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Staff & Instructors
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Susan Clark
Artistic Director, School Director
Ms. Clark joined Milwaukee Ballet as a principal dancer in 1990. Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella in Cinderella, are among notable roles she has performed in her career.
Upon retiring in 1996, Ms. Clark became Ballet Mistress with Milwaukee Ballet. Prior to 1990, she was a principal dancer with Atlanta Ballet, danced with the Ballet Repertory Company in New York City, danced in the film version of Hair, and was a prizewinner in the International Dance Competition in Osaka, Japan.
Ms. Clark co-directed Ballet Midland with Anthony Ferro and continues to be a guest ballet instructor for Milwaukee Ballet and other companies in the USA. |
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Judy Coleman
is the Founder of Midland Festival Ballet.
She was ballet-trained in Midland, received a BA in Ballet/Theatre from TCU, and enjoyed a professional career in New York City with the Radio City Music Hall Ballet Corps.
Judy has toured with musical theatre stock companies, danced with a children's dance theatre group out of Washington, DC, and appeared in film and television productions.
She is trained and instructed in the Pilates method of dance injury rehabilitation and exercise.
Returning to Midland in 1984, Judy taught for and danced with Ballet Midland and James Cramer and Friends, Midland College and YMCA gymnastics, and has choreographed for local stage productions. She also leads a liturgical dance group.
She opened Coleman Academy in 1991 and formed Midland Festival Ballet as a non-profit Company two years later. MFB first staged The Nutcracker with the Midland-Odessa Symphony in 1995. Judy led the Company to acceptance in Regional Dance America/Southwest in 1999.
As part of her responsibilities, she obtains guest soloists and negotiates fees. She also oversees local auditions and casting and coordinates choreography and continuing education for dancers for fall, winter, spring, and summer.
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Congratulations to Midland Festival Ballet for 16 years of “Bringing the Beauty of Ballet to the Basin!” As the organization’s first Executive Director, I am so excited to join in leadership with this local cultural arts organization and SHARE in the fifteenth spectacular season of ballet for our community.
Midland Festival Ballet could not perform its annual holiday production of The Nutcracker without five parts: l) MFB Company Members and dancers from throughout the Permian Basin who bring the performance to life with their dancing, 2) the Artistic Directors and Instructors who provide inspiration and motivation to all involved, 3) the Board of Directors who pave the way with planning and fundraising, 4) the volunteers who bring time and energy for all aspects of needed support and 5) the season sponsors and ticket holders (along with foundations and businesses) who provide generous support to show commitment to the arts in our community and demonstrate appreciation of the hard work and dedication for Ballet.
To all of you, Thank You!
To the Pointe,
Jan St.Hilaire
Executive Director
432-686-0071 execdirect@midlandballet.com |
Lauren Curry
Contemporary Dance Instructor and Outreach Instructor
Curry began her serious dance training at the Ballet International Academy (formerly Indianapolis Ballet Theater). She continued her training in the Mount Holyoke College dance department, studying with Paul Dennis, Jennifer Weber, and Peter Jones - to name a few.
Curry has performed with the Seattle based Lingo Dance Theater and studied at the Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago, the Streb Lab for Action Mechanics (S.L.A.M.) in Brooklyn, and worked as an outreach instructor with Boston Ballet's Citydance Program.
Curry is excited to be in Midland and teaching Contemporary Dance. She enjoys doing outreach at Casa de Amigos and Hilcrest School. |
Jennifer Runnfeldt, Little Ballet Instructor
Jennifer is a Chicago native who started dancing at the age of 5 and went on to work with several different schools, companies, and choreographers such as Greg Begley, Julie Cartier, and Corey Nagel.
She has danced with Ballet Entre Nous under the direction of Marc E. Nevins doing such works as The Nutcracker, The Little Mermaid, and Spring Gala. In addition, she studied at The University of Iowa working with Armando Duarte, George de la Pena, Alan Sener, and Rain Ross.
She has also spent several summers on scholarship at The Milwaukee Ballet School working with Nadia Thompson.
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Joseph Goodman
Joseph began training at age 17 with director Thom Clower of Yuma Ballet Theatre in Arizona. After three years, he danced professionally with Greensboro Ballet, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet (now known as Texas Ballet Theatre), Paradise Ballet and has danced with many civic and pre-professional companies across the United States.
He has also choreographed, taught master classes and served as Ballet Master with several notable companies.
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