Guest Faculty

Christina Bernal (Ballet)

Ms Bernal trained at San Francisco Ballet School and then went on to dance with San Francisco Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Paul Mejia. Married to Larry Matthews, formerly of the New York City Ballet, she taught a private class for 10 years at David Howard’s studio in New York in addition to teaching company class for ABT. Ms Bernal has most recently instructed dancers of the Royal Swedish Ballet, Ballet Dresden, and Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. With an incredible eye, her focus is on working in alignment, and she is known the world over for helping dancers recover from injuries.

It was in Bernal’s New York professional class in the early nineties that New Ballet Ensemble and School director, Katie Smythe began training in the Bernal Method™. Ms. Smythe is one of three sanctioned teachers who instruct in the Bernal Method™.

This method of teaching offers equity in training across a broad spectrum of dancers and body types.  Dancers who specialize in varying techniques benefit from this method that is centered on placement, alignment and strength of the core muscles.

Ms. Bernal frequently travels to Memphis to coach both the students and professionals of New Ballet, offering private lessons (by appointment) and professional development for the teaching staff.