Advanced Ballet with Courtney Laves-Mearini

Bio:

Courtney received her training in Houston, TX, studying primarily under Anne and Nicholas Polajenko, Gilbert Rome, ABT's Alexander Minz, Claire Duncan, and James Clouser. She also had the opportunity to study with Fosse jazz dancer, Delia Weddington-Stewart, for five years while growing up in Houston. She trained for a year at the University of Utah under Li-Chou Chang and had the opportunity to work with Sir Anton Dolin and Toni Lander, restaging Pas de Quatre in the role of Marie Taglioni. She danced with several ballet companies including Atlanta Ballet, South Carolina Ballet Theater, and Cleveland San Jose Ballet. She danced lead roles in ?Serenade? as the Russian Lead, ?Paquita? as a soloist, ?Sleeping Beauty as Princess Aurora?, Concerto Barocco’s principal, a Raymonda Variations soloist, and in Lynn-Taylor Corbett's Appearances. Courtney has been teaching ballet since 1978 for various studios in Houston, Florida, and Cleveland, including teaching at the University of Akron's and Kent State's dance department. She received her B.A. in Anthropology and Communications from Cleveland State University in 1997 and excavated for three field seasons on the Maya Mountain Archaeological Project in Belize, Central America with Dr. Peter Dunham. In 2004, Courtney began managing Cleveland City Dance and created the non-profit, 501(c) 3, City Ballet of Cleveland in 2009, and as the Artistic Director of this pre-professional ballet company. Cleveland City Dance became a competitor at YAGP in 2018. Alumni are currently dancing with NYCB, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Brooklyn Ballet and more.