Mariclare Miranda  Prima ballerina, Mariclare Miranda, winner of the 1997 South Carolina Arts Commission Fellowship, began her ballet training at the age of seven with founding Artistic Director Ann Brodie. She continued her studies at the Boston Ballet and the David Howard Studio in New York City. In 1976, she joined the Columbia City Ballet, becoming a soloist in 1980, principal dancer in 1982, and attaining the rank of ballerina in 1984.

In her second year with the Company, she danced as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker and has gone on to dance every ballerina role in the Company's classical repertoire. She is noted for her commanding stage presence, especially in such dramatic roles as Romeo & Juliet's Juliet, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and the title role in Giselle. Reviewer Jon Rockwell of the The New York Times said of her performance in Off the Wall & Onto the Stage, 'Daughters of the South' made good use of pointe work... to reveal, in the company's prima ballerina, an elegant classical dancer named Mariclare Miranda. She proves that some exalted titles are not merely honorific."

Equally renowned for her powerful performances in contemporary work, she has portrayed a myriad of roles in Executive & Artistic Director William Starrett's original ballets. He has chosen her to create featured roles in his ballets, Beauty & the Beast, Dracula, Dracula's Revenge, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, A Tribute to Fred Astaire, Don Juan, and Frankenstein.

Ms Miranda has performed as a guest artist throughout the country for Ballet Tennesse, Mohawk Valley Ballet, Hilton Head Dance Theater, Ballet Orlando, Alexandra Ballet Company, Radford University, and Spoleto Festival. She toured South America with Mr. Starrett, performing as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Swanilda in Coppelia.

Raisa Struchkova, Principal Coach of the Bolshoi Ballet, personally coached Miss Miranda for The Sleeping Beauty, as did Prima Ballerina Gelsey Kirkland for the lead role in Swan Lake. She has also been coached by Bruce Marks, Arnold Spohr, Patricia Wilde, Karena Brock, Michael Lland, and Cynthia Harvey.

Ms Miranda was recently featured on the cover of three compact discs produced by David Howard and has starred in many television works, notably A Midsummer Night's Dream, Swan Lake, Beauty & the Beast, and Romeo & Juliet for SCETV. She is a Founder and Principal Instructor of The Columbia Conservatory of Dance.

After performing a finale appearance in the title role of Giselle in March 2006, she will now take on selected rolls in the upcoming seasons.  at her retirement gala, she was awarded the Key to the City of Columbia and the Order of the Palmetto of the State of South Carolina.

 

 

 

William Starrett  Dancer, teacher, choreographer, community leader. While all true, those descriptors don't even begin to paint a complete picture of William Starrett. From his start at San Francisco's Ballet Celeste and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, through appearances as a principal for the Joffrey Ballet and as a member of American Ballet Theater under the direction of both Lucia Chase and Mikhail Baryshnikov, to guest appearances with more than 40 of the world's most renowned ballet companies, Mr. Starrett's talent as a dancer has earned rave reviews from coast to coast as well as a medal at the very first US International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.

Today, though, Mr. Starrett's formidable reputation revolves most often around his choreographic and directorial accomplishments. As director and primary choreographer for the past 20 years, he has created or staged more than fifty works--including 10 original, full-length ballets and 12 original narrated one-act ballets for children--in locations throughout the United States and Europe.

Columbia City Ballet's Educational Outreach Program, which Mr. Starrett implemented in 1989, has introduced ballet to more than 350,000 schoolchildren in the Southeast.

He is the co-owner of Columbia Conservatory of Dance with Ballet Mistress Mariclare Miranda. In 2002, Mr. Starrett was honored by South Carolina's governor with the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Award for achievement in the arts.

 

 

 

Kerrie-Anne Sparks  Upon graduating the Harid Conservatory, Kerrie-Anne Dunn  joined the Milwaukee Ballet, where she had the privilege of dancing Balanchine’s Serenade, Who Cares?, and Stars and Stripes. Ms. Dunn joined Columbia City Ballet in 1996, and then Ballet Internationale in 1999. With BI, she toured throughout the US and China performing numerous works, including being featured as a Tavern Girl in Alonzo King’s Carmen. In 2003, Ms. Dunn took a year off from performing in order to concentrate on her teaching career. During this time, she trained under the tutelage of the country’s foremost ballet instructor, Marcia Dale Weary. Ms. Dunn was honored by Ms. Weary’s invitation to teach at her school, the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, where Ms. Dunn also choreographed a ballet for the school’s June Series performances.

In 2004, Ms. Dunn returned to the stage with Columbia City Ballet, where she has had the opportunity to perform some of her most favorite roles, including: Zulma in Giselle, Lead Swan in Swan Lake, and her most beloved role, the Dream Mother in Septime Weber’s Where the Wild Things Are. Ms. Dunn continues to teach and choreograph throughout South Carolina, having her works featured at many competitions, including Youth America Grand Prix, as well as concerts and showcases throughout the state.

 

 

 

Sharon Jones  Born and raised in Columbia, SC, Sharon is no stranger to the dance world. With over 25 years of teaching experience, Sharon trained at local studios through high school and continued taking dance classes at the University of South Carolina with Susan Anderson and a local studio with Wrenn Cooke. In 1989, Sharon took over Sha-Mar Dance Studios in Irmo, South Carolina and went on to own it for 7 years.

In 1999, after a short hiatus from teaching, Sharon joined the staff of the Columbia Conservatory of Dance. In 2002, she was appointed head of the Tap Department and in 2003 took over as Artistic Director of the Columbia City Tap Company. In 2005, to expand the Tap Company, she and her daughter Ashley created CC Dance Company–a company that grew to over 60 members–who competed in jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, hip hop and musical theatre. Many of her students have taken top honors at regional and national competitions in the southeast. Sharon is currently the Director of Columbia Conservatory Dance Company. She is also a judge for Kids Artisic Reveue National Dance Competition.

Sharon’s former students have danced with the Columbia City Ballet, Robert Ivy Ballet, and on Broadway. Current students can be seen in local theatre productions as well as local and national television commercials. Sharon’s stage credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, The Wiz, Mrs Stahlbaum in The Nutcracker and Berthe in Giselle.

To stay aware of the latest teaching methods and dance trends, Sharon attends local and national dance conventions and workshops. In addition to teaching, Sharon owns Movements Dance & Activewear, a retail dancewear store in Irmo, South Carolina.

 

 

 

Carol Anne Cooley   Born and raised in Columbia, SC, Carol Anne started dancing at the age of three at the Columbia Conservatory of Dance.  She competed with the Columbia City Jazz Company from age eight until she was eighteen.  Being a part of this company allowed her to work with world-renowned choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Jason Parsons, Tyce Diorio, Mandy Moore, Lauren Adams, Desiree Robins, Doug Caldwell, Dee Caspery and Nick Lazzarini.  Carol Anne competed at competitions such as Star Systems, Showstoppers, Tremaine, Company Dance, New York City Dance Alliance, Showbiz, Jump, L.A. Underground and Encore.  She won various scholarships at Tremaine and Jump and danced in the opening number of Showstoppers Nationals in Myrtle Beach.  Carol Anne also had the opportunity to travel overseas to dance in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Munich, Germany, Singapore, and at the Tanzsommer Dance Festival in Vienna, Austria. 

After completing high school, Carol Anne attended Columbia College in Columbia, SC where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography.  As a part of the Columbia College Dance Company, she performed at the American College Dance Festival Association at Florida State University and the University of Mississippi. 

Carol Anne has also performed at the SCAPHERD Dance Festival in Myrtle Beach, SC and had her choreography showcased at the SCADancing Festival at Coker College in Hartsville, SC.