Meet Our Professional Dance Teachers
Karen Hirst Kennedy
Karen Hirst Kennedy was born in New York. She started her ballet training in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Escuela Nacional de Danzas. She continued in Dallas with the Dallas Ballet and the Dallas Metropolitan Ballet. Her professional career began with Boston Ballet II, Boston Ballet and the Washington Ballet, where she performed leading roles, danced at the White House and performed in Europe and in Asia. Later she joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University before joining Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. She has taught ballet to all ages throughout the U.S. at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet School, Tuzer Ballet, Chamberlain Ballet in Dallas, New World School of the Arts High School & College in Miami, among others. She is currently the founder and artistic director of Ballet&Beyond.
Hiroko Sakakibara-Sliva
Hiroko Sakakibara-Sliva was born in Nagoya Japan. She has danced for over 20 years professionally all over the world with many companies including The Royal Ballet of Flanders, Maxim Dance Company, Ballet Gamonet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet among others. She has also participated in dance competitions and has been awarded scholarship prizes at Prix de Lausanne and first prize at Concours International de Dance de Paris. She was also a guest artist at So You Think You Can Dance in Australia. She is a certified teacher for Pilates Mat and PBT (Progressive Ballet Technique). She currently teaches at New World School of the Arts High School and College and we are happy to have her coaching and teaching ballet, pointe, variations and PBT at Ballet&Beyond