Faculty

The faculty consists of master teachers with international reputations and specialized expertise in areas of study covering the various aspects of the dance discipline.

Full Time

Dora Krannig (Department Chair, Ballet, Choreography Workshop, Dance History, Yoga) has an MA in Dance Education from CSULB and graduated from the Royal Ballet School, London. Her professional dancing experience includes major Ballet companies throughout Europe. She was Ballet Mistress at Les Ballets du Rhin, France, and company teacher at the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Dora completed a two year residency at Auckland University of Technology, in New Zealand, where she was also director of the City Ballet. Along with her duties at GCC she is still active as a research fellow in dance science for AUT.

Emeritus Professor

Lynn McMurrey (Production) has an MA in Dance Education from CSULB and has has performed and choreographed for American and European television and film. He was also choreographer for the Marseille Opera for two years. Lynn has choreographed and danced on many of the renowned stages of Europe and the United 5tates. He was given the "Distinguished Faculty Award", in 1990, by the Academic Senate, Associated Student Body, the City of Los Angeles, and the Glendale Chamber of Commerce. Lynn is Past President of the CFT Guild, and of the GCC Academic Senate and served as Dance Department chairperson from 1994-2008.

(To Visit Mr. McMurrey's Home Page Click Here)

Adjunct

Alexandra Blackbird (Salsa & Hip-Hop) has worked for over twenty-three years as an actress, artist, cheerleader, choreographer, dancer, gymnast, model, musician, singer and writer of poetry, scripts and songs for stage (including Off-Broadway lead), screen (NYC) and recordings (NYC, Boston and Seattle.) She has fourteen years of teaching experience throughout the U.S. and Canada as a Master Instructor of the Arts. Her Guest Artist-in-Residences include: Alberta, Canada, Brooklyn, Harlem & Staten Island, NY and throughout Boston, MA and RI. Ms. Blackbird has held Executive & Artistic Director positions for the past nine years with Fusion Dance Company (Seattle,) Dance Forum (New England) and now Blackbird Dance Company (LA.)

Patti Nestor Cox (Tap) has appeared on Broadway in "Music Man", "Lil Abner", "Happy Hunting" and "Goldilocks". She was featured in the films of "Oklahoma," "Carousel," "Love Me or Leave Me," "Anything Goes," and many more. Her television credits include the Perry Como, Red Skelton, Ed Sullivan, and Milton Berle shows. Patti has an M.A. degree in Dance.

Lynda Daniels (Aerobics) obtained a BS degree in Physical Education at California Polytechnic University at Pomona. She received an MA in Education with a specialization in Physically/Orthopedically Handicapped. Lynda has taught Body Mechanics, weight training and Aerobic Rhythms through Glendale Adult School, and Glendale Community College. She has special training in Physical Education for the Disabled Student.

Diana Diekmann (Aerobics, Step, Indoor Cycling, and Pilates) graduated with honors from California State University Northridge with a BA in Exercise Science. She has worked in th designed and taught workshops for fitness instructors, a strength training program for womee fitness industry since 1980, training groups and individuals in everything from Pilates to Weight Training, Cycling, Aerobic Dance and Stability Ball to mention a few. She hasn, has trained the Glendale Fire Department trainees in aerobics and has been featured in a national YMCA promotional video as a role model for others.

Ed Douglas (Movement for Theater) has an M.F.A. degree from California Institute of the Arts. He specializes in combat choreography and has choreographed fights for the Los Angeles Music Center and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Ed is on the faculty of UCLA and the Strasburg Institute.

Phyllis Eckler (Modern) graduated from California Institute of the Arts with an M.A. degree. She danced with the Bat-Dor Company of Israel, was the choreographer for the Los Angeles Opera Company at the Music Center, and has choreographed and appeared in many television commercials and fashion shows. (To Visit Phyllis Eckler's Home Page Click Here)

Karyn Klein (Pilates) graduated with an MA in Dance, from the University Of California at Los Angeles. She has taught at Rio Hondo Community College, Le Studio in Pasadena and at USC. Her performance experience is vast and varied: as a member Collage Dance Theater, Pasadena Dance Theatre, Three’s Company, June Watanabe and Dancers, and the Long Island Dance Company; she has danced all over the USA, on stage, TV, and film.

Richard Kuller (Tap) has a passion for the integration of music, storytelling and movement. He won an NEA Producer’s Grant for his musical adaptation of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. He was co-librettist of an opera adaptation of O. Henry's Gift of the Magi, which aired on NBC, and stage director for the musical political satire group, The Foremen, and has written and directed three short films. His fictional dance film, Time Step, played seven film festivals in 2000-01, winning two awards. His mini-documentary on the life of film choreographer Alex Romero, narrated by Janet Leigh, was the centerpiece of Jazz Dance LA 2001, and his motivational short, Catch the Wave, was featured at the Young Presidents Organization’s 2002 Global Leadership Conference. Richard is presently on the Dance faculty of Glendale and Citrus Colleges.

Victor Robles (Jazz I & II, Jazz workshop, and Physical Reintegration) - is an alumnus of the Glendale College Dance Department. He received his BFA in Dance at CSULB and his MA from the University of Florida. He was a member of the Gloria Newman Dance Company and has worked with Bella Lewitzki, Long Beach Ballet, and the Francisco Martinez Dance Theater. He is currently teaching Jazz at CSULB.

Tamra-henna Swan – (Middle Eastern Dance Technique and The History of Middle Eastern Dance) earned a MFA in Dance Choreography at UCLA and in 2005 performed internationally as a featured soloist with the “Bellydance Superstars” who currently promote her workshops worldwide. During her extensive seven year sojourn to the Arab world, Tamra-henna performed as a soloist in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, and Cyprus. She is currently working towards certification in Laban/Bartenieff Movement Studies.

Accompanists

Mariam Terzian received a BA in Art at the University of Teheran. She taught piano at the conservatory of Teheran, was the accompanist for ballet classes at the Roodaki Hall and the Teheran Ballet Academy. Mariam is well known as a private piano instructor in Teheran as well as in Los Angeles. Mariam has been acompanying all the ballet classes at GCC since 2000

Concha Madrid (Emeritus) has a B.A. in Music Education and is finishing her M.A. in Musicology at C.S.U.N. She has conducted the Salt Lake City Philharmonic Orchestra, and played for Debbie Reynolds Studios, Los Angeles Dance Center, Ballet La Jeunesse, Plaza de la Raza, Eugene Loring's American School of Dance, West Side Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. She is currently associated with the Tremaine School of Dance and owns a piano, vocal and music studio in North Hollywood.

Irene Louie (Emeritus) attended Juilliard School of Music with a full scholarship. She won numerous scholarship awards in Northern California and she has performed as soloist with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra. Irene has been with Glendale College since 1983.

Guest Master Teachers