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 Leigh Simmons
BT Combo/Tap
Leigh Simmons is the director of Tarrytown Dance Center. She started dancing at the age of seven, and received most of her dance training from Frances and Bruce Lea in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a graduate of Texas Christian University and has taught all forms of dance for twenty (20) years. In 1982, Leigh won the Joe Tremaine Dance Scholarship in Los Angeles, and became the head of the dance department for the Frances Lea Dance Center in 1981. Leigh has studied with renowned instructors and choreographers such as Doug Caldwell and Voight Kempson (jazz), Barry Lather (hip hop) Marcea Lane and Liz Imperio (jazz/lyrical) Frances Lea, Larry Howard, Ted Levy, and Mike Minery (Tap). She has been in numerous live performances, industry videos, and TV commercials.
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 Bibi Blanco
Jazz
A native of southern Brazil, Marcia “Bibi” Blanco began dancing Ballet at the age of 3. By age 7, she took an interest in dance teaching, when she began teaching Ballet to children with special needs at her mother’s school. Bibi graduated in 1990 with a Classical Ballet Diploma from “Lenita Ruschel Pereira Ballet”, and became the recipient of multiple certifications in attainment of successful graded examination classes. Bibi was part of the “Lenita Ruschel Pereira Ballet” Contemporary Dance Company for a lapse of 5 years. Bibi also completed several acting courses and participated in multiple plays, as well as TV appearances and commercials. She has continued training and dancing professionally with prestigious instructors from Brazil, Cuba, Spain and the United States. Besides Classical Ballet, Bibi has a diverse background of study in many dance idioms including Jazz and Contemporary dances. In 1995, Bibi started dancing Flamenco and in 1997 she went to Seville (Spain) where she mastered her Flamenco dancing skills. In 1998 she moved to Miami (Florida) where she began learning Ballroom
dance.
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Kerin Martinez
Buxton
Competition Team Co-Director/Tap
BT Combo/Hip Hop/Jazz /Musical
Theater
Kerin began studying dance at the age of seven. She grew up in northern California, where she was selected to choreograph routines for her high school and junior
college dance teams. She began teaching tap at the age of sixteen at the Katherine Wheeler Dance Studio, and at eighteen was working with the West County Theatre Arts Guild as a drama and dance instructor. She was a member of the hip hop performing group "Defiant",
and her choreographed piece was featured at the San Francisco Dance Center. Before moving to Texas, she worked in Anaheim, California for two years performing at Disneyland, which was a dream come true. Kerin loves to teach and is having a great time being part of the staff at Tarrytown
Dance.
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Jennifer Cohen
Ballet
Jen began her dance studies at age five in Silverdale, Washington. She has more than 20 years of training in ballet and has also studied modern, jazz, tap and dance composition. Jen has studied at North Carolina School of the Arts, Interlochen Arts Academy and Milwaukee Ballet School. She graduated from Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet. During her time at TCU she trained with the late Fernando Bujones and toured to Mexico and Italy performing his choreography. Jen has danced in many classical and contemporary ballets including The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Napoli, Paquita, Pas de Dix, Les Pateneuers, In the Rhythms of Jazz and Forever 40’s and performed in The Dallas Opera’s Rigoletto. At age 17, she choreographed Pirates of Penzance and Peter Pan for her community
theater.
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 Randall Marks
Ballet
Randall trained at the
Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts, the Tidewater
Ballet, and on full scholarship with Joffrey Ballet.
Studying with Susan Boree, Irtha Kitt, Edward Villela, Gene
Hammet, Pat Sorell, and Robert Steele, he was given featured
roles in Graduation Ball, Concerto Borrocco, Don
Q Pas de Deux, and Copellia. As an apprentice
with Pennsylvania Ballet, he trained under Lupe Serano and
Benjamin Harkave. Randall was soloist with Connecticut
Ballet, invited to dance with Finis Jung's Ballet, and was
principal with Atlantic City Ballet. He was acclaimed as
the Green Boy in Les Patineuers and as the Prince in Swan
Lake and other pieces including George Balanchine's Valse
Fantasie, August Bournonville's Flower Festival Pas de
Deux, and Stuart Hode's Abyss. Invited to dance
at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival he then became principal dancer
with Ballet Austin. His featured roles included Allegro
Brillante, The Fairy's Kiss, Rhythmetron, and EleKtra.
He was a member of the New York City Metropolitan Opera Ballet
Company and with New York City's Dennis Wayne Dance Company he
toured across the US and overseas. Randall was invited
back to Ballet Austin and then accepted a position with Tapestry
as resident choreographer/principal dancer. Joining forces
with his wife, Jeanne Marie, he began a partnership that took
him around the US and on board some of the finest six-star
cruise ships performing many of the classic pas de deux.
His dancing has taken him to over 62 countries and his teaching
method blending Bournonville, Vaganova, and the French styles
has gained him teaching positions at some of the leading
academies throughout the United States.
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Ryan
Miller
Competition Team
Co-Director/Leaps and Turns
Jazz/Contemporary
Ryan comes to
Tarrytown Dance from Chicago, Illinois, where he performed with
the Thodos Dance Company. He performed with Thodos at the
Busan Korea International Festival, Spring Into Dance St. Louis,
and Jazz Dance World Congress, among others. Ryan received
his training from Nan Giordano, Jon Lehrer, and Alberto Arias at
Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. He also trained at Patti
Rutland Jazz, where he was the winner of the Leo's Gold Show
award for choreography. Ryan started studying dance at the
age of seven with various studios in Florida and Louisiana.
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Laurie Walter
BT Combo/Ballet
Laurie began studying dance at the age of nine in Norfolk, Nebraska. While in school, she was a featured choreographer and performer for her high school dance team and swing choir. Laurie began teaching summer dance classes at the age of fifteen to children in her community. Upon graduation she continued her studies at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre/Dance. Laurie has over fifteen years of training in ballet and jazz and has also studied modern and
tap.
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