Li Cunxin, born in the People's Republic of China, was selected for the Peking Dance Academy at the age of 11. In 1989, Mr. Li joined the Houston Ballet and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1982. He was named a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Dance Fellow in 1986. He has received numerous awards in prestigious international competitions in the United States, Japan, and Russia. In 1995, he joined the Australian Ballet as Principal Dancer.
Barbara Bears, a native of Boca Raton, Florida, began dancing at the age of eight. She studied with Victoria Leigh and James Franklin. Ms. Bears joined the Houston Ballet in 1988. In July of 1991, she was awarded the silver medal in the Senior's Women's Division at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland. Ms. Bears was a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet until 2009.
Jennifer Davis Tinsley
received her earliest dance training Dallas under Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson.
She quickly developed into a beautiful lyrical dancer with exciting technique
and a lovely stage presence. At age 14, she received a scholarship to
study at the School of American Ballet. Ms. Davis Tinsleywas
with the New York City Ballet.
Christine Dunham, her early training was under the direction of Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson. At the age of
12, she was offered a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Ms. Dunham was appointed a Soloist in 1985 and then Principal Dancer in 1989 with the American Ballet Theatre. As a ballerina, Ms. Dunham is highly recognized for her authoritative interpretations of the major classical ballerina roles. Two of her favorite partners have been Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson have been active in training dancers since they started the Company, which is noted for the strong technique and stage presence of its Dancers and alumni from the school have joined major companies in the US and Europe as principals, soloists, and members. Both Ann and Bill received their major training in New York with such teacher greats as Pereyaslavec, Dokoudovsky, Kosmovska, and Tumkovsky. Together, they had an idea for a multimedia ballet training program that would complement and reinforce the studio classroom. They applied their years of teaching and training dancers to its development and the result is this comprehensive, interactive Video Dictionary which plays onPC, DVD, iPad and iPhone. Visit their website!
Michelle
Black was a student of the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet Company. She trained
under Ann Etgen and Bill Atkinson. She appears in Ballet is Fun at the age of five.
