Sue Braddy - Artistic Director

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, but a native Savannahian, she began her early dance training with Ruth Goodman and The Rosalie Cotler School of Dance. She spent summers dancing with the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association and received and full scholarship to the Pennsylvania School of Ballet under the direction of Babara Weisberger. Returning to Savannah, Sue joined the Savannah Ballet as a Soloist under the direction Karena Brock, former principle with American Ballet Theatre. Her roles include the Peasant Pas in Giselle, the Snow Queen in Nutcracker, the Pigtail Girl in Graduation Ball, along with contemporary and jazz works. In 1988, she began her own school, Islands Dance Academy, which is the official school of the Savannah Danse Theatre. The company performs classical works like Giselle, Sleeping Beauty and Don Quixote, original works such as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and put a ‘Savannah’ twist on an old favorite The Nutcracker. SDT partners up with the City of Savannah around Christmas every year for The Golden Pecan, which is a prequel to the Nutcracker in Savannah. In the spring students of IDA performs an original ballet based on the short story Sootnew
and Kudzoo written by Mrs. Braddy herself. The fairytale follows two young girls and their adventures dancing in the low-country.  Sue’s choreography is well-known throughout the city. She’s choreographed and performed in The Merry Widow and La Travita with the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Peter Shannon. As well as choreographing the musicals Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Oklahoma! for St. Vincent’s Academy and Benedictine Military School. She continues to study at the Rosella Hightower Ecole Superieure de Danse in Cannes, France, Stage International de Danse in Mansle, France, and Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet in San Francisco.

John Cronin

John began his ballet at the Ann Clark School of Dance in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He continued his studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of American Ballet. John has since danced with the Montgomery Ballet, Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Atlantic Southeast Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet. He has also been a guest performer throughout the United States and Japan, and was a dancer under Paula Abdul’s direction in the Fox feature film Black Knight. During his three seasons with Columbia City Ballet, John has danced as Arthur Holmwood in Dracula, the Cavalier and Snow King in Nutcracker, in the world premiere of Lion King of Mali, and Off the Walls.

Brittany Lynch Morse

Originally from New Hampshire Brittany trained at the Carlene Nazarian Dance Center in Salem. She continued her studies in dance and trapeze under the instruction of Gay Nardone at the University of New Hampshire along with Elsie and Serenity Smith (Cirque du Soleil; Saltimbanco). Brittany achieved many scholarships while a four-year member of the UNH dance company. Since graduating Cum Laude with a double BA in Theatre & Dance and Communications. Brittany has worked for Disney at the Magic Kingdom, Celebrity Cruise Lines touring the Caribbean Islands and is an ongoing member of The Next Stage Project Directed by Jana Hicks performing internationally (New York City, Hawaii and Amsterdam, Holland). Currently, Brittany is the Artistic Director of the UNH Summer Dance Intensive and teaching all over the East Coast.

Abigail Braddy McCuen

Abigail McCuen has been a part of Islands Dance Academy since the age of three and joined the Savannah Danse theatre when it began in 1998. She holds a BFA in Theatre with a minor in Dance from Valdosta State University where she was a member of Alpha Psi Omega and Secretary of the VSU Repertory Dancers. She was very active in the theatre department acting in such shows as The Pajama Game, Sugar Babies, and Scrooge. During her college career many of Abby’s chorographic pieces were performed at the American College Dance Festival in various cities throughout the country. She has studied at Millennium Dance Complex while living in
Los Angeles and continues her studies at Stage du Danse in Mansle, France.