Brooke Evans - Artistic Director
Photo Credit: Michelle Smith-Lewis
Brooke Evans (she/hers) is a Dancer, Teacher, Director and Choreographer from Santa Fe, NM. She is a community builder through her co-founding of the professional dance company Bellingham Repertory Dance, her non-profit work as a past board member for The Firehouse Performing Arts Center, and her leadership as Artistic Director of Opus Performing Arts since 2015. Brooke is a 2022 recipient of Bellingham’s Mayor’s Arts Award.
Brooke takes a mindful approach to her 15+ years of teaching all ages from 7 - 75 year olds in ballet and contemporary dance through her teaching experience at Western Washington University, Bellingham Repertory Dance and independently through the Firehouse Performing Arts Center. Brooke looks for opportunities to continue to cultivate her own craft in the world of dance and dance pedagogy through attending events such as Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Teacher’s Seminars in 2016 & 2018 and her ongoing training with Christine Wright.
Her early experiences of training under full scholarship with Gisela Genschow of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and her continuing education inform the work she does as the Artistic Director of Opus Performing Arts, where she has taken responsibility for crafting the school’s ballet curriculum since 2015. Through her leadership, Brooke has offered an established and clear progression for every student; pre-pointe requirements with pointe readiness evaluations; mid-year and end-of-year evaluations; skill-level placements for each individual.
Brooke focuses on the safe approach to technique through understanding the kinesthetic and intellectual language of movement art and the application of critical and reflective thinking. She believes in the importance of providing a strong foundation to build skills upon and it is reflected in the progression through the levels of the Opus curriculum. She encourages students to practice self-care, cross-training and strengthening exercises to help maintain a safe approach to dance. A positive motivator, Brooke offers individual feedback coupled with encouragement and praise. Brooke has a unique gift of dissecting larger movements and understanding the components needed for better success.
As a founding member of Bellingham Repertory Dance, Brooke has had the opportunity to perform in over 30 different choreographic works during her eleven seasons with the professional dance company. She’s had the privilege of performing the works of many distinguished choreographers including Monica Campbell, Mark Haim, Kevin Jenkins, Wade Madsen and Michele Miller, and the solo choreographic works of Joshua Beamish, Alan Good, Colleen Mulvihill, Eva Stone and Mary Sheldon Scott.
More than anything, Brooke loves teaching ballet. She loves finding new and exciting ways to engage her students, along with tried-and-true methods she has discovered. She loves stretching herself as a teacher, learning more so that she can be better at the work that she does. Brooke loves giving to the greater dance community through her knowledge and is grateful for the opportunity to influence a new generation of dancers.
brooke@opusbellingham.com
Brooke takes a mindful approach to her 15+ years of teaching all ages from 7 - 75 year olds in ballet and contemporary dance through her teaching experience at Western Washington University, Bellingham Repertory Dance and independently through the Firehouse Performing Arts Center. Brooke looks for opportunities to continue to cultivate her own craft in the world of dance and dance pedagogy through attending events such as Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Teacher’s Seminars in 2016 & 2018 and her ongoing training with Christine Wright.
Her early experiences of training under full scholarship with Gisela Genschow of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and her continuing education inform the work she does as the Artistic Director of Opus Performing Arts, where she has taken responsibility for crafting the school’s ballet curriculum since 2015. Through her leadership, Brooke has offered an established and clear progression for every student; pre-pointe requirements with pointe readiness evaluations; mid-year and end-of-year evaluations; skill-level placements for each individual.
Brooke focuses on the safe approach to technique through understanding the kinesthetic and intellectual language of movement art and the application of critical and reflective thinking. She believes in the importance of providing a strong foundation to build skills upon and it is reflected in the progression through the levels of the Opus curriculum. She encourages students to practice self-care, cross-training and strengthening exercises to help maintain a safe approach to dance. A positive motivator, Brooke offers individual feedback coupled with encouragement and praise. Brooke has a unique gift of dissecting larger movements and understanding the components needed for better success.
As a founding member of Bellingham Repertory Dance, Brooke has had the opportunity to perform in over 30 different choreographic works during her eleven seasons with the professional dance company. She’s had the privilege of performing the works of many distinguished choreographers including Monica Campbell, Mark Haim, Kevin Jenkins, Wade Madsen and Michele Miller, and the solo choreographic works of Joshua Beamish, Alan Good, Colleen Mulvihill, Eva Stone and Mary Sheldon Scott.
More than anything, Brooke loves teaching ballet. She loves finding new and exciting ways to engage her students, along with tried-and-true methods she has discovered. She loves stretching herself as a teacher, learning more so that she can be better at the work that she does. Brooke loves giving to the greater dance community through her knowledge and is grateful for the opportunity to influence a new generation of dancers.
brooke@opusbellingham.com
