| Company member biographies |
| Marvin Askew 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 Center. A former member of the
Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Maryland Ballet and Capital Ballet, Marvin has
appeared as a guest artist with many regional companies, including Buffalo
Ballet Theater, Empire State Ballet and the Lake Superior Ballet.
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. In 1990, he premiered Tri-Bio-Rhythm and Strings and Wind, and in 1992 Concerto De Bella. 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. |
| Janet Reed is the Artistic Director at the Buffalo Inner City Ballet and has been an important part of the company since 1979. Ms. Reed is the Co-founder of the professional dance company Buffalo City Ballet. Ms. Reed has studied with noted dancers and choreographers, including Mawere Opoku, Kariamu Welch Asante, Garth Fagan and Bill T. Jones. Janet Reed is currently an adjunct instructor of African Contemporary Dance and Black Dance History at Buffalo State College's Performing Arts Department. |
| Jolene Chase has been a member of the Buffalo City Ballet Company for four years. Her performances with B.C.B. include The Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, and Alternate Realities. In addition to Marvin Askew, Jolene has studied with Gary Marino, and is currently studying with Beth Pfohl at Steppin' Out Academy. To further her training, Jolene has spent past summers with N.Y.S.S.A. School of Ballet. Jolene is a senior honors student at Immaculata Academy. |
| Lesley Hammer has been affiliated with Buffalo City Ballet for seven years. She is also with the Karyn Kelly Professional Dance Center under the direction of Karyn Horst Kelley. Miss Hammer has attended workshops at Chautauqua, Disney World and New York City, where she has trained under notable instructors in tap, jazz, modern dance and ballet. For the Buffalo City Ballet, her roles have included Clara, Chinese Tea, Dolls, the Dew Drop Fairy and the Snow Queen in the annual production of The Nutcracker. She also performed as Spring in Cinderella, Dawn in Coppelia, as well as other roles in productions of Giselle and Alternate Realities. Leslie is a junior honors student at Maryvale Senior High School. |
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