EDUCATION
The Dance Center
Instructors:
Locations:
Gordon Owens,Jazz/Tap/Hip-Hop/Salsa/Acting/Musical Theater
Gordon Owens was born and raised in Washington DC. He attended Children's Theatre courses at both The Arena Stage and Howard University's Children's Theatre programs. Gordon attended college at The North Carolina School of the Arts and studied drama, dance and voice.
After performing in several plays in college, Gordon moved to New York City and received a full scholarship at the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre. Two months later he auditioned and landed a job performing the role of Richie in the National Touring Company of the Broadway Musical "A Chorus Line". Gordon also performed in principal roles in the National Touring Companies of "Dream girls", and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".
After touring the U.S. for almost four years, Gordon spent eight years in New York City performing on Broadway in "Dreamgirls", "A Chorus Line", "Starlight Express", and "Miss Saigon". Gordon also performed in Musical Theatre Tours all over Europe.
After getting his fill of Musical Theatre, Gordon moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an actor and voice-over talent in Television and Film. To date, Gordon has been featured in several television commercials and has done voice-over work on radio commercials and television cartoons. He has also guest starred, and performed in supporting roles in several television shows and movies including: "City Guys", "Will & Grace", "Chicago Hope", "General Hospital", "Port Charles", "Sister-Sister", "Diagnosis Murder", "Pacific Blue", "Beyond Belief', "The Weird Al Show", "The Kids From Nowhere", "War Dogs", "Dance with Me", "Turbulence", and the Showtime series, "Linc's" (Starring Pam Grier), as well as the film "Space Cowboys" ( Starring Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones).
Gordon has been a performing arts instructor, teaching, Theatre Arts, and Dance throughout the U.S. and abroad for over twenty years.
Marlene Saad,Middle Eastern/Creative/Pre-Ballet
Ms Marlene began her Ballet training in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 5. She has studied under the direction of Ms. Emme Hartel, formerly of the Sadler Wells Ballet Company of London, England (now the Royal Ballet Company of London) for over 34 years. Her training in Jazz and Modern Dance includes classes with Directors of the Alvin Ailey Company, while Artist in Residency and through programs offered by Directors of Martha Graham and Lester Horton at Wayne State University over a span of 7 years.
Ms. Marlene's ethnic background brought her into the art of authentic Lebanese-Egyptian Dance and began her first performance at the age of 6 with an audience of 700 people. She continued her successful career for over 37 years, performing in Miami to New York, and Chicago to Los Angeles. She developed her own style, as well as, studied with specialists from Egypt and Morocco. Her specialty was performing in theaters, at festivals, benefits, and televised educational and talk shows. Her best known achievement is the ability to design a unique program to teach this artistic form of dance to all people.
In Michigan, she was part of the "pilot program" in conjunction with Wayne State University for the integrated arts and dance/movement program in public schools in 1975. Prior to coming to Spartanburg, Ms Marlene was dance director of 400 students for the Chippewa Valley District Fine Arts Program in Mt. Clemens, Michigan for 10 years. She was artistic director for the Junior Olympic Ice Skaters in Fraser, Michigan for 5 years, in which one of her students won the Bronze Medal Award at Lake Placid, NY in 1980.
She has been teaching ballet, jazz and Middle Eastern Dance since 1972 and has just retired from Converse Pre-College, after developing the program of Ballet for Tots and Primary I & II Ballet for the past 25 years.
Ms. Marlene has been with Ballet Spartanburg for two years and enjoys teaching Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, Ballet A & B, and Middle Eastern Dance for Teens and Adults.
Marian Norman is a professional dance instructor from Spartanburg, She istrained in major ballroom dances such as Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Swing, Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Merengue, Mambo, as well as the Shag - SouthCarolina's official State dance.
Marian taught for 14 years at the Spartanburg Ballroom Studio, She represented the Studio in Pro/Am competitions with her husband, Dean, During her career she was also responsible for outreach which involved teaching and presenting programs and performances in schools, colleges, churches, clubs and for charity functions, She recently coached and choreographed two entries in the very successful Spartanburg "Dancing with the Stars" competition.
Pamela Agudelo,Pre-Ballet/Ballet I,II,III, & IV
Pamela Agudelo was born in Brewster, New York. She began her ballet training as a child after seeing the movie “The Red Shoes”. At age 13 she was chosen to perform in the children’s corps of Coppelia for the New York City Ballet. She received scholarships from the Joffrey Ballet School and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She danced in New York City with the Asian American Dance Company and with Allnations Dance Company of New York, touring the Philippines, Taiwan, Poland, Hungary and Austria. Pam also danced with Traumtheater Salome touring West Germany. She appeared in commercials for Levi Jeans and on German National Television. Pam is married to Carlos Agudelo they have a son Michael, 16, who aspires to be a professional ballet dancer. From 1996 to 2001 Pam served in a variety of artistic and administrative roles for Ballet Spartanburg. Since 2001 Pam has obtained her CPA license and six years’ experience in accounting and auditing. She has worked with public accounting firms Deloitte and Touche and Cherry Bekaert and Holland. While Pam continues to enjoy her work as an auditor, she looks forward to returning to the dance studio where she can share her love of ballet with her students.
Audrey Burr is a native of Cork City in Ireland. The youngest daughter in a family of eleven, Audrey began taking dance lessons at the age of 3. After completing her degree at the Cork Institute of Technology she emigrated to the United States. She has taught Irish Dancing in the Carolinas for 8 years and is affiliated with the Irish Dance School "Rince na h'Eireann" (Dance of Ireland). Some of her students have reached the highest levels of competition including Regional, National and W odd Championship levels. The school performs at many local and charity events and has also performed with such prestigious artists as "Eileen Ivers and the Immigrant Soul Band", "Cherish the Ladies", Gaelic Storm", "The Spartanburg Philharmonic" and "The Dublin City Ramblers" to name but a few. Her dedication and love for her culture and heritage is very apparent throughout her work.
Sherry Barker,Creative/Pre-Ballet/Adult & Advanced Tap
“Miss Sherry” has over 40 years teaching experience in ballet, jazz, and tap with children and adults ages 3 to 73. She has been the owner and operator of Dawn at Pleasantburg Academy of Dance in Greenville (4 years), and has taught at Rehearsal Hall at Presbyterian College in Clinton (12 years), Converse College Pre-College Dance Department (11 years), and Ballet Spartanburg (29 years). Miss Sherry was also Ballet Spartanburg’s Dance Center Administrative Director from 1979 to 1996. She was the founder and Director of the Sherry Jones Dancers, a jazz dance troupe that performed from 1980 to 1996, and the Tap Dames which was formed in 2000. She has choreographed and performed in over 20 musicals and operas in her 41 year career at Spartanburg Little Theater, Greenville Little Theater, Spartanburg Repertory Company, Spartanburg High School Drama Department, Broome High School Chorus, USC Upstate, and she was the official choreographer for the Miss Spartanburg Pageant for five years. Miss Sherry currently teaches Creative Dance, Pre-Ballet, and Adult Tap. She continues to perform with her Tap Dames in South and North Carolina, and Georgia throughout the year. Does she love to dance? “You bet cha!!”
Cynthia Bernhausen,Ballet II/Pre-Professional Division
Lauren Scott,Outreach Instructor
Lauren Teel Scott began her dance training in Greenville, NC at the North Carolina Academy of Dance Arts. She continued to receive training at The Raleigh School of Ballet and North Carolina School of the Arts. At age sixteen Miss Scott assisted in the creation of The Greenville Civic Ballet studio and continued her Ballet study under Kimberly Gray-Saad. A founding member and Principal dancer for The Dance Collective pre-professional company, Lauren danced in key roles in Ballet, Jazz, and Modern works. Lauren danced in the adjudication performance when The Dance Collective was invited to join the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association. Miss Scott continues to be a guest performer with the Dance Collective that is now a performing company of SERBA. Lauren continues to take master classes to further her education and had the opportunity to work with Suzanne Ferrell, Melissa Hayden and Mia Michaels to name a few. Lauren was a Park Scholar at North Carolina State University where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a minor in Genetics. Miss Scott was a National Coca-Cola Scholar, Robert Byrd Scholar and was first runner up in America's Junior Miss representing North Carolina. Lauren was an active member of the nationally awarded NCSU modern dance company where she had her choreographic work adjudicated at the Regional American College Dance Festival. In a work selected to represent college dance programs across the United States, Lauren performed at the National American College Dance Festival held in the Kennedy Center. Lauren has ten years of teaching experience including directing the jazz dance program for Cary Ballet Conservatory. Additionally, she directed the non-profit performing group, Synchronous Motion, while working with the students at Cary Ballet. Lauren has volunteered in many capacities including the HOSTS mentoring program where she initiated and implemented a dance program for underprivileged students. Lauren relocated to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to pursue a doctorate of chiropractic. She continues her artistic and community work by teaching in the outreach program for Ballet Spartanburg. Most recently, Lauren was honored to represent dance educators across South Carolina by being elected president of the South Carolina Dance Association.
Susan Woodham,Outreach Coord/Pre-Ballet/Ballet I,II/Choreography/Ballet Exercise
Ms. Susan Woodham is Outreach Coordinator and Instructor for Ballet Spartanburg and Dance Specialist for Pine Street Elementary School. She earned her BA in psychology and her MEd in Elementary Education from Converse College, with certification in elementary education and in dance. She has served as facilitator for Curriculum Leadership Institute in the Arts for 8 years, Arts Education Leadership Institute, and on the team to rewrite the SC Curriculum Standards for the Visual and Performing Arts. She is currently serving as a member of the SC Arts Assessment Writing Team and served as president on the Board for the SC Dance Association. Ms. Woodham is currently on the advisory council for the SC Dance Education Organization. She is the developer and coordinator of Ballet Spartanburg’s Art in Motion, a summer dance, music, and visual art program for inner city students, which just completed its 15 th year. She recently was able to assist in reinstating the dance program in Spartanburg School District 7. She was named SC Dance Association’s Dance Educator of the Year for 2000-2001 and has recently honored with a Career Achievement award from Converse College. She is a member of SC Dance Association, Ballet Spartanburg, SC Arts Alliance, SC Alliance for Arts Educators, SC Dance Education Organization, and the National Dance Education Organization. Ms. Woodham has a 20-year-old daughter, Harrison, who is a senior at College of Charleston. In addition to dance, Ms. Woodham enjoys reading, being an advocate for arts education, and contra dancing.
