About Penn

Penn H. Burrall, born in Upstate NY, began her dance training at the age of six along with her two sisters, starting with ballet and tap. Her training and dedication flourished when joining St. Peter’s Community Arts Academy, The Ballet School, in Geneva, NY, under the direction of Alaina Olivieri. She was one of their first students, studying classical ballet, pointe, and modern techniques. While a student at the Arts Academy, she also trained at Studio for the Performing Arts (SPA) located in Newark, NY, to gain more performance experience. At SPA, she participated in multiple community ballet productions of Beauty and the Beast, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty, taking on soloist roles in her high school years.  

 

While in high school, it was Alaina Oliveri that introduced Burrall to a summer program called New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA), School of Dance located in Saratoga Springs, NY at Skidmore College. Co-founded by Carloyn Adams and Julie Adams Strandburg, her passion for dance expanded while learning Paul Taylor’s modern technique and receiving instruction from Erika Pujič and Fiona Oba, as well as performing works by Robert Battle, Caroyln Adams, and Ruth Andrien. After three summers, Burrall was also awarded the Mae Banner Award in 2020 in honor of her dedication to the program.  

 

A recent graduate from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a  B.F.A in Contemporary Dance Performance, she deepened her understanding of ballet, modern, jazz, and contemporary styles. She explored her other interests such as teaching, working in the costume shop, and collaborating with choreographers and peers. Burrall was also elected as a representative for the Dance Division for the Student Government Association at Berklee, hoping to improve student life and help bridge gaps within the institution. She holds gratitude for the opportunity to perform work by an influential professor, Jim Viera, learn Victor Quijada's Rubberband Method, as well as perform in pieces by Heather Stewart and Doug Varone. One of her most recent influential experiences at school was being selected to perform in the first ever all female- indentifying cast of José Limón's The Unsung. 

 

While studying in Boston, she has also enjoyed performing in student works by Tricia Dietrick, Raxel Kempenaar, and Amber Gott. She is now a resident of Greenpoint in Brooklyn, NY and has received additional training at various summer and winter intensives with YY Dance Company, Doug Varone and Dancers, Gibney Dance, Ballet Hispanico, and Paul Taylor Dance Company. All of these different experiences have greatly inspired Burrall’s approach in researching her interests in performing, teaching, production, and collaboration.