Sherene Melania Bretschneider Honored by the French American International School, Alumni Profile for the International High School

http://alumni.frenchamericansf.org/?page=ShereneB_profile

Sherene Melania Will Soon Celebrate 5 Years with Presidio Dance Theatre

Presidio Dance Theatre Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer Sherene Melania will celebrate her 5th year of directing the Companies, School, and DANCE OUT! outreach of Presidio Dance Theatre. May 21, 2010 is set for this special commemoration to honor her outstanding contributions to the organization.

WINTER WONDERLAND: Celebrating Holidays Across Cultures

Presidio Dance Theatre Junior Company presents
WINTER WONDERLAND:
CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS ACROSS CULTURES™
Family Matinee, December 13, 3pm,
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco

Sherene Melania, Artistic Director of Presidio Dance Theatre Junior Company will present its annual benefit holiday presentation: WINTER WONDERLAND: CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS ACROSS CULTURES™, Family Matinee, 3pm, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco.

Tickets are $35, $ 50, and $100. Box Office link http://www.presidiodance.org/pdf/WinterWonderlandTicketOrderForm.pdf. Proceeds from this performance are used to sponsor the charitable works of Presidio Performing Arts Foundation, including fund afterschool dance outreach to underserved children and student scholarships for talented children.

A wonderful alternative to the Nutcracker, WINTER WONDERLAND, a narrated international holiday production, opens a joyful world with feelings of amazement, festivity and wonder, delighting audiences of all ages with a celebration of holiday favorites from the great ballets and holidays across cultures. Costumes for this matinee are created especially for the school by the artists and designers of the Mariinsky Theatre (home of the Kirov Ballet). A festive Holiday Party follows the performance.

Presidio Dance Theatre Junior Company has been named as "San Francisco's Dance Ambassadors to the world" by two Mayors. They performed in the famed White Nights Festival in Russia last summer and have recently been selected as the ONLY dance group to represent the United States at the largest international children's festival in Turkey, April 2010.

In June, 2010, The School of Presidio Dance Theatre will re-locate to a new state of the art facility on the Presidio's Main Post with double its present capacity of studio and production space and community programs. For more information call 415 561-3958 or visit www.PresidioDance.org

Sherene Melania a USF graduate in 2005 is a mentor in a new pilot program to connect students with alumni

Sherene Melania Bretchneider '05 (right) is a mentor in a new pilot program to connect students with alumni.

CLICK HERE to check out the mentor program at USF.

"The University of San Francisco’s College of Arts and Sciences recently launched a mentoring program designed to connect students with alumni who share their career, cultural, or social interests."

Sherene Melania holds a B.A. in Performing Arts & Social Justice and was awarded University of San Francisco's Dean Medal for Excellence in the Arts.

Check out this great web page about Presidio Dance Theatre on World Arts West's website

http://www.worldartswest.org/main/edf_performer.asp?i=155

Presidio Dance Theatre's Junior Company & Presidio Dance Theatre's professional Dance Company Collage West were both featured in the Assyrian Festival

Congratulations to all Junior Company members who performed at this years Assyrian Festival in Ceres California this past weekend September 12 & 13, 2009. It was a great success. Not only did some of the Junior Company members perform but also Collage West performed as well. The 12th annual Assyrian Food Festival featured authentic Assyrian foods, homemade pastries, an Assyrian tea house, cultural displays, music and entertainment. Assyrians are a Christian ethnic group that traces its heritage back to an ancient empire in Iraq and Turkey that lasted most of the second millennium B.C.

Presidio Dance Theatre & Sherene Melania were featured in the Modesto Bee.
http://www.modbee.com/scene/story/849427.html

SUMMER CAMPS ARE HERE! ONLINE REGISTRATION

A Big Hello from our Preschool Mini-Campers
With a wonderful start today, 12 Preschool Mini-Campers transformed into Fairies and Butterflies and enjoyed opening day of camp with teacher, Miss Laura Moir, assisted by Presidio Dance Theatre Advanced Junior Company member, Miss Gina Brignetti.

Another 36 enthusiastic Young Artists Campers and Junior Company dancers enjoyed classes in ballet and folk with Miss Sherene Melania, Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Presidio Dance Theatre. Students also created artistic renderings of dancers with touches of costume composition.

Camps are fun, educational, and perfect for children who like dance and theater!!!

CLICK HERE to read more about our camps

Sherene Melania is featured in The Turkish Cultural Days of Montreal as well as our guest choreographer/artist Ahmet Luleci

The Collage Dance Ensemble
http://www.quartierdesspectacles.com/en/calendrier/fichespectacle.asp?id=5506

Turkish Cultural Days of Montreal

Ahmet Lüleci and The Collage Dance Ensemble

The Turkish Cultural Days of Montreal and the Pierre Péladeau Centre welcomes Ahmet Lüleci, well-known choreographer and dancer and the troupe The Collage Dance Ensemble on May 31st at the Salle Pierre-Mercure for an exceptional dance show.

Native of Turkey, Ahmet Lüleci and his dance troupe The Collage Dance Ensemble are not new to the Montreal scene since he has been putting on many shows and organizing dance workshops in Montreal for a long time, and now resides in Boston. The Collage Dance Ensemble is back for a dance show that is as folkloric as it is modern from the Balkan region, Caucasia and the Middle East, but also Anatolia (Turkey), which sits at the cultural crossroads of all the surrounding regions.

Lauded internationally, the troupe The Collage Dance Ensemble is an excellent example of multicultural expression and is pursuing the goal of bringing harmony to people of different cultures via dance and music, integrating the folkloric disciples of Eastern Europe, Caucasia and Anatolia along with modern and western technique.

When Ahmet Lüleci established himself in Boston at the end of the 80s, he founded the traditional Turkish dance group « Kemençe ». When the group became more experimental and professional, he added non-Turkish material and changed the name to 'Collage Dance Ensemble'.

Today the troupe Collage Dance Ensemble is composed of more than twenty dancers and puts on shows in the US, Canada as well as Turkey.

We invite all Montrealers to join us for this exceptional dance show that will have us jumping out of our seats to join in this passionate and energetic dance that bears witness to the cultural crossroads where it was conceived...

Salle Pierre-Mercure (Centre Pierre-Péladeau) UQAM

Sunday 31.05.2009 to Sunday 31.05.2009
Hours: 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $20 - 35

Reservation / Information
Phone: (514) 987-6919
Order online

Sherene Melania Artistic Director & Principal Choreographer of Presidio Dance Theatre

Trained in classical dance by San Francisco Ballet and Kirov Academy of Ballet, Washington, DC, Sherene Melania performed principal youth roles with both San Francisco Ballet and Kirov Ballet (on its US national tour), and at 16, participated in the Prix de Lausanne international dance competition, one of twelve to represent the USA. Concurrently, she studied character and international folk dance in the style of Igor Moiseyev. After spending two years in Russia as the student of Kirov Ballet Mistress, Gabriella Komleva, Sherene performed as a guest artist with ballet and folk companies in Russia, France, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, and Switzerland.
Sherene recently performed with Les Ballets Persans in Stockholm and London; Iranian New Year's, New York City; and Magic of Persia, London. This year, she performs in Robert de Warren's "Celebration in London," Ahmet Luleci's "Collage" in Boston and Montreal at the Salle Pierre-Mercure Centre Pierre-Peladeau, "Near Eastern Summer Arts Festival" at the Gallo Center for the Performing Arts, and in the South of France.

Sherene Melania is Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer of Presidio Dance Theatre & Academy, the only performing arts facility based in a National Park, except for Wolf Trap in Virginia. She holds a B.A. in Performing Arts and Social Justice and University of San Francisco's Dean Medal for Excellence in the Arts; a Certificate for Ballet Direction Specialty and Choreography from the prestigious Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, Russia; and was selected by Mayor Gavin Newsom to serve on the San Francisco Arts Commission, representing the field of dance since 2007.

Sherene is a member of the SF Community Arts, Education, and Cultural Equity Committee, SF Arts Providers Alliance, California Arts Advocates, and International Dance Council UNESCO. She designed and directs DANCE OUT! Presidio Performing Arts Foundation's free citywide education program offered in the public schools, funded by the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts, which was nominated by the Presidio Trust to receive the President's Commission for Arts & Humanities, Coming Up Taller Award.

As a Choreographer, she has set pieces for dance companies at home and abroad, and presented for the United Nations, International Red Cross, and PBS. She annually presents Winter and Spring Seasons for Presidio Dance Theatre. 2008 live audiences exceeded 40,000 at major venues and festivals including the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, Marin Center, Palace of Fine Arts, Herbst Theater, Davies Symphony Hall, SF City Hall; Saint Petersburg's famed White Nights Festival at the Catherine Palace; and the 300th Anniversary of Tsarskoye Selo International Festival. Her work has been recognized by the press nationally in Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher, and internationally broadcast. In 2008, Sherene received a national award from Nickelodeon Television for "Best Artsy Program" in the SF Bay Area.

Sherene Melania uses her passion for dance to encourage not only an appreciation for the arts and artistic excellence, but also the value of developing "complete artists" who utilize academic and dance education, as a tool for promoting cultural awareness and understanding, leading to a deep compassion for humanity.

PRESIDIO DANCE THEATRE
PERFORMANCES:
Presidio Dance Theatre was awarded the distinction to perform in the OPENING WEEKEND of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival this June. In 2008, the live audiences of Presidio Dance Theatre exceeded 40,000! 10,000 were underserved children offered free performances at: SF War Memorial Opera House (6000); Youth in Arts at the Marin Center (4000); and SF Symphony's Deck the Halls (2000) at the Davies Symphony Hall. 20,000 were international tourists and Russians at the White Nights Festival of Saint Petersburg; and 10,000 were SF Bay Area residents at our self-produced performances at the Palace of Fine Arts, Herbst Theater, and around California.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH:
Presidio Dance Theatre Academy offers 27 classes/rehearsals per week with 320 attending. 12 performing artists and international ensembles/choreographers utilize the facility in the evenings/weekends in co-production with Presidio Dance Theatre. PPAF's Choreographer's International Dance Workshops are offered to the public quarterly. PPAF's DANCE OUT! outreach (11th year) offers free dance classes to SFUSD students at their schools, based in Sunset, Richmond, and Panhandle consortiums. Annually, 150 students participate in this program and the most promising are identified and recruited under scholarship to the Presidio Dance Theatre Academy.

Robert & Jacqueline de Warren, Spring Season Resident Choreographers

Artistic Director Sherene Melania is pleased to welcome internationally renowned choreographer, Robert de Warren and his wife, Jacqueline, who assists him in his work. Mr. de Warren will create new pieces for our DANCING ACROSS CULTURES™ Repertoire. The couple will arrive in April, and be PPAF's Guests of Honor, at the annual spring benefit at the St. Francis Yacht Club on April 30th. They will attend our Spring premiere performances at the SF War Memorial Opera House on May 4th and Palace of Fine Arts on May 22.

Check out the de Warren website.

http://robertdewarren.org/

Sherene Melania performs Spanish Dance

Check out this beautiful performance by Sherene Melania with Victoria Andujar which was put on by the Presidio Dance Theatre in San Francisco back in 2007

Sherene Melania performing at the British Museum

Check out Sherene Melania performing at the British Museum on April 20, 2008.

Anna Korotysheva, Presidio Dance Theatre Artistic Consultant

Anna Korotysheva meets with Presidio Dance Theatre's Artistic Director Sherene Melania to plan Spring Season 2009. Since 2005, Ms. Korotysheva has been working with Presidio Dance Theatre in all aspects of creative consultation. She is a dance education expert in Vaganova pedagogy and classical choreography. She will oversee Presidio Dance Theatre's spring costume designs and construction, and will also contribute to the 2009 Dancing Across Culturestm study guide for students. Recently retired from a lifelong career with the prestigious Kirov Ballet (22 seasons!) Anya is now living in Finland with her musician husband, Jerry Hoffman. She is looking forward to working with Finnish children, sharing her knowledge of the dance and arts enrichment. Anna enjoys watching the progress of Presidio Dance Theatre students! Anya invites you to tour St. Petersburg with her....click here and you can retrace our tour!!!!

Presidio Dance Theatre Academy Preschoolers Ready to Take Center Stage!

Artistic Director Sherene Melania is working with Preschool students to prepare for Presidio Dance Theatre's Annual Spring Showcase Recital, May 22 at the Palace of Fine Arts.

Mayor Newsom Celebrates Norouz-Persian New Year's with Presidio Dance Theatre at City Hall

Artistic Director Sherene Melania presented the good luck "Goldfish" (Alyssa Kwan, Anahita Ghiai-Chamlou, Corinne Pelosi, Tabitha Block, and Arynn Kwan) to the Mayor at a special ceremony celebrating Persian New Year's! 800 guests enjoyed the music of composer Nejad and his orchestra. Also photographed, Sahar Hojat and Tara Pandeya, Presidio Dance Theatre guest artists.