Brooke

Ballet

Brooke received 20 years of extensive dance training in classical ballet, pointe, jazz and tap from Utah’s most renowned and legendary teachers; Willam F. Christensen (founder of San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West), Bene Arnold, Attila Ficzere, Conrad Ludlow, Barbie Hamblin, Sharee Lane, Rowland Butler, and Janet Gray. Throughout high school, Brooke attended the University of Utah as a Ballet West Conservatory student and continued her dance education at the U of U, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Ballet with emphasis in pedagogy and performance.

Brooke’s versatile dance training provided her many opportunities beyond the classroom and stage, performing and dancing professionally in videos, television shows, T.V. commercials, and televised fashion shows. However, her greatest love has always been in the classroom,teaching students’ important life skills through the vehicle of dance and providing dancers a strong technical foundation. Brooke’s students can be seen in major motion pictures, on Broadway, cruise lines, T.V Shows such as, “So You Think You Can Dance”, at Radio City Music Hall and as principal dancers in professional ballet companies such as New York City Ballet.

In 1994-1995, Brooke served as Miss Utah and competed in the iconic Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. During her year of service, she shared her platform, “Youth Against Violence” at 200+ Utah schools, traveled to Japan twice as a goodwill ambassador for the state of Utah, and participated in motivational speaking engagements throughout Utah, California, Idaho, Canada, and Japan. Brooke’s extensive experience in dance, pageants and self-development has made her a sought-out pageant judge throughout the state of Utah and nationally in New York, California, Washington, Maryland, Virginia, Arizona and Nevada. In 2022, Brooke chartered the “Miss Volunteer America Organization” in Utah and served as the state director in 2022 and 2023. Under her leadership, two young women from Utah; Alexa Knutzen and Ayzjiana Wood, won the titles of “Miss Volunteer America 2022” and “Miss Teen Volunteer America 2023” at the national pageant in Jackson, Tennessee.

In 2022 and 2023 Brooke served as the Dance Director for Utah’s Special Olympics, where she commenced the coaches guide and rules for the first Dancesport Competition in the United States. In 2024 she was appointed the Head Coach for the USA Special Olympics Dancesport Team and is currently preparing our nation’s athletes for the 2025 World Games in Torino, Italy. Today, Brooke serves as a national dance industry leader, certified coach, and speaker, sharing her dance and teaching expertise with studio owners and industry professionals at conferences nationwide. Her greatest accomplishment is being the wife of Jason Maxwell, a mother of six beautiful daughters and grandmother to one granddaughter, named Rosie.