Velvaere Wellness Center Inc

MANAGEMENT

CEO/Executive Director

Marlene Hall

CEO/Executive Director Experience

Marlene Hall, Executive Director, Board of Directors ​ Marlene Hall is the creator of the medically patented Hall Method (est. 1998), a groundbreaking approach that merges dance, rehabilitation, and healing. She earned her B.A. in Dance from UC Irvine and trained on a UCI full scholarship satellite program at the American Ballet Theatre in New York City, where she had the honor of learning under legendary artists including Ann Reinking, Gregory Hines, Gwen Verdon, and Agnes de Mille. With more than 38 years of experience as a teacher and choreographer, Marlene has dedicated her life to the transformative power of the arts. For 23 of those years, she has taught at the Orange County School of the Arts and for ten years she served as assistant to mentor Salwa Rizkalla of Festival Ballet Theatre. ​ But Marlene’s story begins far before her professional success. Having entered and exited foster care three times between the ages of six and seventeen, she carries a deep understanding of what it feels like to grow up unseen and unheard. From that experience came a promise, a silent and sacred vow, to become the adult she once needed. She pledged to use her life and her work to advocate for children left within a system that often forgets them. Through the arts and education Marlene experienced the only spaces where she once found safety and kindness. Here Marlene discovered the path to healing. She has made it her mission to create safe, creative sanctuaries where students can not only dream, but thrive. Her compassionate mentorship and unique approach to learning have helped students get acceptances to secure over $5 million in scholarships, with individual awards reaching as high as $720,000. More importantly, she has helped countless young people reclaim belief in themselves. Her students describe her programs as “a safe space for creativity, self-expression, and success” encompassing an environment where they are free to be seen, to heal, and to grow. ​ Since 1996, Marlene has worked passionately with differently-abled and neurodiverse dancers, including those with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and visual impairments by integrating them into classrooms and performances with grace and dignity. She believes that dance and movement can be powerful tools for inclusion and transformation, allowing every student to experience belonging and achievement through art. In 2012, Marlene began working with her mentors, Dr. David Kruse and Dr. Jeff Russell, who encouraged her to expand her research at the intersection of dance, medicine, and science. That same year, she was introduced to the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS), where her work received international recognition. She later presented her research and the Hall Method at the Dance and Medicine Sciences Conference in Basel, Switzerland, establishing her system as a medically recognized method of rehabilitation (now patented) that restores strength, mobility, and confidence to dancers of all abilities. ​ Her students have gone on to to major training programs and universities, including The Juilliard School, Harvard University, Point Park University, Fordham University, The Ailey School, Southern University of Utah, UCLA, Emory University, Butler University, , Marymount College NYC, AMDA LA, Boston University, Lesley University, University of the Arts, Cal Arts, Loyola Marymount University, and UC Irvine. They also have performed on world stages — from the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Sydney Opera House to tours across Germany, Prague, Spain, and France with the South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Marlene founded the Velvaere Wellness Center, a place where art and healing meet. Rooted in compassion and guided by a spirit of innovation, she continues her mission to bring arts-based wellness into schools and communities. Through her programs, she meets each person exactly where they are by nurturing growth, resilience, and joy while helping individuals rediscover their strength and purpose. ​ Beyond her professional life, Marlene finds peace in nature as she loves camping at the beach with her husband Craig and her pup Ollie, while watching the sun set over the ocean, and by crafting. She devotes her time to community organizations and causes close to her heart, guided always by the belief that healing is possible through creativity, connection, and love — and that all she ever owes anybody is kindness.

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