Brandywine Ballet's Summer Intensive to Feature Zhong-Jing Fang & Terry Edlefsen

ZHONG-JING FANG, a member of American Ballet Theatre, and TERRY EDLEFSEN, a former principal dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet and the Australian Ballet, will be on the faculty for the Brandywine Ballet's Summer Intensive.

Zhong-Jing Fang will be teaching from July 6-10, 2015 and Terry Edlefsen will be teaching from July 13-17, 2015. Brandywine Ballet's Summer Intensive will be hosting classes at its studios in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Born in Shanghai, China, ZHONG-JING FANG received her early ballet training at the Shanghai Dance School, majoring in ballet, where she was trained for seven years. Ms. Fang graduated from the Performing Arts College of Shanghai Drama University in 2002, specializing in ballet. Ms. Fang's ballet studies in Shanghai were under the guidance of Zhu Mei Li.

In 2000, Ms. Fang was the winner of the famed Prix de Lausanne, and winner of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Prize at the Ninth International Ballet Competition in Paris. In June 2001, Ms. Fang won the First Prize in the Junior Division of the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. Most recently, she won first place in the Junior Division of the Shanghai International Ballet Competition.

In 2002 Ms. Fang joined ABT's Studio Company. In April 2003 Ms. Fang joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice and, in January 2004, Ms. Fang became a member of the corps de ballet.

Ms. Fang's repertoire includes the role of Prayer in Coppelia, Zulma in Giselle, the Prelude in Les Sylphides, the Hungarian Princess in Kevin McKenzie's production of Swan Lake, Ceres in Frederick Ashton's Sylvia, the Nanny and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Lady Montague in Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, the Prelude in Les Sylphides, and principal roles in Frederick Ashton's Symphonic Variations, Peter Quanz's Kaleidoscope, Jiri Kylian's Sinfonietta, and Antony Tudor's Continuo. Ms. Fang also created a principal role in Trey McIntyre's Pretty Good Year.

In 2005 Ms. Fang was selected to perform excerpts from The Nutcracker in the East Room of The White House with President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura Bush, in attendance, which was broadcasted nationwide.

In 2011 Ms. Fang participated in American Ballet Theatre's choreography workshop, Innovation Initiative, choreographing the world premiere, The Final Frame.

Ms. Fang is also a popular guest teacher and coach. Ms. Fang has taught as a guest teacher in China and for the Mami Hariyama Studio in Japan.

TERRY EDLEFSEN was born in Bell, California and grew up with a history of dance in his family. His parents were former adagio and ballroom dancers performing in vaudeville.

Mr. Edlefsen began studying ballet at a privately owned school under the guidance of Donald Hewitt and Joey Harris in Santa Monica, California. He was awarded Ford Foundation scholarships, Distinction of Honors from the Cecchetti Society-Imperial School of Teachers of Dance, and scholarships to the American Ballet Theater and Joffrey Ballet summer school programs in New York. He also studied at the Ballet International School de Danse in Cannes, France, under the direction of Rosella Hightower.

Mr. Edlefsen's performing career included associations with ballet companies in Europe, the United States and Australia in principal dancer positions with the Stuttgart Ballet, the Basel Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Ballet Frankfurt, and as a guest principal dancer with the Australian Ballet.

Mr. Edlefsen danced principal roles in productions of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Firebird, and Napoli, and roles in George Balanchine's Serenade, Margo Sappington's Under The Sun, Norbert Vesak's Belong Pas de Deux and The Rite of Spring, Heinz Spoerli's Transfigured Night, Robert de Warren's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Laszlo Seregi's Spartacus Pas de Deux, John Cranko's Holberg Pas de Deux, Antony Tudor's Lilac Garden, Peter Darrell's The Tales of Hoffman, Glen Tetley's Arena, William Forsythe's Chinese Poems and Orpheus, and Jean-Paul Comelin's Daughters of Mourning, and Daphnis and Chloe.

Mr. Edlefsen also expanded his career to include the theater and acting, and appeared in the co-starring role of Constantine Morrosine in the Broadway revival of On Your Toes.

Mr. Edlefsen also appeared in gala performances in Spain, Italy, France and Germany.

Mr. Edlefsen has also been a balletmaster for Ballet Memphis, Co-Director of The School at Steps NYC, and on the teaching staff of the New Jersey Ballet, and the Ballet West Conservatory.

Mr. Edlefsen is a popular guest teacher and coach, and has taught at major universities and colleges in the United States and for ballet companies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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