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Sue B. Dance Company Instructors
 Suaundra Black - Artistic Director
Classically trained in the areas of tap, jazz, ballet, and modern, Suaundra began dancing as soon as she was able to walk. After attending the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Suaundra went on to graduate from Arizona State University. Suaundra currently juggles her duties at Sue B. Dance Co. with a full time job as an L.A. County Probation Department employee. Suaundra produced and directed the 2003 production "Our World Too" and, along with her brother, has created award winning choreography.
Suaundra has taken the new title of Artistic Director and, along with Michael Sistrunk, is moving at full speed to take Sue B. Dance Co. to a new level. Still performing at age 29, Suaundra is often asked when she will stop dancing. "My reply is simply, I'll stop when I can't do it anymore! Until then, I'll keep growing and fighting. I'm extremely grateful for my teachers Edouard and Michael who push me beyond my limits and help me continue my journey in dance. I'm not done yet!"
 Michael W. Sistrunk - Ballet, Jazz, Modern, and Assistant Artistic Director
Michael is our instructor for Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical, and Modern. He began his career at the School of Performing Arts in Montclair, New Jersey. He received his formal training at Gallman's Newark Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, the University of the Arts, Philadanco, and Koresh Dance Center. He received his B.F.A. in Dance Education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Michael has been teaching dance since 1988. Most recently he has taught at California Dance Center and Center Stage Dance Theater. His goal is to provide the art of dance and dance education to the aspiring artist, dancer, dance enthusiast, or recreational dancer, with the understanding of movement as a form of both self-expression and self-discipline.
 Susan Fioretti - Creative Movement
Susan is our instructor for Creative Movement and is affectionately known as "Ms. Susie." Susan began teaching in New York in 1982. She later taught in the cities of San Francisco, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her academic studies include Child Development and Child Psychology. Susan has many performance credits including touring companies and industries in New York and the pilot for "Dance in America," a PBS series.
 Edouard Kouzmitch - Ballet
Edouard Kouzmitch studied at the National Ballet Choreographic College of Minsk, Belarus for 10 years. He earned his B.A. Degree in Fine Arts from Mari State University in Russia. He has danced with the Belorussian Bolshoi Ballet State Theater, The National Ballet Company of Mexico and the contemporary dance company "Gineseo" at the University of Guadalajara. He has taught dance at the Westside Ballet Dance Academy in Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Dance Studio. He currently teaches at the Edge Performing Arts Center, the Crossroads School, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and California State University Los Angeles. Edouard also currently performs as a guest artist throughout the United States. He has danced and traveled extensively with companies through China, Japan, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, and Cuba. He is fluent in Russian, Spanish, and English.
 Lindsay Rapport - Hip Hop
Lindsay began her dance training at the age of five in Portland, Oregon. Her studies have included Hip Hop, Jazz, Afro-Modern, West African, Modern, Tap, Ballet, Swing, Salsa... and any other style she's been given the opportunity to experience. In 2006, she graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, California with a minor in Dance, and has continued to pursue extensive training in Hip Hop with Mariecella Devine of Devine Funk in Portland and with Brandon J in the Inland Empire. Aside from teaching at Sue B. Dance Company, Lindsay is also a Hip Hop instructor for the Talent Factory in Chino, the YMCA in Glendale, and for the KYDS after school program in Los Angeles. Lindsay has also been a performing member of ENVY Dance Company since 2007, as well as Assistant to the Founder and Artistic Director, Brandon J.
 Gretchen Palmer - Drama and Ballet
Gretchen was born and raised in Massachusetts. She began her journey as a dancer/actor at the age of 11 with Frank Hatchett. This led to a B.F.A. Degree in Dance from the Boston Conservatory of Music. Then it was off to New York City on a full scholarship at Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. Within a few months, she was off to Hollywood to shoot her first movie with Sydney Poitier, "Fast Forward." This led to a 25-year career in the business, from movies to TV to commercials, including "The Young and the Restless," "The Parkers," "I Got The Hook Up," "When Harry Met Sally," "Trois," and the Diet Pepsi "Uh-Huh!" commercial with Ray Charles, to name a few.
 Katie Reinhardt - Ballet
Katie Reinhardt has enjoyed the love of dance since she was a small child. She started training in ballet and tap early on, and became focused on classical ballet by 8 years old. She danced with Ballet San Joaquin and studied and performed doing partner work independently with a fellow company member (1997-98). She then went on to study modern and improvisational dance, which led her to study Dance Movement Therapy and earn her BA, at Naropa University in Boulder, CO (2003). In more recent years, Miss Reinhardt has collaboratively created the "Environment" for the VIP room of Boulder's own Erotica Ball, which included Butoh-esk performance art and costume (2006). She worked with Betsy Tobin, and the Now or Never Theater, in Boulder Fringe Festival, in "Shadows & Journeys," a full length experimental physical theater piece (2007). Miss Reinhardt has most recently taught and performed with The Movement Alliance Modern Dance Co., Nevada City, CA, and is thrilled to now be teaching Ballet here with Sue B. Dance Co.
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