GUEST FACULTY

Lauren Anderson

Native Houstonian, Lauren Anderson danced with Houston Ballet from 1983 to 2006, performing leading roles in all the great classical ballets, appearing across the world to critical acclaim audience, and in the process, becoming one of Houston Ballet’s most beloved stars. 

She trained exclusively at Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy from the age of seven. She joined Houston Ballet in 1983 as a Corps de Ballet and in 1990 became the first Black principal dancer at Houston Ballet. She is also one of the few Black ballerinas at the head of a major ballet company anywhere in the world.

In January 2007, Ms. Anderson transitioned into Houston Ballet’s Education and Community Engagement department, where she conducts free dance programming for Houston area schools, and lectures to students on her historic career as one of America’s most distinguished African-American ballerinas. In the spring of 2016, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture awarded her with a permanent exhibit. In fall of 2021 was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame. Most recently, a production chronicling her life, Plumshuga, premiered at Stages Theater.

Steve Rooks

Steve Rooks danced with the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, and the Martha Graham Dance Company, where he performed for over a decade and achieved the rank of Principal Dancer.

Mr. Rooks is currently Chair of Dance and Resident Choreographer at Vassar and the 2004 winner of the National Choreographic Competition at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has been awarded Research Grants to travel to Latvia, Zambia, and in 2014 to Finland, where he choreographed “Plate Tectonics” on 24 international dancers. Mr. Rooks was commissioned by the Masterworks Festival to create ballets for a number of contemporary composers including Clarice Assad, Piet Swerts, and David Skidmore—all to live orchestra.

Mr. Rooks has served as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival, and a solo “Vista” was created for Aran Bell (ABT) for the 2014 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Four contemporary solos were recently submitted to the 2016 Youth American Grand Prix Ballet Competition.

Shawn Stevens

Shawn Stevens is originally from Houston, Texas. At age 14, she attended Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts under the direction of Sydelle Gomberg. She continued her training at the School of American Ballet.

In 1982, she was chosen by George Balanchine to join the ‪New York City Ballet (NYCB). During her time with the company, she performed principal roles in Balanchine's ballets, including Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperaments, and Symphony in C. She also danced in the original cast and performed principal roles in Brahms/Handel, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins. ‬‬‬‬‬‬

From 1991-1996, Stevens danced with Twyla Tharp Dance, where she performed principal repertoire works. She was asked to dance in the Cutting Up tour with Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Stevens has also worked with many other choreographers, such as Peter Martins, William Forsythe, Edward Villella, Ib Andersen, and Joseph Duell. Stevens’ film credits include I'll Do Anything and In the Upper Room, both choreographed by Tharp. Stevens was personally invited to perform in Tharp’s hit Broadway musical Movin' Out.

She has been teaching ballet at several schools, universities, and companies throughout the United States. Specifically, she was the former Ballet Mistress of the Ballet Department in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana State University under the direction of Michael Vernon and Violette Verdy. Further at Indiana State University, she was invited to start the Tharp Contemporary Curriculum under the direction of Twyla Tharp and Elizabeth Shey.

One of the most important highlights of Stevens’ career was that during the implementation of the Tharp curriculum at Indiana State University, she was invited by Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director of ABT and Twyla Tharp to stage the Principal Ballerina role in “Deuce Coupe.”

Stevens’ is approved by The George Balanchine Trust to restage George Balanchine works and also stages works by Tharp through the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation.

Guest Instructors (2002-2023)

Caleb Mitchell, Houston Ballet

Sol Nazario, Ballet Magnificat

Evelyn Cisneros, San Francisco Ballet

Theara Ward, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Charmaine Hunter, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Shizu Yasuda, Ad Deum

Cathy Warakomsky-Li, Houston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater

Priscilla Nathan-Murphy, Houston Ballet

Ginny Kolesnyk Hendricksen, Ballet Frankfurt, Royal Ballet of Flanders

Andrew Murphy, Australian Ballet, Royal Birmingham Ballet, Houston Ballet

Judith Reyn, Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet

Hiromi Yamazaki, Ballet Met, Houston Ballet

Alicia Graf Mack, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey

Julianna Rubio Slager, Ballet 5:8

Vincent Hardy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Zion Dance Project

Caroline Sheridan, Central West Ballet, Ballet Hartford, Syracuse Ballet

Anna Williams, Alabama Ballet

Amanda Knox Caveney, New York City Ballet

Wynter Saran, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater

Jennifer McQuiston Lott, Gibney Dance Company, Groundworks Dancetheater, Armitage Gone! Dance, Inlet Dance Theatre, Collective Body Dance Lab, Eglevsky Ballet

Judith Hawkesworth, Certified CUSA Licentiate-Examiner

Samantha Shelton, ABT National Adjudicator