BRENNA SUMNER (owner and artistic director)

Brenna began dancing in Auburn-Opelika, Alabama at the age of 3, receiving her early training from the Auburn Ballet School.  She furthered her dance experience by dancing with the former Lynn Terra Ballet, Montgomery Youth Ballet and the Alabama Youth Ballet Company. She spent five years studying the Russian method of ballet under the direction of Stevan Grebel, a former student of Alexander Pushkin who was the same teacher of Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.  She has appeared as a guest artist for Contemporary South Dance Company, Ballet Intermezzo and Christian contemporary artist Seth Hardin.  She has donated her talents to benefit charitable organizations throughout central and east Alabama.  Brenna is the founder the Brenna Ballet Institute, which began as a community service project designed to bring ballet to children of families in need.  She has been awarded summer intensive scholarships to Grebel Ballet, Contemporary South Dance Company, Alabama Dance Theater and Troy University.  She has performed the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy, and Clara in the Nutcracker as well as lead roles in Grebel Goes Girshwin, based on Balanchine’s “Who Cares” and contemporary works with the Alabama Youth Ballet Company. She has also performed Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. Brenna spent two years as a company member with Montgomery Ballet’s professional company where she danced many classical and contemporary works as a soloist and understudying principal roles.  Brenna has ten years of experience teaching Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Modern and other forms of dance.