Faculty

Christine Fendley, Artistic Director and Founder, has taught children and adults dance for over 30 years. As an educator, performer and choreographer, Ms Fendley has taught for the Aesthetic Education Institute in Rochester and Albany, The Rochester AEI/Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning, through the artist-in-residence program of Project U.N.I.Q.U.E. and the Rochester City School District, and through Young Audiences of Rochester. She was on the faculty at Nazareth College in the Graduate Studies Program and at Wells College, NY. Ms Fendley has developed programs for children in private and public schools.

Her choreography has been presented at Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, Wells College, Pyramid Arts Center's Dance Series, MCC Choreographer's Series, the Finger Lakes Community College Composer's Forum, RochesterInk Poetry Festival, Park Avenue Dance Company's concerts, and as part of the Rochester Contemporary Dance Series. She is the recipient of choreography grants for her interdisciplinary collaborative work in video, dance, music and theater from the New York State Council on the Arts, from the Wurlitzer Foundation and from the Wilmot Foundation. She holds a BA in English, Drama and Dance from the University of Maryland and an MA in Choreography and Perfomance from State University of New York at Brockport.

Marina Peters is from New York City where she studied with Thalia Mara, Carmen de Lavallade, Sophie Maslow, Donald McKayle, and Rod Rodgers, among others. She has performed and choreographed with Park Avenue Dance Company since its inception and is Assistant to the Director. Further performances, along with workshops in Rochester City Schools and other counties, have been with Kinecore Dance Circus and the Elizabeth Clark Dance Ensemble. Currently, she studies with and recruits master class instructors for Park Avenue Dance Company from the Toronto companies of Dancemakers, Toronto Dance Theater, and Danny Grossman Dance Company.

Linda Goebel has been teaching dance for 25 years. She is on the faculty in the Dance program at Rochester Institute of Technology. Linda has choreographed numerous musicals in schools and community theater. She is known as the "tap teachers' teacher". She has a B.S. in Dance from SUNY Brockport. Linda is a certified aerobics instructor and personal trainer. Linda also creates stained glass jewelry through her business Goebel Glass.

Cora Kannel is a Licensed Massage Therapist and company member of Park Avenue Dance Company. She is currently teaching Orthopedic Assessment at the Onondaga School Of Therapeutic Massage and Ballet and Parent Toddler workshops with Park Avenue Dance Company. She began teaching at The Rochester City Ballet in 1995 and continued exploring movement education in Tucson, AZ with Orts Theatre Of Dance. Here she expanded her teaching from ballet to creative movement, aerial, and parent/toddler dance classes. Cora uses her experience and education to integrate function and movement in both classical and contemporary movement education.

Jennifer Jones Furton studied dance in Farmington, Maine at Broadway Academy of Dance. Jen was an assitant dance teacher for ballet, tap, jazz and pointe classes for ages 8-13. She was a member of the Maine Dance Teacher's Association and attended and performed at their annual workshop. She graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.A. in American Sign Language Interpretation with a minor in Theatre and a certificate in Performing Arts. She was a member of the RIT/NTID Dance Company directed by Thomas Warfield from 2004-2009. As a member of the company Jen toured to Deaf Theatre and Visual Arts festivals in Baltimore, NYC and Syracuse to perform with both Deaf and hearing dancers. She has acted in and interpreted for many plays and musicals in Maine and Rochester. She has been dancing at Park Avenue Dance since 2009. Jen is a certified sign language interpreter.

Teri Brown, MBA, LMT, CYT Teri’s studies in yoga have been primarily inspired by Francois Raoult, an International Yoga Master who specializes and excels in teaching teachers of Yoga. She has also studied with International Yoga Master Judith Lasater, founder of Yoga Journal and specialist in relaxation yoga. Most recently, Teri has been studying with Elise Miller, International Yoga Master specializing in Scoliosis and back care. After over 10 years in corporate and industrial management, Teri has since spent over 10 years as a Licensed and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, specializing in Thai Yoga Massage. As an Internationally Certified Thai Massage Teacher and Nationally Certified Yoga Teacher, she feels it’s a privilege to share Yoga with others.Teri brings her own experience with overcoming the challenges of scoliosis, fibromyalgia, and arthritis through movement, including yoga. She hopes you will find inspiration for the same improved quality of life by choosing to move with her at Park Avenue Dance Company's studio.

Leslie MacDonald has been teaching classical ballet to adults and children for 15 years and Pilates for 5 years. Leslie is from Toronto where she studied at the National Ballet School of Canada and the Lois Smith School of Dance. Leslie studied ballet and modern theatre dance with Patricia McLeod in Guelph, Ontario and completed her RAD Teacher’s Certificate. Leslie studied Pilates to help her students develop better body core stability, mental focus, and breath control, She earned her Matwork Specialist certification from Body Harmonics in Toronto. In Rochester, Leslie works with students at the Eastman School of Music, using Pilates as a system of improving breathing, reducing performance stress and promoting better body awareness in performers. Leslie holds a graduate degree in Microbiology and works in an influenza virus research laboratory at the University of Rochester She is the principal trumpet in the Genesee Valley Orchestra and Chorus and the University of Rochester Medical Centre Orchestra.