Umran Sumen
FOUNDER and Artistic Director
Umran graduated in 1966 from the State Conservatory in the Faculty of Fine Arts in Ankara, Turkey, after nine years of study. Subsequently, she received her Master’s degree from Hecettepe University in Ankara. For the next sixteen years she danced with The National Ballet Company of Turkey as a leading soloist.
At the invitation of Dame Ninette de Valois, she studied at the Royal Ballet School of London and was later sent by the Turkish National Ballet to study choreography and teaching with the Ballet der Wiener Staatsoper Austria, for one year.
Umran worked with world famous choreographers and teachers, among them Anton Dolin, Dame Ninette de Valois, Molly Lake, Travis Kemp, Beatrice Appleyard, Todd Bolender, John Gilpin, Alfred Rodrigues, Richard Glasstone, Sulamif Messerer, Valery Panov and Yuri Grigorovich. Her repertoire includes thirty classical and modern productions.
In 1986, she was appointed Artistic Director of the Calgary City Ballet. In 1993, Umran was awarded the commemorative medal for the 125th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. This medal was given to Umran for her outstanding contribution to the arts and culture of Canada through her work as a dancer and teacher.
In 2004, she was given the Immigrants of Distinction Award. Umran was the recipient of the 2008 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the Arts. She was recognized for her outstanding achievement, significant contributions and for improving the quality of life in Calgary.
She is a member of the Turkish National Ballet Company (TNBC), the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Canadian Dance Teachers’ Association (CDTA).
MIMI HAESEKER, BFA
Mimi is proud to have been with the International School of Ballet for its history of 37 years. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Calgary. Mimi specializes in training the youngest dancers in the Early Childhood program to Grade One level in classical ballet.
To engage, motivate and nurture a love of the art while providing technical and artistic growth continues to inspire her as a teacher.
Mimi is also a visual artist and designs and creates headpieces and props for class and stage.
Nicole hails from Saskatoon where she trained under Yvonne Jaspar, ARAD. Upon achieving her RAD Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 exams with Distinction, Nicole danced professionally with the Saskatchewan Contemporary Ballet Company, and began teaching ballet whilst completing her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan. After successful completion of the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies program with the Royal Academy of Dance, Nicole became a registered teacher with the RAD. Nicole’s love of movement has led her to also attain additional certification and training in Vinyasa Flow yoga, Barre Body method, Progressing Ballet Technique and Silver Swans.
Nicole has been teaching at the International School of Ballet since 2010 where she is now Head of RAD Training. Under her guidance, students have achieved the top RAD exam scores and multiple students have been offered a variety of career opportunities due to their excellent training at ISB. It is Nicole’s aim to ensure ISB remains one of the elite RAD classical ballet training institutions in Alberta.
Nicole feels very privileged to be part of the ISB family, and is honored to pass on her knowledge from her lifetime of RAD training and experience to help guide young dancers to develop their own talents and love of dance.
Nicole’s family at home has been growing the past few years; she and her husband are the proud parents of two young daughters.
BRIELLE MITCHELL, BSc,
RAD Advanced 2 - Distinction
Brielle Mitchell is passionate about ballet and enjoys sharing her expertise with aspiring dancers at the International School of Ballet. Her journey in ballet began in 2009 where she received foundational training under the expert guidance of Umran Sumen. With the International School of Ballet, Brielle completed her Royal Academy of Dance examinations with distinction. Brielle has been a faculty member with the International School of Ballet since 2016.
Seeking to expand her skills, Brielle has embarked on further ballet studies at renowned institutions such as Alberta Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Canada's National Ballet. Along this journey, she had the privilege of learning from esteemed instructors including former National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Keiichi Hirano, and former Alberta Ballet dancers Jaciel Gomez and Yarielys Sosa.
Currently, Brielle thrives as a professional ballerina, captivating audiences with her performances as a Freelance Artist. Her stage presence has graced productions with the Jeunesse Classique Ballet company for numerous years, where she has portrayed pivotal roles such as Clara, Sugarplum, and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppelia and Lise in La Fille Mal Gardée. Her upcoming role as Giselle in Giselle promises to further showcase her artistry and skill.
Brielle's talent extends beyond traditional ballet performances, as she has also been featured in Tchaikovsky Candlelight Ballet shows across Alberta and collaborated as a guest artist with the Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble.
In tandem with her ballet pursuits, Brielle has pursued academic excellence. She is a proud graduate of the University of Calgary, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with distinction.
LAUREN SAUNDERS
RAD Advanced 2 - Distinction,
Cecchetti Intermediate
All of Miss Lauren’s formative training has been with the International School of Ballet under the guidance of Umran Sumen. Miss Lauren began her ballet training with Miss Mimi in 2007 and trained through the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus with Miss Nicole, graduating Advanced 2 with Distinction at the top of her class. By achieving Distinction on her Advanced 1 and Advanced 2 exams she was able to compete in the prestigious Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition (formerly Genée International Ballet Competition) in 2019. Miss Lauren diversified her training by completing the Intermediate Cecchetti Exam through the Alberta Ballet School’s Professional Division.
After graduating, Miss Lauren advanced her training by attending the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Aspirant Program. Within this program, she gained professional dance experience performing in RWB’s The Nutcracker as a Snowflake and Waltz of the Flowers, and a member of the Swan Corps in Swan Lake.
Miss Lauren’s most recent freelance professional endeavour has been her feature in Fever’s Candlelight Ballet: Featuring Tchaikovsky and More, which tours throughout Alberta. Locally, Miss Lauren has performed in Principal roles in Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society’s The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia and La Fille Mal Gardee. Currently, Miss Lauren is preparing to perform as Giselle in Jeuesse Classique Ballet Society’s Giselle in June. Miss Lauren is also a member of the Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. She is highlighted as the title character and leading soloist in the world premiere of their 50th-anniversary production Dzvinka that is currently touring across Western Canada.
Miss Lauren’s passion for carving ballet’s next generation of dancers has led her to be and an instructor with ISB, an assistant instructor with Tryzub Ukrainian Dance School, as well as a rehearsal assistant with Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society. Miss Lauren has been a member of ISB’s Artistic Faculty since 2021. To enhance her teaching, Miss Lauren is currently pursuing the Healthy Dance Practice Certificate by ‘Safe in Dance International’ , a Bachelor of Arts in Dance concentrating in Dance Pedagogy and a Bachelor of Kinesiology through the University of Calgary.
BROOKE FORGRAVE
RAD Advanced 2 - Distinction
Brooke started her ballet training when she was three, and began dancing with ISB in 2015. She has completed RAD exams from Grade Three all the way to her Advanced Two exam in 2022. She has also been a part of Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society since 2014 where she has danced in roles from Mouse to Snow Queen and Cake Princess in ‘The Nutcracker’. As well as participating in their spring show of ‘Coppelia’ and most recently ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’.
Brooke assists Miss Mimi with our youngest students in Pre-ballet, Pre-primary, and Primary. She loves being a role model for her younger dancers and finds so much joy in watching them grow, learn and receive happiness and purpose from ballet. She also teaches RAD to the Grade 1 and 2 dancers.
Brooke is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, as well as teaching and dancing, as continuing to grow as a dancer and teacher is very important to her.
MEGAN DANIELS, BA (Econ)
Megan was born in Saskatoon where she started her dance journey at age 4 with Yvonne Jaspar at Jaspar Academy of Dance. She arrived in Calgary in 2011 to continue her career as a dancer and since 2017 has made teaching ballet her full time occupation. As a teen she trained professionally at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and following her schooling, danced in several RWB company productions. It was during those years that she realised that movement and dance are her life and she now feels so lucky that she is able to make her living teaching these things. Megan is a professionally trained dance artist who is also fully certified in teaching yoga, Pilates, Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), and Barre group fitness classes. She also holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Economics. Megan is delighted to be a member of the faculty at the International School of Ballet and can’t wait to share her love of ballet with the talented dancers of ISB.
JAYME LAUGHY
RAD Advanced 2
Jayme completed her ballet training with International School of Ballet gaining her RAD Advanced 2 designation in 2024. Jayme was featured as a Soloist in the ‘Les Sylphides’ production in 2024 and also cast in ‘Prince Igor’ and in the ‘Polovtsian Dances’ in 2023. Both productions receiving great reviews.
Jayme also attends the University of Calgary where she is studying to achieve her undergraduate degree specializing in Psychology. Jayme is excited to be teaching at her home studio inspiring young dedicated students at the International School of Ballet.
DIANA DOYLE, Office Manager
Diana is the Office Manager for the International School of Ballet. She coordinates student registrations, is the main point of communication between parents and ballet teachers, and manages the day-to-day operations of the school and our website.
Diana is a former Board Member of the Jeunesse Classique Ballet Society and has enjoyed volunteering in various capacities from administration to designing costumes and tutus. She has designed and facilitated the building of the commissioned Legacy Tutus for JCBS. Diana has been the costume designer behind the Paquita ballet for ISB and the Sleeping Beauty tutus for JCBS.