MARJI HIMES

Marjorie Himes has been a dance instructor in Orange County for the past 40 years. Marji graduated from UCI with a BA in Dance and an MFA in Musical Theatre, and also holds a MES in Exercise Science. Her extensive teaching career has expanded from Rancho Santiago College, Orange Coast College, and Saddleback College. She has performed for several years at Disneyland in parades and special events and toured with Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus’ Gold Unit in Japan. Locally, she was a dancer in Christine Baltes’ Jazz Spectrum Dance Company where she also was the company’s rehearsal mistress. It was during this time that she refined her classical Giordano Jazz Dance technique.

Her 16 years at South Coast Conservatory has landed her the position of Musical Theatre Director. She has directed their Festival Productions of Princes and the Frog, Aladdin, The Lion King, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Marji has also choreographe local productions of Legally Blonde, Beauty and the Beast, Oklahoma, Something Rotten, Anything Goes among others.

Marji’s goal with every student that she works with is to leave some kind of professional impression within them. Whether it is to teach them dance class etiquette, how to audition, or just to leave them feeling more confident in their abilities than when they first walked into the classroom. For the past 30 years Marji has been on faculty at Saddleback College where she has taught Jazz Dance as well as instructed for the Community Outreach Emeritus Program.