Instructor
Gwendolyn Holden Seckers is a seasoned dance educator who has taught students of all ages in a variety of settings. Trained in both commercial and conservatory settings, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Georgia and was an inaugural member of the UGA Ballet Ensemble. Originally trained as a gymnast and competitive Irish dancer, Gwendolyn began ballet studies in Rochester, NY with her mother, who later relocated to Cleveland, Ohio. She studied at the School of Nashville Ballet with Elaine Thomas (Royal Ballet), Paul Vasterling, and Janek Schergen. While a musical theater student at Northwestern University, she studied jazz dance with Nan Giordano at the Gus Giordano Dance Center. As a young teen, Gwendolyn was chosen to perform with the New York City Ballet during its summer residency at Saratoga Springs. Gwendolyn was an adjunct faculty member at Middle Tennessee State University, a teaching artist for the Cumberland County Playhouse, and ballet instructor for the Rutherford County Youth Ballet. She is currently a faculty member at the Beck Center for the Arts, teaching ballet and early childhood classes, outreach education, and created a curriculum for Head Start outreach programming. She is also a member of the ballet faculty at Cleveland City Dance. Through a partnership between BCA and Lutheran West High School, Gwendolyn created a syllabus for and taught a dance technique, history, and appreciation class. Gwendolyn has taught outreach education for DANCECleveland’s Read to Learn . . . Dance to Move program and has also worked as a certified fitness instructor. She is a certified Silver Swans instructor (Royal Academy of Dance)and attended continuing professional development seminars with the Royal Ballet (England) and the Royal Academy of Dance. Most recently, she completed the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s teacher’s workshop, learning Marcia Dale Weary’s legendary curriculum with Rose Taylor.
Outside of dance, Gwendolyn has volunteered as a tutor with The Refugee Response, served on the board of the Winterhurst Figure Skating Club, and was appointed to the City of Lakewood’s Community Relations Advisory Commission. She also holds a K-12 substitute teacher license.