Stephanie Powell is a tenured Professor of Dance at Long Beach City College in Southern California. Her dance training began with Cindy Trueblood at Civic Dance Center in Bakersfield, California. Her dance studies continued scholarship with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, Washington, and the School of American Ballet in New York City. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Sociology and Education, and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance with distinction from the University of California, Irvine, as a Chancellor’s Fellow. 

Her diverse dance career spans across companies such as the Oakland Ballet Company, San Francisco Opera, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Donald Byrd the Group, Contemporary West Dance Theatre, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Lion King. Additionally, Powell has modeled internationally for Redken and Trevor Sorbie of the UK. She has appeared on television on the Grammy’s, FabLife, the Jay Leno Show, and has danced commercially for artists such as MC Hammer, Kenny G, Janet Jackson, and Beyonce Knowles-Carter.

As a college professor for two decades, she has developed course curriculum and has taught courses in academia that include classical Ballet, contemporary Ballet, Pointe, Modern Dance, Jazz, Pilates, Turns, Zumba, Dance Conditioning, Stretch and Relaxation, Dance Appreciation, Choreography, Composition, Dance History, Hip Hop Dance History and Performance Workshop. She is a certified instructor of the New York City Ballet Workout, Zumba, Qiginition and (BASI) Body Arts and Science International Pilates, with a Dance Specialization. Powell has also taught as a part-time instructor at the University of California, Irvine in Ballet, Modern Dance and the Donald McKayle Etude Ensemble. She is currently the principal interpreteur of the choreographic works for the late Donald McKayle and stages his work for universities and dance companies around the world.

As a testament to her reputation and contributions, Powell is a recipient of numerous awards and remains current in her field by regularly attending conferences for continued education in her artform to bring up to date information, dance techniques and digital technology to her students in the classroom. She continues to direct productions, perform as a guest artist, teach in summer intensive programs as well as choreograph her own work throughout the United States, Australia, Europe and Asia.