the world’s six continents. In 2008, he returned to live in England where he joined the faculty of Elmhurst School for Dance in Birmingham. Philip was subsequently elected to the Board of Trustees of the Royal Academy of Dance and has continued to work as a Freelance Teacher, mentoring students and teachers in both the private and vocational educational sectors.
Lisa Gillespie (Ballet) comes from a classical dance background, having trained at San Francisco Ballet and on scholarship at North Carolina School of the Arts and with Stefan Wenta locally. She recently performed as Eliza in the King and I for both Lyric Opera of Chicago and Théâtre du Châtelet. She has performed as principal dancer in several operas including King Roger, directed by Stephen Wadsworth and Maometto II with Santa Fe Opera. Other opera credits include lead dancer in Seattle Opera’s Carmen and Pearlfishers and Die Fledermaus for Dallas Opera, San Diego Opera and Washington Opera (PBS Grand Performances). She was also lead dancer in The Merry Widow for Los Angeles Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Other Los Angeles Opera productions include Aida, Queen of Spades, La Traviata, Vanessa and the Placido Domingo & Friends Gala. Musical theater roles include Louise in Carousel, Dream Laurey in Oklahoma! and Eliza in The King and I for Musical Theater of Wichita. Lisa was with Ballet Arizona where she performed principal and soloist roles in ballets such as Balanchine’s Serenade, Four Temperaments, Rubies, Pilobus’ Land’s Edge and The Nutcracker. She has worked with Francisco Martinez in Los Angeles and with Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet for ten years in Los Angeles, London and New York.
