Hilton Head Dance Academy
An ABT Dance Training Program
The Hilton Head Dance Academy is a training program for middle and high school students under the direction of Artistic Director Karena Brock-Carlyle. The Academy will follow a specific and detailed curriculum which is outlined in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum.
Students will take classes in ballet plus pointe, variations, jazz, Pilates, nutrition, audition preparation, and dance history. The program is designed to offer those students with a passion for the art form the opportunity to explore related topics more deeply and to progress more rapidly. Students in the Academy will have the opportunity to perform in Hilton Head Dance Theatre productions such as The Nutcracker and Terpsichore.
Dance Academy begins after Labor Day & ends the week before our final spring performances.
Participation Options
Instruction at the Academy will begin at 1:30 pm Monday through Thursday enabling students to attend the academic school of their choice or to complete their daily homeschooling tasks. Classes continue until 4:00 pm. Some students may select the option of attending the second portion of the Academy day, and seminars and workshops will be offered on a rotating block schedule to accommodate those students. Students will be encouraged to, but not required to, attend Hilton Head Dance School Apprentice and Company Level classes in the evening.
Dance Academy Instructors
Karena Brock-Carlyle
HILTON HEAD DANCE SCHOOL CO-FOUNDER
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ABT® CERTIFIED TEACHER
Karena was named a Principal Dancer of the American Ballet Theatre in 1973 and shared roles with such stars as Natalia Makarova and Cynthia Gregory while being partnered by such luminaries as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Karena is an ABT® Certified Teacher and has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She has been teaching for 35 years.
Katie Girardi
ABT® CERTIFIED TEACHER, BALLET MISTRESS
Katie is a graduate of Mercyhurst University where she earned a BA in Dance Performance. Katie is an ABT® Certified Teacher and has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Katie is on the faculty of Pure Body Teacher Training and has been teaching Pilates since 2006.
Jamal Edwards
ABT® CERTIFIED TEACHER, BALLET MASTER
Jamal Edwards is a graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned a BA in Dance. Jamal works as a dancer, choreographer and instructor throughout the Lowcountry. Jamal is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® Curriculum.
Caitlin Hoffman
ABT® CERTIFIED TEACHER
Caitlin is a graduate of the University of Maryland and taught ballet, jazz and tap at the School of Theatrical Dance in Virginia before moving to the Hilton Head Island area. Caitlin is an ABT® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® Curriculum. A lifelong student of ballet, Caitlin is also a certified Pilates instructor.
Hilton Head Dance Academy is proud to include the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum, a breakthrough 8 level program that combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development.