6-Day Ballet Intensive for Adult Beginners

Jordan Shane Terry is a professional manual therapist working with the structure and flow of the human body- helping people to move better, feel better, and of course, play better through the use of movement, touch and awareness. Beginning in the Spa industry, switching to Orthopedic massage, and then to finally opening his own business, Fundamental Body Therapy, Jordan has pursued an in-depth understanding of the Central Nervous System and how to affect each client through the use of Neuromuscular Therapy, Integrated Cranial, Advanced NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT), and Proprioceptive-Deep Tendon Reflex (P-DTR). Currently, Jordan is also an Instructor at Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute (SBBTI). He teaches Trigger Point Therapy, Integrated Cranial, Spa Deep Tissue (in the past), and Muscle Physiology/Kinesiology at SBBTI, as well as, traveling to Australia, Taiwan, and all over California to help teach NeuroKinetic Therapy.

Susan Alexander moved to Santa Barbara in 2008 after having lived in France for over 20 years, teaching Modern Dance for the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years, and at the Paris Conservatory of Music and Dance for 18 years. Prior to living in Paris, she taught at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio in New York, and choreographed and produced her own work during the 7 years she lived there. Having grown up in Southern California, Susan graduated from UCSB with degrees in Dance and English and from Mills College with an M.A. in Dance. She has been a guest instructor for many professional companies and schools both in Europe and the US, and returns to France twice a year as a guest teacher at various schools and institutions there.

Melanie Bales graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, and studied ballet in New York City at the Joffrey School, and as a Harkness Ballet Trainee. She graduated Magna cum Laude from Carleton College, and an MFA from the University of Illinois. She performed both classical and operetta repertoire in West Germany, and danced principal duet roles with Douglas Nielsen Dance, New York. Her choreography has received several state and national awards. Ms. Bales is a Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, New York. As a Professor of Dance at The Ohio State University, she taught ballet technique, Laban studies, and courses in dance history/theory. She has co-authored two books: The Body Eclectic: Evolving Practices in Dance Training (University of Illinois Press 2007), and Dance on its Own Terms: Histories and Methodologies (Oxford University Press 2013).

Carrie Diamond, President, AD&M and Executive and Artistic Director of The Dance Hub; Artistic Director, AD&M Performance Group, is a 2019 Recipient of the Apogee Award for Excellence in Education. Her lifelong interest in dance developed early on by the mentorship of three individuals: Don Hewitt (ballet), Marilyn Allen Suleiman (choreography), and Virginia Storie-Crawford (modern dance). She later trained with Cecchetti master teacher, Margaret Craske, and such luminaries as Lawrence Rhodes, David Howard, and Benjamin Harkarvy. She danced professionally in New York City for over fifteen years and holds an M.F.A from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, she founded New American Ballet Ensemble, a New York City company that promoted new music and choreography. She was an instructor for the Alvin Ailey School, the 92nd Street YM/YWHA, Peridance, and Marymount Manhattan College. In Santa Barbara, Ms. Diamond co-founded American Dance and Music in 2006 with Eric Valinsky, where she directed the AD&M Studio, AD&M Performance Group, and Moving To Learn, a curricular dance program for elementary school children. In 2017, the AD&M board of directors opened The Dance Hub, a thriving community dance space where Ms. Diamond serves as the executive and artistic director and principal ballet teacher for adults of all levels and ages. She is dedicated to bringing as many people as possible into and back to dance at The Dance Hub, whether they are 18 months or 84 years old.