MASTER TEACHER

Born in Annapolis, MD, Meredith Reffner-Callender grew in the Baltimore/D.C. area. From a young age she studied the Cecchetti method of ballet and won numerous awards such as Dance Masters of America’s Junior Miss Dance, the East Coast Cecchetti Council scholarship, and the National Cecchetti Council of America scholarship two summers in a row. At 13, she decided to put her primary focus on ballet and attended the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C. There she trained with such world renowned teachers as Lupe Serrano, Patricia Berrend, Rudolf Kharatian and Mary Day, She would then spend her summers at the School of American Ballet in NYC and the Chautauqua Institute, dancing with their Festival and professional ballet companies. While finishing up her last years of schooling, Meredith was awarded with the Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts award, a Level 1 award from the National YoungArts Foundation and the highly prestigious Presidential Scholar of the Arts award which won her an invitation to perform for and meet President Clinton. After graduating high school, Meredith started her professional career with the Washington Ballet, where she had the opportunity to work with Ms. Suzanne Farrell and perform in the Kennedy Center’s 25th Anniversary celebration. She then moved on to work for Paul Mejia at the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet in Texas where she performed several soloist and principal roles. Later, she moved back to the east coast to work with the Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia, again having the opportunity to perform several soloist and principal roles. Some of Meredith’s favorite roles include the Siren in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, the Swan in Chris Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals, and Coffee in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Meredith retired from the stage in 2010 but continues to teach in the Philadelphia region. Between her classes, she can be found enjoying her free time with her husband, fellow dancer/teacher Rick Callender, and their two daughters.