Cynthia Penn-Halal, Founding Executive/Artistic Director
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Cynthia Penn-Halal is an established choreographer and dance teacher with more than 15 years of experience in jazz, modern dance, classical ballet and musical theatre. Received awards from the Kennedy Center and the Jacques d’Amboise National Dance Institute. Danced with such major companies as The Joffrey Ballet, Agnes de Mille Heritage Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and Bella Lewitzky. In Venezuela, was resident choreographer for Radio Caracas TV and the founder/director of the Jazz Center of Caracas. Taught and choreographed in Japan, France, Switzerland and Morocco. Degree in modern dance from the North Carolina School of the Arts.
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Bernadine Fields, Associate Artistic Director
Originally from Kinston, North Carolina, Bernadine began her training in ballet and jazz at La cademie De Danse under the direction of Nora Parker. She studied modern dance at North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and finished her degree in Dance Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Bernadine is currently the dance director at Southern High School and a professional dancer for Elevate - A Production and Performance Company based out of Raleigh, NC. She has done advertisement work as a dancer for Disney’s Step Up 3, appeared as a dancer on TLC’s Outrageous Kid Parties, and has had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of choreographers and dancers . She is the founder of NC Underground, which is an organization that focuses on providing professional training and promotes network amongst aspiring professional dancers in the area. Bernadine enjoys teaching styles ranging in hip hop, lyrical, jazz, and contemporary in local studios in the triad area. Her students have received scholarships to ADF in Durham, Alvin Ailey and AMDA New York. Some of her students have also gone on to dance professionally, being featured on FOX, BET and MTV