Canan Jackson

Canan was born in Ankara, Turkey where she began her dance training at age three. At seven years of age, she auditioned for the prestigious Ankara National Conservatory for the Performing Arts and was accepted first out of hundreds of candidates. Her course of study at the Ankara National Conservatory lasted for ten years.

Mrs. Jackson graduated from the conservatory with honors and obtained her teaching certification. During her course of study while at the conservatory Mrs. Jackson's early training was with noted teachers Dame Ninette de Valois, Beatrice Fenmen, Molly Lake and Travis Kemp from the Royal Ballet in London. Changes in the National Conservatory led to a long association with teachers and choreographers from the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia. Further training for Mrs. Jackson was in the Vaganova Method.

Mrs. Jackson was accepted at age seventeen into the Ankara National Ballet of Turkey as a soloist. Madame Sulamith Messerer, Alexander Prokofiev, Yuri Papko, and Nikolai Horotonova were some of the fine teachers she studied with. She danced for eight years with the company in Ankara under the direction of Turkish Ballerina Evinc Sunal and her husband Principal Dancer Husnu Sunal.

Mrs. Jackson continued to train under the tutelage of noted Turkish teachers Sait Sokmen, Oytun Turfanda, Meric Sumen and Duygu Aykal. Mrs. Jackson performed most of the Classical Repertoire including Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet, the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker, Giselle, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, La Fille Mal Gardee, Coppelia, Paquita and others. Mrs. Jackson also performed in numerous ballets from Yuri Grigorovich director of the Bolshoi Ballet and Yuri Papko noted Russian Choreographer.

In 1980, Mrs. Jackson performed at the prestigious Varna Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. Also, in 1980, she was invited to dance in West Germany as guest artist. Mrs. Jackson remained in Europe, primarily in West Germany for seven years as a principal dancer with the National Theatre of Mannheim. Mrs. Jackson continued to dance the classical repertoire as well as working with many noted international choreographers. Mrs. Jackson has performed as guest artist throughout Europe, and has taught extensively in Europe and Asia.

While dancing at the National Theatre of Mannheim, she met her husband Stephen Jackson, where they danced together for two years. In 1987, they came to Rome, NY. In 1988 they re-established John Hayes O’Neill Studio of Dance, where they have been teaching, choreographing, producing and directing for over 30 years.