FACULTY

DIRECTOR: Henry Berg
With a career that spans over three decades in dance, film, television, theatre and academia, Mr. Berg has established himself as one of the foremost dance teachers in the country. His guest teaching engagements include annual seminars for The Boston Ballet, The Academia Ana Pavlova in Bogota, and Dance Educators of America as well as visits with Joffrey Ballet.
In 1992 Mr. Berg traveled to Japan where he taught seminars in both Tokyo and Nagoya.
His own career as a dancer began in Hollywood films. In 1962 he joined the San Francisco Ballet and in 1967 he joined The Joffrey Ballet. He assisted choreographer Twyla Tharp in New York until he returned to San Francisco where he created the Pacific Ballet Company. He joined the faculty of the San Francisco Ballet where he taught until 1991. He now conducts a rehabilitation class for injured dancers at SFB. Mr. Berg taught at City Ballet for fourteen years until May of 2003.

TEACHER: Peter Brandenhoff

Peter Brandenhoff, a native of Denmark, received his ballet training at the Royal Danish Ballet School, from which he graduated in 1991. Upon graduation he joined the Boston Ballet II for a season before moving to San Francisco as a member of the corps de ballet of San Francisco Ballet, where he performed many principal and soloist roles and worked with many leading choreographers. After five years in the company, he accepted a position with the Hamburg Ballet in Hamburg, Germany, to work with John Neumeier. He returned to SFB in 1998 and was promoted to soloist two seasons after that.

In 2006, he retired from SFB and performed and taught internationally and nationally as a guest artist. In 2008 he was on Ballet Master at Ballet San Jose School, where he taught a boys’ program that quadrupled the number of boys enrolled in the school. He is excited to bring his expertise from stage and classrooms to the Ballet Studio.

TEACHER: Charles Torres M.A.
Charles was born in Mesa, Arizona. He began his ballet training under Judy Churma and Florence Davich. He received full scholarships to San Francisco Ballet School, Cleveland Ballet School, Royal Danish Ballet School Workshops, School of American Ballet, and Arizona State University. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from St. Mary’s College and begins his Master’s in the fall of 2006.
His wide range as a performing artist encompasses the contemporary works of Balanchine and other 20th century choreographers as well as the full-length classics. Since 1998, Charles has been a principal guest artist with several bay area companies; Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Diablo Ballet and Company C. He has danced principal roles for Smuin Ballets for choreographer and director Michael Smuin.
Charles began his teaching career in 1989. He is currently teaching with the Ballet Studio and is on the faculty of Stapleton School of Performing Arts and is a guest teacher at the San Francisco Dance Center (home of Lines Ballet). His teaching career has include the Sacramento Ballet, Western Ballet School San Jose Dance Theatre, Loyola Marymount University, Stanford University, and Westside Ballet. He has been teaching with The Ballet Studio since 2005.

TEACHER: Sherri LeBlanc
Sherri LeBlanc trained at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary. Her Professional career started with New York City Ballet, where she danced for 6 years, continued for a year in Dusseldorf Germany, and finally was completed with the San Francisco Ballet where she danced as a soloist for 9 years. She has performed principal roles in numerous ballets by well known choreographers such as Balanchine, Robbins, Tharp, Tomasson, Lubovich, Welch, and Kudelka.

Sherri has returned to her home school in Pennsylvania to teach upcoming students for summer sessions and as well has taught at Orlando Ballet School and City Ballet School in San Francisco. She currently teaches both children and adults at The Ballet Studio in San Francisco and is completing her BA in performing arts.