Director and choreographer, Don Schwennesen received his training with Antony Tudor and Eugene Loring at University of California Irvine before joining the San Francisco Ballet Company and enjoying a successful career as one of it's soloists. He also spent two years as a member of Pacific Northwest Ballet and eight years with the Oakland Ballet Company. Mr. Schwennesen has had two of his ballets shown at Regional Dance America/Pacific festivals.
Noah's Ark is an original ballet created and choreographed by Don Schwennesen. The Crockett-Deane Ballet company has performed this ballet during the spring in alternating years. Danced by professional dancers to our youngest students, this ballet is a charming, classic about the trials and tribulation of Noah and his Ark.
In 2017, Mr. Schwennesen choreographed a new ballet to be included in Crockett-Deane Ballet's repertoire. The Magic Flute, the classical Opera, was performed with music from Mozart. Sac Civic Ballet under the direction of Don Schwennesen has become a well respected training ground for young dancers and is a Regional Dance America/Pacific honor company.
Allyson Deane studied with her parents, Deane and Barbara Crockett from the age of five until she joined the San Francisco Ballet company at the age of 17. Studying at the Crockett Dance Studio and performing with the Sacramento Civic Ballet Company gave her all she needed for a successful career. She began in the corps de ballet and worked her way to soloist and then on to become a principal dancer with SFB.
Ms. Deane became one of SFB Director Michael Smuin's favorite "Juliet's" in his world renowned "Romeo and Juliet" and was honored to perform this role at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland as well as in her father, Dean Crockett's hometown of Ogden, Utah and at the San Francisco Opera House which she called home for many years. She competed in "Dance a Paris" in Paris in Tomm Ruud's "Mobile" and was asked to make the movie "Balances" which was shown in theatres throughout the United States. She was pleased to perform the Balcony Pas de Deux from Smuin's "Romeo and Juliet" at the gala performance of the re-opening of the Sacramento Capitol rotunda and enjoyed many years of guesting as the Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Pas de Deux, and the Rose in Sacramento Ballet's "Nutcracker," directed by Barbara Crockett.
After marrying Don Schwennesen, another successful San Francisco Ballet dancer, she moved to Seattle where she became a teacher at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Coming back to California to join Oakland Ballet Company, she performed in Kurt Joos' "Green Table," Mother/Sweetheart in Eugene Loring's "Billy the Kid," premiered Tomm Ruud's beautiful pas de deux "Bela di Notte," and performed the lead role in Nijinska's Schaharazade.
Allyson Deane became Oakland Ballet Executive Directors' assistant and toured for two years as Oakland Ballet's head of wardrobe. After years of guest dancing and teaching workshops around the country, Ms. Deane and her husband opened the Deane Dance Center with Barbara Crockett and David Boyet. The school has had great success becoming the Youth America Grand Prix "Best School 2000" as Chloe Felesina took the Junior Grand Prix and have trained many successful professional dancers in the school's history.