2022 NFB Beauty & the Beast Playbill - Other - Page 11
Shari Allen, Assistant Director
Shari Allen, holds BFA in Dance from Radford University and a Professional
Educators Certificate by the state of Florida Department of Education, has
studied with North Carolina School of the Arts, Richmond Ballet and Boston
Ballet School. She has performed with Ballet Theatre of Boston, Boston Dance
Co., Impulse Dance Co., Mill Mountain Theatre, Southwest Virginia Ballet and
been a touring member of Lightwire Theater.
Ms. Allen taught ballet and jazz for the Harvard-Radcliffe Dance Department,
the Jeanette Neill Dance Studio in Boston, the Fort Wayne Ballet, Florida Dance
Association and the University of West Florida. She is a nationally certified
Pilates instructor and is currently pursuing an M.S. in Art Education at Florida
State University. For over 30 years, Shari has found her passion in teaching.
When she is not working she loves spending time with her family, taking care of
animals and creating art.
Dorothy Daniels Lister, Ballet Mistress
“Miss Dorothy", to all her students, received her early training at the Elvie
DeMarko School in Pensacola, continued her studies in New York at the
Swoboda School (later the Ballet Russe School). She joined the Ballet Russe and
danced with such renowned stars as Alicia Alonso, Maria Tallchief, Nina Novak,
Alexandria Danilova, Igor Yousevitch, Frederic Franklin, Leon Danelian and
Leonide Massine.
After leaving the Ballet Russe, she danced at Radio City in their ballet, made
guest appearances in Civic Ballets and Opera Companies. She later performed
in Sumer Stock and on Broadway with such stars as Bernadette Peters, Mickey
Rooney, Elaine Stritch, and Joel Grey. Her final Broadway endeavor was in
Michael Bennett’s Ballroom.
Miss Dorothy began her teaching career and joined the American Ballet Center,
the official school of the Robert Joffrey Ballet Company. For 25 years, she was
Head of the Children’s Department. She was responsible for rehearsing 65
children for the New York performances of the Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker.
Her credits include co-authoring the book “Conversations with Choreographers”
in 1996, interviewing all the well-known choreographers on stage and
screen. In 1997, she moved back to the Pensacola area and is now the Ballet
Mistress for the NFB, dance coach for Tate High School’s Colorguard, and
choreographer for Tate High’s musicals. She is very proud of the students and
teachers performing and teaching in all mediums of dance from Classical Ballet
Companies to Broadway and television. Her motto is “dance for those who try.”
Bernadette Clements Sims, Founder
Bernadette Sims studied with Mary Lou Noletto, Lee Partridge and Duane
Dishion. At the age of 18 she auditioned for George Balanchine and placed
third in a regional audition for study at the School of American Ballet in New
York City. She won a scholarship to study with Alexandra Danilova at the Ballet
Arts Studio at Carnegie Hall. She also studied with Robert Joffrey and Richard
Englund and performed with the Mobile Ballet, the New Orleans Ballet and
the Birmingham Ballet. In 1964 she was 1st runner up to Miss Alabama. After
marrying, she moved to Fort Walton Beach and founded the Northwest Florida
Ballet in 1969.
