THE QUINTE BALLET SCHOOL
OF CANADA'S
SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMME
JULY 4 - JULY 30, 2010

GUEST TEACHERS

John Ottmann, Artistic Director

John Ottmann started his career in 1983 at the National Ballet of Canada after training at The National Ballet School and L’Ecole Superieure de Danse du Quebec. Over the course of his 22 years performing career Mr. Ottmann gained a reputation as a highly versatile and powerful dance artist on the international scene. He has performed for companies including Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet (guest artist), Mascall Dance, Danstabat, Quorum, Fortier Danse Créations, Holy Body Tattoo and The National Ballet of Canada.

An important current that continues to fuel Mr. Ottmann’s artistry is teaching and coaching students and professional dancers. Having a strong background in classical ballet technique, Mr. Ottmann began teaching company class and a professional student program in 1991. He has since spent years developing a progressive approach that achieves both technical excellence and artistry while based in sound anatomical principles. Mr. Ottmann has deepened his knowledge through studies in structural alignment, the pilates method, gyrotonics, as well as courses in the Franklin method, learning theory, Functional Anatomy and Kinesiotherapy.

Mr. Ottmann has taught and/or held position of rehearsal director for professional companies such as Cirque du Soleil (“ZAIA”), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, La La La Human Steps, Company Marie Chouinard, O Vertigo Danse, BJM Danse (Ballet Jazz de Montreal), Cas Public, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alberta Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Toronto Dance Theater, Ballet B.C. and the Dutch National Ballet.

As a master teacher, Mr. Ottmann has taught for the following schools, institutions and workshops: Transformation Danse –Festival Transatlantic, LADMMI (Les Atellier de Danse Moderne de Montreal Inc.), Ballet Divertimento, Ballet BC Mentor Program, CADA (the Canadian Association of Dance Astists), Dance Teq Toronto, Arts Umbrella, The Vancouver Ballet Society, Anna Wyman School of Dance Arts, Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Richmond Academy of Dance, Burke Academy, Main Dance Bridging Program, Breaking Ground, Harbour Dance Centre, Simon Fraser University, Marin Ballet California and the O Vertigo Summer Intensive.

John Ottmann’s has been an adjudicator for several dance festivals including the largest festival of it’s kind in Canada; the British Columbia Provincial Festival of the Arts. Additionally,  Mr. Ottmann has created more than 20 choreographies, his work has seen growing national support; his duet “Untitled Tangle” opened the 2004 Canada Dance Festival.

Francine Liboiron

Francine Liboiron graduated from the Academy of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 1980. She danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens from 1983 to 1985 and from 1990 to 1992. Before and after these stints with Les Grands, she furthered her professional experience as a dancer of classical, neoclassical, modern and contemporary dance with the Banff Center for the Arts, the Joven Guardia Compagnie in Havana, Cuba, ISO Dance Compagny in New-York, Peter de Ruiter in Amsterdam and with Montreal choreographers and compagnies as Howard Richard, Jane Mappin, William Douglas, Roger Sinha., as La la la Human Steps and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. She works frequently with Crystal Pite and her company Kidd Pivot.

In addition to her full slate as a professional dancer, she has participated in four films for television and film, has been a rehearsal mistress for several companies and artists, coordinated and project-managed choreographic workshops for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and, since 1993, has taught dance.

She studied art history and Italian at Concordia (1985) and took impresario training in 1992-1993 under Colin McIntyre.

Francine is involved in the arts community and has been a jury member for the Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council, she is also part of the board member of Diagramme Gestion Culturelle.

As well, she is working for the DTRC office in Montreal and since March 2008 she is working with Le Cirque de Soleil as a Dépisteur Artistique for auditions all over the world.

Victoria May

Victoria received her early training with Celia Franca and Joyce Shietze at the School of Dance in Ottawa, Ontario. She made her professional debut in 1990 with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet while studying in the RWBs professional division. She graduated with distinction from the School in 1993 and danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet thereafter. She joined Gothenburg Ballet in Sweden in 1994. In 1998 she joined Danish Dance Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the 12 years she spent working in Europe she has had the opportunity to work with the following choreographers : Robert North, Robert Cohan, Birgit Cullberg, Jo Strømgren, Jorma Uotinen, Tim Feldmann, Tim Rushton, Jens Bjerregaard, Helen Saunders and Camilla Stage among others. In the summer of 2007 she moved to Montreal and has since worked with Dominique Porte, Louise Bédard and Thea Patterson. She has recieved The Duke and Duchess of York Award (CAD) Arnold Spohr Award (CAD), Augustinius Fund (DK), Danish Actors Blankbandsmidler (DK) and the Toyota Fund (DK). She is a regular teacher at the Royal Danish Ballet School, Royal Danish Opera Academy, Dansens Hus (DK), Danish Dance Theatre and Skånes Dance Theatre (SE). 

Andrew Parker

Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ballet teacher and choreographer, Andrew Parker joined the dance faculty of Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts in September 2007 after teaching for six years on the full-time faculty of Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS) in Toronto. In 2000, he received his teaching diploma with distinction from NBS’s Teacher Training Program for Professional Dancers. Mr. Parker was trained as a dancer at Cambridge School of Ballet with Carol Jordan, followed by Boston Ballet School, where he later returned to teach on the faculty and serve as Artistic Principal of Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education’s CITYDANCE Outreach Program, founded by Bruce Marks.

Mr. Parker began his performance career with the Milwaukee Ballet, under directors, Ted Kivitt and Basil Thompson where he trained intensively with Paul Sutherland. In 1987, he joined Tulsa Ballet Theatre where he danced soloist and principal roles. After five seasons of touring nationally with TBT, Mr. Parker joined Konstantin Uralsky’s Ballet Iowa as a principal dancer, where he danced many new ballets, as well as classics from the Bolshoi Ballet repertoire.

To complement his work as a dance educator, Mr. Parker has choreographed ballets for Southern Methodist University, Canada’s National Ballet School, Texas Ballet Theater School, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Pioneer Valley Ballet, Walnut Hill School, American Academy of Ballet, George Brown College Dance Ensemble and Milwaukee Ballet School. In 2004, he created choreography for Harvest Sky, a new Canadian opera by composer Douglas Rice and in 2005, Mr. Parker was commissioned by Toronto’s International Dance Festival to create his pas de deux, 2 = 1, for soloists from The National Ballet of Canada and Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2006, he collaborated as choreographer with Canadian ballerina, Veronica Tennant, on Song of Survival with NBS and Toronto’s Orianna Women’s Choir.

Mr. Parker is on the regular guest faculty at The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia and Canada’s National Ballet School.

Wayne Corinaldi
Wayne Corinaldi has 23 years of experience as a Hip Hop dancer/choreographer. Performances include Much Music Video Awards, Nathan Phillips Square, and Millennium Celebration Niagara Falls. Wayne has been a choreographer for the DLM Dance and Entertainment Company (1998-2003), the Harbourfront Centre (June 1999-2001), the Quinte Ballet School (Summer 2007 & 2008), and he is currently choreographer with the PSB Dance Academy (2000-Present), Interplay (2006-Present), and the London School of Dance (2003-Present).

Desiree Porter, A.I.S.T.D. (Cecchetti) Vice-Principal of the Umbrella Dance Programme

Desiree Porter is the Principal of the Umbrella Dance Program and a teacher with the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. She is a graduate of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada's professional school as well as their Teacher Training program. Desirée has also trained with the Centro Prodanza in Cuba, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. While with the Quinte Ballet School of Canada, Desirée danced Mirlitons, Snow, and Waltz of the Flowers in Nutcracker, Gizelle, Swan Lake, Jardin Animé, as well as many neo-classical contemporary and jazz works set by various guest choreographers. She has also taught for the Kingston School of Dance, PSB Dance Academy, Interplay and Bishop Strachan Private School’s dance programme.

Desirée has performed in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty, the Moscow Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker, the CuBallet de Verano’s Don Quixote, Desrosier Dance Theatre’s Pinocchio, the Canadian Ballet Youth Ensembles Snow White, and Les Sylphides, and the Tivoli theatres musical Guys and Dolls.

She has had the opportunity to train with many renowned teachers such as Frank Augustyn, Gizella Witkowsky, Owen Montague, Annette Av Paul, Brian McDonald, Susan Toumine, David LaHay, Kennet Oberly, Robert Desrosiers, Paula Moreno, Laura Alonso, and Christopher Flemming.

Along with dancing and teaching, Desirée has found another passion in choreographing and has been commissioned to choreograph for several plays and musicals. She has also been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with students from the Quinte Ballet School choreographing works for their Spring Showcase and Summer School Show’s.

Valerie Scannura, A.I.S.T.D. (Cecchetti), Principal Umbrella Dance Program

Valerie Scannura has been performing and teaching flamenco and Spanish dance for ten years prior to founding her own company and school, Ritmo Flamenco in 1995.  Valerie graduated from the National Ballet School’s prestigious teacher training program and taught ballet exclusively for five years before flamenco became her main love. Her desire to integrate the art forms of flamenco with contemporary dance and ballet have made her company versatile in their works.  In this aspect, her school is unique in it’s development and nurturing of up and coming young artists. Presently, she has established an ongoing relationship with teachers and schools in Jerez, Spain where she brings her dancers yearly.  This desire to integrate her students with Spain has influenced the international stature of her school and increases her standards of performance.

Valerie herself has studied with many renowned flamenco artists in Spain such has:  La Tati, Carmen Cortes, Domingo Ortega, Cristobal Reyes, Paco Romero, Merche Esmeralda, Carmela Creco, Timo Lozano, Ciro, Alejandro Granados, La China, Maria Magdalena, Yolanda Heredia, Belen Maya, El Guito (Madrid). In Seville with Farruquito and in Jerez with Mercedes Ruiz, Rafaela Carrasco , Soriya Clavijo and Marcos Flores.

Crystal Whyte, RAD (TC) A.I.S.T.D.(Cecchetti), N.B.S. T.T.P. (Dip)

Crystal Whyte is an accomplished performer, instructor and adjudicator of dance who has been teaching and adjudicating for the past 9 years.  She is a graduate of The National Ballet School of Canada Teacher Training Programme, holds a teaching diploma with the Royal Academy of Dancing, holds associate status with the National and Cecchetti branches of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, and is an accredited instructor with the ADAPT organization.  Many of the students who have trained with Miss Whyte have carried on their performing arts education in notable institutions such as York University, Ryerson Poly-technical Institute, and Professional Ballet Schools across North America.   In addition, many of her students have performed in film, television, professional ballet companies, and musicals such as the Canadian Cast of Showboat, and Dirty Dancing. 

Most notably Miss Whyte is one of the original cast members of the Tony Award-winning show Crazy For You which debuted at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.  She has also performed in various industrials, television commercials, and professional sports events in North America.  Miss Whyte currently teaches a multiple of disciplines for the Quinte Ballet School of Canada and Quinte Recreational Dance School, as well as continues to guest instruct for various studios in Ontario and across Canada.  She is a recent graduate of the highly competitive Artists In Community program at Queen’s University, where she holds an Honours Degree in History.  Miss Whyte actively uses her Bachelor of Education from Queen’s and the recognition by the Ministry of Education and the Ontario College of Teachers to promote dance and drama to students of all ages under the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.     

Tina Fushell

Born and raised in St. John's, Nfld., Tina Fushell moved to Ontario in 1995 to attend the Quinte Ballet School, and continued her training at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, graduating in May 2002. That same year, Tina co-founded Ambitious Enterprises (AE) with Kate Franklin and Samm Higgison, together producing the "At the Wrecking Ball" series, an event which has garnered much praise for the young company and ushered in a new generation of choreographers and collaborators from various disciplines.

As a choreographer Tina has had her work presented in The Festival of New Dance 2004 and 2005, FIDA 2004, Hysteria: Festival of Women 2005, WinterCity 2006, Larchaud Dance Project presentation of Shinjiri and The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival 2006. 

In April 2005, Tina co-produced "The Violet Hour" series with Lucy Rupert and Rebecca Carney, and presented, The Things We Do. In August 2006 Tina will be presenting a new work in The Violet Hour 2.

As a dancer, Tina has had the pleasure of working for numerous choreographers including Miranda Abbott, Leah Archambault, Tal Aronson, Andrya Duff, Alana Elmer, Kate Franklin, Samm Higgison, Jasmine Inns, Rose Marie MacGregor, and The Grasshoppa Exchange at this year’s Canada Dance Festival.

When not creating and performing in dance works, Tina divides her time teaching dance for the Quinte Ballet School and working for "Learning through the Arts", a project of the Toronto School Board where she teaches Kindergarten-Twelfth Grade curriculum through dance.