ABOUT US & FACILITY
In June 1994, Bernadette Campbell's childhood dream of owning her own ballet school came to life as she opened the Buford School Ballet. As the years went on, BSB outgrew its former homes & Ms. Bernadette decided to build a building dedicated to ballet & dance!
The home of Buford School of Ballet is an 11,000 square foot building complete with a prayer room, five professional studios, viewing windows for each studio, five public bathrooms, a company study room, dressing rooms for dancers, huge lobby for families with siblings, a costume and prop room, administrative offices, teachers lounge, & a large parking lot for parents with a safe and convenient circular drive that gives access to the studio's main entrance.
Ms. Bernadette & Buford School of Ballet are proud to produce three full-length performances a year held at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth - our Star of Wonder performance complete with the Nutcracker, Evening at the Ballet produced by the Georgia Christian Dance Theatre, & our spring recitals. We also have participated in International Dance Acclaim for over 17 years which gives our dancers the opportunity to perform and improve their technique starting at age 5.
ABOUT
MISS BERNADETTE
Ms. Bernadette & family arriving at Houston Ballet's Summer Intensive in 2017
Ms. Bernadette with her family - Husband Mark of 25 years and their two children, Joseph (21) and Mary Grace (16)
Ms. Bernadette's parents - Grandma Grace & Grandpa Mike with Mary Grace arriving at Nashville Ballet's Summer Intensive 2019
Bernadette Campbell or Ms. Bernadette, founder and artistic director of Buford School of Ballet, danced professionally with the Lexington Ballet and grew up as a scholarship student with the Gwinnett Ballet Theater under the founder and artistic directorship of Lynne Snipes. As a 12-year student of the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, she was blessed to be taught by Stanley Zompakos, Pennie Able, Jane Bradshaw, Tom Pazik, Rose Barile, Victoria Vittum, Kathy Thomas, Nicholas Pacana, and Lynne Snipes. She was also a Joffrey Ballet scholarship student and the 1988 recipient of the Governor's Excellence Award in Dance Education for the state of Georgia. Bernadette was engaged by Lexington Ballet in her senior year of high school at the 1989 SERBA convention in Montgomery, Alabama.
Bernadette danced professionally with the Lexington Ballet under the direction of Karl Kaufman and Kirt Hathaway. Her repertoire included: Dawn in Coppelia alongside Elizabeth Nesi, soloist for the Cincinnati ballet. Cupid variation from Don Quixote in which she received rave reviews from the Lexington Herald-Leader: "the most lively performance was turned in by Bernadette Mathis as Cupid. Her quick footwork and precise technical execution combined to make her sparkle on stage." Pas de Trois in The Sleeping Beauty, Rival Ballerinas in Graduation Ball, Clara, Spanish, Russian, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Cinderella in Cinderella. As well as roles in Romeo and Juliet, Idylle staged by Marjorie Tallchief, Dracula, Ballet Under the Stars, Les Sylphides, and La Fille Mal Gardee. Bernadette's professional credits also include guest appearances as The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker with the Intercity Ballet Company of Kingsport, Tennessee, and the Gwinnett Ballet Theater. She has also trained, and danced professionally, with the Lancaster Ballet in Ohio, and the Ruth Page production of The Nutcracker in Chicago.
Ms. Bernadette has been professionally teaching for 30 years and started with the Lilburn and Snellville Schools of Ballet in Gwinnett County. She was a full-time faculty member at the School of the Lexington Ballet, official School of the Lexington Ballet Company, and teacher with the Gwinnett Ballet Theatre. She has also been a guest teacher with The London Ballet School in London, Kentucky, and the Baker Ballet School in Ohio, Praise In Motion in Georgia, Alabama Christian Dance Theatre, South Carolina Christian Dance Theatre, along with guest teacher and choreographer at Peachtree Ridge High School.
In 1994, Ms. Bernadette established Buford School of Ballet and 3 years later she founded the Georgia Christian Dance Theatre, the official Company of the Buford School of Ballet. The program is a pre-professional dance company that strives to create a Christian environment for the dancers, non-profit recognizing that the gift of dance comes from God.
Bernadette and the Buford School of Ballet have been affiliate members of the American Academy of Ballet, founded by Mignon Furman, for over 17 years. She has studied alongside Ms. Furman at SUNY Purchase College in Westchester, NY. Ms. Campbell has received an honorary teaching certificate from Dance Teacher Magazine presented by Mignon Furman. Ms. Campbell has had the most participants in the history of the American Academy of Ballet Performance Awards and the International Dance Acclaim than any other studio in the world. She has produced hundreds of gold medal recipients over the last decade. She has studied with some of the most notable and renowned teachers in the world such as, Galina Samsova of Birmingham Royal Ballet, Brian Loftus, Governor of the Royal Ballet and former Principal Dancer, Mignon Furman, David Howard, Violet Verdi, Olga Dvorovenko, Bobby Barnett, Merle Sepel, Andrea Pell, and Pamela MCray.
Miss Bernadette and The Buford School of Ballet are thrilled to have spent the past 26 years teaching and loving young dancers, as well as forming friendships and bonds with many families along the way. Our hope is to continue to serve and glorify Christ by growing the talents He has given us.