Steffon Long, Artistic Director
Years of Teaching Experience: 22
Years of Dance Experience: 25
“What’s on TV tonight?” Author Unknown
“My goal in life would be to work as little as possible, for as much money as possible. With this type of set up, why would I want to retire?”
Steffon began as an apprentice with the San Francisco Ballet. He has danced with such groups as the Irish National Ballet, the Ballet Classique de Paris and the Stadt Theatre Ballet in Germany. He has been the director of the Yuma Ballet Theatre, the Redwood Empire Ballet and the Performing Arts High School and University Dance Department in Stord, Norway, just to name of few. His teaching and choreography experience includes schools and dance companies in London, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, California, New Jersey and South Dakota.
Steffon majored in Theatre Arts and Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston Campus, and received his professional ballet training with full scholarships at the Joffrey Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre School, the prestigious Harkness House for Ballet Arts in New York City and San Francisco Ballet School.
The teachers most influential in Steffon’s dance education and approach to teaching are some of the most renown teachers of classical ballet in the United States and Europe: Maria T. Vegh and David Howard, former Co-Directors of Harkness House in NYC; Stanley Williams from School of American Ballet, NYC; Rosella Hightower and Raymond Franchetti former Directors of Paris Opera Ballet in Paris and Cannes, France; Marion Lane, Nancy Kilgore and Terry Westmoreland from the Royal Ballet in London, England; Mme. Swaboda, Mme. Perijslavic and Leon Denalian from American Ballet Theatre School, NYC; and Bill Griffith and Hector Zaraspe from the Joffrey School, NYC.
After a two-year apprenticeship with the San Francisco Ballet Company, Steffon was hired as a soloist with the Oakland Ballet. Upon leaving Oakland Ballet he went on to dance, first as a member of the corps de ballet, for The National Ballet of Iran in Tehran and subsequently as a soloist and principal dancer for the Marin Ballet, Classic Ballet of New Jersey, Irish National Ballet, Ballet Classique de Paris, Schindowski Ballet and the Dortmund Stadt Theater Ballet Companies in Northwestern Germany.
Since retiring from performing in 1985, Steffon has served as the Artistic Director for Pacifica Dance Company, Pacifica, CA; Divertissement Dance Company, San Francisco; Yuma Ballet Theatre, Yuma, AZ; Redwood Empire Ballet, Company, Santa Rosa, CA and Worcester Youth Ballet in Worcester, MA.
In 1978, Steffon’s first ballet “Ballerina’s Nightmare,” choreographed for the Marin Ballet in San Rafael, CA, was chosen as “best ballet by an emerging choreographer” for the Western States region for Regional Dance America. Since that award he has gone on to choreograph ballets for schools, companies and competitions in the United States, Spain, England, Germany, Japan and Norway. Steffon has also been a frequent guest teacher for ballet companies, schools and studios in London, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway.
