Rhiannon Turley
Rhiannon Turley came to the American Academy Ballet to intensify her ballet training and ultimately withdrew from gymnastics to concentrate solely on her dancing, which she decided to make her profession.
Exhibiting exceptional talent, she was quickly taken into the Charleston Ballet and performed in productions of TCHAIKOVSKY’S SUITE NO. 2, GYPSY DANCE SUITE, THE SEASONS, PAS DE QUATRE, RHAPSODY IN BLUE, and the full-length traditional ballets COPPELIA, LA FILLE MAL GARDEE, and LES SYLPHIDES. She danced with the visiting Moscow Ballet in THE NUTCRACKER in 1993.
She has studied with the late Duncan Noble, Oleg Briansky, John McFall and Gyula Pandi, performed at the WV Dance Festival, many special student concerts for WV County Schools, and attended summer sessions of concentrated study in Pittsburgh, the Boston Ballet and Atlanta School of Ballet, where she was coached extensively with Robert Barnett and Maniya Barredo.
She performed in productions of Jerry Rose’s PRAISE, and Oleg Briansky’s world premiere of COUNTRY MOON to music of Patsy Cline. Her repertoire includes DANSE MACABRE, AFRICAN IMAGES, pas de trois from SWAN LAKE with Lance Bourque, Campaneria’s staging of PAQUITA, Ichinohe’s KAZA - HANA, and the premiere of ELEMENTS. Ms. Turley returned while in Atlanta to dance in EPITAFIO with Bourque and visiting Hungarian dancer Adam Toth, the Bluebird pas de deux in SLEEPING BEAUTY ACT III, and the March Hare in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, choreographed by Milwaukee’s Yves de Bouteiller.
In 1996, Ms. Turley accepted a trainee position with the Cleveland Ballet. She was then invited to join the company. While with Cleveland Ballet, she danced in THE NUTCRACKER, BLUE SUEDE SHOES to music of Elvis Presley, and soloist roles in MENDELSSOHN and premiere of GO DADDY - O. She performed with partner Norbert Nirewitz in PAQUITA as a guest artist with the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre in Atlanta. Ms. Turley created the role of Clara in the Charleston Ballet’s full-length production NUTCRACKER dancing with former Boston Ballet soloist Shawn Mahoney and later with Rick Callender of Philadelphia, SLEEPING BEAUTY pas de deux with Cleveland Ballet soloist Ariel Cisneros, and the Sugar Plum Fairy in NUTCRACKER with Great Lakes Festival Ballet in Warren, OH.
She returned to Charleston Ballet, to dance, teach and coach other dancers. She has taught at the American Academy Ballet, both in Charleston and Huntington and acts as assistant ballet mistress with the Charleston Ballet and its Apprentice program. Audiences enjoyed her in the title role ONDINE that Pauley created for her and partner Ariel Cisneros, Laney's modern works FINDING PLACE and JOURNEY TO THE PROMISED LAND, TANGOS, full-length ballets SWAN LAKE, COPPELIA, SLEEPING BEAUTY and NUTCRACKER and premiere of De Marco's CELEBRACION. She has created roles in the premiere of SHE LOVES YOU, music of the Beatles, RAYMONDA ACT III, ANOTHER LIFE, songs by Sting, the contemporary DUSK TO DAWN,"Maria" in WEST SIDE STORY, REPETITION, and "peasant pas de deux" in GISELLE. Recent performances include Sugar Plum Fairy in NUTCRACKER with guest Jose Rodriguez of Puerto Rico, LE CORSAIRE pas de deux, MISS EMILY, THE SEASONS, Alice in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and ISTAR with guest artist Freddie Fourie.