Cindy is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was able to study with members of the Graham company, members of Jose Limon’s company and Merce Cunningham in addition to classical ballet.  Being at the University also allowed her the opportunities to attend lecture demonstrations and master classes from guest artists and company members that included Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Bella Lewitsky and Meredith Monk. She graduated from the University with a Bachelor‘s degree in Psychology and continued to dance studies with Valerie Houston at Valerie Houston Dance Theatre and Santa Barbara Ballet with Sophie Monet and Tisha Hicks.  Before coming to Redding in 1991 from Santa Barbara she had the opportunity to take classes with Finis Jhung and was admitted to classes with Maggie Black during her visits to New York. Her additional dance training in the north state has been with Alonzo King, Arturo Fernandez, August Moore and Robert Moses.


Cindy has held the title of Artistic Director of Redding City Ballet since 1996. After the premier of Redding City Ballet’s Nutcracker in 1997, she was invited by Gary Lewis, now president of Shasta College to join the faculty of their Fine Arts Division teaching Ballet, Tap, Modern Dance and Choreography and Dance Analysis. Along with her extensive knowledge acquired over the years of the classics and contemporary ballet repertory she has been able to set historical works on Redding City Ballet.  She has also created numerous works of her own that have been premiered by Redding City Ballet, Shasta College, students of Redding School of the Arts and California Dance Company. She co-directs the fall and spring Choreographers’ Collaboration at Shasta College bringing community artists together with the students of Shasta College and, in 2008 established the Shasta College Summer Dance Festival, a performance for the Shasta College summer dance intensives. She also helped establish the dance program at Redding School of the Arts, the first charter school based on the visual and performing arts in Shasta County, and has choreographed for both RSA’s and Shasta College’s operas, musicals, clinics and summer theater festivals.



Performance Credits


Classical Roles:

  1. •Nutcracker

                    Solo: (Spanish, Arabian, Snow Queen, Dew Drop Fairy, Mrs.Stahlbaum)

                    Corps: (Marzipan, Snow, Flowers)

  1. •Lady of Shallott  (Ocean)

  2. •Coppelia  (Friend)

  3. •Romeo & Juliette  (Juliette, before parting)


Contemporary Roles:

  1. •Gaîté Parisienne  (Cocodette, Baroness)

  2. •Appalachian Spring (Mother)

  3. •Remember (Pas de deux)

  4. •Just Dance (Pas de deux)


Roles Created:    Choreographer: Melinda Connor

  1. •Red  (Tranquility)

  2. •Deitrich Variations (Marlena Deitrich)

  3. •‘round midnight   (Solo Work, accompanied by Jeff Pittman)


Musicals:

  1. •Peter Pan (Indian)

  2. •South Pacific (Nurse Entertainer)



Choreography Credits


Ballet

  1. •Nutcracker, Coppelia, Canon, Gaîté Parisienne (original work), Pastoral, Cinderella, Don Quixote (restaged), Billy the Kid (original work), Zorro, Carmen, Matrix, Romeo and Juliette (restaged), Midsummer Night’s Dream (w/ Shasta Symphony)


Contemporary

  1. •Swing (sing, sing, sing), Fosse (jail house), Just Dance, Remember (Unchained Melody), Titanic, Farewell (Legends of the Fall), To Begin With (Thom Willems), In the Twilight (Red Violin)

Education


  1. •University of California Santa Barbara:     Bachelor of Arts; Psychology

  2. •UC Santa Barbara Extended Education:     Legal Assistant, Paralegal

  3. •Antelope Valley College:     Associate Arts Degree


Email: cmichaels@reddingcityballet.org

          

Cindy Michaels, Artistic Director