City Youth Ballet - Johnson City, TN

Marvin Askew

Executive Director of Buffalo City Ballet

Marvin began his training under the tutelage of Karl Singletary, founder of the Buffalo Inner City Ballet Training School. He has won numerous scholarships from prestigious institutions, such as, the American Ballet Theater, The New York City Ballet, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.

A former member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Maryland Ballet, and Capital Ballet, Mr. Askew has appeared as guest artist with many regional companies, including the Empire State Ballet, the Buffalo Ballet Theater, Lake Superior Ballet, Johnson City Ballet, Florence Ballet, Gemini Dance, American Academy of Ballet, La Roche College, Ithaca Ballet, Rochester City Ballet, Dance Street West Ballet of Los Angeles, and the Chicago Ballet under Ruth Page & Larry Long.

As the Executive Director of the Buffalo City Ballet, as well as director and instructor at its training school, Marvin was awarded a choreographer’s grant from the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Program to create several works for the company. He had the honor to represent Buffalo in 1994 at the National Medal of Arts Award Ceremony hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts and held at the White House under President Clinton. In the year 2000, he was inducted into the Western New York Dance Hall of Fame for his outstanding work with children through dance.

Janet Hana Park

Former dancer, Korean National Theater

Janet Hana Park was born in Ashland, Ohio and after age 6 was raised in the Republic of Korea. She started her dance training at age 9, and later graduated from Kae-Won High School of Art. In 2009, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Dancing (classical ballet) from Sae-Jong University, Seoul, Korea, one of the finest schools of performing arts in Korea. Ms. Park received a Certificate of Qualification of Ballet Teaching from the Korea Association of Dance Leaders in 2008. She was a instructor of Yi-Reh Dance Academy in 2007-‘08, and became a leading instructor teaching at Bun-Dang International School in 2008. Ms. Park was a member of Professor Sun Hee Jang’s Ballet Company at the Korean National Theater in Seoul and appeared in performances of FAUST and CARMEN, and also performed in PRAYER and COUNTRY MARKET OF KOREA at Khabarovsk, Russia in 2000. Ms. Park has earned numerous awards including the Special Gold prize in Ballet by the Korea Association of Dance Leaders. Ms. Park moved to Buffalo N.Y. in January 2009 and joined the Buffalo City Ballet. Ms. Park will be working with our school and company this year in association with Marvin Askew of Buffalo City Ballet and through the generosity of Stanley and Christy Dunbar.

Norbert Nirewicz

Free Lance Dancer, Teacher, and Choreographer

A native of Poland Norbert began his ballet studies at the National Ballet School in Gdansk. He was a finalist in Poland’s national Ballet Competition in 1993 and obtained a silver medal in the same competition in 1995. As a Dancer for the Polish National Theater he portrayed roles in a variety of classical ballets such as “Swan Lake”,”Giselle”,”Sleeping Baeuty” and “La Fille Mal Gardee” in Warsaw and throughout Europe. In 1997 Mr. Nirewicz joined Ballet Classico de Camara in Venezuela, as a Principal Dancer adding “La Bayadere”, “Le Corsaire” and many more to his repertoire. After Mr. Nirewicz competed at the 1998 US International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, he was offered a contract to join Cleveland/San Jose Ballet. He performed with the company for two seasons in Nahat’s “Blue Suede Shoes” and Roland Petit’s “Carmen” garnering public and critical acclaim. In the Summer of 2000 Norbert competed in New York International Ballet Competition where he was a finalist. After two seasons with Cleveland/San Jose Ballet Mr. Nirewicz joined Columbia City Ballet with a Principal contract where he performed in “Don Quixote” and “Dracula” among the others.

Marcus Hayes

Assistant Professor
Austin Peay State University

Marcus Hayes is assistant professor at Austin Peay State University in the area of dance, dance techniques, dance history and choreography. He received a dual Bachelor of Arts in history and theatre arts: dance from Beloit College and a Master of Fine Arts in dance with a concentration in Choreography from Mills College in California. He danced and choreographed professionally with the Without Shoes Modern Dance Company and has worked with many noted dance artists including Molissa Fenley, June Watanabe, Anne Westwick, Chris Johnson, Margaret Rennerfeldt, Kathleen McCormick, and Maria Castello.