Faculty-Corkery Ballet School

HISTORY

The Gayle Corkery School of Ballet opened in 1970 and in 1972 Violette Verdy selected the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet to participate in the Ford Foundation National Program of Services to Ballet Students and Teachers operated by the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. The program was designed to further the development of professional ballet instruction in the U.S. Since that time students have auditioned for and been accepted to professional ballet schools and many students have joined professional ballet companies, opened their own schools and become directors of their own dance companies.

The Gayle Corkery School of Ballet invites all students in the metroplex to participate in its outstanding ballet training program. The school provides quality ballet instruction for all levels of advancement. From the youngest pre-ballet student to the aspiring professional, each student is guided through a curriculum designed to enhance both physical skill and appreciation for the artistry of dance. The goal of the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet is to provide a firm foundation for each dancer to attain his or her full potential through a combination of the highest quality training and exciting performance opportunities.

FACULTY

Gayle Corkery, director of the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet and the director of Lower and Middle School Ballet FWCDS Ballet Department, studied at American Ballet Theater in NYC and then danced with the Fort Worth Ballet and Dallas State Fair Musicals. She continued her education at Texas Christian University studying ballet, theater, voice and literature. She received her Bachelor of Arts and her Master of Arts degrees from TCU. As the director of her own ballet school, she was selected to participate in the School of American Ballet’s National Program sponsored by a Ford Foundation grant; this program was designed to further the development of professional ballet instruction in the U.S. By special invitation, she attended the last teaching seminar of George Balanchine and seminars with the Paris Opera Ballet, the Kirov Ballet and the Royal Academy of Dancing. Ms. Corkery has directed five instructional ballet videos for elementary students: Mermaids and Butterflies, Princess in the Tower, Dance of the Periwinkle, Circus Day and Introduction to Elementary Ballet and Character Dance. gcorkery@fwcds.org

Carrie Cheng trained with the Jacksonville Ballet Theatre under the direction of Dulce Anaya. Mrs. Cheng continued her training under full scholarship at the University of Utah where she earned a BFA degree in ballet. She has danced prefessionally with the Utah Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Ballet Theatre Boston and Ballet Concerto. She has been a guest teacher for several summer ballet programs such as the Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Theatre of Boston, Pittsburgh Ballet as well as schools in Taiwan and China. Mrs. Cheng is currently the director of the Middle and Upper School ballet at FWCD. She choreographs her own works and restages classical ballets for the advanced students. ccheng@fwcds.org

Li Chou Cheng started his professional training at the age of thirteen at the Beijing Ballet School under Pyoter Guschev, the former artistic director of the Kirov Ballet. He was soloist with the Beijing Central Ballet from 1961-1980, also serving as ballet master for the company. After immigrating to the United States in 1980, he became Assistant Professor of Ballet at the University of Utah and Arizona State University as well as principal teacher for the Boston Ballet. He is now Professor of Professional Practice at Texas Christian University. Mr. Cheng is in demand nationwide as a guest instructor, teaching for such companies as Boston Ballet, the Atlanta Ballet and Ballet Austin. He teaches and choreographs for the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet Pre-Professional level.

Susan Austin began her ballet training with the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet, performing in many productions and also working as an assistant ballet instructor. After receiving her B.A. degree from Texas Lutheran College, Mrs. Austin worked with elementary school students teaching creative movement and ballet and she now teaches and choreographs for intermediate students. Mrs. Austin works extensively with CATS in Arlington and Hip Pocket Theater.

Margo McCann began her ballet training in Beaumont and continued in New York City with a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet, the official school of the NYC Ballet. Ms. McCann joined the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet in 1986 and has danced principal roles in George Balanchine ballets, such as Agon, Apollo, and Rubies. She has also danced principal roles in Coppelia, Nutcracker and Cinderella. Ms. McCann teaches Advanced students and coaches students in the classical variations from such ballets as Coppelia, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty. Ms. McCann is also the company manager of Texas Ballet Theater.

Natalie Bracken began her training with the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet and Fort Worth Country Day School Ballet Department. She has studied ballet, flamenco, modern dance and jazz. She attended summer programs at American Ballet Theater, New York City Dance Alliance and Broadway Theatre Project. Natalie will graduate this year with a BFA degree in ballet from Texas Christian University, where she is a Fine Arts Guild Scholarship holder. She has also choreographed for FWCD dance, theater and choir departments and was nominated for a Betty Buckley Award for her choreography.

Allison Poston began her training with the San Angelo Civic Ballet. She continued her training on scholarship at the North Caroline School of the Arts. She has studied at the Boston Ballet School, School of American Ballet, Hungarian State Ballet School and the Pacific Northwest School. As a Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship recipient, she attended Texas Christian University's Department of Ballet and Modern Dance. Allison has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from TCU. This will be her first year teaching for the Gayle Corkery School of Ballet.

Michelle Gifford attended the School of American Ballet in NYC on full scholarship and was then invited to join the New York City Ballet, where she performed soloist and principal roles for twelve years. In 2000, Michelle joined Texas Ballet Theater where she danced for six years as a principal dancer dancing such ballets as Sleeping Beauty, Cinderalla and Nutrcracker. Ms. Gifford is a certified Gyrotonic instructor and is working towards her certification at the Physical/Mind Institute for Pilates. Ms. Gifford has also taught extensively throughout the United States. She has two children and continues to perform as a principal guest artist.

Master Class Techers have included Violette Verdy, Allegra Kent, Daniel Duell, Edward Villella, Colleen Neary, Marie Christine Mouis, Alexandra Danilova, Fernando Bujones, Suki Schorer and Bruce Wood.