![]() ![]() ![]()
|
|
![]()
Anna studied ballet from her mother Elaine Willingham from age 5 until graduation from high school. Anna took summer workshop classes from Mira Popovich at age 13. While at the University of Montevallo, Anna taught ballet for Pamela Mirkle Sayle at The Alabama Academy of Dance and also continued her training with Mira Popovich. Anna graduated from the University of Montevallo with a Bachelors degree in Retail Merchandising and a minor in Business. Anna is also the secretary for S & D Properties real estate.
Anna is married to David Lanier and homeschools their children Clara, Liam, Esther, and Violet.
Marcia majored in ballet at Birmingham Southern College under Mira Popovich. After marrying her husband Emmett she taught for the Decatur Ballet then later opened a school in Cullman. They then moved to Denver, Colorado in 1979 where Marcia taught ballet for a community center. Returning to Cullman Marcia served as President and Treasurer of the Cullman Arts Council.
Her love of ballet brought her to Ballet Theatre School where she has found a home. Marcia is married to Emmett Blocher and has one daughter Natalie Cox and two grandchildren, Desmond and Ava.
While attending the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Mrs. Skoog toured Venezuela and Europe as a principal with the Alabama Ballet Company and Town and Gown Theatre, performing in music festivals in major cities. She toured extensively in the southeast and performed in the Southeastern Regional Ballet Festival in Jacksonville, Florida. She has also performed at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
Mrs. Skoog received her Bachelor of Science in Ballet from Indiana University where she studied with Marina Svetlova, John Kriza, Kenneth Melville, Anton Dolin, and Nicholas Beriozoff. She was a principal dancer while at Indiana. After graduating, she studied in Baltimore with the Maryland Ballet.
Upon returning to Birmingham, she taught and performed with the State of Alabama Ballet's professional company and school under the direction of Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski. She has served as Director of the Preparatory Dance Program of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and has taught ballet at Birmingham Southern College. She was guest choreographer for the University of Alabama Opera Theatre's production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, and most recently attended the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition Teacher Workshop in Jackson, Mississippi.
Mrs. Skoog lives in Birmingham with her husband Vernon. They have one son, Brian.
Beginning in England, the naturalized American, Mrs. Cain danced through out childhood and then attended The University of Missouri at Kansas City as a ballet major studying under Ms. Tatiana Dokoudovska formerly with the ballet Russe of the Opera Comique in Paris. Mrs. Cain danced with the Kansas City Civic Ballet and the University Dance Ensemble. Mrs. Cain also danced with the Des Moines Civic Ballet and performed with Theatre Fabulous Dinner Theater in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mrs. Cain joined The Cullman Ballet Theatre School in 1990 with her daughter Abby Cain Hudgins and studied with Elaine until driving Abby to Birmingham to dance with the Alabama Ballet became the major daily extra curricula activity.
Along with ballet and music, Mrs. Cain studied tap with the Mangelly School of Music and Dance in Augusta, Georgia. She tapped for many years and performed with The Fabulous Five in high school, entertaining at Fort Gordon Army Base, business events and many parties and receptions in town.
This summer Mrs. Cain completed the two week Teachers Workshop at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.
Blessed with a supportive and loving husband, John L. Cain, their family consists of 6 shared children, 8 grandchildren. In addition to John and Carol their home is occupied by four cats, and one dog. "Please neuter and spay all your pets".
"Dance is in my soul and I am delighted to have this opportunity to share my love of dance with young dancers."
Peyton is a fourth year member of the Cullman Ballet Company. She has participated in classes at the Alabama Dance Festival and has been an ADF Showcase performer for the past three years. She has performed at Panoply in Huntsville along with the For Kid's Sake programs in Cullman. Last year she danced the lead role of "Clara" in the Montgomery Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker" and the lead role of "Raymonda" in Ballet Theatre School's production of "Raymonda".
Peyton is a Senior at Cold Springs High School where she is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Club, and Youth for Christ. After high school, she plans to attend college to pursue a business degree. Her career plans are to teach ballet and to eventually own her own studio.
In 1999 she concluded her Examininations in Classical Ballet from Royal Academy of Dancing. She obtained grade "honors", the maximum classification, in 1998, in her 7th grade.
Besides being a teacher and a classical, contemporary, jazz, and tap dancer at dance schools, she also developed the art of dance from kindergarten to University, creating and directing choreographies, recitals and participating in competitions, winning several titles.
Along with Marlene Paiva Ballet Company, she danced from 1996 to 2008, performing in competitions around the southeast of Brazil. Her passion for English and cultures brought her to the USA where she is now engaged to Mark Anthony Payne.
Cullman Ballet Theatre School 1704 Talley Ho Street Cullman, Alabama 35055 256-734-7775 or 256-734-3799 E-mail: questions@cullmanballettheatre.com
Upcoming Events | Picture Gallery | Cullman Ballet Society | Contact Us |