JULIE BIERNE is a former professional ballerina and an experienced, patient, and passionate teacher of classical ballet. She believes in training her dancers in a demanding, structured, and nurturing environment. Julie was honored to assume ownership of CLASSICAL BALLET SCHOOL from her mentor, Kay Sandel, in 2015. In doing so, she found a passion for creating, choreographing, and designing full-scale, professional-quality ballets that CBS students perform for the greater OKC community each June. To date, Julie has produced six original ballets, Rapunzel, The Nightingale, Snow White & Rose Red, Raven Wing, The Princess and the Pea, and Peter Pan.
Julie is a Teacher Member of The Cecchetti Council of America and the Southwest Committee of the CCA and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from the University of Central Oklahoma. Additionally, she has studied abroad at the Université de Paris, Sorbonne, France.
At age 15, Julie was accepted into the Los Angeles Ballet summer intensive program. It was there, under the watchful eye of Russian ballerina, Irina Kosmovska, that her technique and artistry blossomed. Julie has danced under such New York City Ballet greats as Edward Villella, John Clifford, Conrad Ludlow, Joy Feldman, Todd Bolender, Diana Adams, Bryan Pitts, and Laura Flagg-Pitts. As a former ballerina with Ballet Oklahoma (now Oklahoma City Ballet), she danced in productions of Carmen, Coppelia, Les Sylphides, Tangos, many Nutcrackers, and performed the “Peasant Pas de Deux” in Giselle.
Julie was 5 years old when her family returned to the United States from Venezuela. When asked what she wanted in her new home, Julie requested a canopy bed and ballet lessons…she received both!