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