MaryAnn Black

MaryAnn Black is a native Ohioan. She started her formal training in dance with her mother Charlottle Braun, who had a studio in Parma Heights, Ohio and who was a member of Dance Masters for 50 years. MaryAnn completed two years of Teacher Training School with Dance Masters. MaryAnn’s dancing has taken her from Ohio where she was a principle dancer with the Ohio Ballet and performed with the Kenley Players, where she was thrilled to dance with Gene Kelly, to NYC.

In NYC she had summer scholarships with George Balanchine and performed on Broadway when “A Chorus Line” became the longest running show on Broadway. In California, she danced and sang on her sitcom on ABC called “Sugartime” and guest starred on “Three’s Company” with John Ritter.

She has danced in many national commercials and has sung the National Anthem for both the LA Lakers and the Cleveland Indians. She taught for Jane Fonda’s Workout in Beverly Hills, California and appears in 3 of her exercise videos.

She received her BFA from Stephens College and her MFA from Kent State.  

Ms. Black taught tap, jazz and ballet for the University of Akron from 1998-2014. The Dance Institute of the University of Akron awarded her “Outstanding Teacher” in 2005. 

She is now a full time faculty member in the School of Theatre and Dance at Kent State, where she will be teaching jazz, ballet and tap and choreographing both for the musicals and dance concerts.  

She has guest taught at Jacksonville University, Florida, Dance Masters of Ohio, ACDFA at Bowling Green University and the University of Akron.