Marlena Brinkmann And Justin Valentine Are Guest Artists In The Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet's THE NUTCRACKER

MARLENA BRINKMANN and JUSTIN VALENTINE, both freelance guest artists will be the guest artists in the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker.

Performances will take place on December 14 (Evening), and December 15 (Matinee), 2024 at the Riverview Theatre in Shreveport, Louisiana.

MARLENA BRINKMANN started her training at the age of 2 with Performing Arts of Spring Grove under the direction of her mother, Alyce Keaggy Brinkmann.

During her training, Ms. Brinkmann participated in numerous international ballet competitions including Youth American Grand Prix, where she placed 2nd and 3rd in two different cities. She also participated in the World Ballet Competition placing top 10 in the finals, and also placing 3rd in the contemporary division at Valentina Kozlova’s International Ballet Competition.

As a result of her placings in these Competitions, Ms. Brinkmann received full scholarships for further studies at the schools of the Tulsa Ballet, the Milwaukee Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.

In January 2019 she accepted a contract to join Milwaukee Ballet's Second Company, where she performed in company productions such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker.

In 2021 she accepted a company contract at Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina, and was promoted to the rank of Soloist in that same year. Her repertoire included the roles of Aurora in Carabosse and the Curse of Sleeping Beauty, Marie and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and the Second Shade in La Bayadere.

Ms. Brinkmann is currently Resident Choreographer for Illinois Youth Dance Theatre and Illinois Dance Conservatory.

Ms. Brinkmann plans on furthering her professional career with freelance and guest engagement opportunities.

JUSTIN VALENTINE began his ballet studies at ADACA in Hunter, New York, and thereafter at the Saugerties Ballet Center in Saugerties, New York. He pursued further studies at the Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York, and also at the Washington Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet summer programs, and a semester at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Mr. Valentine began his professional ballet career as a principal dancer with the Columbia Classical Ballet in Columbia, South Carolina in 2020, where he danced, the Grand Pas de Deux and Snow Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker, Solor in La Bayadere, and principal roles in Bolero, Dracula, Gravity, and Maleficent.

To expand his dance education Mr. Valentine studied at the Martha Graham School in the Advanced Study Certificate Program, and performed with Graham 2, and the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Mr. Valentine received 14 medals at various dance competitions including a Gold Medal in the IBC Citti di Spoleto, and a Silver Medal in the Junior Male Division in the Yuri Grigorovich Young Ballet of the World in Sochi, Russia.

Mr. Valentine has also participated in gala performances in 13 countries performing pas de deux from La Sylphide, La Fille Mal Gardee, La Esmeralda, Talisman, BLACK SWAN Pas de Deux, Giselle, Satanella, Raymonda, and Cavalry Halt, and from contemporary and neo-classical pieces including Reverence, Ink, Burning, Richard III, and Deriver.

Mr. Valentine has also been in demand as a guest teacher and has taught master classes in Ecuador, Mexico City, and Paraguay, and has also coached competition participants in Japan and Sochi.

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