Jolene Parker, Senior Staff

Pre Pro Ballet

Jolene Parker graduated Cum Laude from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA in 2004. She received a B.A. in Dance where she studied dance performance, choreography, history, kinesiology, and pedagogy. She also minored in Sociology. During that time, she was a founding member of the university’s National Dance Honor Society, Nu Delta Alpha. She performed as a professional dancer with Lake Erie Ballet (PA), Buffalo City Ballet (NY), Ballet Concerto (TX) and Charleston Ballet Theatre (SC). She has also done guest performances for companies in Ohio and Tennessee.

In 2007, she became interested in dance education and received a South Carolina Advanced Fine Arts Certification in Dance. She began teaching at DuBose Middle School in Summerville, SC and has been teaching there for 18 years and currently teaches dance to over 200 students every year. She co-wrote the Dorchester District Two Dance Curriculum Guide and is the District Dance Representative for the Dorchester District 2 Teacher Advisory Board. She is a DD2 Mentor Teacher for new teachers in the fine arts field and is a member of the South Carolina Dance Association and South Carolina Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Other experience in the DD2 School District includes choreography for middle/elementary musicals and working on technique with high school color guards and dance teams. Jolene is also certified in Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) for junior, senior, and advanced programs.

Jolene’s early training included dancing competitively while also training with the Buffalo City Ballet in Western NY. From childhood through her professional performance experience, she had an eclectic ballet background where she trained and performed in French, Vaganova, Cecchetti, and Bournonville ballet styles. She spent summers at the New York State Summer School of the Arts where she trained with New York City Ballet faculty and studied Balanchine technique. Throughout college and her professional career, she had several opportunities to learn and perform Balanchine choreography from members of The George Balanchine Trust. Her teaching style reflects various styles of ballet technique, as well as a strong emphasis on artistry. Jolene has taught classes/summer intensives and has created ballet choreography for many local studios in New York, Tennessee and South Carolina.

She is excited to be a part of the faculty at Creative Edge Dance Center!