Jeri-Lynn Minsavage graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in psychology. She
trained at Cameron Dancenter in Gainesville,
FL in various dance genres such
as ballet, jazz, tap, modern and hiphop. She has attended Pensacola Jr. College
Summer Workshop, Tremaine Dance Conventions, Monsters of Hiphop, and dance
classes at the University
of Florida. She was a
choreographer and performer for BuchholzHigh School’s Repertory
Theatre and has been teaching and choreographing for over 6 years for Cameron
Dancenter and the Danscompany of Gainesville. She has also taught at the
College for Kids program at Santa FeCollege and an Intro to Dance course at the University of Florida. She was a member of the
Danscompany of Gainesville for 11 years and has performed lead roles including
Cinderella, Fairy Godmother, Autumn Fairy and Persian Peacock in the ballet Cinderella,
as well as performances in The Wiz, Cats, and Thriller. She recently moved
back from NYC where she taught ballet, tap, lyrical jazz and hiphop at Martha
Meredith School of Dance and Theatre in Syosset. While in New
York she has attended classes at Steps, BroadwayDanceCenter, Dance New
Amsterdam and Peridance. She is delighted to be back in Florida
teaching, dancing and enjoying the Florida sun.
Teacher Profile coming soon!
Shaqutia Roman Brown is currently a student in the dance program at Santa FeCollege, Gainesville, Florida. Ms. Brown started her technical training at PinellasCountyCenter for the Arts at GibbsHigh School. Shaquita was trained in Vaganova technique under the direction of Suzanne B Pomerantzeff. She also received training in jazz and modern. She was taken under the wing by Pomerantzeff and trained Shaquita at the Academy of Ballet Arts Inc. Shaquita continued training and expanded her horizons and joined the SoulfulArtsAcademy. Shaqutia has worked in many repertoires by Sean Musselman, Abigail Borzweski, Michele Kuusela, and Patricia L. Paige. She has worked in with many local theaters such as Black Box Theatre, Palladium Theatre and Le Grand Theatre. She has competed in several competitions such as Urban Jam 2007, Walker Rising Star Competition 2008, and Youth American Grand Prix 2009. She has received and won first place in the Urban Jam competition and has been awarded cashes prizes on top of a
Sanchez Family Foundation 2009 award. She joined the Dance Brown Project Company in 2010. She has done guest teaching and choreographed at many dance camps and schools. Keeping her classical training fused with her eccentric and urban moves, she is excited to be part of the family at MartaJacksonSchool of dance.
Marta Jackson
Marta Jackson Maduro has been
teaching in Jacksonville, FLMiami for 10 years where she was a faculty member at the University of Miami,
she moved to JacksonvilleLatin America under the
name Jacksonville International Ballet Co. Some of Ms. Jackson’s students have
joined such companies as American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Martha
Graham Dance Co., Cleveland Ballet, Eliot
Field, North Carolina
Dance Theatre, Charleston Ballet, National Ballet of Flanders, Pacific North
West, etc. for nearly 50 years. After teaching in
where she founded the Southern Theatre Ballet Company. The company participated
in city events and received grants by the National Endowment of the Arts.Southern
Theatre Ballet toured. Marta has
worked with many famous artists in the ballet world including Peter Martins (NY
City Ballet director) In addition, Ms. Jackson has worked with Heather Watts,
Royez Fernndez, Michael Maule, Barbara Fallis, Richard Thomas, Starr Danias,
Diana Cartier, Douglas Wassell, Fernando Bujones and many others. Her teachers
were Alexandra Denisova, Leon Fokine, Anna Leontieva, Alberto, Fernando and
Alicia Alonso; founders of The National Ballet of Cuba. She also trained in New York City under
George Balanchine and Vincenzo Celli. She danced with the Metropolitan Opera
Company and The National Ballet of Cuba.Ms. Jackson
is one of the original directors of the First Coast Nutcracker Ballet in Jacksonville. She worked
for many years to establish the ballet as a tradition for our city with the
symphony. She is listed in the Who’s Who Among American Women, Who’s Who Among
American Teachers, and the Personalities and Community Leaders of the South.
Marta is the widow of Bobby Maduro, former owner of the Jacksonville Suns, at
whose death in 1986 was acclaimed as one of the “Glories of Cuba”. The Miami
Stadium was named The Bobby Maduro Stadium.
José Acevedo, a native of Puerto Rico, began his dance training at the age of eighteen with Elizabeth Calero, José Pares and Miguel Campaneria. Two years later he was offered a scholarship to study with the School of Performing Arts in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. In 2000, he joined the Bayamon Ballet Company and became a soloist, where his repertory included works by Luba Gulayaeva, Konstantin Dounev, Myczeslaw Morawski, José Pares and Paulette Beauchamp among others. In 2001, the Puerto Rican Commission awarded him the Most Outstanding Young Ballet Dancer. Later, he created a ballet program for low income families for the School of the Performing Arts in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. At this time the program has more than 80 students attending and improving self-esteem, focus, physical coordination and extraordinary work ethic.
José was a scholarship recipient of the dance program at Santa FeCollege in 2003. Under going very extensive training under the tutelage of Alora Haynes, Sonia Calero and Alberto Alonso, Jose Acevedo was premiered in several authentic ballets from renown choreographers such as Alberto Alonso's “Quotations”, and David Palmer's “Meander” an amongst others. In 2005 he joined Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico as a soloist. José has been a guest artist with many companies and schools such as Danscompany of Gainesville, Dance Theatre of Tampa, Delaware Ballet Company, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico,MartaJacksonSchool of Dance, Santa FeCollege. He has performed in many featured roles such as Don Quixote, Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardee, Carmen, as well children’s full- length ballet favorites like The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and more. He danced professionally in 2007 with the contemporary ballet company Andanza where he performed many repertoires by sensational choreographers including Ivan Santos, Rodney Rivera, Jesus Miranda and Lolita Villanua. As a teacher, José has been teaching ballet technique to groups of children of the ages of 7 up to company level. As a choreographer, Jose has been presented many repertoires for dances schools and companies in Puerto Rico and Florida. Jose has recently, accepted and joined Clay Ballet Theatre as a Co- Artistic Director in OrangePark, Fl.
Megan Knickerbockerbegan
her serious ballet training at the age of 9 in Jacksonville, FL
at the Marta Jackson School of Dance. Her teacher, Marta Jackson,
studied at
the School of the National Ballet of Cuba. At the age of 16, Megan
performed in
Clay Ballet Theatre’s production of
“Giselle” as Giselle. She performed with the First Coast Nutcracker as
the Dew Drop Fairy in December of 1998
and 1999. Megan spent the summers of 1998, 1999 and 2000 studying with American
Ballet Theatre’s Summer
Intensive in New York City
as a recipient of the National Coca-Cola Scholarship Program. In
February of
2000 she competed in the first Youth American Grand Prix regional
competition
and was awarded the grand prize. At the finals in New York City Megan
was
awarded the third grand prize for ballet and contemporary dance.Megan then
danced with American Ballet Theatre’s Studio
Company for the 2000 – 2001 season. She danced the following year with Alabama
Ballet under the direction of
Wes Chapman. Megan returned to Jacksonville
in 2002 to teach and choreograph ballet and contemporary ballet at her
home
studio of Marta Jackson School of Dance. She was Ballet Mistress when Clay
Ballet Theatre performed “The
Nutcracker” in 2008 and 2009.
