Parren Ballard

Associate Director

Parren Ballard, a 1986 Graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, was trained exclusively by Dame Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski. He began his professional career, at the age of seventeen, with the Cincinnati Ballet. From there he went on to enjoy an internationally successful career for over twenty years as a Soloist Dancer working closely with Artistic Directors such as Ivan Nagy, Heinz Spoerli, and Ben Stevenson. He performed leading roles for the Basel Ballet in Switzerland, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf Germany, the English National Ballet in London, and the Houston Ballet, before retiring from the stage to focus on teaching classical ballet. Aside from his early training, his teaching method has been influenced by such great teachers as Woytek Lowski, Jurgen Schneider, and Ben Stevenson with all of whom he studied.

Parren has been a faculty member at the Boston Conservatory, as well as Ballet Master for Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre of Boston, a position created for him. Working for seven years with the Boston Ballet's Center for Dance Education he has trained numerous students who have gone on to join professional companies such as Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Pittsburg Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet West, Orlando Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet. He has been a guest teacher for the companies of Alvin Ailey, Boston Ballet and Houston Ballet. As a private coach he has prepared prize-winners of the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, World Ballet Competition in Orlando, and the International Dance Festival in Berlin. Parren is especially renowned for his mastery in teaching male technique.

Parren believes that ballet is an art form, not unlike a language, that can be taught with a disciplined, methodical approach, through which the pupil can begin to understand the inherent logic present in classical ballet technique. Using a deliberate progression of barre exercises to build the foundation of strength, coordination, and musicality that is needed to perform center work, students will develop a sense of freedom and trust that will allow them to become individual artists. Parren resides in Brookline (Boston Metro area), is a co-founder of TBBS, and is the father of a young dancer. He can be contacted by email at parren@brooklineballet.com