Bernadette Pierre

Bernadette Pierre is a Performing Arts Dance Magnet Teacher of Miami Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS), the fourth largest school system in the nation. She is the founder and artistic director of Laissez-Faire Dance Ensemble.

She is married to former mayor Andre D. Pierre. They have two sons Dominique and Andre B. Pierre. Mrs. Pierre attended Hofstra University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance. She has also earned a Master of Science Degree in Management and Administrative Education from NOVA Southeastern University. Pierre launched the dance program at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School’s STAR Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts in 1999. She currently stands as the artistic director of the dance magnet program and served as a chairperson of the Fine Arts Department for many years.

After creating two separate dance programs for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Mrs. Pierre has since devoted her time to the creation of her own dance company to intertwine Haitian traditional dance with other forms of movement to promote the Haitian culture throughout the United States. Laissez-Faire is an innovative dance company that unifies Haitian root folkloric movement with mainstream techniques, such as classical ballet, modern, jazz, and African dance.

Mrs. Pierre has been the recipient of the Outstanding & Political Community Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award, National Women History Awards Recognitions and Support & Dedication Award from the Police Athletic League. She is currently the President of the Association of Haitian Educators of Dade, Inc. (AHED)