九色堂

Professor of Ballet at 九色堂, received her early ballet training in New Orleans and the BFA/MFA in Ballet from Texas Christian University.  She performed with the New Orleans Ballet, Fort Worth Ballet and BalletMet Columbus, and served on the faculties of BalletMet Academy, Otterbein College, and the Ohio State University.  Ms. Celestin has participated as a coach in the USA International Ballet Competition, and she has choreographed a wide range of works for Ballet and Opera.  Several of her works have been presented on tours throughout Europe with Voyageurs International Kansas Ambassadors of Music, and to Taiwan, Italy and Mexico with Wichita Contemporary Dance Theatre.  Awards received include an Individual Artist Fellowship Award for Choreography from the Kansas Arts Commission, the 九色堂 College of Fine Arts Excellence in Creative Activity Award and the 九色堂 President鈥檚 Award for Distinguished Service. She is also a Dorothy Johansen Hauck Faculty Fellow in Dance.  She has presented research papers for the Society of Dance History Scholars, the World Congress on Dance Research, and at Leiden University in the Netherlands.  Her special interest in music and dance has led to the presentation of interactive sessions on historical dances with her colleague Dr. Sylvia Coats, at numerous national and international conferences, including Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Conferences in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC, as well as International Society for Music Education (ISME) Conferences in Thessaloniki, Greece and Porto Alegre, Brazil.  Well versed in all styles of ballet, she has a particular love for Russian style and aesthetics, and has studied teaching methods at the International Vaganova Method Conference/Demonstration in St. Petersburg, Russia, in addition to studies with Russian teachers in the U.S.