Hello! I'd like to introduce myself to you. My name is Flor de Liz Norris, director of Flor de Liz Dance. As Director,
I welcome new faces and energetic bodies to join me in spreading the joy of dance. As a
student of dance for over 20 years my raw passion for the art of dance continues to grow. Dance
was awakened in me at the age of ten when I performed my first public concert as a member
of St. Joseph Ballet: a non-profit organization with the aim of providing an education in dance. With
the training came an awareness of the importance of an arts education and how it can change the
course of one's life. Under the guidance of Beth Burns (artistic director, St. Joseph
Ballet) and famed choreographer/dancer Donald McKayle, I pursued further training in dance
at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA). Subsequently after my training at NCSA I came
to Tucson where I earned my MFA at the University of Arizona. Over the years
I've had the opportunity to work with a number of famed choreographers further enhancing my
love of dance which I hope to help you experience.
PRE-BALLET 1&2, HIP HOP/JAZZ 1&2, ENSEMBLE CHOREOGRAPHER
Stephanie Stigers: Was ballerina, choreographer, and ballet mistress for the Israel
National Opera; American Concert Ballet; Radio City Ballet Co.; Los Angeles Civic Light Opera;
San Francisco Civic Light Opera. Artistic Director of Western Ballet Theater; choreographer and
soloist for Young Audiences; administrator and director of national CETA grants for four years.
Studied with George Zoritch, Peryaslavac at the Ballet Theater School, Royal Ballet School
of England and was offered an audition as guest artist for the Royal Ballet, and with John Barker,
American representative of Vaganova Choreographic School of Leningrad; was a student of Delores
Mitrovich, a protégé of Enrico Cecchetti. Choreographer and soloist in "Transformation",
a ballet included in KUAT film shown through-out the Rocky Mountain States and California.
CHILDREN'S BALLET LEVEL 2, BALLET LEVEL 3, POINTE, ENSEMBLE CHOREOGRAPHER
Jeffrey M. Rockland comes to our studio after an extensive career. A former soloist with
Atlanta Ballet and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Mr. Rockland danced soloist roles in many of
the classic repertoire as well as contemporary works by many of this century’s most well known
choreographers. As a teacher and choreographer, Rockland was company ballet master for
Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal and also served on the faculty of UC Irvine while attending as
one of that programs only MFA Chancellors Fellows. From 1992-1999, Mr. Rockland ran the
ballet program at the University of Northern Colorado. While in Colorado, Mr. Rockland formed
Colorado Dance Theatre and the Greeley Conservatory of Dance. In 1999, after receiving tenure
from the University of Northern Colorado, Mr. Rockland took a pause from full time work in dance in
order to pursue other business interests. In 2004, Mr. Rockland joined our studio where his three children,
Jacob, Talia, and Maliwan also dance.
BALLET LEVEL 4, ENSEMBLE CHOREOGRAPHER
Lois Black began childhood training in the early 60's with her mother who directed ballet schools in Iowa, Hawaii, and California. By the age of 7 Lois went on to study ballet with Jullian Harrin in Santa Rosa calif. After a move to the Phoenix area, ballet studies continued for 7 years with retired American Ballet Theatre dancer, and beloved teacher Kelly Brown. Summer scholarships included work at the Stone & Camryn School of Ballet in Chicago, the School of American Ballet in New York City, The American Ballet Theatre School, and The San Francisco School of Ballet.
Professionally, Lois was a member of Ballet Arizona in Phoenix under Steven Wistrich and his wife Betsy, and moved on to dance with the Des Moines Ballet Comapany in Iowa in 1979 where she was a part of the prestigious Touring Program of the Affiliated State Arts Angencies of the Upper Midwest which toured Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Lois also danced in the Iowa Public Television production of Romeo and Juliet choreographed by then director Jorge Samaniego, of The Netherlands Dans Theatre. After several years as a performer under three different directors at The Des Moines Ballet, it was time for a return to Arizona, and Tucson to make it home in 1986. At the age of 30 Lois danced for a season with The Arizona Ballet under Jean Paul Comilin.
Lois recently completed American Ballet Theater Teacher's Certification: Primary - Level 3.
BALLET LEVEL 4, ENSEMBLE CHOREOGRAPHER
Hello, I am Jennifer Bonnell. I began my dance training at the age of 4 with Miss Anne Smithburg of the Royal Danish Ballet. When she married and left the area I continued to take ballet at the Renee and LeMar School of Dance in San Luis Obispo, California. After high school, I went to Santa Clara University where I received a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Humanities and later several teaching credentials and a Masters Degree in Bilingual/Cross-cultural Education. After graduate school, I moved to Mexico and became quite involved with folkloric dance beginning with, The Ballet Municipal de San Blas and later helping form a touring company, The Ballet Folklorico Tonatiuh.
Upon leaving Mexico, I moved to Tucson and rekindled my love of ballet with Jane Matty’s Southern Arizona Dance Ensemble, later the Arizona Dance
Collective and finally I met Flor de Liz and became a part of the Flor de Liz Dance Ensemble. Now, I have the pleasure of teaching children’s
ballet and choreographing and directing the Flor de Liz Dance Ensemble’s Junior Company.
CHILDREN'S BALLET LEVEL 1 & 3, JUNIOR ENSEMBLE CHOREOGRAPHER
My name is Karen Bergin. I have over 15 years of dance training in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, and Hip Hop. I have danced in various groups: Southern Arizona
Dance Theatre, Dance Southwest, Flor De Liz Dance, Dance Rhapsody, and Tucson Metropolitan Ballet. I Have done intensive summer programs with Cache
Valley Ballet, State Street Ballet, and the dance program at Utah State University. I have enjoyed teaching for over 6 years.
PRE TAP/JAZZ, HIP HOP/JAZZ 1 & 2
Susan Lewis has been teaching and performing Ballet in New York and Arizona for
over 20 years. Certified L.I.S.T.D (Licentiate Int'l. Society of Teachers of Dancing)
in the Cechetti Method, she has also trained with Hilda Morales (NYCB), Elizabeth Carr
(ABT), and Jane Matty (former owner of Dance Visions). She has taught levels ranging
from 2-yr-old (nursery school programs) to Advanced adult (in the private dance studio
setting and in the College environment). For the past six years in Arizona Susan has
been in charge of the Children's Dance Program at Northwest YMCA, adjunct instructor
for St. Gregory Preparatory High School, on the staff of Dance Visions and Flor de Liz
Dance, specializing in Beginner Adults.
BALLET LEVEL 1 & 2, GENTLE BALLET STRETCH, TODDLER DANCE
Mary Melinda Carter-White
B.A. Psychology, Media Communications, Spanish, Dance experience-Tucson Metropolitan
Ballet, Tucson Civic Ballet, France Theater of Dance Gustafson Dance, Southern Arizona
Dance Theater, Desert Divas Department Head-Performing Arts, Tuller School Department
Head-Performing Arts, Presidio High School Dance coach-University of Arizona gymnastics
team Twenty years experience in teaching, performing, choreography Dance teacher at
France Academy of Dance, Gustafson Dance, Pima Community College, Dance Visions,
Flor de Liz Dance
HIP HOP/JAZZ LEVEL 1
