MARY CARBONARA
TEACHING ARTIST, ADMINISTRATOR, CONSULTANT
Mary Carbonara works in academic, conservatory and community environments, teaching children, young adults, adult beginners, aspiring and seasoned professionals and educators. Her adult classes are based on the pedagogical methods of Master Teacher Lynn Simonson, with whom she trained for nearly a decade, and incorporates aspects of the Cunningham and Horton Techniques. For her youth classes she is inspired by master teachers Anne Green Gilbert and Sheila Kogan.
Mary is the Director of Community Programs at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, where she has been on faculty since 2002. She led the annual Educators’ Workshop at the Bates Dance Festival (2016-2019) and has taught on the faculties of San Francisco Ballet, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), ODC School, UC Davis, Mills College, San Jose State University, East Carolina University, Santa Clara University, and around the world, including New York, Chicago, Tallahassee, Washington, Tokyo and Kolkata, India.
Mary has taught dance for PreK- 12th grade kids in private and school-based settings, including Noe Valley Nursery School, Miraloma Elementary School, Sunnyside Elementary, SF Public Montessori and through Hamster Dance Academy, a children's creative movement program, which she founded and operated 2011-2019.
She is the founder and artistic director of the critically acclaimed performing ensemble Mary Carbonara Dances (founded in 2004), and is a former member of Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Robert Moses’ KIN, Lisa Fain Dance and Project Bandaloop.
With Robert Moses, she co-directed Studio 200 a San Francisco dance space, where she produced: Artist-to-Artist, a peer mentoring panel series; Dance Teacher Gathering, a semi-regular best practices exchange among dance teachers; and Studio 200 Showcase, a free quarterly performance showcase for Bay Area dance artists, students and audiences.
Mary was Executive Director of Robert Moses’ KIN (2011-2013), served on the boards of Robert Moses' KIN and Dancers' Group and is a member of the California Dance Educators Association (CDEA) and the National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO).
Concurrent to her performing and teaching careers, Mary has been an independent public relations consultant, providing clients with full service media relations, marketing and social media services, and strategic planning. Some of her clients include Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Robert Moses' KIN, Jess Curtis/Gravity, Fresh Festival, Dance Mission Theater, Risa Jaroslow & Dancers, Cuba Caribe, PUSH Festival, Lenora Lee Dance, and many others.