DR. HELENE BREAZEALE


BIOGRAPHY

(9/14/37 – 5/18/21)

 

Performer/choreographer/teacher/historian/author/proud mother and grandmother, Dr. Helene Breazeale has done it all. She even found time to serve for 10 years on the Board of Directors of her condominium association – 6 of those years as President.

 

Currently Professor Emerita at Towson University, she continues to make generous contributions to the arts as a consultant, a Governing Member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and, until recently, Vice President for Special Services and Events for the Baltimore Symphony Associates.

 

During her 33-year tenure at Towson University (TU) in Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Helene Breazeale was Professor of Dance, founder of the TU Dance Company in 1972, the dance major program in 1976, the Children’s Dance Division in 1981, TED (Towson Ensemble Dancers) in 1984, and the International Ballet Symposium in 1987. 

 

Following her doctoral research in curriculum development, at TU she was the designer of the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree program in Dance Performance and Dance Performance and Education that began in 1985. To date, TU is the only institution of higher education in the State of Maryland to offer a B.F.A. degree program in Dance that is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD).

 

Dr. Breazeale was Chair of the Dance Department for 18 years, and served as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication from 1990-1996. At the same time, in 1995, she was named Executive Director of the World Music Congresses. Working for the Institutional Advancement Division at TU, she produced and directed the World Cello Congress® II in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 1-8, 1997; the World Cello Congress® III, May 28-June 4, 2000 at TU and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Maryland; and The First World Guitar Congress®, June 2-9, 2004, at TU and the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

 

Some of Dr. Breazeale’s achievements as Executive Director of the World Music Congresses include:

 

 

In October 2017, Dr. Breazeale was awarded the Living Legacy Award 2017, by the Maryland Dance Education Association. Prior to that, she was the recipient of two Towson University Merit Awards and the Maryland Council for Dance Award for Outstanding Service to Dance in the State of Maryland. Her international work has taken her to over 15 foreign countries including residencies with the Royal Danish Ballet, and as the originator of the Towson University/St. Petersburg Conservatory Russian exchange program in dance and music that began in 1989.

 

Helene Breazeale had a 19-year professional performing career including the José Limón Dance Company, the Broadway revival of "Oklahoma," the Celtic Ballet of Scotland, industrial shows, off-Broadway, summer stock, concert stage and television. Her 50+-year teaching career included such institutions as The Juilliard School, Queens College, Peabody Institute, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University. She is the choreographer of over 20 major works including the TV Emmy Award winning production, "The Singing Angels Christmas Show." Her writings are included in such publications as Fine Arts Magazine, Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher Now, Vestnik, Museums of Russia, and The Baltimore Sun.

 

Dr. Breazeale earned a B.S./M.S. degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from The Juilliard School in New York, an M.A. degree in Dance Education from Columbia University in New York, and a Ph.D. in Dance Education from The Union Institute and University in Ohio.

 

email: mailto:hbreazeale@msn.com

 


page created April 4, 2001; updated March 30, 2018; March 20, 2021 tribute to Helene Breazeale in Dedication of Susan Helene Kramer’s book: Children in Motion – Dance Meditation Yoga; May 18, 2021 Helene Breazeale passed over; May 25, 2021 email address to her son, Greg Breazeale braz@me.com

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