Music General welcomes guest instructors
More than 100 dancers from the Brainerd lakes area attended Music General's four-day Summer Dance Camp 2002 on Aug. 5-8 at the Music General studios in Brainerd.
Students took classes in ballet with Gretchen Crawford of Monroe, La.; tap with Michael Minery of Totowa, N.J.; and jazz with Joe Istre of New York City. Sue Kuhn is dance director/instructor at Music General. Mabelle Halphen-Tamasy teaches ballet and Lindsey Koop teaches tap and jazz at the studio.
Crawford received her dance education from Linda Ford of the Twin City Ballet Co. During her career she has performed principal roles in such classics "The Nutcracker" and "Peter and the Wolf."
Her stage credits include appearances in all facets of dance, from classical ballet to musical theater, fashion shows to television. She began her teaching career while attending Louisiana Tech University. Currently she is on the teaching staff at the Twin City Ballet in Louisiana.
Minery just finished a four-year run at the Supper Club on Broadway with his partner, Parris Mann. He has toured the world with the internationally acclaimed tap company Manhatten Tap, and was featured on the cover of Dance Spirit and Dancer magazines.
He has taught for almost every dance convention in the country and is on the faculty at The Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan.
Istre moved to New York from his home state of Texas. He has danced in such shows as "42nd Street," "The Radio City Christmas Spectacular" and "Dirty Dancing." Most recently he danced in the Broadway show "Contact."
In 1998, his ballet choreography won awards at the International Ballet festival in Jacksonville, Fla. He teaches master classes across the country and is on the faculty at The Broadway Dance Center in Manhattan.