35+ Years Fostering the
Love of Dance
100s of Dancers Trained,
1000s of Lives Touched
In its 35 years, CBT has trained hundreds of students and touched thousands of lives with the love of dance. Students have performed in dozens of original ballet productions conceived and choreographed by Ms. Hirokawa. CBT alumni have gone on to study at the top dance schools in New York and beyond, and they have apprenticed and danced with professional companies. Every student at CBT gains valuable life lessons and character development, while being instilled with a deep appreciation for the art form of dance.
Artistic Director & Staff
Artistic Director
MARLA HIROKAWA
Born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i, Marla A. Hirokawa began her dance training at the Hilo School of Ballet and apprenticed with the Honolulu City Ballet. She earned her B.A. in Dance, cum laude, from the University of California, Irvine, where she received multiple awards including the Distinguished Student Scholar Award.
After performing in Hawai’i, California, and New York City, Marla founded Covenant Dance Studio in 1987 and Covenant Dance Theatre in 1989, which evolved into Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn, Inc. (CBT) in 2007—a nonprofit dedicated to artistic excellence and arts education.
Career Highlights:
Developed and manages CBT’s ballet and modern dance curriculum since 1987.
Certified in the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum (Primary–Level 3).
Former teaching artist with the New York City Ballet Education Department (1990–1997).
Created and oversees CBT’s arts education programs in NYC public schools.
Served as adjunct dance faculty at Kingsborough Community College and Marymount Manhattan College.
Marla continues to inspire dancers through her artistry, teaching, and passion for storytelling through movement.
Choreographic Work:
Conceived and choreographed 17 original narrative ballets, many with historical or social themes.
Notable works include:
Orphan Train — tribute to Rev. Charles Loring Brace and the Children’s Aid Society.
Nisei — honoring Japanese American WWII veterans, performed across Hawai‘i and at the New York International Fringe Festival.
Our Staff
Rebeccah Brann
- Covenant Ballet Theatre Alum
- Certificate of Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre
- Certified Personal Trainer, founder of HopeDanceNYC
- Covenant Ballet Arts in Education Teaching Artist
Stephen Campanella
- Princeton Ballet School
- Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s graduate program
- San Francisco Ballet School summer intensive
- certified in all levels of the ABT National Training Curriculum
Tori Hey
- BFA Dance, Ailey/Fordham BFA Program
- American Ballet Theater (ABT) Affiliate Teacher
- Agnes Varis Scholarship and the Ailey Artistic Scholarship Recipient
Nanako Kitagawa
- École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower in France
- Goh Ballet Academy in Canada
- ABT Certified Teacher
Kristin Licata
- BFA in dance from the Fordham/Ailey
- ABT Certified Teacher
- Associate Artistic Director of the Matthew Westerby Company
- Covenant Ballet Arts in Education Teaching Artist
- CBT-2 (Junior Company) Director
Amanda Treiber
- Former principal dancer with New York Theatre Ballet
- Bachelor of Fine Arts from Florida State University
- On faculty at New York Theatre Ballet School, Dance with Jax, FLEUR Dance Convention
Joseph Tudisco
- Awarded full scholarships to the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, The Alvin Ailey School, and the David Howard Ballet School
- Certified Group Instructor, AFAA
- Certified in Level 1 of the Progressive Ballet Technique
Mia Shaughnessy
- BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance
- Covenant Ballet Theatre Alum
- Performed in Works by: Kimberly Bartosik, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Jessie Obrebski, Norbert De La Cruz, Carmella Gallace, Greg Lau, Kelby Brown, Sabrina Jaafar, Angelica Stiskin, Michelle Thompson Ulerich, and Kevin Wyn
- Covenant Ballet Arts in Education Teaching Artist
Tehilah Brann
- Covenant Ballet Alum
- Pursuing Certificate of Dance at the Ailey School
- Dance Captain of CBT-2 for 4-years; Teaching Mentorship with Marla Hirokawa
- Performed with Matthew Westerby Company and Covenant Ballet Theatre
- Trained at Graham School, Paul Taylor School, Alonzo King LINES ballet
- Worked with Robert Battle, Jacqulyn Buglisis, Darshan Singh Bhuller and Marla Hirokawa
Ines Kim, Office Manager
CBT Academy’s Office Manager since 2020. She speaks English, Korean and Spanish fluently and is the proud mother of three sons.
Arrow & Beauregard , Resident Pups
Beau and Arrow received their training from the School of Hard Knocks, Puppy School and lots of treats. No professional experience.
Alumni Association
Get Involved
Are you a former student of Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn? We’ve love to stay connected and have you be part of our network of alumni that are continuing to spread the love of Covenant Ballet wherever they go. Please fill out our Alumni Questionnaire to get connected!
