Susan TalebiSage

Susan TalebiSage

Susan, “Miss Sue”, is a dancer, instructor and choreographer. She also has been licensed to practice as an Assistant Physical Therapist since 2012. She grew up in Maryland, taking her first ballet class at age five with Miss Katz. At age twelve she returned to dancing at Jane Bittner’s Dance Studio. She participated in an intensive program, studying classical ballet technique, pointe, modern, jazz, character, and ballroom. She danced with Olney Children’s Ballet Theater and was casted as the lead in Cinderella and in the soloist role “The White Dove” in Hansel and Gretel. She also performed as a soloist in Pas de Quatre and in The Nutcracker as Snow Queen, in Spanish Variation, and as a Lead Flower in Waltz of the Flowers. She studied with ballet master Dawei Zhang of the Shanghai Ballet and performed traditional Chinese folk dancing during the inception of his company, East West Ballet. She later danced on scholarship with Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania and performed with The Lake Erie Ballet Theater. She then transferred to The College of William & Mary and graduated in 2005. Two years later in 2007 she began teaching at Institute for Dance. While there she had the pleasure of training with Miss Kathy Martin-Palmo and Kristine Antis, performing in June shows and later danced the soloist role “The Spirit of Christmas” in Christmas Dreams. In order to take her teaching to the next level, she completed a certificate course for Body Based Alignment with VCU’s Dance Department in 2009. She also had the honor of performing with Williamsburg Ballet Theater as a soloist in Paquita and in Les Sylphides. She later was promoted to Co-Artistic Director of Williamsburg Ballet Theater. In 2011 she was accepted into ECPI/MCI’s competitive program to study physical therapy. Upon graduation and achieving Dean’s List each semester, she passed her licensure board exam and began working at Patriots Colony Skilled Nursing Care Facility and Outpatient Clinic in Williamsburg. Beginning in 2016 she began teaching accelerated courses in Neurological Rehabilitation and also Medical Surgical Conditions at ECPI University MCI for the Physical Therapy Department. In 2017, after teaching 10 years at Institute for Dance, she was relocated to Upstate New York, all the while maintaining licensure and continuing to practice as a therapist. In New York she enjoyed studying ballet, lyrical and hip hop at The Dance Lab with owner/director Mary Beth. Also while in New York she had the great honor of studying classical ballet at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs with Bill Otto of the New York City Ballet. Miss Sue is now excited to be returning to enjoy Williamsburg with her family and son Henry Charlie!